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Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America
"Water Mirror Echo is a remarkable story of a man, the traditions and communities that created him, and the new worlds he made possible. Like Bruce Lee himself, Jeff Chang is blessed with the vision to see things we do not yet see, thinking and writing with a restless, chasm-crossing, almost prophetic ambition." -- Hua Hsu, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Stay True: A Memoir
"This book is as celebratory as it is incisive, as it is, at times, heartbreaking. A massive achievement." -- Hanif Abdurraqib, National Book Award-winning author of There's Always This Year and A Little Devil in America
A cultural biography, both sweeping and intimate, of the legend Bruce Lee, set against the extraordinary, untold story of the rise of Asian America--from the author of the award-winning classic Can't Stop Won't Stop and one of the finest culture observers of our era.
More than a half-century after his passing, Bruce Lee is as towering a figure to people around the world as ever. On his path to becoming a global icon, he popularized martial arts in the West, became a bridge to people and cultures from the East, and just as he was set to conquer Hollywood once and for all, he died of cerebral edema at age thirty-two. It's no wonder that Bruce Lee's legend has only bloomed in the decades since. Yet, in so many ways, the legend has eclipsed the man.
Forgotten is the stark reality of the baby boy born in segregated San Francisco, who spent his youth in war-ravaged, fight-crazy Hong Kong. Forgotten is the curious teenager who found his way back to America, where he embraced West Coast counterculture and meshed it with the Asian worldviews and philosophies that reared him. Forgotten is the man whose very presence broke barriers and helped shape the idea of what being an Asian in America is, at the very dawn of Asian America.
Water Mirror Echo--a title inspired by Bruce Lee's own way of moving, being and responding to the world--is a page-turning and powerful reminder. At the helm is Jeff Chang, the award-winning author of Can't Stop Won't Stop, whose writing on culture, politics, the arts and music have made him one of the most acclaimed and distinctive voices of our time. In his hands, Bruce Lee's story brims with authenticity.
Now, based on in-depth interviews with Lee's closest intimates, thousands of newly available personal documents, and featuring dozens of gorgeous photographs from the family's archive, Chang achieves the nearly impossible. He reveals the man behind the enduring iconography and stirringly shows Lee's growing fame ushering in something that's turned out to be even more enduring: the creation of Asian America.
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Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines
A groundbreaking, revelatory assessment of America's broken two-party system.
In a country obsessed with blind loyalty to a two-party democratic system, Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House press secretary to the Biden-Harris administration, shares why Americans must step beyond party lines to embrace life as Independents. Jean-Pierre didn't come to her decision to be an Independent lightly. She has served two American presidents, Obama and Biden. In 2020, she joined Biden's campaign as a senior adviser, becoming Harris's chief of staff and then, two years later, White House press secretary. She takes us through the three weeks that led to Biden's abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision. In an urgent, timely analysis, Independent urges all Americans to vote their values and maintain individuality within party lines. She presents clear arguments and provocative evidence as an insider about the importance of dismantling the torrent of disinformation and misinformation that has been rampant in recent elections and provides passionate insight for moving forward. In a hard-hitting yet hopeful critique, Jean-Pierre defines what it means to be part of the growing percentage of our fractured electorate that is Independent, why it can be worthwhile to carve a political space more loyal to personal beliefs than a party affiliation, and what questions you need to ask yourself to determine where you fit politically. As a history maker, veteran public servant, political analyst and independent thinker, she urges Americans to think outside of the blue-and-red box as we consider what's next to save our democracy. -
Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist
An intimate and captivating exploration of Lin-Manuel Miranda's artistic journey, revealing how the creator of the Broadway musicals Hamilton and In the Heights found his unique voice through bold collaborations and a seamless blend of cultures, redefining the world of musical theater. How did Lin-Manuel Miranda, the sweet, sensitive son of Puerto Rican parents from an immigrant neighborhood in Manhattan, rise to become the preeminent musical storyteller of the 21st century? Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist offers a compelling narrative that traces Miranda's path from a friendly but often isolated child to the winner of multiple Tonys and Grammys for his Broadway hits Hamilton and In the Heights, a global chart-topping sensation for his songs in Disney's Moana and Encanto, and the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur Genius Grant. Miranda's journey is a testament to the power of creativity, collaboration, and cultural synthesis. Despite not being a musical prodigy, Miranda's insatiable drive to create art and learn from those around him propelled him to synthesize his Latino heritage with the pop, hip-hop, and Broadway musical styles of New York City. The unique blend allowed him to craft a new way of telling American stories. Drawing on over 150 interviews with Miranda's family, friends, and mentors, including insights from Miranda himself, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner delves into the formative experiences that shaped Miranda's artistic vision. From his early musicals in high school and college to the creation of his professional masterpieces, this book reveals the sources of Miranda's creativity--not only as innate genius, but also as a result of exceptional openness and collaboration. With full access to Miranda's inner circle, this behind-the-scenes origin story is sure to captivate his legions of fans and beyond. -
Herculine
One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2025
Debutiful - LitHub - CrimeReads - LGBTQ Reads A "paranoid, self-annihilating" (Gretchen Felker-Martin, author of Manhunt and Cuckoo) horror debut following a woman who seeks refuge at an all-trans girl commune only to discover that demons haunt her fellow comrades--and she's their next prey! Herculine's narrator has demons. Sure, her life includes several hallmarks of the typical trans girl sob story--conversion therapy, a string of shitty low-paying jobs, and even shittier exes--but she also regularly debates sleep paralysis demons that turn to mist soon after she wakes and carries vials of holy oil in her purse. Nothing, though, prepares her for the new malevolent force stalking her through the streets of New York City, more powerful than any she's ever encountered. Desperate to escape this ancient evil, she flees to rural Indiana, where her ex-girlfriend started an all-trans girl commune in the middle of the woods. The secluded camp, named after 19th-century intersex memoirist Herculine Barbin, is a scrappy operation, but the shared sense of community among the girls is a welcome balm to the narrator's growing isolation and paranoia. Still, something isn't quite right at Herculine. Girls stop talking as soon as she enters the room, everyone seems to share a common secret, and the books lining the walls of the library harbor strange cryptograms. Soon what once looked like an escape becomes a trap all its own. While trying to untangle the commune's many mysteries, the narrator contends with disemboweled pigs, cultlike psychosexual rituals, and the horrors of communal breakfast. And before long, she discovers that her demons have followed her. And this time, they won't be letting her go. -
Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare's Greatest Rival
In repressive Elizabethan England, artists are frightened into dull conventionality; foreigners are suspect; popular entertainment largely consists of coarse spectacles, animal fights, and hangings. Into this crude world of government censorship and religious authoritarianism comes an ambitious cobbler's son from Canterbury with a daring desire to be known--and an uncanny ear for Latin poetry. A torment for most schoolboys, yet for a few, like Christopher Marlowe, a secret portal to beauty, visionary imagination, transgressive desire, and dangerous skepticism.
What Marlowe seizes in his rare opportunity for a classical education, and what he does with it, brings about a spectacular explosion of English literature, language, and culture. His astonishing literary success will, in turn, nourish the talent of a collaborator and rival, William Shakespeare.
Dark Renaissance illuminates both Marlowe's times and the origins and significance of his work--from his erotic translations of Ovid to his portrayal of unfettered ambition in a triumphant Tamburlaine to Doctor Faustus, his unforgettable masterpiece about making a pact with the devil in exchange for knowledge. Introducing us to Marlowe's transgressive genius in the form of a thrilling page-turner, Stephen Greenblatt brings a penetrating understanding of the literary work to reveal the inner world of the author, bringing to life a homosexual atheist who was tormented by his own compromises, who refused to toe the party line, and who was murdered just when he had found love. Meanwhile, he explores how the people Marlowe knew, and the transformations they wrought, gave birth to the economic, scientific, and cultural power of the modern world including Faustian bargains with which we reckon still.
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Widow's Point: The Complete Haunting
New York Times bestselling author Richard Chizmar, "one of horror's indispensable writers" (Paste), and his son W.H. Chizmar, critically acclaimed author of Them (hailed by New York Times bestselling author Josh Malerman as "one of the best debuts I've ever read") present a riveting found footage narrative about doomed thrill-seekers trapped in a haunted lighthouse. "This is a bad place. I don't think people are meant to live here." Longtime residents of Harper's Cove believe that something is wrong with the Widow's Point Lighthouse. Some say it's cursed. Others claim it's haunted. Originally built in 1838, three workers were killed during the lighthouse's construction, including one who mysteriously plunged to his death from the catwalk. That tragic accident was never explained, and it was just the beginning of the terror. In the decades that followed, nearly two dozen additional deaths occurred in or around the lighthouse including cold-blooded murder, suicide, unexplained accidents and disappearances, the slaughter of an entire family, and the inexplicable death of a Hollywood starlet who was filming a movie on the grounds. The lighthouse was finally shuttered tight in 1988 and a security fence was erected around the property. No one has been inside since. Until now. Told across two harrowing incidents from 2017 and 2025, those who enter the Widow's Point Lighthouse searching for supernatural proof and the next big thing find themselves cut off from the outside world. And although no one has recently stepped foot inside the structure, they are not alone. In this remarkable collaboration, father and son writing team, Richard and W.H. Chizmar combine forces to tell a terrifying ghost story that will make you think twice about what's waiting for you in the dark. -
Six Seasons of Pasta: A New Way with Everyone's Favorite Food
In the follow-up to Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables, James Beard Award-winning author Joshua McFadden teaches home cooks how to use storebought dried pasta to create seasonal, restaurant-quality dishes at home. Named one of Publishers Weekly's Top 10 Cookbooks of Fall 2025. In Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables, Joshua McFadden's approach to seasonal produce revolutionized the way we cook with vegetables. Now, he's back to transform the way we cook and eat pasta. In Six Seasons of Pasta, noodles become the perfect showcase for each season's bounty of produce. There are more than 125 recipes organized by season, plus the Italian classics that everyone should have in their repertoire, from Cacio e Pepe to Pasta Fagiole (three ways!). Artichokes with Tomato and Mint celebrates the fresh, delicate flavors of spring; Fall's warming notes are reflected in Mushrooms with Onion, Pancetta, and Cream; and a classic Winter dish like Baked Ziti with Broccoli Rabe is hearty and nourishing. And the best part? These recipes are all made using storebought dried pasta. Six Seasons of Pasta does so much more than pair noodles with seasonal produce. The book teaches us how to intuitively cook a perfect pasta dish from scratch using McFadden's no-fail "build-the-sauce-in-the-skillet" method. McFadden's time-tested technique will always result in a satisfying and delicious bowl of pasta. -
To Die for: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes
An inspiring collection of recipes preserved on gravestones, with fascinating interviews from the families, celebrating the beloved food legacies of their dearly departed.
For so many, food is a touching, nostalgic thing that brings us together. So much so that some families choose to remember their loved ones through the dishes they made and the food that brought comfort to those around them by immortalizing their recipes on their gravestones.
Rosie Grant, the creator behind @GhostlyArchive, has been searching out and documenting this interesting phenomenon. In To Die For, Rosie collects 40 recipes she's found across the globe, carved into headstones or associated with a grave that has a story to share. Each recipe is accompanied by an interview with the remaining family, plus photography of the food, the gravestone, and any memorabilia the family wanted to share.
Recipes include:
- Spritz CookiesHomemade FudgeChicken SoupFrench Silk PieGuava Cobbler
...and more!
Thoughtfully and respectfully explored, Rosie has documented this connection between food, legacy, and family, remembering the deceased through the recipes they most loved, and giving their families a platform to share their loved one's story and cherished dish with the world.
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Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life
Educated meets The Queen's Gambit in this extraordinary memoir by International Master and Chess.com co-founder Danny Rensch, who describes his upbringing in an abusive cult - and how chess ended up saving his life
Born into the Church of Immortal Consciousness, Danny Rensch spent his childhood navigating the isolated confines of a cult. Despite psychological manipulation, physical abuse, and neglect, he persevered. An international chess master and world-class commentator, Rensch's remarkable journey led him to being the face of Chess.com, one of the largest online gaming platforms in the world. With unflinching honesty, Rensch recounts his life, starting from the moment he discovered chess in the summer of 1995, all the way up to being at the center of the most explosive cheating scandal in chess history. He chronicles the traumas of being "special" in a cult that forced separation from his mother. Mentored by an alcoholic, Russian chess master, he found solace alongside suffering in his obsession for an ancient game, and chess became his only escape. Rensch rose through the chess ranks until a medical emergency nearly took him out of the game forever. And it almost did, until Chess.com came along. Deeply heartfelt, keenly reflective, and haunting, Dark Squares is the never-before-told story of Danny Rensch's resilience, survival, and his enduring love for the game that saved him. -
Night People: How to Be a DJ in '90s New York City
Capturing the music, characters, escapades, and energy of his DJ days, a profound memoir from seven-time Grammy-winning record producer Mark Ronson.
Lady Gaga, Adele, Amy Winehouse, Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus, the Barbie soundtrack--behind some of the biggest musical moments in the past two decades is one man: Mark Ronson. Night People conjures the undeniable magic of the city's bygone nightlife--a time when clubs were diverse, glamorous, and a little lawless, and each night brought a heady mix of music, ambition, danger, delight, and possibility. It's about the beauty of what you can create with just two Technics and a mixer, in a golden era before Giuliani, camera phones, and bottle service upended everything. It's also about a teenager finding his way--stalking DJ Stretch Armstrong and biting his mixes, crate-digging in every corner of New York, grinding gig after gig through a decade of incredible music--and finding a community of people who, in their own strange, cracked ways, lived for the night. Organized around the venues that defined his experience of the downtown scene, Ronson evokes the specific rush of that decade and those spaces--where fashion folks and rappers on the rise danced alongside club kids and 9-to-5'ers--and invites us into the tribe of creatives and partiers who came alive when the sun went down. A heartfelt coming-of-age tale, Night People is the definitive account of '90s New York nightlife and the making of a musical mastermind. -
Slashed Beauties
A gothic feminist body horror in two timelines revolving around three Anatomical Venuses--ultrarealistic wax figures of women--that come to life at night to murder men who have wronged them. Seoul, present day. Antiques dealer Alys's task is nearly complete. She has at last secured Elizabeth, the final anatomical Venus in a dangerously intertwined trio. Crafted in eighteenth-century London and modeled after real-life sex workers to entice male medical students to study female anatomy, these eerie wax figures, known as slashed beauties, carry unsavory lore. Legend has it that the figures are bewitched, and come to life at night to murder men who have wronged them. Now Alys embarks for England, where she knows what she must do: sever her cursed connection to the Venuses once and for all. London, 1763. Abandoned and penniless in Covent Garden, wide-eyed Eleanor and another young woman, Emily, are taken under the wing of beautiful and beguiling Elizabeth, one of the city's most highly desired courtesans. But as Eleanor is seduced deeper into a web of money, materialism, and men, it seems that Elizabeth may not be the savior she appears to be. As past and present begin to intersect, it becomes clear that the women's stories are linked in deeper, darker ways than it initially seems. And that the only method for Alys to end the witchcraft that binds her legacy is to gather all three models in one place and destroy them. The problem is, Elizabeth is not ready to burn. Far from it. Centuries on, she is determined to rise again, and she will obliterate anything standing in her path. Including Alys herself. -
Encyclopedia of Ugly Fashion: Hilarious Introspective of History's Worst Fashion Trends
Dive into history's forgotten fashion mistakes with this hilarious collection of hideous clothing trends throughout history. Filled with the biggest style flops across the decades, this book is a culmination of fashion history that will make readers ask, what were they thinking? Delivered through the comedic authorial voice of YouTuber and fashion historian Karolina Żebrowska, this book will give readers a peek back in time at looks like Bullet Bras, Calash Bonnets, Sock Garters, and Venetian Stilts.
Complete with caricatures from centuries past, Karolina depicts each piece in all its glory, or lack thereof. Through historical context interwoven with comedic quips rooted in her own perspective, each trend is brought back to life. Describing such absurd historical pieces as the Liripipe Hood, her archival, curator lens allows her to analyze not just why people wore what they did, but why it went so wrong. She depicts 18th century dresses ruining silhouettes and 14th century tailed hoods worn as status symbols, all with her acerbic wit and eye for design. With Karolina's fashion expertise and hilarious voice, taking a look at the past's most regrettable fashion trends has never been more fun. -
Dealing with Feeling: Use Your Emotions to Create the Life You Want
From Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of the bestselling book Permission to Feel, comes an essential guide for regulating how we respond to our emotions in order to transform our lives.
Success in virtually every aspect of life--career, friendship, love, and family--is determined mainly by one thing: how you deal with your feelings. In your most challenging moments, how did you respond? Did you fly off the handle? Were you paralyzed by indecision? Did you engage in behaviors that undermined your best intentions? Or did you exhibit grace under pressure and flourish? How you responded likely shaped what happened next. But emotion regulation isn't a fixed trait, as many believe. It is a set of skills and strategies that must be learned, practiced, and refined over a lifetime. Marc Brackett examines his own challenges dealing with emotions, explains the latest science of emotion regulation, and provides a set of practical, evidence-based strategies to help us use our feelings wisely to nurture healthy relationships, achieve ambitious goals, and experience greater well-being. At the heart of his message is acceptance: There are no bad emotions--only emotions we don't understand or know how to direct in positive, intentional ways. The good news? We all have the power to decide how we will respond to what life throws at us. By honing our emotion regulation skills, we can increase our chances of achieving success in all facets of our lives. Dealing with Feeling will show you how to work with your emotions--not against them--so you can become the best version of yourself.