Collection: Adult

A glimpse into the mind of an American conspiracy theorist, the schizophrenia, trauma, and misinformation that drove him to the brink, and the friendship that brought him back.

"A mesmerizing, compassionate, and deeply meaningful exploration of a perilous corridor of American life." - Robert Kolker, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Hidden Valley Road

On the eve of January 6, 2021, Michael Dodd and his three friends found themselves in a stolen vehicle on the grounds of the Washington State Capitol, armed to the teeth, and ready to kidnap Governor Jay Inslee. Only there weren't actually three others in the car-Michael was alone. Months later, the violent plan thwarted, Michael sat in a psychiatric hospital and learned that he was struggling with undiagnosed schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder. His knowledge of that fateful day was spotty, fractured by the different personality states he now knew were affecting his reality. Skeptical of a state mental health system, but anxious to find out how his world turned upside down, he reached out to a longtime friend, the author Chris Lockhart, for help.

American Alt is the odyssey of two friends trying to piece together the fragments of Michael's shattered memory and uncover the truth of what pushed him to the edge. Set against the beautiful but economically fractured Pacific Northwest where both men rambled in their youth, Lockhart delivers a suspenseful, profoundly moving story of discovery and affirmation.

How generative systems are reshaping the way games are made, how we experience them, and what this reveals about creativity itself.

In video games creativity isn't just seen, it's played - from exploring endless landscapes to diving into character details and immersing ourselves in unpredictable narratives. Yet these elements are often the result of procedural generation - the creative use of algorithms to design game content. These generative systems lie behind some of the biggest hits in video game history, from genre-defying titles in the 1980's to the most famous blockbusters of today.
Next Level demystifies the techniques that are often as mysterious as their creations. Written by game designer and creative AI researcher Mike Cook, this book takes us on a tour of generative systems past and present, exploring how they work, the artistic uses they have in some of our favourite games, and how these algorithms didn't just revolutionise how we design games - they changed how we think about creativity itself.

An age revolution is reshaping your workforce. Are you ready to lead it?

A massive demographic shift is reshaping the world, one that is permanently altering how we work. People are healthier, living longer, and redefining the concept of retirement. The Future of Work Is Grey, by award-winning author Dan Pontefract, reveals the critical ways we must rethink work in an era of demographic, economic, and productivity upheaval.

For decades, leaders have clung to outdated models that assume younger workers will always outnumber older generations, that retirement at sixty-five is an unshakable norm, and that older employees have little left to offer. This mindset has left us working and leading in a period of "age debt"--the workplace equivalent of the climate crisis. It is the cumulative burden organizations face as our populations age, birth rates plummet, middle-aged workers become overwhelmed, internal skills gaps widen, multi-generational issues intensify, and various economic structures fail to keep pace.

In this robust exploration, Pontefract uncovers how we reached this tipping point of age debt and what organizations and leaders need to do next. He also reveals how leaders must seize the most significant opportunity of our time, the "experience dividend"--the value gained by integrating the skills, insights, and mentorship of employees across all age spectrums into a revised workforce strategy. Central to this vision is his framework of Rivers, Rocks, and Rubies--three age archetypes that reflect the evolving strengths of workers at every stage of life.

An emergency siren to future-proof your organization's success and security, The Future of Work Is Grey gives you the imperative actions leaders need to take NOW. By reframing age as a powerful asset, leaders can avert a growing crisis, redefining work and--equally important--what it means to work. The future of work will most definitely be grey, yet it can also become a future of resilience, innovation, and hope.

Isa has a gift. Premonitions, intuitive insight, a knack for tarot. But she is adrift.

Years ago, she ran away from one coast to the other and never looked back, but when her brother Cole unexpectedly shows up on her stoop, she's convinced that it's time to go home. Back in the California desert, Isa is swept up in her former life of late-night drag races by the Salton Sea, beers with the locals, and haunting reminders of the twin sister she lost and the mother she never got to meet.

When Dane, the man who raised them, becomes terminally ill, Isa is forced to confront everything she ran away from. In a posthumous letter, his revelations ignite her fearless internal drive. Traveling up and down California highways, through desert and forest, roaring coastline and border towns, Isa will follow the signs so delicately woven into the fabric of her life - a name, a constellation, a painting, a gleam of recognition on the water's surface. If she can piece them together, she just might reunite the shattered remains of her beloved family.

Artfully narrated, Schlottman's novel is an unforgettable journey through hidden stories, the depths of women's secrets, the shimmering fluidity of memory, and the magic of transmutation.

"I often traveled for work." So begins Nothing On Earth, a propulsive novel that tells the story of Anna Hendrix, an American spy, as she seeks answers for the appearance of a mysterious and potentially powerful metal of unknown origin.

For a long time, Anna was in counterterrorism, but now she is on a new mission, one which has friends and enemies across the globe scrambling to find answers. Her pursuit will take her from the Horn of Africa to Southeast Asia--through expatriate enclaves and the NGO communities in which she cultivates her cover and extracts information from a wide cast of characters: aid workers, diplomats, foreign correspondents, energy magnates, insurgents, dissidents, and of course, other spies.

As the pressure mounts to find the original source of the metal, Anna must make choices with life-changing implications not just for herself, but for the people with whom she deals, always bearing in mind the young daughter waiting for her back home. In Nothing on Earth, novelist Ian MacKenzie reimagines a pivotal decade in the Pax Americana, from the killing of Osama bin Laden to the storming of the Capitol. Anna's voice--lean, understated, unflappable--is our companion and guide through the dark topography of geopolitical power, and in the end, the furthest reaches of human comprehension.

For fans of Rachel Cusk and John Le Carré alike, this is a story of power and secrecy, geopolitics and science, parenthood and loss, and the question of how we know what we think we know, how we make sense of our existence on Earth.

A delightful children's book from the whimsical world of Hermès about a dog who forms a unique alliance with a local saddlery craftsman

Published in collaboration with Hermès, this whimsical children's book tells the story of a dog who sits outside a saddlery workshop, asking the craftsman to make him a collar. At first the craftsman explains that he cannot help him, since he only makes saddles and leather goods for horses, not for dogs. Seeing the dog's distress, he finally agrees to make him a collar. The dog is so happy that he takes the craftsman into town with him. On the way they meet a collection of other animals who require his services: a squirrel who needs a satchel, a mother kangaroo who wants pockets to house her cubs, a lion who wants stripes so he can be seen when crossing the road, an elephant who wants a hat to protect him from the sun, and a penguin who wants a scarf to go home in. The animals are so pleased with the craftsman's services that the dog calls all his friends to commission him for more items. This way, the craftsman will never be alone or without business in his shop again.

A deeply moving photographic and narrative history of a southern waterway that the enslaved were forced to build for mercantile shipping--but which they used to escape slavery.

With gorgeously rich tritone photographs and a hard-bound cover with tip-in, perfect for fine art or history lovers.

Some of the earliest canals in colonial America, referred to as the Inner Passage, were constructed by enslaved people living in the Lowcountry of South Carolina in the early 1700s. In a paradox of history, for over a hundred years enslaved Black people used these canals, constructed for white plantation owners, to travel southward to freedom in Spanish Florida.

In this book, Virginia McGee Richards documents the lost narrative of the Inner Passage through 60 extraordinary photographs of landscapes altered by slavery and portraits of Lowcountry descendants, along with an essay describing her discovery of this untold history. In an accompanying essay, Imani Perry writes about her own journey on the Inner Passage, putting Black resistance to enslavement and Southern history into an immediate context. James Estrin brings decades of insight about photography and the power of visual storytelling to his affecting foreword. Together, these words and images offer a powerful living map of history.

"Africulture is a gift and inspiration."--Michael W. Twitty, author of the James Beard Foundation Award-winning The Cooking Gene

A bold, timely history illuminating the essential contributions to U.S. agriculture arising from the expertise and innovations of Black men and women.

In Africulture, fifth-generation family farmer Michael Carter, Jr. has blended an eclectic brew of history, culture, African-centered perspectives, and African American farm realities. Throughout, he includes inspiring stories of innovators as well as sobering facts tracking the severe decline in the number of Black farmers in the United States over the last century. Descriptions of tropical crops that Carter grows, from jute to Nigerian spinach, enliven the text, as do anecdotes from his compelling family history and profiles of contemporary Black farmers and activists. Drawing on the lifecycle of a plant as a metaphor for both individual growth and the larger story of African American farming, Carter evokes the relationship between soil health (metaphorically, society and community) and plant health (i.e., the ability of Black farmers and families to thrive).

Africulture also includes Carter's heartfelt reflections on the cycles of progress and backsliding--what he calls "blacklash"--that are an inescapable part of the history of Black people in the United States, in agriculture and beyond. In the present moment, when the civil rights gains and progress toward economic parity for Black Americans of the past fifty years may be slipping away, Carter offers the possibility of a better future through several foundational principles of Africulture.

Destined to surprise, challenge, and enrich, Africulture lays bare the undeniable revelation that without African expertise and innovation, American agriculture--and America itself--would not exist.

"The ancestors are undoubtedly shaking their tambourines in celebration of Africulture...[it] provides a blueprint for the blossoming of an agriculture rooted in cultural memory, ecological care, and mutual thriving."--Leah Penniman, cofounder, Soul Fire Farm; author of Farming While Black

From social media star and motivational speaker Spencer West, an inspirational guide that shows you how to be the person you were meant to be all along.

You might think that the hardest mountain Spencer West had to climb was Mount Kilimanjaro, but as he tells it, the real challenge was learning to overcome the everyday mountains we all face: anxiety, self-doubt, and the pressure to live up to the expectations of others.

Born without the use of his legs, Spencer discovered that the path he was told to follow only led to frustration and unfulfillment. With unrelenting candor and unexpected humor, Spencer shares his own experience of listening to his heart and creating a life defined by authenticity, not approval, to help you:

• Dig deep and uncover who you were always meant to be
• Pursue your passions fearlessly
• Embrace the life that you want to live on your own terms

The road to self-discovery is certainly filled with vulnerability, but once you stop seeking permission to be yourself, you'll find your most powerful and authentic self awaits you on the other side.

An urgent and unforgettable work of magical realism following a young man coming of age in rural West Africa as he bears witness to the violence, upheaval, and hope in a rapidly changing society

In a drought-stricken Igbo village, young Ekwe grows up haunted by owls, myths, and the boundaries of a world too small to contain his restless spirit. After touching a forbidden leaf that his father warns will trap him in astral planes, he is swept into a journey that will carry him across Nigeria, through savannas, deserts, and conflict zones, and into the heart of a nation's unraveling.

Taken in by Danjuma, a gentle Fulani cowherd with a sprawling family and an instinct for danger, Ekwe enters a world of cattle herding, migration, and precarious survival. As insurgents tear through northern towns and tribal wars erupt in the Middle Belt, Danjuma leads his family on an epic pastoral flight southward, seeking safety in a country where no place is truly safe. Along the way, Ekwe witnesses birth and burial, kindness and betrayal, and the fragile alliances that form between strangers bound by necessity.

But violence follows them like a shadow, and the owls--symbols of myth, menace, and prophecy--perch over every new beginning. Back in his own village, Ekwe's twelve-year-old sister is pressured to marry a wealthy adult suitor. Ekwe becomes obsessed with how much their lives would improve if she married this man, but Oyibo, stubborn and proud, resists the path that is laid out for her. Meanwhile, simmering tensions between herders and farmers threaten to ignite, forcing Ekwe to confront the truth of where he belongs.

Sweeping, immersive, and fiercely humane, A Siege of Owls traces a child's odyssey across a fractured landscape, weaving folklore with the stark realities of insurgency, displacement, and the longing for home. It is a story of two families--one lost, one gained--bound together by fate, resilience, and the dangerous hope that somewhere, peace still exists.

A new perspective on the life of the US politician best known for the infamous assault that paved the bloody road to the Civil War.

In 1856, South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks assaulted Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner with a cane in the US Capitol, defending his family's honor and the rights of slaveholders. In beating Sumner unconscious, Brooks fueled a nationwide clash over slavery that ended in civil war.

Southern historian Paul Quigley brings Brooks to life more vividly than ever before, revealing how his personal struggles shaped the fateful decision to attack Sumner. Raised in the slaveholding culture of honor and scarred by missed opportunities for glory in the Mexican-American War, Brooks came to believe in the redemptive power of violence. Blending intimate personal history with wide-ranging analysis of political debates, Quigley uses Brooks's life to examine the deeper currents propelling the United States to the brink of destruction. Brooks's story reveals the increasingly fraught relationship between words and violence: When did words such as "liar" or "coward" justify duels? Did abolitionists' verbal attacks on slaveholders warrant physical retaliation? How did the way Americans talked about violence affect the likelihood that it would occur? With the caning, Brooks sparked an ominous national debate over the righteousness of bloodshed in a polarized nation.

Examining enduring issues of masculinity, honor, and free speech, The Man Behind the Cane shows how words and violent behavior became perilously entangled in the fight over slavery and casts new light on the origins of the Civil War-and the ongoing dangers of political violence in our own time.

Level up your marketing strategy by understanding how the human mind works in the age of artificial intelligence (AI)

Marketing 7.0 explores mind-centric marketing, a new approach that shifts the focus from AI-driven performance optimization to understanding how people think, connect, and buy. With the insights in this book, readers will be prepared to engage a new breed of consumers: the augmented human.

Written by Philip Kotler, one of the world's leading authorities on marketing, together with Hermawan Kartajaya and Iwan Setiawan from the leading marketing consulting firm MCorp, this book discusses ideas such as:

• Why digitalization, AI, and immersive technology unlock the consumer mind
• How performance marketing and AI obsessions kill authenticity
• How to extract customer insights to design brand storytelling, value propositions, selling approaches, and customer experiences

Marketing 7.0 earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of executives, business leaders, and marketers alike as a guide to marketing in the age of AI.

Go inside the writers' room and onto the set of the honorary queen of comfort shows--with exclusive interviews from the creator, cast, writers, directors, and crew.

Since its finale, New Girl has quietly become one of the most rewatched shows in streaming history--a certified comfort classic. Taking the well-worn hangout sitcom formula and giving it a weird, wonderful twist, the series landed in that rare space between Friends-style warmth and sheer comedic chaos. Sitcom conventions were bent (if not broken), as the cast and writers shaped characters in real time--from Nick Miller's legendary "turtle face" and Winston's codependent relationship with his cat, to Schmidt's endless barrage of absurd, quotable one-liners.

More than just a sitcom, New Girl became a generational touchstone, embedding itself in pop culture and personal routines alike. Fans still yell "No notes!" at friends, argue over the rules of True American, and nod to the Douchebag Jar as a model of self-regulation. It's the show that made "adorkable" a household word, gave Prince and Taylor Swift two of TV's greatest cameos, and delivered some of the most beloved moments in modern comedy--like the slow-burn brilliance of Nick and Jess's kiss, the utter chaos of Prank Sinatra, or Schmidt's passionate monologue about "chut-a-ney."

In Who's That Girl, entertainment journalist Thea Glassman takes readers behind the scenes with in-depth interviews with creator Liz Meriwether and the creative team, telling the story of how a scrappy, offbeat pilot evolved into a streaming juggernaut. Packed with heart, hilarity, and never-before-heard stories, this is the definitive tribute to the ultimate feel-good show.

So grab your Feelings Stick, declare your love of puzzles, argue about towel rotation, and embrace your weird: You're officially invited back to Apartment 4D.

A stunning resurrection of the visionary choreographer Buddy Bradley whose contributions to rhythm tap and jazz dance in the 1920s and '30s indelibly transformed the way we move to music

In Feel the Floor, Maureen Footer shows how Bradley's revolutionary moves electrified Broadway in the 1920s and conquered London's West End in the 1930s, introducing new inflections to the era's tap and jazz dance.

His experiments in rhythm and staging would anticipate bebop, and his influence even permeated classical dance, cross-pollinating with ballet choreographers like Frederick Ashton and George Balanchine.

Mirroring today's fight for recognition of Black contributors to transatlantic culture, Buddy Bradley's story isn't just one of influence. He created the movement language we still speak today.

The white performers Bradley taught to move became legends: Eleanor Powell, Ruby Keeler, Adele Astaire, Jessie Matthews. Bradley was also the first to fuse movement, character, and narrative in the theater, setting the stage for the integrated book musical and the careers of Agnes de Mille, Bob Fosse, and Jerome Robbins.

In post-war Great Britain, as Black American dancers and jazz musicians flocked to London (and a congenial base at Bradley's dance school), he danced and choreographed with Baby Laurence, Pete Nugent, Frankie Manning, and Mabel Lee, among others.

Footer spent five years in prodigious research, crossing two continents, tracking ancestral history in the Deep South, and enlisting private investigators to uncover Bradley's buried legacy.

Feel the Floor corrects the false narratives that have erased Bradley's influence, revealing how one man's genius transformed musical theater, shaped modern ballet, and rewired the very DNA of American dance.

Tools and strategies for busy parents seeking to instill social justice values in their children

Raising Change Agents gives parents the tools they need to weave social justice actions into their daily routines, raise socially conscious kids, and address their own triggers and trauma, helping them become more than performative, take a proactive approach, and teach their kids and themselves to live in alignment with their values, even when they feel overwhelmed with the demands of work and homelife. The author's proven framework focuses on breaking the abstract concepts of social justice actions into bite-sized actions that parents can implement throughout the day whether during mealtime, bath time, play, or school drop off.

The book explores how to:

• Raise children to be social change agents by first becoming one
• Practice social justice in daily parenting while promoting a child's development at the same time; each social justice action in this book is linked to developmental psychology
• Take concrete actions to support doing the "heart work" of liberation together for the long haul, because liberation starts at home

Raising Change Agents is an essential read for busy parents who believe in social justice initiatives and want to instill these values in their children but don't yet have the tools and strategies to do so, along with practitioners, therapists, educators, and other professionals who work with children.