Collection: Shop All

A kaleidoscopic memoir by acclaimed filmmaker Abel Ferrara, director of the cult classic films Bad Lieutenant, King of New York, and Dangerous Game, offering an unflinching look at his life, career, and the gritty world of independent cinema.

Throughout his five-decade career, film director Abel Ferrara--now in his seventies--has been one of cinema's most provocative and critically revered figures. Since beginning as an independent filmmaker in Manhattan in the early 1970s--before "indie films" were a genre--and refining his craft as a director for the TV show Miami Vice, he has directed more than thirty feature films, most notably the cult classics Bad Lieutenant, King of New York, and Dangerous Game. His work, often controversial for its depictions of sex, violence, and drugs, has been praised for its sincerity and depth, with critics noting that his films take spirituality and morality more seriously than most films do. In Scene, Ferrara opens up about the inspiration for his creativity detailing his dramatic life journey, from his rough upbringing in the 1950s Bronx to reaching the pinnacle of his career while struggling with addiction. This memoir is not just a recounting of his life but a manifesto on what it means to be a true artist--one who refuses to compromise and continues to create boundary-pushing work. Scene is a profound, beautiful, and inspiring account of an artist's relentless pursuit of creativity, making it a must-read for film fans and anyone interested in the gritty realities of the entertainment industry.

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace meets A Study in Drowning in this "serpentine occult mystery with a gothic atmosphere that delivers steamy romance and propulsive adventure" (Publishers Weekly) and follows a young nurse and a mysterious young man imprisoned by a dangerous occultist.

In 1873 New York City, working in a hospital is no easy task, but eighteen-year-old nursing student Molly O'Rinn hasn't had an easy life. After being orphaned at a young age, Molly's most constant companions have been the ghosts only she can see. One in particular who has been showing up for years--and whose deep, sad eyes haunt Molly more than any ghost ever has.

Molly's routine gets disrupted when a wealthy young man suffering from tuberculosis hires her as his private live-in nurse. His haunting Hudson Valley mansion is grand but secluded, and Molly spends more of her time exploring than with her bedridden employer. When she stumbles upon a family crypt in the basement, Molly discovers a young man about her age imprisoned there...a man who bears a striking resemblance to the ghost with the sad eyes.

But how could this living, flesh and blood person be the ghost Molly first saw when she was seven years old? With no one else to talk to, Molly manages to convince him to reveal his true nature, which is more fantastical than she could have guessed. It would be safer for them both to stay apart, but neither is able to resist the pull between them.

Their relationship is threatened when outside forces start to press in. Dangerous people are looking for this mysterious young man, and she is standing squarely in the crossfire.

An impassioned defence of Black excellence in the arts.

What does it mean - and how does it feel - to grow up as a Black artist today?

'This exceptional book, written with a mother's love for her seven creative children, sensitively offers profound and original insights and perspectives that enrich our culture. I feel so much wiser for reading it.' Bernardine Evaristo

When Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason's eldest daughter, Isata, made her solo debut at the BBC Proms in 2023, she could not have been prouder. Watching years of hard work transform into a transcendent performance was profoundly moving, both as music-lover and parent.

All fractured when her younger daughter turned to her in tears a few days later, having read online abuse about her sister. Isata, it was declared, did not deserve to be there. How do you prepare your child for the fact that no matter their talent, technique or dedication, they will be told they do not belong?

Through conversations with her extraordinarily gifted family, Kanneh-Mason explores what it's like to come of age in these turbulent times, when Black artistic self-expression is so often met with disparagement and abuse online - and offers a hopeful, powerful way through.

**SHORTLISTED FOR 2025 THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION**
A startling exploration of slavery in the Islamic world from the 7th century to the present

Slavery in the Islamic world has a long, diverse and controversial history. Captives and Companions is a brilliant synthesis of history and contemporary reportage that brings to life the voices of the enslaved in stories of eighth-century concubines and ninth-century revolts, thirteenth-century slave soldiers who established dynastic rule over Egypt, Syria, and Iraq, eighteenth-century corsairs and twentieth-century pearl divers in the Gulf. It also has first-hand accounts of this legacy in the twenty-first century, including the depredations of Daesh and continuing hereditary slavery in Mali and Mauritania.

Justin Marozzi traces the extraordinary variety of enslavement in the Islamic world, which ranged from agricultural labour and domestic toil to elite concubinage, guardianship of sacred spaces, political leadership and even military command. He shows how Africa bore the brunt of the demand for slave labour, fuelled throughout the nineteenth century by expanding global markets and commodity chains. Slavers plied African coasts, traders raided inland for human cargo, and millions were marched across the Sahara into captivity. Meanwhile, North African corsairs turned the Mediterranean into a slave-raiding 'free-for-all' between Muslims, Christians and Jews.

Taking the reader on an extraordinary historical journey from Baghdad to Bamako, Tripoli to Timbuktu, Istanbul to the Black Sea, this is the riveting human drama of those caught up in one of history's most remarkable overlooked stories.

"Addictively unnerving...burrows right into the cracks of this small town's foundation, revealing the gruesome truth at its core." --Ryan La Sala, bestselling author of The Dead of Summer

Two siblings investigate the murder of a friend only to unearth even more deadly mysteries in their small town in this page-turning young adult thriller "that captures the seedy underbelly of small-town politics and the intense bonds of girlhood" (Kirkus Reviews) from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games.

When Mikky Graves left his small, stifling hometown of Prophets Lake to live with his estranged mother, he thought nothing could ever make him go back.

Until his sister Kyla's best friend, Erin, is murdered.

Mikky never worried about leaving Kyla behind at their family-owned funeral home so long as she had Erin. But when Mikky heads home, determined to help Kyla grieve, the sister he encounters barely resembles the one he remembers. Mikky decides, then and there, to do the one thing that seems even more impossible than returning: stay.

As Kyla spirals further into her rage and secrets, Mikky realizes the only thing that can help his sister is finding the truth about who killed Erin. But the more he investigates, the further he's pulled into other ugly mysteries of Prophets Lake and the beauty brand that is its lifeblood. The town's rot runs deep, and everyone has something to hide. Perhaps no one more than Kyla herself.

A provocative case for why a better world is only possible with American power by Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid.

From acclaimed author Shadi Hamid comes an urgent and deeply personal argument for why American dominance, despite its many flaws, remains the world's best hope. Hamid traces his journey from opposing America's role in the world to reluctantly embracing it--while grappling with how recent events, from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to Israel's devastating war in Gaza, have challenged his convictions.

Drawing on his unique perspective as both an American and a Muslim who came of age in the shadow of the September 11 attacks, Hamid contends with the contradictions of American power: how a nation founded on moral purpose so often fails to live up to its ideals. Hamid confronts head-on America's failures, from the war in Iraq to support for authoritarian regimes across the Middle East. Yet, he argues that in a world where power is a fact and someone must wield it, the alternative to American leadership isn't a morally perfect superpower--it's the brutal authoritarianism of countries like China and Russia.

At once idealistic and pragmatic, this is a book about embracing our power as the only moral option in a world beset by tragedy. Because America is a democracy, it retains the potential to correct past mistakes and change for the better. That part is up to us. Bracing and timely, The Case for American Power is an ambitious work on what may be the most fundamental question facing America today: how should we think about the power we have--while we still have it?

After an evil witch steals their aunt in a deal gone wrong, Nell and her sisters must embark on a fantastical journey to take the beldam down in this first book in a middle grade trilogy for fans of Coraline and the Sinister Summer series.

Although triplets Nell, Annet, and Hannah were born only minutes apart, Nell is the eldest, which means it's her job to protect the others. But she doesn't know how to defeat an enemy like the typhoid draining her sisters of life. Desperate, Nell will do whatever it takes to save them, even going to Hagstone Hill and making a deal with the evil witch--the beldam--who lives inside it.

Beldams are slippery to bargain with, known to cheat to get what they want--souls to feast on--but Nell has no choice. She and the beldam strike a deal: the beldam will save Nell's sisters in return for something precious. Nothing Nell owns matters more than Annet and Hannah, so she's prepared to give up whatever it is--especially once she sees her sisters getting healthy again. But when it's time to pay, the beldam acts true to her nature and cheats. She doesn't take something precious, but someone: the girls' Aunt Lena.

Nell and her sisters must embark on a dangerous journey full of ghosts, goblins, and other dangers to save the only mother they've ever known from becoming the beldam's next meal.

National Bestseller

When Sanna Marin became Prime Minister of Finland at just thirty-four years old, she captivated the world's attention with her progressive ideas and her bold leadership and "proved that good leadership does not depend on age" (Time100 Next).

In her powerful memoir Hope in Action, Sanna shares the extraordinary journey of her trailblazing career and her vision for a new kind of leadership.

Sanna has been praised for her "hardiness, resilience, and a can-do attitude" (Vogue) and her story is one of resilience and hope. The first in her family to attend university, she broke barriers to become a global icon of progressive leadership. Her term as prime minister--the youngest world leader at that time--saw historic milestones, as she led Finland through the COVID-19 pandemic, and her government implemented reforms addressing climate change, social justice, and equality. She helped the country navigate neighboring Russia's devastating full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Finland's rapid joining of NATO.

Through vivid retellings of her experiences, Marin shares how she overcame significant political challenges and how she coped with her personal life becoming public, including the incident that sparked a media frenzy and prompted women around the world to express their support.

Hope in Action is much more than a memoir--it's a "rallying cry" (Hillary Rodham Clinton). Sanna urges the next generation of leaders to bring their full, authentic selves to the job. Her story is an empowering testament to the opportunities we have to affect real change in our worlds.

From the New York Times bestselling creator of Not Quite Narwhal, Jessie Sima, comes a "gentle, reassuring" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) wintery picture book about a snow kid finding out what it means to be themself!

Meet Twig, the snow kid! Like all snow kids, Twig was made from many snowflakes, twigs, stones, a crisp orange carrot, and a very fine hat. What a wonderful thing it is to be Twig! Except...could they still be Twig if a strong breeze blows away their hat? As Twig chases after the hat, more things keep changing, and they keep growing and moving and talking. Is there still a way to go back to being Twig?

Maybe not. But maybe there's more than one way to be a snow person, and it can be fun to walk and talk and grow and change. Twig can find snow people like them even as they're still learning how to become Twig, and that's a wonderful thing!

Calling all fans of Narwhal and Jelly, there's a new adventurous sea creature you gotta meet! From New York Times bestselling author, Ben Clanton comes AQUAMANATEE!

Marlow the manatee isn't exactly superhero material. He sleeps a lot, eats a lot, toots a lot, and has never ventured out of his safe saltwater bay. And yet the sweet bumbling Marlow dreams of adventure, of derring-do, and of making a difference. He dreams of being a hero like Aquaman, of whom Marlow is a mega fan! But when a series of impossible events leads to Marlow having superpowers and not only meeting his hero but getting to team up with Aquaman himself...suddenly Marlow isn't so sure he's ready for his dreams to come true.

Could an awkward blundering super-powered manatee be the best man-atee for the job?

Find out in AQUAMANATEE, from the creator of the blockbuster graphic novel series, Narwhal and Jelly, and with utterly charming artwork by Cassandra Federman! Ben Clanton brings his delightful sensibilities for early readers to the DC Universe in this adorable graphic novel for readers 5-7

Finalist for the 75th National Jewish Book Awards

The awe-inspiring and largely untold story of Hannah Senesh, a female paratrooper in World War II whose courage and sacrifice during a daring mission to rescue Europe's Jews left an indelible mark on history.

In the years before World War II, thousands of young Jewish men and women escaped Europe, seeking safety in the British Mandate for Palestine. By 1942, horrifying reports began to spread about ghettos being liquidated, industrialized killing centers in Poland, and a chilling campaign to exterminate Europe's entire Jewish population. When it became clear that the Allies were unwilling to spare any forces from the war effort to save civilians, the Jewish community in Palestine came up with a daring plan.

Working with British Military Intelligence, an elite unit of young Jewish paratroopers volunteered to return to Eastern Europe. Once behind enemy lines, they would use their expertise in the local languages and terrain to rescue thousands of downed Allied pilots and escaped POWs who were trapped with no way to communicate--highly trained airmen desperately needed by the British and American air forces to fly more bombing missions.

At the same time, these volunteer commandos would help Jewish civilians escape deportation to Auschwitz and other death camps or take up arms in resistance against the Nazis. Hannah Senesh was one of only three female paratroopers who risked everything to infiltrate occupied Europe.

In 1939, at just eighteen years old, Hannah emigrated from Hungary to the British Mandate for Palestine, where she dreamed of being a poet and a schoolteacher. Instead, she became a poet and a paratrooper. Five years after fleeing Europe, Hannah parachuted back into occupied territory as a freedom fighter with the most crucial role in her team: the wireless operator tasked with sending and deciphering top-secret British radio codes. Though captured almost immediately after crossing the border into Hungary, she refused to give up her radio codes or any information about her mission, despite enduring months of horrific torture. Her final act of defiance--choosing to die before a firing squad rather than beg for clemency--cemented her legendary status as the "Jewish Joan of Arc."

Hannah's legacy lives on today in the widely published diary she'd kept since age thirteen and in her poetry which has inspired generations. Each year on Holocaust Remembrance Day, a short poem Hannah composed on the shores of the Mediterranean in 1942 is sung at ceremonies around the world. Titled "Eli, Eli," or "My God, My God," it has become a modern hymn, taught in schools, sung in synagogues, and printed in thousands of prayerbooks.

More than just a gripping historical account of Hannah's life and afterlife, Crash of the Heavens offers a powerful reminder of the human spirit's ability to shine, even in the darkest of times.

From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jonathan Maberry comes the sequel to NecroTek. Cold War is an action-packed sci-fi thriller full of weird science, kick-ass heroes, humor, passion, heroism, and sacrifice!

In NecroTek, the space station Asphodel was accidentally teleported to the far side of the galaxy, where they became embroiled in a never-ending war against ancient cosmic horrors.

But there is much more to the story ...

On Earth, scientists uncover an alien spacecraft buried for millions of years beneath Antarctic ice. Inside are terrible secrets and a creature desperate to escape.

Soon the scientists studying the Artifact begin to have terrifying dreams, driving many of them to madness and acts of shocking violence. Dr. Evie Cronin and her team struggle to find answers, fully aware that they may only be discovered out among the stars. Their investigation brings them to the orbit of Jupiter moments before the WarpLine gun misfires. Destiny is a vicious and devious thing.

On Asphodel Station, the newly created ghost-driven NecroTek fighting machines are engaged in a desperate battle for survival against the deadly shoggoth fleets. But a new and far more dangerous race of creatures is poised to attack, both with their own fleets and with nightmares forced into the minds of the dwindling human defenders.

The group of scientists from Antarctica and the survivors on Asphodel are pitted against an unstoppable enemy. If they fail, Asphodel Station will fall, and the Outer Gods will be free to wage a war of conquest across the galaxy--to Earth itself.