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The wretched and landless poor have existed from the time of the earliest British colonial settlement. They were alternately known as waste people, offals, rubbish, lazy lubbers, and crackers. By the 1850s, the downtrodden included so-called clay eaters and sandhillers, known for prematurely-aged children distinguished by their yellowish skin, ragged clothing, and listless minds....

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “From The New Yorker’s beloved cultural critic comes a bold, unflinching collection of essays about self-deception, examining everything from scammer culture to reality television.”—Esquire
 
Book Club Pick for Now Read This, from PBS NewsHour and The New York Times • “A...

The current climate of partisan fury is not new, and in The Soul of America, Meacham shows us how what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature have won the day. Painting surprising portraits of Presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Ulysses S. Grant, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, and others, and illuminating the courage of such influential citizen activists...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “The single most important explanation, and the fullest explanation, of how Donald Trump became president of the United States . . . nothing less than the most important book that I have read this year.”—Lawrence O’Donnell
How did we get here?
In this sweeping, eloquent history of America, Kurt Andersen shows that what’s happening in our country today—this post-factual,...

Over half a million copies sold!
From the author of the highly acclaimed heavy metal memoir, Fargo Rock City, comes another hilarious and discerning take on massively popular culture—set in Chuck Klosterman's den and your own—covering everything from the effect of John Cusack flicks to the crucial role of breakfast cereal to the awesome power of the Dixie Chicks.
Countless writers and artists have spoken for a generation,...

Longlisted for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing
Winner of the AIP Science Communication Award
An Amazon Best Book of the Year (Science)
A St. Louis Post-Dispatch Best Book of the Year
Finalist for the Colorado Book Award (Nonfiction)
Booklist Editors' Choice (Science & Technology)

This "suspenseful narrative history" (Maureen Corrigan, NPR) brings to life the momentous

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"Comedian and "Live from Here" head writer Tom Papa, author of Your Dad Stole My Rake, tackles the modern condition in a warm (and clean) group of short essays. Exploring his favorite topics-how people really live in modern America and what's truly good and wonderful about our lives-You're Doing Great features 75 quick-take essays, including: You Don't Have to Live Your Best Life Don't Open the Mail I'm So Baked I'm Going to Mars-If My Wife Will Let...

Presents the stories behind the origins of various everyday objects and consumer products, covering items ranging from clothing and tools to housing and games, complemented by informative timelines and sidebars.

Jesse Walker's The United States of Paranoia presents a comprehensive history of conspiracy theories in American culture and politics, from the colonial era to the War on Terror.

The fear of intrigue and subversion doesn't exist only on the fringes of society, but has always been part of our national identity. When such tales takes hold, Walker argues, they reflect the anxieties and experiences of the people who believe them, even if they

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