Margaret Atwood

"Discover the timeless secrets of effective communication and persuasion in this inspiring book by a two-time world champion debater and former coach of the Harvard debate team. Through his personal journey from immigrant kid to success, the author explains how debating is the perfect activity for finding your voice and excelling socially and academically. Drawing insights from its strategies, structure, and history, the author demonstrates how debating skills can improve communication with friends, family, and colleagues alike. Learn how good arguments are essential to a flourishing democracy, and delve into the thrilling subculture of competitive debate in this must-read for anyone looking to become wiser and make smarter decisions."

"Hold the Line" is an urgent warning about the growing threat to democracy in America, written by a twenty-year police veteran and former Trump supporter who barely escaped with his life during the insurrection of January 6th. Michael Fanone recounts his firsthand experience of being pulled into the mob and viciously beaten, alongside his journey from being a redneck Trump supporter to a nuanced advocate for preservation of democracy. This timely call to action explores critical issues such as policing, race, politics, and preserving democracy for future generations.

A young lawyer's decade-long global journey in the tobacco industry unfolds in this riveting Mad Men meets Bad Blood narrative. Follow along as he navigates the laws, public policy, and moral ambiguity of the world's most controversial consumer product. This addictive tale will make you question everything you thought you knew about cigarettes and their place in our society. "This is storytelling at its best," declares Joel Bakan, author of The New Corporation.

"Run Towards the Danger" by Sarah Polley is a collection of six powerful essays that explore the author's memories and experiences, while delving into the fallibility of memory and the possibility of experiencing the past anew. Polley's storytelling is celebrated for its honesty and complexity as she contemplates stories ranging from stage fright to high-risk childbirth. In a reciprocal-pressure dance between the past and present, Polley finds a way forward: running towards the danger. This is a remarkable book that explores what it means to live in one's body, in a constant state of becoming, learning, and changing.

Saving Us offers an engaging look at science, faith, and human psychology when it comes to climate change. Through the experiences of climate scientist and United Nations Champion of the Earth, Katharine Hayhoe, readers learn how to navigate the political and social minefield of climate change discourse. Rejecting scare tactics and guilt trips, Katharine offers a refreshing approach to engaging with others on this pressing issue by finding shared values. With warmth and humanity, she demonstrates how we can all play a role in saving our future.

Unlock the secrets of everyday French with Merde!, an irreverent and witty guide to the language's slang, dirty words, and essential communication tools that your teachers never taught you. Perfect for anyone who wants to understand French as it's really spoken, this practical resource includes colorful idioms, epithets, come-ons, and put-downs that will help you navigate any conversation in the city of lights. Get ready to add some saucy flair to your French and leave those stuffy English/French dictionaries behind.

"Memorial Drive" is a memoir that delves into how the author's teenage years were upended when her former stepfather killed her mother. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey shares her journey through grief and explores how this traumatic event shaped her as an artist. She reflects on her own upbringing as a "child of miscegenation" in Mississippi and her mother's history in the deeply segregated South. This book is an intimate portrayal of pain, loss, and resilience.

This book explores the fascinating world of weeds- the plants we all know and love to hate. From crabgrass to poison ivy, weeds are familiar, pervasive, and seemingly invincible. Why do we consider them villains? Through historical research and his own travels, Mabey examines how weeds have been portrayed in literature and the media. He argues that we have caused plants to become weeds through our reckless treatment of the earth. Weeds can destroy ecosystems, but they can also restore war zones and derelict cities. Mabey shows how useful these unloved plants can be, from serving as the first crops and medicines to inspiring the invention of Velcro. A provocative defense of the plants we love to hate, Weeds is a profound and sympathetic meditation on the natural world.