Sebastian Junger

The first book to tell the natural history of political orientations. ...

"Thieves of State" by Sarah Chayes delves into the connection between corrupt governments and international security crises. With insights from the Afghanistan war and historical research, Chayes identifies corruption as a pervasive threat that drives populations to extremes, causing radicalization and militant puritanical religion. She makes a compelling case that corruption should be confronted as it is a cause of global instability, rather than a result. This thrilling argument connects the Protestant Reformation to the Arab Spring and presents a powerful new way to understand global extremism.

A gripping and meticulously researched historical account of the 40-year battle between the all-powerful Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West. Spanning Spanish colonialism, the Civil War, and the destruction of the buffalo herds, this fascinating narrative centers on Quanah, the greatest Comanche chief of them all, and his pioneer mother Cynthia Ann Parker, who was kidnapped at age 9 and grew to love her Comanche captors. S. C. Gwynne’s Empire of the Summer Moon is a thrilling epic that offers a historical feast for anyone interested in the origins of the United States.

Radical Hope explores the ethical inquiry of how to face the possibility of a collapsing culture. Using the history of Indian tribes and drawing on philosophy and psychoanalytic theory, the book delves into the story of the Crow Nation at an impasse, raising profound questions that challenge us all. It's a moving, philosophical inquiry into a unique vulnerability that affects all civilizations and goes to the heart of the human condition.

A tale of survival and wit, centered around an exiled man living alone in a disintegrating houseboat on the outskirts of Knoxville. Suttree navigates the poverty-stricken and criminal community around him with a detachment and humor that allow him to rise above the squalor of his environment.

Discover the story of human history, from the first humans to walk the earth to today's modern society. Explore how we came to believe in gods, nations, and human rights, and how our societies were shaped by the Cognitive, Agricultural, and Scientific Revolutions. Sapiens covers it all, using insights from biology, anthropology, paleontology, and economics to challenge our beliefs about what it means to be human. Are we happier now than we were before? Can we change our behavior and influence the future? Dr. Yuval Noah Harari's provocative and wide-ranging book will challenge the way you think about our species and our place in the world.

This thrilling novel is set in the South American rainforest, where two foreigners clash over the conversion or killing of a group of elusive Indians. The story is full of moral exploration and political themes, making for a thought-provoking read.