What the top books are about
Islam: A Short History
Karen Armstrong’s book traces how Islam grew from the other religions of the book, Judaism and Christianity; introduces us to the character of Muhammed; and demonstrates that for much of its history, the religion has been a force for enlightenment that promoted liberties for women and allowed the arts and sciences to flourish.
Full Circles, Overlapping...
Cultural anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson gives us a new way of looking at ourselves, our families, our communities at the very concept of identity in a changing world. Yet as she explores her own life and the lives of her remarkable students, an even more profound insight emerges: strangeness and love are not contradictory.
The Force of Character
James Hillman looks at life’s finishing act — old age. The value of ageing, Hillman writes, is that “we become more characteristic of who we are simply by lasting into later years.” His new thesis — that even debilitating changes are necessary and meaningful.
Great Exploration Hoaxes
Did Peary reach the North Pole? Was Admiral Byrd the first to fly over it? Spanning 450 years of history, this book tells the spellbinding stories of 10 men who pursued glory at any cost even the truth. Roberts delves into the psychology behind the stunt and asks why these individuals would perpetrate fraud on such a grand and public scale and defend it to their deaths.
A Hell of a Place to Lose a...
Tim Brookes was a 20-year-old Oxford student when he first succumbed to the lure of America’s open road. Equipped with a change of clothes, a cheap guitar, he spent the summer of ‘73 hitchhiking from the East Coast to the West Coast and back. Twenty-five years later, he hit the road again.
The White Road
In South Carolina, a young black man faces death penalty for the rape and murder of Marianne Larousse, daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the state. A case nobody wants to touch, deeply rooted in old evil — and old evil is Charlie Parker’s specialty.
The Direct Path
Andrew Harvey builds on his 25-year study of the world’s various mystical traditions, from Buddhism to the Kabbalah, to create an illuminating spiritual map that anyone can use to develop a direct path to the divine without relying on churches, gurus, or other intermediaries.
Warfighting
Over the past 200 years, the Marines have developed a reputation for getting the job done-fearlessly, boldly, and taking no prisoners. Written in 1989 as a philosophical and strategic guide-book for the US Marine Corps, it describes the basic forces at work in every competitive situation.
The Blind Assassin
It describes a risky affair in the turbulent 30s between a wealthy young woman and a man on the run. During their secret meetings in rented rooms, the lovers concoct a pulp fantasy set on Planet Zycron.
Snow Falling on Cedars
Set on an island in the straits north of Puget Sound, in Washington, where everyone is either a fisherman or a berry farmer, the story is nominally about a murder trial.