international bestseller

There is a mounting sense that our political-economic system is no longer working, but what is the core problem and how do we remedy it? With the characteristic clarity and passion that have made him a central civil voice, bestselling author of Saving Capitalism and The Common Good Robert B. Reich shows how wealth and power have combined to install an oligarchy and undermine democracy. Reich exposes the myths of meritocracy, national competitiveness, corporate social responsibility, the “free market,” and the political “center,” all of which are used by those at the top to divert attention from their takeover of the system and to justify their accumulation of even more wealth and power. In demystifying the current system, Reich reveals where power actually lies and how it is wielded, and invites us to reclaim power and remake the system for all.

A six week Artist's Way Programme from legendary author Julia Cameron From the bestselling author of The Artist's Waycomes a deeply personal account of pain, healing and growth. Using her own history of alcoholism as a springboard, Julia shows the reader how to harness prayer - in whatever form that takes for the individual - to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and forge ahead towards becoming the person they were meant to be. Seeking Wisdom is a guide to 'creative unblocking': a spiritual path to deeper creativity and a more profound connection to the divine. Filled with meditations, creative exercises, and Julia's characteristic positivity, Seeking Wisdom is further proof that Julia Cameron is the queen of change.

It shows that deep down we are truly-and literally-one and the same. The book shows how the phrases "self-discipline" and "spiritual freedom" refer to the exact same thing. In the way the book uses the terms, to be "self-disciplined" is to be "free-spirited", and vice versa. This is a book that uses a friendly, kind, loving, and humorous tone to tie together philosophy, spirituality, and self-help with long-standing universal truths from all ages, regions, and times. It includes quotes from a diverse array of philosophers, artists, scientists, and spiritual teachers, including but not limited to Albert Einstein, Alan Watts, Carl Jung, Osho, Sam Harris, Ram Dass, Meister Eckhart, Eckhart Tolle, Rabbi Tina Sobo, Friedrich Nietzsche, David J Mauro, Vincent Van Gogh, George Bernard Shaw, Socrates, Voltaire, Voltairine de Cleyre, Jesus, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Shakespeare, René Descartes, Rev. Dr. John Watson, and both a prisoner named Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn as well as the man who imprisoned him. It was inspired by the questioned, "What is the opposite of temptation?" The book answers that question and so many more. Without preaching, the book provides a unifying, loving, and deeply compelling message that paves a path to inner peace, true happiness, and spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline). The reader is left empowered, motivated, and inspired. As the opening letter in the book states, "Stay strong, my friends. There's beauty in the struggle. There's so much to overcome, but imagine what it could mean to overcome it."

When it comes to what we believe, humans see what they want to see. In other words, we have what Julia Galef calls a 'soldier' mindset. From tribalism and wishful thinking, to rationalising in our personal lives and everything in between, we are driven to defend the ideas we most want to believe - and shoot down those we don't. But if we want to get things right more often we should train ourselves to think more like a scout. Unlike the soldier, a scout's goal isn't to defend one side over the other. It's to go out, survey the territory, and come back with as accurate a map as possible. Regardless of what they hope to be the case, above all, the scout wants to know what's actually true. In The Scout Mindset, Galef shows that what makes scouts better at getting things right isn't that they're smarter or more knowledgeable than everyone else. It's a handful of emotional skills, habits, and ways of looking at the world - which anyone can learn. With fascinating examples ranging from how to survive being stranded in the middle of the ocean, to how Jeff Bezos avoids overconfidence, to how superforecasters outperform CIA operatives, to Reddit threads and modern partisan politics, Galef explores why our brains deceive us and what we can do to change the way we think.

In our cities, we stand in silence at the pharmacy and in check-out lines at the grocery store, distracted by our phones, barely acknowledging one another, even as rates of loneliness skyrocket. Online, we retreat into ideological silos reinforced by algorithms designed to serve us only familiar ideas and like-minded users. In our politics, we are increasingly consumed by a fear of people we’ve never met. But what if strangers—so often blamed for our most pressing political, social, and personal problems—are actually the solution? In The Power of Strangers, Joe Keohane sets out on a journey to discover what happens when we bridge the distance between us and people we don’t know. He learns that while we’re wired to sometimes fear, distrust, and even hate strangers, people and societies that have learned to connect with strangers benefit immensely. Digging into a growing body of cutting-edge research on the surprising social and psychological benefits that come from talking to strangers, Keohane finds that even passing interactions can enhance empathy, happiness, and cognitive development, ease loneliness and isolation, and root us in the world, deepening our sense of belonging. And all the while, Keohane gathers practical tips from experts on how to talk to strangers, and tries them out himself in the wild, to awkward, entertaining, and frequently poignant effect. Warm, witty, erudite, and profound, equal parts sweeping history and self-help journey, this deeply researched book will inspire readers to see everything—from major geopolitical shifts to trips to the corner store—in an entirely new light, showing them that talking to strangers isn’t just a way to live; it’s a way to survive.