Koncocoo

Best African Politics

13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened In Benghazi
13 HOURS presents, for the first time ever, the true account of the events of September 11, 2012, when terrorists attacked the US State Department Special Mission Compound and a nearby CIA station called the Annex in Benghazi, Libya. Written by New York Times bestselling author Mitchell Zuckoff, this riveting book takes readers into the action-packed story of heroes who laid their lives on the line for one another, for their countrymen, and for their country. The Annex Security Team consists of the five surviving CIA contract operators who responded to the September 11, 2012, attack in Benghazi.
Reviews
"The fast paced, down to earth account given by the survivors made me swell with pride that there are good guys out there, willing to take on evil to protect others and what we should all hold dear."
"It is the account of what happened during the attack on our diplomatic outpost and CIA annex by the heroic defenders of the compounds."
"Excellent book."
"The leadership at the State Department was squarely at fault for the lack of adequate security, failing to pull the mission out of Benghazi in time, and the reliance on local militias as the go to defense of our own people."
"It's hard to believe that Chris Stephens told the State Department about the lack of security and they did nothing."
"The story doesn't delve into the political battle concerning Hillary Clinton and the lack of preparation or support from the State Department - that's not the focus of this story - this is the story of those men on the ground, the decisions they faced, the effort they gave and the blood they shed."
"It made me very mad to read just how this whole thing could have been avoided or at least the danger diminished but the powers to be just wouldn't do the right thing."
"I did find it interesting that he makes a brief mention of when the facts as relayed to him by the men don't line up with other official or unofficial reports."
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13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened In Benghazi
13 HOURS presents, for the first time ever, the true account of the events of September 11, 2012, when terrorists attacked the US State Department Special Mission Compound and a nearby CIA station called the Annex in Benghazi, Libya. Written by New York Times bestselling author Mitchell Zuckoff, this riveting book takes readers into the action-packed story of heroes who laid their lives on the line for one another, for their countrymen, and for their country. The Annex Security Team consists of the five surviving CIA contract operators who responded to the September 11, 2012, attack in Benghazi.
Reviews
"The fast paced, down to earth account given by the survivors made me swell with pride that there are good guys out there, willing to take on evil to protect others and what we should all hold dear."
"It is the account of what happened during the attack on our diplomatic outpost and CIA annex by the heroic defenders of the compounds."
"Excellent book."
"The leadership at the State Department was squarely at fault for the lack of adequate security, failing to pull the mission out of Benghazi in time, and the reliance on local militias as the go to defense of our own people."
"It's hard to believe that Chris Stephens told the State Department about the lack of security and they did nothing."
"The story doesn't delve into the political battle concerning Hillary Clinton and the lack of preparation or support from the State Department - that's not the focus of this story - this is the story of those men on the ground, the decisions they faced, the effort they gave and the blood they shed."
"It made me very mad to read just how this whole thing could have been avoided or at least the danger diminished but the powers to be just wouldn't do the right thing."
"I did find it interesting that he makes a brief mention of when the facts as relayed to him by the men don't line up with other official or unofficial reports."
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Rwandan Women Rising
Hunt, who has worked with women leaders in sixty countries for over two decades, points out that Rwandan women did not seek the limelight or set out to build a movement; rather, they organized around common problems such as health care, housing, and poverty to serve the greater good. Their stories, told in their own words via interviews woven throughout the book, demonstrate that the best way to reduce suffering and to prevent and end conflicts is to elevate the status of women throughout the world. For a dozen years, Swanee Hunt and I have been finding ways to raise the voices of women in my country. Rwandan Women Rising is a new guidebook for a journey toward justice, a journey beyond Liberia that holds the promise of global change, empowering women to create a more secure world for us all.”. In this timely new book, Rwandan Women Rising , Hunt uncovers lessons about how courageous women helped to rebuild a nation shattered by genocide. Ambassador Hunt draws on her extensive research and experience to provide a thoughtful analysis of women's roles in conflict and reconciliation, with lessons well beyond Rwanda. This book is a work of love for Swanee Hunt, who for decades has befriended, encouraged, and supported these women and others like them who have stood up to violence and advocated for peace.”. This is a page-turner and an essential read for anybody interested in social change and women’s rights beyond Rwanda." (Zainab Salbi, Founder of Women for Women International, author, and media personality). "This is an important book on a gripping topic...." (Jane Haile New York Journal of Books 2017-05-25). "There’s no doubt that the stories in Rwandan Women Rising carry lessons about the importance of fostering and maintaining women’s leadership to achieve “enduring stability and meaningful reunification” in conflict-ridden societies across the globe."
Reviews
"I look at the book now, the project at the end of a consummate process, (Laura is a lovely, bare-knuckled brawler of a researcher) and surmise that it takes a writer of Swanee's stature and restraint (personal grace) to get out of the way, and allow that eloquence to shape future generations."
"Every woman will read it and if illiterate will hear about it and learn to read just to be able to do so- all over the country!👍🤗."
"Highly recommend that you add this to your reading list for an extra dose of inspiration, especially as we move about this wild world."
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Best Practical Politics

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Winner of the Lincoln Prize. Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Abraham Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president. On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. Goodwin makes the case for Lincoln's political genius by examining his relationships with three men he selected for his cabinet, all of whom were opponents for the Republican nomination in 1860: William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates. Yet Lincoln not only convinced them to join his administration--Seward as secretary of state, Chase as secretary of the treasury, and Bates as attorney general--he ultimately gained their admiration and respect as well. Ten years in the making, this engaging work reveals why "Lincoln's road to success was longer, more tortuous, and far less likely" than the other men, and why, when opportunity beckoned, Lincoln was "the best prepared to answer the call." Lincoln may have been "the indispensable ingredient of the Civil War," but these three men were invaluable to Lincoln and they played key roles in keeping the nation intact. Here, Doris Kearns Goodwin profiles five of the key players in her book, four of whom contended for the 1860 Republican presidential nomination and all of whom later worked together in Lincoln's cabinet. When Lincoln stepped in, Chase tendered his resignation as he had three times before, but this time Lincoln stunned Chase by calling his bluff and accepting the offer. Abraham Lincoln When Lincoln won the Republican presidential nomination in 1860 he seemed to have come from nowhere--a backwoods lawyer who had served one undistinguished term in the House of Representatives and lost two consecutive contests for the U.S. Senate. Though the feisty New Yorker would continue to debate numerous issues with Lincoln in the years ahead, exactly as Lincoln had hoped and needed him to do, Seward would become his closest friend, advisor, and ally in the administration. After losing to Lincoln he vowed, in his diary, to decline a cabinet position if one were to be offered, but with the country "in trouble and danger" he felt it was his duty to accept when Lincoln asked him to be attorney general. Goodwin marvels at Lincoln's ability to co-opt three better-born, better-educated rivals—each of whom had challenged Lincoln for the 1860 Republican nomination. The three were New York senator William H. Seward, who became secretary of state; Ohio senator Salmon P. Chase, who signed on as secretary of the treasury and later was nominated by Lincoln to be chief justice of the Supreme Court; and Missouri's "distinguished elder statesman" Edward Bates, who served as attorney general. On another front, Goodwin's spotlighting of the president's three former rivals tends to undercut that Lincoln's most essential Cabinet-level contacts were not with Seward, Chase and Bates, but rather with secretaries of war Simon Cameron and Edwin Stanton, and Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles.
Reviews
"With her usual talent, Doris Goodwin found a wonderful new angle to illuminate a great man."
"Excellent book with tremendous detail yet very easy to read."
"This, along with several other books about Lincoln and the civil war that I’ve read all confirm one thing - our politics today, bad as they may seem, are polite and courteous compared the the 1800’s."
"This book more than any others I have read on the subject, show Lincoln's intellectual growth over time. I've read so many books about this man, but this book is far and away the deepest."
"Studying Lincoln's leadership through the prism of his coopted rivals is a rewarding journey into the "how" of Lincoln's success."
"This has become one of my favorite books."
"Having written a few books myself, I have to tip my hat to Doris Kearns Goodwin's tenacity to details and attention to historical accuracy."
"Very fascinating story of Lincoln and his cabinet!"
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Best East Africa History

Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War
Already a classic of war reporting and now reissued as a Grove Press paperback, Black Hawk Down is Mark Bowden’s brilliant account of the longest sustained firefight involving American troops since the Vietnam War. Bowden (Bringing the Heat) has used his journalistic skills to find and interview key participants on both sides of the October 1993 raid into the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia, a raid that quickly became the most intensive close combat Americans have engaged in since the Vietnam War. That's one of the key questions Bowden raises in a gripping account of combat that merits thoughtful reading by anyone concerned with the future course of the country's military strategy and its relationship to foreign policy.
Reviews
"On page 363 of the "Notes" Bowden writes: "To me, the communications mix-up that left five soldiers dead and dozens badly injured was the single biggest snafu of the battle," ( re: from the section "Black Hawk Down," Chapter 17, pp. And remember the incredible bravery of Delta snipers Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart, who both received posthumous Medals of Honor; and every member of "Task Force Ranger," and that Specialist John Stebbins "would receive a Silver Star for his part in the fight ..." (p.324), as would Navy SEAL Howard E. Wasdin (see his book below). effort in Somalia and is a classic exercise in summing up policy mistakes in retrospect, rife with 'flagrant misreadings' and 'precisely wrong' approaches, which is the easiest of all academic sports. He tells a story of clan warfare in Somalia where teenagers have grown up in the midst of gunfire; how 18 and 25 year olds are battle hardened soldiers. The failure of the U.S. to understand these elements of Somali society culture led to many mistakes during the tenure of Operation Restore Hope. Stevenson writes that one of the realities of the Post Cold War era is that "terrorists become statesmen" and the U.S. only strengthened Aidid by casting him as the villain and blaming for all of Somalia's problems. U.S. helicopters flew the same routes and used the same formulas for their "snatch and grab" missions everyday-fly in and have Delta Force sweep the target areas while ringed by Rangers for protection. American planners also did a poor job with translations on leaflet drops, provided little historical or cultural knowledge for the soldier on the ground, and did not comprehend the role khat played in lives of the gun-toting young men. Other fractured communications structures meant delays in reinforcements and wrong turns made by the convoy during the October 3 firefight. He prescribes using small, mobile, technological units engaging in aggressive actions that stress agility, diversion, and the element of surprise. Gradually phasing out U.S. soldiers and replacing them with a multilateral U.N. peacekeeping force would "allow the beneficiary population to be weaned of its dependence.""
"Exactly as advertised: Historical, but reads like a novel."
"With so much action going on and so many perspectives to tell the story from, "Black Hawk Down" give a truly in-depth look at what happened over the course of less than a day, but just like the fog of war confuses those within it, the mashing of multiple story lines challenges the reader to do lots of work on keeping up with who is where and doing what."
"If you want the inside scoop on the Battle of Mogadishu, look no further than this book."
"I am so sad that the soldiers who fought feel as though it is not remembered, and that this fight that was important enough for their friends to die for was called off so soon after the battle."
"Having a keen interest in Army Special Forces, I expected a great deal from this book, and it was a letdown."
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Best Elections & Political Process

What Happened
Now free from the constraints of running, Hillary takes you inside the intense personal experience of becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major party in an election marked by rage, sexism, exhilarating highs and infuriating lows, stranger-than-fiction twists, Russian interference, and an opponent who broke all the rules. In these pages, she describes what it was like to run against Donald Trump, the mistakes she made, how she has coped with a shocking and devastating loss, and how she found the strength to pick herself back up afterward. It is worth reading.” — The New York Times “ What Happened is a raw and bracing book, a guide to our political arena.” — The Washington Post “The writing in What Happened is engaging — Clinton is charming and even funny at times, without trying to paint herself in too flattering of a light…. While What Happened records the perspective of a pioneer who beat an unprecedented path that stopped just shy of the White House, it also covers territory that many women will recognize.... She demonstrates that she can mine her situation for humor.” — People “This is an important book, and anyone who’s worried by what happened last November 8 should pick it up.” — Entertainment Weekly Hillary Rodham Clinton is the first woman in US history to become the presidential nominee of a major political party.
Reviews
"She was less convincing on this front as virtually nothing Sanders said against HRC during the primary battle was new; his criticisms of HRC were general talking points before Sanders ever entered the contest. The book whitewashes the DNC's actions against Sanders during the primary, actions that turned a good number of Sanders supporters (HRC continues use of the odious "Bernie Bros." epithet) against her. HRC praises the hard work of Donna Brazile but fails to mention how Brazile was caught stealing debate questions (for the debate with Sanders) from CNN and then leaking those questions to HRC and not to Sanders. What is telling in HRC's memoir and analysis are her own blind spots, her weakness as a campaigner who fails to inspire, her over-reliance on her status as "first female Presidential nominee from a major party" (53% of white women voted for Trump, but HRC doesn't examine why), and her refusal to acknowledge how the DNC, during the primary, alienated the progressive voters she would later need to win the general election. (Even here, though, we have figures now indicating that 12% of Sanders supporters went over to Trump, whereas in 2008, after HRC lost the primary to Obama, 24% of her supporters went over to McCain. In other words, Sanders supporters were still more supportive of HRC than HRC's supporters were of Obama by 2-to-1.)."
"I wrote a verified purchase review and it has been deleted 3 times."
"I'm a non-partisan who has actually read this book and have to agree with many of the negative reviews here."
"what happened to the negative reviews?"
"In my previous review I referenced her book Hard Choices...."Believe it or not I actually liked this book.""
"I voted for her."
"I voted for Bill Clinton in both Presidential elections and voted for Hillary Clinton against Trump last year. I think that there are some good things to be said about Hillary Clinton. But still, this book seems to crystallize for me a lot of the problems that I have with Hillary Clinton at this moment in time, and the problems that I have with the Democratic party, and in general why I think that they are currently doing so badly. Although Clinton does attempt in the book to explain why she lost the election, in the end, she really seems to have no idea. If instead the book had been called "What Campaigning in the 2016 Election Was Like for Me," likely I would feel comfortable giving the book another star. So if the goal of the reader is to learn more about Hillary Clinton, as a person, then perhaps this book is worth reading. What the book does not do is to provide any reasoned or persuasive discussion on what I see as the key questions that political leaders need to be discussing with regard to the 2016 election and the current state of affairs. In my opinion, the biggest question that Clinton does not discuss at all in this book is how much the Democratic party has turned all of its focus toward the goal of making rich people (like Jeff Bezos, no?). Not once in the book does she consider the possibility that perhaps the reason that Sanders was popular was because the Democratic party (as well as the Republican party) had focused too much of its attention on the 1% (or, more specifically, the 0.0001%) and had left the rest of the population out in the cold. In general, the impression that I get from this book about Clinton in general - in terms of her political life and her personal life - is that she believes she is right about everything, that she is very very defensive about the idea that she is right about everything, and that she is very slow to change in the face of new information. All of those are the LAST things that I would use if I got sick, and the idea of Hillary Clinton forcing them on me anyway makes me wonder what other kinds of outmoded, counterproductive things she would have tried to force on the American public had she become President."
"It's an incredible look at how hard a person can work to come up with every reason possible why everyone else is to blame."
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Best General Elections & Political Process

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Winner of the Lincoln Prize Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president. On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. —James M. McPherson, The New York Times Book Review.
Reviews
"What I enjoyed most is the lesson I learned when contrasting the life of Lincoln and that of Chase."
"This, along with several other books about Lincoln and the civil war that I’ve read all confirm one thing - our politics today, bad as they may seem, are polite and courteous compared the the 1800’s."
"This has become one of my favorite books."
"Very fascinating story of Lincoln and his cabinet!"
"Lincoln was a very complex personality but his sterling character was not obvious at the beginning and he was frequently under-rated by most people until sufficient time had elapsed."
"Fascinating insight into Lincoln and his 'Team'!"
"Most interesting viewpoint of Lincoln's presidency."
"So amazing and in depth... the stories go way beyond anything I ever learned in school to the heart of a man willing to risk everything for the right thing."
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Best Asian Politics

The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story
Her home on the border with China gave her some exposure to the world beyond the confines of the Hermit Kingdom and, as the famine of the 1990s struck, she began to wonder, question and to realise that she had been brainwashed her entire life. ‘Hyeonseo Lee brought the human consequences of global inaction on North Korea to the world's doorstep … Against all odds she escaped, survived, and had the courage to speak out’ Samantha Power, U.S. representative to the U.N. Recently graduated from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, she has become a regular speaker on the international stage fostering human rights and awareness of the plight of North Koreans.
Reviews
"Being so close to the border they could also get Chinese cell phone service and calls could be made to North Korea using Chinese cells. She withstood an interrogation by the Chinese police and was able to convince them she was Chinese due to her ability to speak Mandarin and her mastery of Chinese Characters, which she attributes to her father pushing her to study while she was in school. She has dangerous interactions with gangs, which she survives, was assaulted badly by an unknown assailant with a 1 liter beer bottle, an incident that did put her in the hospital and other adventures. They chose Laos, a backwater whose insufferable bureaucracy and corrupt civil service made things hard."
"The book is divided into parts, describing the author's life in North Korea, then her life in China (an entire decade), escape to South Korea, and finally, the ordeal of getting her mother and brother out of North Korea. In China, she makes a life and barely avoids deportation, being captured by human traffickers, and an arranged marriage to a complete zero."
"Few people that live outside North Korea (myself included) can fully understand the brutal horror that is a daily reality for the average people who are enslaved there."
"As tensions between the U.S. and North Korea escalate, I cannot fathom a more pertinent story to inform the rest of the world of the plight of North Koreans...in their own country as well as much of Asia, and the rest of the world really. And no, it was not lost on me that this brave young woman and her family could not just stop to take a breather while living this gut-wrenching saga. You are an extraordinary young woman, daughter, sister, and world citizen with a voice for oppressed persons the world over."
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Best Canadian Politics

Understanding Trump
Further, these pages hold a detailed discussion of Trump-style solutions for national security, education, health care, economic growth, government reform, and other important topics. The very essence of Trump's mission is a willingness to enact policies and set goals that send our country in a bold new direction - one that may be "unreasonable" to Washington but is sensible to millions of Americans outside the Beltway. He is a Fox News contributor and author of 34 books, including 14 New York Times bestsellers.
Reviews
"Excellent excellent excellent."
"Bought this for my husband for Christmas, he said it was a very good book."
"In any case, this book goes a long way toward articulating the ideological trends that drove Trump to a historic victory in the presidential election, giving context to the man himself, and looking forward to give us a glimpse of what we can expect in the future."
"OK, so it seems I posted my review on the wrong book- this is by far the BEST book on both the 2016 election and Donald Trump I've seen yet- and I've read over 2 dozen."
"If you love Trump, then you have an opportunity to find out why so many people are exploding with hatred for him. Similarly, if you hate him, it would be interesting to find out what it was about him that appealed to enough voters to win the election. Praise: In the front of the book, Gingrich explains the methods behind some of Trump's crazy habits. When a radio interviewer asked him to name some leaders in the middle east conflict, he quickly admitted he couldn't do that, but he'd know all about them when he needed to. I work in a technical job, where there are too many domains and details to hold in consciousness all the time; they will literally paralyze me. I practice Trump's method, holding on to what I need to know about the job at hand, confident I can throw new data in when necessary. I can't offer a solution but I'd like to say this: We'll never get anywhere until we admit that our present costs are unacceptable and that other countries do this MUCH better than we do."
"He includes parts of speeches given by numerous people as well as Trump speeches. He also includes numerous excerpts from written material."
"Thoroughly enjoyed this book."
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Best European Politics Books

Mein Kampf
Settling Accounts became Mein Kampf, an unparalleled example of muddled economics and history, appalling bigotry, and an intense self-glorification of Adolf Hitler as the true founder and builder of the National Socialist movement. For in its pages Hitler announced -- long before he came to power -- a program of blood and terror in a self-revelation of such overwhelming frankness that few among its readers had the courage to believe it ... That such a man could go so far toward realizing his ambitions, and -- above all -- could find millions of willing tools and helpers; that is a phenomenon the world will ponder for centuries to come." Mein Kampf must be read and constantly remembered as a specimen of evil demagoguery that people whenever men grow tired of thinking and acting for themselves. In his translation Ralph Manheim has taken particular care to give an exact English equivalent of Hitler's highly individual, and often awkward style, including his occasional grammatical errors. We believe this book should stand as the complete, final, and definitive English version of Hitler's own story of his life, his political philosophy, and his thwarted plans for world domination. The book details Hitler's childhood, the "betrayal" of Germany in World War I, the desire for revenge against France, the need for lebensraum for the German people, and the means by which the National Socialist party can gain power. As Hitler and the Nazis gained power, first party members and then the general public were pressured to buy the book.
Reviews
"I am not here to criticize or defend Hitler, but as a historian, professor, author and a journalist, I am here to release a factual, fair, unbiased and objective analysis of this book, yet first to make a few points: I. In America we don’t ban or censor information (like this book is banned in Germany), on the contrary we allow public to read Communist, Fascist, Islamic, Nazi and all other ideologies’ texts, and then judge for themselves about these texts. As much as Hitler is criticized and hated in the West, yet he is admired and adored in many parts of the world such as East Europe (Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary), Middle East (Turkey, Iran, and many Arab nations) and other areas. Like it or not, Hitler is the architect and creator of a global political and economical ideology named National Socialism (Nazism) which any free thinker or curious person must study like he studies any other ideology. There is also a fine introduction by Bob Carruthers (Scottish historian, scholar, filmmaker and author) included."
"If you read this book with focus, objectivity, and equip yourself with the tools for critical thinking, you will gain much insight into the causes of these endless wars and social upheavals that plague the planet today."
"Interesting book."
"Yaay colorized pictures on the back and it's easy to write essays with, thanks to its annotations and organization."
"It is not the easiest book to understand."
"very eye opening, you really get a sense of what was going on in his head."
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Best Australian & Oceanian Politics

Penguin the Magpie: The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family
Penguin the Magpie is the extraordinary true story of recovery, hope, and courage as one injured bird and her human family learn to heal and celebrate life, featuring the gorgeous photography of Cameron Bloom and a captivating narrative by New York Times bestselling author of The Blue Day Book Bradley Trevor Greive. The connections that Sam and her family make through love reveal a triumph of the human and of the bird spirit. This is a remarkable story of human suffering and a rescued bird who returns the love she received.” (Frans de Waal, author of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?). "This beautiful, profound, life-changing book carries the message that wild birds have a depth of emotion, intelligence, individuality, and personality with which they can communicate empathetically and profoundly with people. I find myself returning to this healing story again and again to marvel at and be inspired by the gorgeous souls of Penguin the Magpie and her human family." “From the instant Penguin tumbles from her nest down to the pavement, this book embodies the discovery of how another being can bring new depth and meaning to our lives, even in the darkest times.Through nuanced photographs and unassuming prose, it reveals an insight both familiar and fantastical—hope and healing are within our grasp when we look beyond ourselves.” (Vint Virga, DVM, author of The Soul of All Living Creatures).
Reviews
"This book is an absolute treasure."
"'On a wing and a prayer', and with incredible photos, you, too, will fall in love with this beautiful family."
"I was extremely moved by this story of love, family, compassion and perseverance."
"I just finished reading it and am in tears but also filled with joy and awe at the beautiful journey and inspirational story it tells."
"A beautiful story of how we grieve during times of loss and how the love of family and a quirky little bird has the power to bring joy and purpose back into your life."
"Inspiring, amazing and vert sweet."
"This was a very warm story and the photos are beautiful throughout."
"I loved this book and prayed we adopt a little wounded bird someday."
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Best Middle Eastern Politics

The Last Punisher: A SEAL Team THREE Sniper's True Account of the Battle of Ramadi
“One of the very best books to come out of the war in Iraq,” (Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, bestselling author of On Killing ), The Last Punisher is a gripping and intimate on-the-ground memoir from a Navy SEAL who was part of SEAL Team THREE with American Sniper Chris Kyle. “A rare glimpse into the mind of a Navy SEAL,” (Clint Emerson, New York Times bestselling author of 100 Deadly Skills ) Kevin Lacz brings you onto the battlefield and relays the tough realities of war. An instant classic that will be of enormous value to future warriors, scholars, and anyone who cares about our military and our veterans.”. (Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, bestselling author of On Killing). "[Lacz's] pungent, plain-spoken account has lots of butt-kicking and some tears, and serves to remind civilian readers again that war is another world...an unapologetic tribute to the habits and attitudes of the professional warriors of SEAL Team THREE...a late but worthy arrival to the Navy SEAL memoir genre." The finest story of a SEAL team in combat: alternately violent, thoughtful, funny and raw. Serving with the elite Navy Seals, Kevin faced bullets and bombs to stop terrorists from coming toward us. In The Last Punisher, Kevin tells his story in a compelling and earthy way that brings the challenges of the soldier to every page. "A remarkable tribute to the power of teamwork and a rare honest glimpse into a brotherhood where the stakes are life and death. (John Rocker, retired Major League Baseball pitcher and director of public affairs for Save Homeless Veterans).
Reviews
"That said, I've never met Mr. Lacz so I have no personal connection with him though I learned, after reading his book that he apparently lives in my old stomping grounds in the Panhandle. I figured it would be like all the other books out there where authors talks more about their accomplishment, with perhaps some embellishments here and there, mix in a little CDI (chick dig it) lingo and presto "I'm a hero." Mr. Lacz gives the ground truth of war and the warriors who fight to protect our freedoms along with his own experiences, warts and all. The Last Punisher will put you under the helmet and in the books kicking of moon dust as you walk the streets of Ramadi. If you've seen the movies; American Sniper, Lone Survivor, 13 hrs, and so forth, you can easily visualize where Lacz is taking you. (Forgive me Dauber but Amazon censors). Lacz does not get into the politics of war save for the REMFs (get the book for the definition) who were calling the shots putting people in harms way oftentimes with poor judgment."
"A good account of the training and growth of Special operators."
"Continued thoughts and prayers for your fallen Brother's and their families. Be safe Brother!!!!!"
"Having just attended the 10 year anniversary of Marc Lee's death, I can honestly say everyone should definitely read such a touching, authentic and compelling account of one Teamguy's experience."
"After reading the whole book and reflecting on it I felt like Kevin was living in the shadows of Chris Kyle."
"While reading certain parts of the story where I'm caught up in what is happening and on the edge of my seat, the author would throw a description of for example the smell of their quarters that catch me and I laugh out loud."
"Got my kindle on a Friday after Prime Day, had a few books I downloaded to read for a short trip to the West Coast."
"While no man will ever have the legendary story of Chris Kyle I'd actually say The Last Punisher is a more well-written book than American Sniper."
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Best Caribbean & Latin American Politics

War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America's Colony
Through oral histories, personal interviews, eyewitness accounts, congressional testimony, and recently declassified FBI files, War Against All Puerto Ricans tells the story of a forgotten revolution and its context in Puerto Rico's history, from the US invasion in 1898 to the modern-day struggle for self-determination. “A meticulous and riveting account of the decades-long clash between the Puerto Rican independence movement, led by Pedro Albizu Campos, and the commonwealth's U.S.-appointed stewards, national police force, the FBI and, ultimately, the U.S. Army" —Ray Monell, New York Daily News. "[Nelson Denis] provides scathing insights into Washington's response to Albizu Campos's nationalist party and its violent revolution in 1950 that still has broad implications...his perspective of largely overlooked history could not be more timely." "In searing and well-researched prose, former New York assemblyman and El Diario editorial director Denis covers a much-neglected side of U.S. imperialist and colonial practice in Puerto Rico...The historical account he adeptly weaves unabashedly reveals the government's racist and often predatory actions toward its Caribbean colony...This timely, eye-opening title is as much a must-read as Juan Gonzalez's Harvest of Empire ." Denis provides a more detailed account, thanks to exclusive interviews conducted over a span of decades, as well as thousands of public records, including recently de-classified FBI documents." Here we have a full-throated eulogy of brave heroes, men and women of conviction, who devoted every drop of their blood to a people and a principle...Denis packs 258 pages (plus another 71 pages of notes) with detailed accounts of government corruption, police abuse, Wall Street greed, scientific experimentation, politicking, graft, racism, wholesale slaughter, surveillance, assassinations, eugenics, propaganda, espionage, forgery and falsification — all within the span of half a century, and on an island no bigger than Connecticut." “A patient, calibrated, fully-researched study of the mendacious, hypocritical way the United States treats its Caribbean colony, castrating its leadership, bombarding its villages, experimenting biologically with its population. “As more than a half century of failed US policy toward Cuba comes to a slow end, Nelson Denis's fascinating new book is a timely reminder of that other island in the Caribbean that the United States took possession of in 1898: Puerto Rico.
Reviews
"I was stunned and astounded by Nelson Denis’enthralling book, “ War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony.” This book documents a "secret history" of Puerto Rico that is not taught in our schools - not in the US, and definitely not in Puerto Rico. Yet these events did happen, and they are presented this meticulously researched book with nearly 100 pages of footnotes as well as many intriguing photos of that epoch. By the end of the book, the entire US government has been placed on the witness stand, cross-examined, and found guilty of stealing an entire island."
"War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony may very well be "The Definitive Guide" to Puerto Rico's independence movement and Pedro Albizu Campos but it's not for any sense of objective completeness. You'll read about the USA's bombing its own citizens; performing irradiation on political prisoners; systemically purchasing the private property and disenfranchising Puerto Ricans of land ownership; converting the island into a sugar monocrop; the process of sterilization of 1/3 of Puerto Rican women; examples of obvious propagandizing and racism leading up to the invasion of the Puerto Rico; and the assignment of puppet governors on the island to control the people while maintaining the aura of democracy."
"Everybody should read this book, Puerto Ricans and non-Puerto Ricans alike."
"It is a historical book; it exposes the tragic history of my country and how it was raped and pillaged by the US empire."
"This is a comprehensive and enthralling book detailing the injustices endured by Puerto Ricans, particularly during the earlier decades of the American occupation of Puerto Rico."
"This book have gave me a better understanding of the present situation regarding the island status and chaos."
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Best International Political Treaties

Undemocratic: Rogue, Reckless and Renegade: How the Government is Stealing Democracy One Agency at a Time
Jay Sekulow—one of America’s most influential attorneys—explores a post Obama landscape where bureaucracy has taken over our government and provides a practical roadmap to help take back our personal liberties. The bureaucracy violates the rights of Americans without accountability—persecuting adoptive parents, denying veterans quality healthcare, discriminating against conservatives and Christians for partisan purposes, and damaging our economy with job-killing rules. Jay Sekulow is widely regarded as one of the foremost free speech and religious liberties litigators in the United States, having argued twelve times before the US Supreme Court in some of the most groundbreaking First Amendment cases of the past quarter century.
Reviews
"Every American who is concerned about the direction of the country in the midst of almost unimaginable change can learn a great deal from Sekulow's careful, scholarly and nonpartisan analysis of the. bureaucracy that grows more powerful daily."
"Love the ability to listen while I drive."
"I consider myself a well informed American but my socks were blown off when I started reading this book."
"This book explains, in easy to understand detail, what our current government has plunged our country into and the steps we need to take to reclaim our American Heritage."
"Do all you can to save this country; the LORD could use your time, your talents and your treasure to Jesus the evil are numerous: but "the laborers are few, PRAY ye the LORD of the harvest to send laborers (paraphrase-of which you need to be one) into HIS harvest field."."
"Jay "tells it like it is" in a "no-holds-barred" fashion."
"The style of writing is engaging and easy to follow considering the complexities and intrigue that characterize the massive exploitation by government agencies. It will be an invaluable tool for those of us who want to shrink the massive growth of the federal government and restore checks and balances that will not allow executive agencies to have so much unconstitutional power."
"We are losing our freedoms and thank the Lord we have someone like Jay Sekulow fighting for us."
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Best Russian & Former Soviet Union Politics

The Plot to Hack America: How Putin’s Cyberspies and WikiLeaks Tried to Steal the 2016 Election
It was a massive attack on America but the Russian hacks appeared to have a singular goal―elect Donald J. Trump as president of the United States. New York Times bestselling author of Defeating ISIS , Airey Neave Memorial Book Prize finalist for Hacking ISIS , career intelligence officer, and MSNBC terrorism expert correspondent Malcolm Nance’s fast paced real-life spy thriller takes you from Vladimir Putin’s rise through the KGB from junior officer to spymaster-in-chief and spells out the story of how he performed the ultimate political manipulation―convincing Donald Trump to abandon seventy years of American foreign policy including the destruction of NATO, cheering the end of the European Union, allowing Russian domination of Eastern Europe, and destroying the existing global order with America at its lead. The Plot to Hack America is the thrilling true story of how Putin’s spy agency, run by the Russian billionaire class, used the promise of power and influence to cultivate Trump as well as his closest aides, the Kremlin Crew, to become unwitting assets of the Russian government. “ The Plot to Hack America is an essential primer for anyone wanting to be fully informed about the unprecedented events surrounding the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Subsequent developments show that Nance, the experienced intelligence operative, was way ahead of the curve .”. –Michael Lipkin, New York Journal of Books. “ Every single assertion Nance offers is backed by material from the PUBLIC record, clearly documented in end notes.”. –Kenneth J. Bernstein, Daily Kos. “If you had read this book as I did in November 2016 after Trump’s surprising, even to him, election, you would have known all this and all the characters now appearing who were in the Trump orbit and campaign… Thanks to the hero of the day, Malcolm Nance, we all now see where Mueller’s investigation is going and how its widening net includes interviewing White House insiders and Trump’s family members... By reading this book, at the urging of some of my key European advisors, I was forewarned of exactly how the Internet and all our media would be used by the Kremlin hackers to exploit the gullibility of US voters, so as to create today’s confusion and further divisions in our society.”. –Hazel Henderson, Ethical Markets. “In his detailed and informed study Nance argues that, in effect, America's War on Terror created a new breed of vicious terrorists who wear the mask of Islam like actors in a Kabuki theatre while carrying out horrifically un-Islamic acts.”. ―Richard Engel, Chief Foreign Correspondent, NBC News, from his foreword. The absurd claims were immediately refuted directly by a presidential candidate’s family.”. ―Dmitry Peskov,Russian government spokesman. “In the era of corporate dominated mainstream media and feckless herd reporting, Skyhorse's willingness to tackle tough issues that other publishers won't touch has made it a critical cog in our democracy .”. –Robert F. Kennedy Jr., New York Times bestselling author.
Reviews
"In chapter five, the author discusses Russia’s new model of coordinating all aspects of intelligence, propaganda, and cyber operations, which he calls “hybrid warfare.” We learn about advanced persistent threats or APTs, which are “a description of malware toolkits used by hackers.” These hacker groups have been active in other countries as well, such as Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan, and others. For example, we have the leaks prior to the Democratic National Convention which ended up pitting Bernie supporters against Hillary supporters; after Trump’s speech on immigration after the Mexico visit, DCCC documents from Pelosi’s computer on immigration and other items were released; within days of the NY Times stating that anything Trump said needed fact-checking, the Cyber Bears hacked the news organization; a similar thing occurred with Newsweek, and we could go on. Nance concludes by saying that, “Russian use of cyber weapons to perform criminal acts and damage our electoral process was intended to remove faith in America itself.” He sees politics itself under attack due to hacking and demagoguery."
"OMG Malcolm nailed it."
"They REPORT the news they DON'T MANUFACTURE the news."
"Mr. Nance nailed the factual truth with supportive information."
"This book makes me afraid and angry at the same time."
"Wow."
"It has never been more important to use critical thinking in the consumption of information."
"People still fawn over Obama and Hillary thinking Trump is the problem."
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Best Political Trades and Tariffs

For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History
By the middle of the nineteenth century, the British East India Company faced the loss of its monopoly on the fantastically lucrative tea trade with China, forcing it to make the drastic decision of sending Scottish botanist Robert Fortune to steal the crop from deep within China and bring it back to British plantations in India. "The plot for Sarah Rose's For All the Tea in China seems tailor-made for a Hollywood thriller...a story that should appeal to readers who want to be transported on a historic journey laced with suspense, science and adventure." "In For All the Tea in China , the most eventful era of the tea plant gets the inspired treatment it deserves." "In this lively account of the adventures (and misadventures) that lay behind Robert Fortune's bold acquisition of Chinese tea seedlings for transplanting in British India, Sarah Rose demonstrates in engaging detail how botany and empire- building went hand in hand." Sarah Rose conjures up the time and tales as British Legacy Teas are created before our eyes. " For All The Tea In China is a rousing Victorian adventure story chronicling the exploits of botanical thief Robert Fortune, who nearly single- handedly made the British tea industry possible in India.
Reviews
"Methinks the reviewers who attack the book on scholarly grounds have no concept of the Journalistic license popularized, but not invented, by Truman Capote ["In Cold Blood"] in the non-fiction novel genre. [The non-fiction novel is a literary genre which, broadly speaking, depicts real historical figures and actual events narrated woven together with fictitious allegations and using the storytelling techniques of fiction."
"I'm only half way through but this a wonderful book on so many levels: history, natural history, scientific history, economics, botany and not the least of all, a must for any tea lover."
"This book tells the story of a botanist who traveled through portions of China digging up tea plants, learning how best to cultivate them and how to make the best tea."
"This is an entertaining book which covers botany, tea, and the history of the English "theft" of tea."
"Loved this book."
"I drink a cup of tea w/new respect and knowledge."
"In the 1840s the British Empire and the British East India Company were rising powers, while China was in the first stages of a century long decline. Tea was a drink which had become increasingly important to Europeans, especially the British, and a small group of opportunistic and amoralofficials in the East India Company engaged in some skulldeggery and outright theft to obtain tea plants which could then be cultivated in Britain's "jewel in the crown," India."
"I liked the fact that this book had two titles, for the sole reason to advertise and appeal to United States verses European audiences."
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Best Arms Control

The Conscience of a Conservative
The book reignited the American conservative movement and made Barry Goldwater a political star.
Reviews
"All conservatives must have this book."
"To me, it's clear Goldwater is not advocating victory through force, but is suggesting the US should collaborate with policies that would be illegal for us, and should not support a system that truly was inhumane."
"It says Conscience of a Conservative, but reads like Conscience of a Libertarian."
"When I first read the subject book years ago I thought it read like a manifesto for the liberal philosophical position."
"This is an excellent book that lays out sound reasons why we should favor private markets over the welfare state and why capitalism is the moral system that respects human dignity and the human spirit."
"I found the basis of a lot of conservative thought that exist today within the text of this writing."
"This was during the height of the cold war and his foreign policy is remarkably relevant to our current international political scene."
"Goldwater made a Conservative out of this Liberal, some fifty or sixty years ago...."
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Best International Diplomacy

When the World Seemed New: George H. W. Bush and the End of the Cold War
Based on unprecedented access to previously classified documents and dozens of interviews with key policymakers, here is the untold story of how George H. W. Bush faced a critical turning point of history—the end of the Cold War. Amazingly, when the Soviet Union--with its 20,000 or so nuclear weapons--collapsed, the world became (for a time, anyway) more peaceful and prosperous, thanks in no small part to the wisdom, vision, and restraint of President George H.W. Bush. “The Cold War’s end offered peril and promise, and Jeffrey A. Engel’s revealing and deeply researched new history demonstrates that George H.W.
Reviews
"As the rumors spread, the flailing Communist regime was suddenly gripped by terror that controlling the thousands of East Berliners at the gate, and the thousands of West Berliners waiting to embrace them, could end in a river of blood as it had in Tienanmen Square just weeks earlier. But more than anything the story that Engel weaves is of President Bush, in the face of Right Wing resistance, cautiously embracing the realization that the end of the Cold War was at hand and the challenge of not getting in it's way.When the World Seemed New: George H. W. Bush and the End of the Cold War."
"It is subtitled ‘George H. W. Bush and the End of the Cold War’ but actually reviews Bush’s overall record on the world stage, which also includes the US interventions in Panama and Somalia; the First Gulf War; and negotiations for NAFTA and the expansion of NATO, although Engel regards Bush’s keeping lines of communication open with China despite the horrors of Tiananmen Square as “his single greatest diplomatic achievement”. Now it is obviously perfectly possible to make out this case if, like Engel, you admit that others (most notably Gorbachev) may have had as great, or even a greater, impact upon events; if you characterise Bush’s vision in relatively modest terms; if you admit that Bush was fallible; and if you are flexible regarding the application of time-scales in which to assess his achievements. And so, we don't need to be out there trying to micromanage the desire for change.”. That is to say, it is central to Engel’s revisionist appreciation of Bush that a large part of his success consisted of benign inactivity and specifically in counselling no crowing over America’s “winning” of the Cold War and the spreading of “its” democratic values, yet in making the case for Bush Engel cannot always resist the temptation to express patriotic pride. Thus one sentence (ignoring the British Empire) postulates that “If one ranks the American empire as the world’s most powerful, rivalled only by imperial Rome in its heyday, then for a brief moment … George H. W. Bush was the most powerful man in human history.” More tellingly still, Engel at one point refers to the Soviet Union having “surrendered”. Since we did not, a moral outrage was committed and Saddam Hussein stayed in power, and the US had to keep forces in Saudi Arabia to defend against a renewed strike on Kuwait by a reconstituted Republican Guard.”. In short, Engel puts up a spirited defence of Bush which makes interesting reading but ultimately his attempted enhancement of Bush’s reputation on the world stage is achieved by dodging some difficult questions. In bigging up Bush, Engel is thus sometimes guilty of beating around the bush."
"Interesting bit on page 390 that the end of the Cold War was rather in 1990, than 1991, when the Soviet Union decided not to help Iraq."
"Bush's foreign policy and underlying strategic views."
"I was born in the 80s and grew up in the 90s, which meant I knew there was once a Cold War, I knew the west had won, and every history professor I ever had assumed I knew how it happened because I was alive when it occurred - never mind that I was three years old when the Berlin Wall Fell."
"In this time of upheaval in the American presidency, and antagonism on the world stage, it is refreshing to read about a time when the President acted presidential, understood the ramifications of his actions, and worked to avoid (rather than encourage) international upheaval."
"I found this to be both an insightful and entertaining read."
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Best National & International Security

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
Comprehensively and for the first time, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll recounts the history of the covert wars in Afghanistan that fueled Islamic militancy and sowed the seeds of the September 11 attacks. Steve Coll is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Ghost Wars and the dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, and from 2007 to 2013 was president of the New America Foundation, a public policy institute in Washington, D.C.
Reviews
"This is the best book for understanding the roll of the CIA in Afghanistan and the war on terror."
"There were no apparent gaps in the connected dots and most connections made solid sense."
"If you have interest in covert operations and the intelligence agencies of the united States, this is an amazing book."
"Great product, would definitely recommend to others."
""Ghost Wars" is a fresh, detailed, and fascinating assessment of the United States' experience with Afghanistan from 1979 to the eve of 9/11/2001. Coll's recounting of this twenty year saga goes far to explain the roots and development of the United States's inability to deter the danger that became so graphically evident the day after this book's narrative ends. Yes, the book is detailed, but it would be a disservice to back away from the intricacies of the story -- just as it has proven to be a mistake for the United States to have backed away from the complexities of Afghanistan once the Soviets withdrew. While one might wish to disengage from such interwoven complexities, the risk of ignoring a failing state such as Afghanistan is to allow the creation of a untamed country in which an extreme regime such as the Taliban and a group as dangerous as that sponsored by Osama bin Laden can take root and thrive. I do wish that Coll had carried through with an epilogue to shed light on the events in Afghanistan of the past two to three years and the relationship of the U.S. to that sad country today. I know Coll has more to say about how the United States' response to 9/11 in Afghanistan has affected our relations with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia."
"If you want to know what really happened, you need to read this book."
"There are no 'Ghosts' to be found but a lot of hauntings as Coll brings into focus a series of turns and events in a troubled part of the world where tribal histories and passions have produced and fueled some very determined fighters."
"Steve Coll has done an outstanding job in presenting the history of our relationship with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the Afghan freedom fighters and shows how that history foretells what is occurring in the world today."
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