NCW Libraries

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In Sapiens, he explored our past. In Homo Deus, he looked to our future. Now, one of the world’s most innovative thinkers explores what it means to be human in an age of bewilderment—now updated with new material.
“Fascinating . . . a crucial global conversation about how to take on the problems of the twenty-first century.”—Bill Gates,...

Years in the making, this spellbinding, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting narrative is an unforgettable portrait of 9/11. This is a 9/11 book like no other. Masterfully weaving together multiple strands of the events in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Fall and Rise is a mesmerizing, minute-by-minute account of that terrible day. In the days and months after 9/11, Mitchell Zuckoff, then a reporter for the Boston Globe,...

Sometimes explosive, often delicious, occasionally poisonous, but always interesting: the New York Times-bestselling author of Stuff Matters shows us the secret lives of liquids: the shadow counterpart of our solid "stuff." We all know that without water we couldn't survive, and that sometimes a cup of coffee or a glass of wine feels just as vital. But do we really understand how much we rely on liquids, or the destructive power they hold? Set...

Sheds new light on the life of the great Elizabethan playwright and poet, reassessing Shakespeare's work within the context of sixteenth-century London and Stratford-upon-Avon, as well as his lasting legacy for world literature.

"Eminently provocative and readable."-The Wall Street Journal Sir Alistair Horne has been a close observer of war and history for more than fifty years and in this wise and masterly work, he revisits six battles of the past century and examines the strategies, leadership, preparation, and geopolitical goals of aggressors and defenders to reveal the one trait that links them all: hubris. In Greek tragedy, hubris is excessive human pride that challenges...

Celebrate Shakespeare's 400th anniversary with this hilarious comedy about the playwright's mysterious lost years. Bill Shakespeare is a hapless lute player with a big dream. When his bandmates kick him out of their group, Bill leaves his wife and kids behind to seek fame and fortune in the big city of London. He's written a great work for the stage and he's certain he'll prove all his doubters wrong.

"Know It All: Shakespeare uses a unique approach to grapple with the work and influence of the world's most famous playwright. This absorbing crash course in William Shakespeare takes the reader through what we know of his life and then turns to uncoding key concepts, themes, and motifs in his plays and works. Finally, the reader is given a succinct look at the Bard's extraordinary literary and linguistic legacy."--provided by Amazon.com.

History of the world from 1600 to 1850.

The follow-up to Pinker's groundbreaking The Better Angels of Our Nature presents the big picture of human progress: people are living longer, healthier, freer, and happier lives, and while our problems are formidable, the solutions lie in the Enlightenment ideal of using reason and science. Far from being a naïve hope, the Enlightenment, we now know, has worked. But more than ever, it needs a vigorous defense. The Enlightenment project swims against...

"In her latest book, religion expert Diana Butler Bass offers a fresh interpretation of this transformation and identifies a new spiritual awakening taking place inside and outside the church. Based on new research and a careful reading of history, CHRISTIANITY AFTER RELIGION argues that traditional Christianity has focused on three prescriptions, in this order: - This is what to believe (theology) - This is how to behave (practice) - This is who...