From This American Life alum David Rakoff comes a hilarious collection that single-handedly raises self-deprecation to an art form. Whether impersonating Sigmund Freud in a department store window during the holidays, climbing an icy mountain in cheap loafers, or learning primitive survival skills in the wilds of New Jersey, Rakoff clearly demonstrates how he doesn’t belong–nor does he try to.
In his debut collection of essays,...

Experts continue to debate one of the most important political questions of the twentieth century--why did Communism collapse so suddenly? These essays suggest that a wide range of forces--political, economic, strategic, religious, add the indispensable role of the principled statesman and the brave dissident--brought about the collapse of communism.--Provided by the publisher.

"Ideas and identity fuse effortlessly in this vibrant collection that on bookshelves is just as at home alongside Rebecca Solnit and bell hooks as it is beside Jeff Chang and Janet Mock. It also fills an important void on those very shelves: a modern black American feminist voice waxing poetic on self and society, serving up a healthy portion of clever prose and southern aphorisms as she covers everything from Saturday Night Live, LinkedIn, and BBQ...

"In this candid and curious essay collection, Jonathan takes a thoughtful, in-depth look at timely topics through the lens of his own personal experience—instances that have required him to learn, grow, and back handspring layout to a better understanding of the world around him. He dives deeply and widely—from a poignant reflection on grief and embracing body neutrality to an examination of the HIV safety net and white privilege—to share the...

An intimate, moving book written with the immediacy and directness of one who still struggles with the effects of mental and chronic illness, The Collected Schizophrenias cuts right to the core. Schizophrenia is not a single unifying diagnosis, and Esmé Weijun Wang writes not just to her fellow members of the "collected schizophrenias" but to those who wish to understand it as well. Opening with the journey toward her diagnosis of schizoaffective...

"The essay 'Silk Parachute,' which first appeared in The New Yorker a decade ago, has become John McPhee's most anthologized piece of writing. In the nine other pieces here--highly varied in length and theme--McPhee ranges with his characteristic humor and intensity through lacrosse, long-exposure view-camera photography, the weird foods he has sometimes been served in the course of his reportorial travels, a U.S. Open golf championship, and a season...

"Taking baseball fans behind the microphone, into locker rooms, and through the most memorable season in Texas Rangers history, this firsthand account from announcer Josh Lewin is both insightful and entertaining. Recounting the Rangers' struggles during their pivotal 2010 season-when the Rangers team was up for sale, drugs and alcohol threatened the team's biggest star and their manager, and reaching the Fall Classic for the first time-Lewin's bird's-eye...

"Anne Lamott writes about community, family and faith in essays that are wise, irreverent, funny and poignant--a style that has become her trademark. Now in Small Victories, Lamott has once again written a brilliant and insightful book that offers a message of hope that celebrates the triumph of light over the darkness in our lives. Our victories over hardships and pain may be small, they may be infrequent, but they keep us going and they often come...

"This collection of 107 chapters encompasses a wide variety of subjects, originally inspired by his study of Latin classics, and later by the lives of the leading figures of his time. Michel de Montaigne saw the most basic elements of man as variety and unpredictability, and this idea permeates the entire work, even as he explores a myriad of topics, including theology, philosophy, law, fame, memory, death, and his own daily schedule."--Amazon.com....

"Annie Dillard observes ""The best of Edward Hoagland is the best in the land."" Now, in a beautiful new hardcover edition, signed by the author, and including new material, comes the best observations on nature by the finest essayist of our time. "--