Essays by Thomas Frank, Clay Shirky, David Simon, and others: "Anyone concerned about the state of journalism should read this book." — Library JournalThe sudden meltdown of the news media has sparked one of the liveliest debates in recent memory, with an outpouring of opinion and analysis crackling across journals, the blogosphere, and academic publications. Yet, until now, we have lacked a comprehensive and accessible introduction to this new and shiftin...

Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author and guest editor Rebecca Roanhorse and series editor John Joseph Adams select twenty pieces that represent the best examples of the form published the previous year and explore the ever-expanding and changing world of SFF today.Today’s readers of science fiction and fantasy have an appetite for stories that address a wide variety of voices, perspectives, and styles. There is an openness to experiment and pus...

A study of how mainstream journalism transformed from 1960 to 1980.In the 1960s and 1970s, the American press embraced a new way of reporting and selling the news. The causes were many: the proliferation of television, pressure to rectify the news media's dismal treatment of minorities and women, accusations of bias from left and right, and the migration of affluent subscribers to suburbs. As Matthew Pressman's timely history reveals, during these tumultuous decades...

A look at the destructive history of science-for-profit, including its toll on the US pandemic response, by the author of A People's History of Science.Despite a facade of brilliant technological advances, American science has led humanity to the brink of interrelated disasters. In The Tragedy of American Science, historian of science Clifford D. Conner describes the dual processes by which this history has unfolded since the Second World War, add...

"A sharply articulated, well-documented expos of the political and economic manipulation of language . . . Fans of Orwell, take heart."— Kirkus ReviewsWhat do the phrases "pro-life," "intelligent design," and "the war on terror" have in common? Each of them is a name for something that smuggles in a highly charged political opinion. Words and phrases that function in this special way go by many names. Some writers call them "evaluative-descriptive terms." ...

A riveting account of how the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the world order and exposed deep vulnerabilities in the international system.Aftershocks offers a comprehensive look at one of the most consequential years on record. Drawing on interviews with officials from around the world and extensive research, Colin Kahl and Thomas Wright tell the story of how nationalism and major power rivalries constrained the response to the worst pandemic in a century. The...

This sweeping history reveals how the use of chemicals has saved lives, destroyed species, and radically changed our planet: "Remarkable . . . highly recommended." — ChoiceIn The Chemical Age, ecologist Frank A. von Hippel explores humanity's long and uneasy coexistence with pests, and how the battles to exterminate them have shaped our modern world. He also tells the captivating story of the scientists who waged war on famine and disease with chem...

The veteran journalist presents "an illuminating history and analysis" of the American electoral system—and a bold call for change ( Kirkus).The framers of the Constitution battled over it. Lawmakers have tried to amend or abolish it more than 700 times. To this day, millions of voters, and even members of Congress, misunderstand how it works. It deepens our national divide and distorts the core democratic principles of political equality and majority rule....

"Empowering and thoroughly researched, this book offers useful contemporary analysis and possible solutions to one of the greatest threats to democracy." — Kirkus ReviewsEditors' choice, The New York Times Book ReviewRecommended reading, Scientific AmericanWhy should we care about having true beliefs? And why do demonstrably false beliefs persist and spread despite bad, even fatal, consequenc...

An updated edition of the "penetrating study" examining how the current state of mass media puts our democracy at risk (Noam Chomsky).What happens when a few conglomerates dominate all major aspects of mass media, from newspapers and magazines to radio and broadcast television? After all the hype about the democratizing power of the internet, is this new technology living up to its promise? Since the publication of this prescient work, which won Harvard's Goldsmith...

A KGB scholar examines dozens of Putin's victims to expose a campaign of political murder that even includes the Boston Marathon terror attack.Russia is no stranger to political murder, from the tsars to the Soviets to the Putin regime, during which many journalists, activists and political opponents have been killed. Kremlin defenders insist there is no proof of these crimes. Since Putin controls all investigations, he is never seen holding a smoking gun. But inves...

"A trenchant summation" and analysis of the legal rationales behind the US drone policy of targeted killing of suspected terrorists, including US citizens ( Publishers Weekly, starred review).In the long response to 9/11, the US government initiated a deeply controversial policy of "targeted killing"—the extrajudicial execution of suspected terrorists and militants, typically via drones. A remarkable effort was made to legitimize this practice; one that mo...