An assessment of the state of the Democratic Party in the new millennium, the betrayal of progressive ideals, and how real change can happen.The 2006 elections put the Democrats in the majority in both houses of Congress, yet those hoping for change were deeply disappointed. Likewise, the striking victory of Barack Obama and the Democrats in 2008 created a wave of optimism, but the promise would not be fulfilled. In this book, Lance Selfa looks at the Democrats in ...

"This collection contains everything we need to understand the world that gave us Trump, and to arm ourselves for the battles to come" (Sarah Jaffe, author of Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt).The Democratic Party and mainstream liberal organizations have shown themselves to be completely inadequate to address the key questions facing working people today. The corporate-friendly wing of the party, especially in the aftermath of the Great Recession in...

“This book is proof that today’s Latin American literature reaches far and digs deep. Alfredo Molano isn’t a novelist or poet, but rather a sociologist who realizes that ‘the way to understand wasn’t to study people but to listen to them.’ The testimonies that Molano collects are a point of departure for a work that knows how to relate, like few others can, Colombia’s pain in a language that has more colors than the rainbow.”—Eduardo Galeano, author of Upside Down and Open Vei...

The story of an era shrouded in mystery, and the gradual changing of a nation's cultural identity.We speak English today, because the Anglo-Saxons took over most of post-Roman Britain. How did that happen? There is little evidence: not much archaeology, and even less written history. There is, however, a huge amount of speculation. King Arthur's Wars brings an entirely new approach to the subject—the answers are out there, in the British countryside, waiti...

A medieval historian examines what we really know about the man who was "Merlin the Magician" and his impact on Britain.Merlin has remained an enthralling and curious individual since he was first introduced in the twelfth century in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae. But although the Merlin of literature and Arthurian myth is well known, his "historical" figure and his relation to medieval magic are less familiar. In this book Anne Lawrence-...

An "engrossing and exciting" account of legendary New Orleans privateers Pierre and Jean Laffite and their adventures along the Gulf Coast ( Booklist, starred review).At large during the most colorful period in New Orleans' history, from just after the Louisiana Purchase through the War of 1812, privateers Jean and Pierre Laffite made life hell for Spanish merchants on the Gulf. Pirates to the US Navy officers who chased them, heroes to the private citizen...

What you'd need to know if you time-traveled to Ancient Rome—from local customs to clothing to religion to housing to food.Imagine you were transported back in time to Ancient Rome and you had to start a new life there. How would you fit in? Where would you live? What would you eat? Where would you go to have your hair done? Who would you go to if you got ill, or if you were mugged in the street?All these questions, and many more, are answered in this new how...

Recently adapted into the War Queens podcast hosted by authors Emily and Jon Jordan, featuring Game of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel. Now available on Apple, Spotify, Audible, and all major listening platforms."Masterfully captures the largely forgotten saga of warrior queens through the ages . . . an epic filled with victory, defeat, and legendary women." —Patrick K. O'Donnell, bestselling author of The Indispensables

The fascinating history of "a race that simply would not accept defeat" ( Books Monthly).In the late fourth century, pressure from the Huns forced the Goths to cross the Danube into the Roman Empire. The resultant Battle of Adrianople in 378 was one of Rome's greatest defeats. Both western (Visigoth) and eastern (Ostrogoth) branches of the Goths had a complex relationship with the Romans, sometimes fighting as their allies against other "barbarian" interlo...

Winner of the Frank Watson Book PrizeThe legendary Scottish king Máel Coluim III, also known as 'Malcolm Canmore', is often held to epitomise Scotland's 'ancient Gaelic kings'. But Máel Coluim and his dynasty were in fact newcomers, and their legitimacy and status were far from secure at the beginning of his rule. Máel Coluim's long reign from 1058 until 1093 coincided with the Norman Conquest of England, a revolutionary event that presented great opportunities a...

A vivid double biography of two fearless early medieval queens.'Brings the Merovingian empire to thrilling, bewildering, horrifying life' Helen Castor'Restores two half-forgotten and much-mythologized queens to their proper place in medieval history' Dan Jones'Fredegund and Brunhild have finally found a worthy champion' Literary ReviewBrunhild was a Visigothic princess, raised to be married off for t...

A month-by-month account of what life was like for the everyday person just before the Black Plague wiped out most of Europe.1326 was one of the most dramatic years in English history. The queen of England, Isabella of France, invaded the country with an army of mercenaries to destroy her husband's powerful and detested lover, Hugh Despenser the Younger, and brought down her husband, King Edward II, in the process.It was also a year, however, when the major...