political and social views

A comprehensive overview of Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency with alphabetically arranged entries that profile key members of his administration, and examines crucial events, policies, and issues of the era. Includes a chronology and a selection of primary documents.

Provides in-depth analysis of the literary work A Room of One's Own, as well as its importance and critical reception. Includes a chronology of the life and works of the author.

Provides in-depth analysis of the literary work Buddenbrooks, as well as its importance and critical reception. Includes a chronology of the life and works of the author.

Provides in-depth analysis of the life, works, career, and critical importance of Alexis de Tocqueville.

"More so than any politician or philosopher, it is William Shakespeare who can teach us about power. What it is, what it means, how it is gained, used, and lost. From the princes and kings of Henry IV to the scheming senators of Julius Caesar, politics fills his plays: brutal cunning, Machiavellian manipulation, fatal overreach, even the rare possibility of redemption. And it is these enduring narratives that can teach us how power plays out to this day. In The Hollow Crown, military scholar Eliot A. Cohen decodes Shakespeare's understanding of politics as theater, shedding light on how businesses, corporations, and governments work in the modern world. The White House, after all, is a court, with intrigues and rivalries just as Shakespeare described, as is an army, a department of state, or even a university. And, besides their settings, what most of all defines these various dramas are their characters, in all their ambition, cruelty, hope, and humanity. Cohen looks to the inspiring speeches of Henry V to better understand John F. Kennedy, to Richard III's darkness to plumb Adolf Hitler's psychology, and to Prospero from The Tempest for a window into George Washington's graceful abdication of power. Ultimately, through Cohen's incisive gaze, Shakespeare's work becomes a skeleton key into the lives of the leaders who, for good or ill, have made and remade our world"--.

"From journalist and historian Steve Inskeep, a compelling and nuanced exploration of the political acumen of Abraham Lincoln via sixteen encounters before and during his presidency, bringing to light not only the strategy of a great politician who inherited a country divided, but lessons for our own disorderly present. In 1855, as the United States found itself at odds over the issue of slavery, then lawyer Abraham Lincoln composed a note on the matter to his close friend, the heir to a slaveholding family in the South. Lincoln--who was morally against the institution of slavery--rebuked his friend for his opposing views, he lectured him, he challenged him. But in the end, he wrote: "If for this you and I must differ, differ we must." Throughout his life and political career, Lincoln often agreed to disagree. Democracy demanded it--even an adversary had a vote"--Provided by publisher.

Zachary R. Wood, head of the college group Uncomfortable Learning, describes growing up as an African-American in a dangerous area and going to private school and explains his belief in open dialogue and free speech.

"Joshua Rubenstein's riveting account takes us back to the second half of 1952 when no one could foresee an end to Joseph Stalin's murderous regime. He was poised to challenge the newly elected U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower with armed force, and was also broadening a vicious campaign against Soviet Jews. Stalin's sudden collapse and death in March 1953 was as dramatic and mysterious as his life. It is no overstatement to say that his passing marked a major turning point in the twentieth century. The Last Days of Stalin is an engaging, briskly told account of the dictator's final active months, the vigil at his deathbed, and the unfolding of Soviet and international events in the months after his death. Rubenstein throws fresh light on: the devious plotting of Beria, Malenkov, Khrushchev, and other 'comrades in arms' who well understood the significance of the dictator's impending death; the witness-documented events of his death as compared to official published versions; Stalin's rumored plans to forcibly exile Soviet Jews; the responses of Eisenhower and Secretary of State Dulles to the Kremlin's conciliatory gestures after Stalin's death; and the momentous repercussions when Stalin's regime of terror was cut short"--.

"Examines the distinctive voice and radical themes of Mary Shelley's writing, which broke conventions and stretched nineteenth century literary genres. It explores the context, background, and important ideas contained in Shelley's most famous novel. It also demonstrates the significance of her other writings. This [book] recounts how Shelly, who was named Mary Godwin at the time, began writing Frankenstein in 1816, a period wherein the idea of a woman dreaming up stories of raising the dead was far-fetched. It mentions Shelley's literary career that included several publications of books, short stories, and essays"--Provided by publisher.