Knowledge = Power

From the New York Times bestselling author Robert D. Kaplan, named one of the world’s Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine, comes a riveting journey through one of Europe’s frontier  countries—and a potent examination of the forces that will determine  Europe’s fate in the postmodern age. Robert Kaplan first  visited Romania in the 1970s, when he was a young journalist and the  country was a bleak Communist backwater. It was one of the darkest  corners of Europe, but few Westerners were paying attention. What ensued  was a lifelong obsession with a critical, often overlooked country—a  country that, today, is key to understanding the current threat that  Russia poses to Europe. In Europe’s Shadow is a vivid blend of  memoir, travelogue, journalism, and history, a masterly work thirty  years in the making—the story of a journalist coming of age, and a  country struggling to do the same. Through the lens of one country,  Kaplan examines larger questions of geography, imperialism, the role of  fate in international relations, the Cold War, the Holocaust, and more. Here Kaplan illuminates the fusion of the Latin West and the Greek East  that created Romania, the country that gave rise to Ion Antonescu,  Hitler’s chief foreign accomplice during World War II, and the country  that was home to the most brutal strain of Communism under Nicolae  Ceaușescu. Romania past and present are rendered in cinematic prose: the  ashen faces of citizens waiting in bread lines in Cold War–era  Bucharest; the Bărăgan Steppe, laid bare by centuries of foreign  invasion; the grim labor camps of the Black Sea Canal; the majestic  Gothic church spires of Transylvania and Maramureş. Kaplan finds himself  in dialogue with the great thinkers of the past, and with the Romanians  of today, the philosophers, priests, and politicians—those who struggle  to keep the flame of humanism alive in the era of a resurgent Russia. Upon his return to Romania in 2013 and 2014, Kaplan found the country  transformed yet again—now a traveler’s destination shaped by Western  tastes, yet still emerging from the long shadows of Hitler and Stalin. In Europe’s Shadow is the story of an ideological and geographic frontier—and the book you  must read in order to truly understand the crisis Europe faces, from  Russia and from within.

Tracing the extraordinary trajectory of Julius Caesar's life, Adrian  Goldsworthy covers not only the great Roman emperor's accomplishments as  charismatic orator, conquering general, and powerful dictator but also  lesser-known chapters. Ultimately, Goldsworthy realizes the full  complexity of Caesar's character and shows why his political and  military leadership continues to resonate some 2,000 years later. In  this landmark biography, Goldsworthy examines Caesar as a military  leader, as well as his other roles, and places his subject firmly within  the context of Roman society in the first century B.C.

“[The Rising Sun] is quite possibly the most readable, yet informative account of the Pacific war.”—Chicago Sun-Times This  Pulitzer Prize–winning history of World War II chronicles the dramatic  rise  and fall of the Japanese empire, from the invasion of Manchuria  and China to the  atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Told from  the Japanese perspective, The  Rising Sun is, in the author’s  words, “a factual saga of people caught up in the  flood of the most  overwhelming war of mankind, told as it happened—muddled, ennobling,   disgraceful, frustrating, full of paradox.” In weaving together  the historical facts  and human drama leading up to and culminating in  the war in the Pacific, Toland crafts  a riveting and unbiased narrative  history. In his Foreword, Toland says that if we  are to draw any  conclusion from The Rising Sun, it is “that there are no simple lessons  in history, that it is human nature that repeats itself, not history.” “Unbelievably  rich . . . readable and exciting . . .The best parts of [Toland’s] book  are not the battle scenes but the intimate view he gives of the highest  reaches of Tokyo politics.”—Newsweek

A blend of Manhunt, Killing Pablo, and Zero Dark Thirty,  Andrew Hogan and Douglas Century's sensational investigative high-tech  thriller - soon to be a major motion picture from Sony - chronicles a  riveting chapter in the 20th-century drug wars: the exclusive inside  story of the American lawman and his dangerous eight-year hunt that  captured El Chapo - the world's most wanted drug kingpin who evaded the  law for more than a decade. Every generation has a  larger-than-life criminal: Jesse James, Billy the Kid, John Dillinger,  Al Capone, John Gotti, Pablo Escobar. But each of these notorious  lawbreakers had a "white hat" in pursuit: Wyatt Earp, Pat Garrett, Eliot  Ness, Steve Murphy. For notorious drug lord Joaquín Archivaldo  Guzmán-Loera - El Chapo - that lawman is former Drug Enforcement  Administration Special Agent Andrew Hogan. In 2006, fresh out of  the DEA Academy, Hogan heads west to Arizona, where he immediately  plunges into a series of gripping undercover adventures, all unknowingly  placing him on the trail of Guzmán, the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, a  Forbes billionaire, and public enemy number one in the United  States. Six years later, as head of the DEA's Sinaloa Cartel desk in  Mexico City, Hogan finds his life and Chapo's are, ironically, on  parallel paths: They're both obsessed with the details. In a recasting of the classic American Western on the global stage, Hunting El Chapo takes us on Hogan's quest to achieve the seemingly impossible, from  infiltrating El Chapo's inner circle to leading a white-knuckle manhunt  with an elite brigade of trusted Mexican marines - racing door to door  through the cartel's stronghold and ultimately bringing the elusive and  murderous kingpin to justice. This cinematic crime story  following the relentless investigative work of Hogan and his team  unfolds at breakneck speed, taking the listener behind the scenes of one  of the most sophisticated and dangerous counternarcotics operations in  the history of the United States and Mexico.

Though it is the fastest growing religion in the world, Islam remains  shrouded by ignorance and fear. What is the essence of this ancient  faith? Is it a religion of peace or war? How does Allah differ from the  God of Jews and Christians? Can an Islamic state be founded on  democratic values such as pluralism and human rights? A writer and  scholar of comparative religions, Reza Aslan has earned international  acclaim for the passion and clarity he has brought to these questions.  In No god but God, challenging the "clash of civilizations"  mentality that has distorted our view of Islam, Aslan explains this  critical faith in all its complexity, beauty, and compassion. Contrary  to popular perception in the West, Islam is a religion firmly rooted in  the prophetic traditions of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Aslan  begins with a vivid account of the social and religious milieu in which  the Prophet Muhammad lived. The revelations that Muhammad received in  Mecca and Medina, which were recorded in the Quran, became the  foundation for a radically more egalitarian community, the likes of  which had never been seen before. According to Reza Aslan, we are now living in the era of "the Islamic Reformation". No god but God is a persuasive and elegantly written account of the roots of this reformation and the future of Islamic faith.

The surprising rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches story of how Michael Jackson grew a billion-dollar business. Michael  Jackson is known by many as the greatest entertainer of all time, but  he was also a revolutionary when it came to business. In addition to  famously buying the Beatles' publishing catalogue, Jackson was one of  the first pop stars to launch his own clothing line, record label,  sneakers, and video games - creating a fundamental shift in the  monetization of fame and paving the way for entertainer-entrepreneurs  like Jay Z and Diddy. All told, Jackson earned more than $1.1 billion in  his solo career, and the assets he built in life have earned more than  $700 million in the five years since his death - more than any other  solo music act over that time. Michael Jackson, Inc.  reveals the incredible rise, fall, and rise again of Michael Jackson's  fortune - driven by the unmatched perfectionism of the King of Pop. Forbes senior editor Zack O'Malley Greenburg uncovers never-before-told  stories from interviews with more than 100 people, including music  industry veterans Berry Gordy, John Branca, and Walter Yetnikoff;  artists 50 Cent, Sheryl Crow, and Jon Bon Jovi; and members of the  Jackson family. Other insights come from court documents and Jackson's  private notes, some of them previously unpublished. Through Greenburg's  novelistic telling, a clear picture emerges of Jackson's early years,  his rise to international superstardom, his decline - fueled by demons  internal and external, as well as the dissolution of the team that  helped him execute his best business moves - and, finally, his financial  life after death. Underlying Jackson's unique history is the  complex but universal tale of the effects of wealth and fame on the  human psyche. A valuable case study for generations of entertainers to  come and for anyone interested in show business, Michael Jackson, Inc. tells the story of a man whose financial feats, once obscured by his late-life travails, have become an enduring legacy.

Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History and author of the number-one New York Times best seller Outliers, reinvents the audiobook in this immersive production of Talking to Strangers, a powerful examination of our interactions with people we don’t know. How  did Fidel Castro fool the CIA for a generation? Why did Neville  Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? Why are campus sexual  assaults on the rise? Do television sitcoms teach us something about the  way we relate to each other that isn't true? While tackling  these questions, Malcolm Gladwell was not solely writing a book for the  page. He was also producing for the ear. In the audiobook version of Talking to Strangers,  you’ll hear the voices of people he interviewed - scientists,  criminologists, military psychologists. Court transcripts are brought to  life with re-enactments. You actually hear the contentious arrest of  Sandra Bland by the side of the road in Texas. As Gladwell revisits the  deceptions of Bernie Madoff, the trial of Amanda Knox, and the suicide  of Sylvia Plath, you hear directly from many of the players in these  real-life tragedies. There’s even a theme song - Janelle Monae’s “Hell  You Talmbout”. Something is very wrong, Gladwell argues, with  the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don't know.  And because we don't know how to talk to strangers, we are inviting  conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our  lives and our world. The audiobook edition of Talking to Strangers was an instant number-one best seller, and was one of the most  pre-ordered audiobooks in history. It seamlessly marries audiobooks and  podcasts, creating a completely new and real listening experience.

The general public has a glorified  view of the pursuit of scientific research. However, the idealized  perception of science as a rule-based, methodical system for  accumulating facts could not be further from the truth. Modern science  involves the idiosyncratic, often bumbling search for understanding in  uncharted territories, full of wrong turns, false findings, and the  occasional remarkable success. In his sequel to Ignorance (Oxford University Press, 2012), Stuart Firestein shows us that the  scientific enterprise is riddled with mistakes and errors - and that  this is a good thing! Failure: Why Science Is So Successful delves  into the origins of scientific research as a process that relies upon  trial and error, one which inevitably results in a hefty dose of  failure. In fact, scientists throughout history have relied on failure  to guide their research, viewing mistakes as a necessary part of the  process. Citing both historical and contemporary examples, Firestein  strips away the distorted view of science as infallible to provide the  public with a rare, inside glimpse of the messy realities of the  scientific process. An insider's view of how science is actually  carried out, this book will delight anyone with an interest in science,  from aspiring scientists to curious general listeners. Accessible and  entertaining, Failure illuminates the greatest and most productive adventure of human history, with all the missteps along the way.

This program includes an introduction read by the author. No  recent scientific enterprise has proved as alluring, terrifying, and  filled with extravagant promise and frustrating setbacks as artificial  intelligence. The award-winning author Melanie Mitchell, a leading  computer scientist, now reveals its turbulent history and the recent  surge of apparent successes, grand hopes, and emerging fears that  surround AI. In Artificial Intelligence, Mitchell turns to  the most urgent questions concerning AI today: How intelligent - really  - are the best AI programs? How do they work? What can they actually  do, and when do they fail? How humanlike do we expect them to become,  and how soon do we need to worry about them surpassing us? Along the  way, she introduces the dominant methods of modern AI and machine  learning, describing cutting-edge AI programs, their human inventors,  and the historical lines of thought that led to recent achievements. She  meets with fellow experts like Douglas Hofstadter, the cognitive  scientist and Pulitzer Prize - winning author of the modern classic Gödel, Escher, Bach,  who explains why he is “terrified” about the future of AI. She explores  the profound disconnect between the hype and the actual achievements in  AI, providing a clear sense of what the field has accomplished and how  much farther it has to go. Interweaving stories about the science and the people behind it, Artificial Intelligence brims with clear-sighted, captivating, and approachable accounts of the  most interesting and provocative modern work in AI, flavored with  Mitchell’s humor and personal observations. This frank, lively book will  prove an indispensable guide to understanding today’s AI, its quest for  “human-level” intelligence, and its impacts on all of our futures. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Lee Kuan Yew, founding father of modern Singapore and former prime minister, shares his insights on China's future, the United States' position as a superpower, India's rise, Islamic terrorism, and more. He provides unvarnished opinions on multiculturalism, the welfare state, education, and the free market. Lee emphasizes the importance of practical solutions, historical knowledge, and determined leadership for societal transformation. He explores the impact of stagnation on strategic thinking and leadership, as well as China's ambitions and challenges.