Social sciences

The astonishing, uplifting story of a real-life Indiana Jones and his humanitarian campaign to use education to combat terrorism in the Talibans backyard Anyone who despairs of the individuals power to change lives has to read the story of Greg Mortenson, a homeless mountaineer who, following a 1993 climb of Pakistans treacherous K2, was inspired by a chance encounter with impoverished mountain

A revolutionary and timely reconsideration of everything we know about power. Celebrated UC Berkeley psychologist Dr. Dacher Keltner argues that compassion and selflessness enable us to have the most influence over others and the result is power as a force for good in the world. Power is ubiquitous but totally misunderstood. Turning conventional wisdom on its head, Dr. Dacher Keltner presents the

This book is grounded in cutting-edge research, and its message is conveyed through compelling, real-life examples.

New York Times"-bestselling author Pinker marries two of the subjects he knows best: language and human nature. The result is a fascinating look at how words explain human nature.

Drawn from the work of StoryCorps, the largest and most ambitious oral history project in American history, this tapestry--as heard on NPR--shares hard-won wisdom and boundless humanity ("Seattle ...

An instant bestseller that is poised to become a classic, "Moonwalking with Einstein" recounts Foer's yearlong quest to improve his memory under the tutelage of top "mental athletes." He draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist's trade to transform our understanding of human memory.

Visionary game designer McGonigal reveals how we can harness the power of games to solve real-world problems and boost global happiness.

Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think this is the most violent age ever seen. Yet as bestselling author Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millennia and this may be the most peaceful time in mankind's existence.