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Cruel Destiny and The White Negress: Two Novels by Cléante Desgraves Valcin
by Cléante D. ValcinCléante Desgraves Valcin (1891-1956) was a poet, writer, and feminist—most prominently Haiti’s first published female novelist, who employed her sentimental fiction to explore matters of race, gender, nationalism, and sovereignty. A contemporary of Harlem Renaissance writers such as Nella Larsen and Zora Neale Hurston, Valcin emerged as an influential writer and political figure among the Black Atlantic diaspora. Now, for the first time, her two acclaimed novels are available in English translation. Cruel Destiny (1929) tells the tragic love story of Armand and Adeline, drawn together by a magnetic attraction, yet kept apart by a dark family secret. Depicting the heavy expectations placed upon women in Haiti’s elite society, it also explores the troubled and twisted relationships between the Haitians and their former colonial masters, the French. In The White Negress (1934), a Frenchwoman moves to Haiti and is torn between two very different men, a Black Haitian lawyer, and a white American carpetbagger. Putting a fresh spin on the tired tragic mulatta trope, Valcin reveals the racial prejudices, class tensions, and anti-colonial resentments of an island under American occupation. Together, these two novels expand our understanding of Caribbean literature, as well as the political struggles and artistic triumphs of Black women in the Americas.
El club social de las chicas temerarias: Una Novela (The\dirty Girls Social Club Ser. #1)
by Alisa Valdés-RodríguezSpanish Language Edition of The Dirty Girls Social ClubA vibrant, can't-put-it-down novel of six friends--each one an unforgettable Latina woman in her late '20s--and the complications and triumphs in their livesInseparable since their days at Boston University almost ten years before, six friends form the Dirty Girls Social Club, a mutual support and (mostly) admiration society that no matter what happens to each of them (and a lot does), meets regularly to dish, dine and compare notes on the bumpy course of life and love.Las sucias are:--Lauren, the resident "caliente" columnist for the local paper, which advertises her work with the line "her casa is su casa, Boston," but whose own home life has recently involved hiding in her boyfriend's closet to catch him in the act--Sara, the perfect wife and mother who always knew exactly the life she wanted and got it, right down to the McMansion in the suburbs and two boisterious boys, but who is paying a hefty price--Amber, the most idealistic and artistic member of the club, who was raised a valley girl without a word of Spanish and whose increasing attachment to her Mexica roots coincides with a major record label's interest in her rock 'n' roll--Elizabeth, the stunning black Latina whose high profile job as a morning television anchor conflicts with her intensely private personal life, which would explain why the dates the other dirty girls set her up on never work out--Rebecca, intense and highly controlled, who flawlessly runs Ella, the magazine she created for Latinas, but who can't explain why she didn't understand the man she married and now doesn't even share a room with; and--Usnavys, irrepressible and larger than life, whose agenda to land the kind of man who can keep her in Manolo Blahniks and platanos almost prevents her seeing true love when it lands in her lap.There's a lot of catching up to do.
Purging the Poorest: Public Housing and the Design Politics of Twice-Cleared Communities (Historical Studies Of Urban America Ser.)
by Lawrence J. ValeThe building and management of public housing is often seen as a signal failure of American public policy, but this is a vastly oversimplified view. In Purging the Poorest, Lawrence J. Vale offers a new narrative of the seventy-five-year struggle to house the “deserving poor.”In the 1930s, two iconic American cities, Atlanta and Chicago, demolished their slums and established some of this country’s first public housing. Six decades later, these same cities also led the way in clearing public housing itself. Vale’s groundbreaking history of these “twice-cleared” communities provides unprecedented detail about the development, decline, and redevelopment of two of America’s most famous housing projects: Chicago’s Cabrini-Green and Atlanta’s Techwood /Clark Howell Homes. Vale offers the novel concept of design politics to show how issues of architecture and urbanism are intimately bound up in thinking about policy. Drawing from extensive archival research and in-depth interviews, Vale recalibrates the larger cultural role of public housing, revalues the contributions of public housing residents, and reconsiders the role of design and designers.
Geographies of the Platform Economy: Critical Perspectives (Economic Geography)
by Mário Vale Daniela Ferreira Nuno RodriguesThis book provides a wider understanding of the geographies of the platform economy, focusing on the critical perspectives that have emerged on this new economic and digital context. Technological development, particularly the emergence of big data in combination with platforms, additive manufacturing, advanced robotics, machine learning and the internet of things, has created conditions for the appearance of a new economic context predominantly based on new forms of services. This new economic context has been described as the platform economy or platform capitalism. Other designations have also appeared to describe particular consequences of this new phenomena, such as the gig economy or the sharing economy.There is a significant diversity of scientific fields that are studying topics related to the platform economy. Several studies have emerged from different fields, including, but not limited to, geography, economy, sociology, information science, management, marketing, or the humanities. However, geography has become an important field to understand the platform economy given its critical position over the economic, cultural, and social issues that stem from this new economic context. The purpose of this book is to approach these discussions and offer a critical view of the platform economy from the perspective of geography, stemming from the different subfields of the discipline and not restricted to what has been referred to as Digital Geography.This book will appeal to scholars, undergraduate and postgraduate students in the social sciences. It will be particularly relevant to those with research interests in digital geographies and economic geography, economics and business.
100 Java Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
by Tagir ValeevDodge the common mistakes that even senior developers make, take full advantage of static analysis tools, and deliver robust and error-free Java code.Whenever you make a mistake writing Java, it&’s almost guaranteed that someone else has made it before! In 100 Java Mistakes and How To Avoid Them you&’ll learn about the common and the not-so-common antipatterns, errors, and tricky bits that trip up almost every Java developer. Inside 100 Java Mistakes and How To Avoid Them you will learn how to: Write better Java programs Recognize common mistakes during programming Create fewer bugs and save time for debugging and testing Get help from static analyzers during programming Configure static analysis tools to reduce the number of false reports Extend static analysis tools with custom plugins Each Java mistake in this handy guide comes with an illustrative code sample, an explanation of why the mistake occurs, and an actionable &“ways to avoid this&” section to help you dodge the error. Plus, you&’ll benefit from useful static analysis sidebars that let you know when mistakes will—and won&’t—be spotted by static analysis tools. Foreword by Cay Horstmann. About the technology Minor bugs in development can become major problems in production. It&’s much better to spot and fix your mistakes before they get that far! This one-of-a-kind book shines a light on the most common Java slip-ups and shows you exactly how to avoid making them in the first place. About the book 100 Java Mistakes and How To Avoid Them highlights 100 Java coding errors—from beginner missteps to mistakes even Java experts don&’t know they&’re making. Each case includes clear examples to show you what to look for and concrete troubleshooting advice. You&’ll learn to use static analysis tools like IntelliJ IDEA and SonarLint to ensure you&’re consistently delivering exceptional Java, discover how unit tests and defensive coding can keep your code clean, and even learn to write your own bug-busting plugins. What's inside Recognize bugs and antipatterns during programming Highly-effective debugging and testing Get help from static analyzers About the reader For Java developers of all skill levels. About the author Tagir Valeev is a technical lead in JetBrains and a Java Champion. He designed and developed many code inspections for IntelliJ IDEA built-in static analyzer. The technical editor on this book was Jean-François Morin. Table of Contents 1 Managing code quality 2 Expressions 3 Program structure 4 Numbers 5 Common exceptions 6 Strings 7 Comparing objects 8 Collections and maps 9 Library methods 10 Unit testing A Static analysis annotations B Extending static analysis tools
The Lost History of the New Madrid Earthquakes
by Conevery Bolton ValenciusFrom December 1811 to February 1812, massive earthquakes shook the middle Mississippi Valley, collapsing homes, snapping large trees midtrunk, and briefly but dramatically reversing the flow of the continent’s mightiest river. For decades, people puzzled over the causes of the quakes, but by the time the nation began to recover from the Civil War, the New Madrid earthquakes had been essentially forgotten. In The Lost History of the New Madrid Earthquakes, Conevery Bolton Valencius remembers this major environmental disaster, demonstrating how events that have been long forgotten, even denied and ridiculed as tall tales, were in fact enormously important at the time of their occurrence, and continue to affect us today. Valencius weaves together scientific and historical evidence to demonstrate the vast role the New Madrid earthquakes played in the United States in the early nineteenth century, shaping the settlement patterns of early western Cherokees and other Indians, heightening the credibility of Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa for their Indian League in the War of 1812, giving force to frontier religious revival, and spreading scientific inquiry. Moving into the present, Valencius explores the intertwined reasons—environmental, scientific, social, and economic—why something as consequential as major earthquakes can be lost from public knowledge, offering a cautionary tale in a world struggling to respond to global climate change amid widespread willful denial. Engagingly written and ambitiously researched—both in the scientific literature and the writings of the time—The Lost History of the New Madrid Earthquakes will be an important resource in environmental history, geology, and seismology, as well as history of science and medicine and early American and Native American history.
Búsqueda de desnudos
by Aubree ValentineFuera de los límites. Se suponía que Molly era intocable. Le hice ese voto a su hermano mayor cuando se mudó de casa. No importa lo difícil que haga las cosas. O lo mucho que me desea. Nunca puede suceder. Pero un beso es todo lo que se necesita. No me importa que piense que soy una flor delicada que necesita su protección. Voy a demostrarle a Cole, de una vez por todas, que soy una mujer adulta que puede cuidar de sí misma. Y si eso no llama su atención, entonces es hora de que siga adelante. Las cosas están a punto de ponerse interesantes. Ahora ella está por encima de su cabeza. Probablemente sea mi culpa, y soy el único que puede arreglar esto. Con su vida en juego, no voy a dejar que se aleje de mí. Una cosa es segura... todas las reglas se desvanecen cuando llega el momento de un pequeño registro al desnudo.
Un Poliziotto da conquistare
by Aubree ValentineSinossi Innamorarsi di lei non ha mai fatto parte del piano, ma tutto ciò sta per cambiare. Smitty Non sboccerà nessun amore. Sono un uomo determinato, so cosa voglio e come ottenerlo, e di certo non desidero che una donna mi entri sotto pelle. C’è una buona ragione se ho eretto dei paletti e un dannato muro intorno al mio cuore. Zoey Innamorarmi non è mai stato nei miei piani. Quell’uomo mi fa impazzire nel migliore dei modi. Sono stata attirata dalle sue promesse seducenti, ed è stata la voglia di averne ancora a farmi tornare. Avevamo un accordo. Passione, divertimento… e la parte migliore? Niente impegni. Ma ben presto arrivano i problemi e il nostro passato torna a perseguitarci. La mia sicurezza è la sua priorità e conquistare il suo cuore è la mia. Se solo si rendesse conto che le cose tra noi sono molto più di un semplice gioco.
Two Sides to Every Murder
by Danielle ValentineFrom the author of How to Survive Your Murder comes a propulsive thriller about two teens who return to Camp Lost Lake, site of the cold case that sealed their fates."A must-read for fans of true crime, dark family secrets, and intricate mysteries." —Ryan La Sala, bestselling author of The HoneysMost people&’s births aren&’t immortalized in a police report—but Olivia was born during the infamous Camp Lost Lake murders. Seventeen years later, Olivia&’s life looks pretty perfect . . . until she discovers the man she calls dad is not her biological father. Now she wants answers about her bloodline, and the only place she knows to look is Camp Lost Lake.Most people don&’t spend their formative years on the run with an alleged murderer—but Reagan did. In the court of public opinion, her mom was found guilty of the deaths at Camp Lost Lake, and both of them have been in hiding ever since. But Reagan believes in her mother&’s innocence and is determined to clear her name.Luckily for Olivia and Reagan, Camp Lost Lake is finally reopening, providing the perfect opportunity to find answers. But someone else is dead set on keeping the past hidden, even if it means committing murder.
Station 43: Audley End House and SOE's Polish Section
by Ian ValentineAudley End House in Essex - or Station 43 as it was known during the Second World War - was used as the principal training school for SOE's Polish Section between 1942 and 1944. Polish agents at the stately home undertook a series of arduous training courses in guerilla warfare before being parachuted into occupied Europe. In 1943, Audley End was placed exclusively under polish control, a situation unique within SOE. The training was tough and the success rate low, but a total of 527 agents passed through Audley End between 1942 and 1944. Ian Valentine has consulted a wide range of primary sources and interviewed Polish instructors and former agents who trained at Audley End to write the definitive account of this Essex country house and the vital but secret part it played in defeating Hitler. He examines the comprehensive training agents at Audley End and describes the work undertaken by Station 43's agents in Europe, set against the background of Polish wartime history. He also covers the vital link with the RAF's Special Duties squadrons, whose crews risked their lives dropping agents into occupied Europe. Station 43 breaks new ground in telling the hitherto until story of Audley End house and its role as a vital SOE training school.
Us in the Before and After
by Jenny ValentineA tear-jerking, heart-breakingly beautiful novel from the award-winning Jenny Valentine, perfect for fans of Adam Silvera, Kathleen Glasgow and Laura Nowlin.There is one side of that moment, and the other Before After I have dreamed about it ever since At the start of a long, hot summer best friends Elk and Mab face the fallout of a sudden death, and the lifelong consequences of a single tragic act.An intensely emotional story that raises questions about love, ghosts, and the unshakeable bonds of friendship. Praise for Us in the Before and After: &‘A masterpiece. A beautiful and breathtaking story of friendship, love and loss, that will shatter your heart into a thousand tiny pieces and then slowly put it back together again.&’ – Danielle Jawando, author of When Our Worlds Collided &‘An ode to life and love and loss and friendship – and the devastating beauty of it all. This is the kind of book that grips you by the heart and doesn&’t let go.&’ – Katherine Webber, author of Twin Crowns &‘A gorgeous, heartbreaking and lyrical new YA novel from the wonderful Jenny Valentine about grief, friendship and love.&’ – Laura Bates, author of Sisters of Sword and Shadow &‘An absolute page-turner from one of our most vital YA voices. Nobody writes like Jenny Valentine – she is a true original.&’ – Phil Earle, author of When the Sky Falls &‘A gorgeous journey on friendship, love and death. Jenny Valentine has written a book that you will want to read over and over again.&’ – Abiola Bello, author of Only for the Holidays
Dusty Springfield: The Authorized Biography
by Penny Valentine Vicki WickhamDusty Springfield led a tragic yet inspiring life, battling her way to the top of the charts and into the hearts of music fans world-wide. Her signature voice made songs such as "I Only Want to Be with You," "Son of a Preacher Man," and "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," international hits. In Dancing with Demons, two of her closest friends, Valentine and Wickham, capture, with vivid memories and personal anecdotes, a Dusty most people never glimpsed in this no-holds-barred yet touching portrait of one of the world's true grand dames of popular music.
Latin American Philosophy from Identity to Radical Exteriority (World Philosophies)
by Alejandro A. VallegaWhile recognizing its origins and scope, Alejandro A. Vallega offers a new interpretation of Latin American philosophy by looking at its radical and transformative roots. Placing it in dialogue with Western philosophical traditions, Vallega examines developments in gender studies, race theory, postcolonial theory, and the legacy of cultural dependency in light of the Latin American experience. He explores Latin America's engagement with contemporary problems in Western philosophy and describes the transformative impact of this encounter on contemporary thought.
The Abyss: A Novel
by Fernando VallejoFinally, the Colombian Fernando Vallejo’s masterpiece, The Abyss, is available in English in a stunning translation by Yvette Siegert Winner of the Rómulo Gallego Prize, The Abyss is a caustic masterwork of incredible power and force, an unforgettable autobiographical work of queer fiction. The novel tells about the demise of a crumbling house in Medellín, Colombia. Fernando, a writer, visits his brother Darío, who is dying of AIDS. Recounting their wild philandering and trying to come to terms with his beloved brother’s inevitable death, Fernando rants against the political forces that cause so much suffering. Vallejo is the heir to Céline, Thomas Paine, and Machado de Assis. He hurls vitriolic, savagely funny insults at his country (“I wipe my ass with the new Constitution of Colombia”) and at his mother (“the Crazy Bitch”) who has given birth to him and his many siblings. Within this firestorm of pain, Fernando manages to get across much beauty and truth: that all love is painful and washed in pure sorrow. He loves his sick brother and the family’s Santa Anita farm (the lost paradise of his childhood where azaleas bloomed); and he even loves his country, now torn to shreds. Always, in this savage masterpiece about loss—as if in the eye of Vallejo’s hurricane of talent—we are in the curiously comforting workings of memory and of the writing process itself, as, recollecting time, it offers immortality.
Joothan
by Omprakash Valmikiजूठन आज़ादी के पाँच दशक पूरे होने और आधुनिकता के तमाम आयातित अथवा मौलिक रूपों को भीतर तक आत्मसात कर चुकने के बावजूद आज भी हम कहीं-न-कहीं सवर्ण और अवर्ण के दायरों में बँटे हुए हैं। सिद्धान्तों और किताबी बहसों से बाहर, जीवन में हमें आज भी अनेक उदाहरण मिल जाएँगे जिनसे हमारी जाति और वर्णगत असहिष्णुता स्पष्ट दृष्टिगोचर होती है। ‘जूठन’ ऐसे ही उदाहरणों की शृंखला है जिन्हें एक दलित व्यक्ति ने अपनी पूरी संवेदनशीलता के साथ खुद भोगा है। इस आत्मकथा में लेखक ने स्वाभाविक ही अपने उस ‘आत्म’ की तलाश करने की कोशिश की है जिसे भारत का वर्ण-तंत्र सदियों से कुचलने का प्रयास करता रहा है, कभी परोक्ष रूप में, कभी प्रत्यक्षतः। इसलिए इस पुस्तक की पंक्तियों में पीड़ा भी है, असहायता भी है, आक्रोश और क्रोध भी और अपने आपको आदमी का दर्जा दिए जाने की सहज मानवीय इच्छा भी।
Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story of Women in Water
by Vicki ValosikA groundbreaking history of how women found synchronicity—and power—in water. “If you’re not strong enough to swim fast, you’re probably not strong enough to swim ‘pretty,’” said a young Esther Williams to theater impresario Billy Rose. Since the nineteenth century, tensions between beauty and strength, aesthetics and athleticism have both impeded and propelled the careers of female swimmers—none more so than synchronized swimmers, for whom Williams is often considered godmother. In this revelatory history, Vicki Valosik traces a century of aquatic performance, from vaudeville to the Olympic arena, and brings to life the colorful cast of characters whose “pretty swimming” not only laid the groundwork for an altogether new sport but forever changed women’s relationships with water. Williams, who became a Hollywood sensation for her splashy “aquamusicals,” was just one in a long, bedazzled line of swimmers who began their careers as athletes but found greater opportunity, and often social acceptance, in the world of show business. Early starlets like Lurline the Water Queen performed “scientific” swimming, a set of moves previously only practiced by men—including Benjamin Franklin—that focused on form and exhibited mastery in the water. Demonstrating their fancy feats in aquariums and water tanks rolled onto music hall stages, these women stunned Victorian audiences with their physical dexterity and defied society’s rigid expectations of what was proper and possible for their sex. Far more than bathing beauties, they ushered in sensible swimwear and influenced lifesaving and physical education programs, helping to drop national drowning rates and paving the way for new generations of female athletes. When a Chicago physical educator matched their aquatic movements to music in the 1920s, young girls flocked to take part in “synchronized swimming.” But despite overwhelming love from audiences and the Olympic ambitions of its practitioners, “synchro” was long perceived as little more than entertaining pageantry, and its athletes would face a battle against the current to earn a spot at the highest echelons of sport. Now, on the fortieth anniversary of synchronized swimming’s elevation to Olympic status, Swimming Pretty honors its incredible history of grit, glamor, and sheer athleticism.
La búsqueda de Lya: Volumen 2: La Reina de Salinar
by Tristan ValureLya ha llegado al Santuario. Ha conseguido llegar a este lugar quimérico, pero ha perdido a todos sus compañeros. A pesar de su dolor y por su memoria, debe completar su búsqueda. ¿Se le revelarán por fin las respuestas a los numerosos secretos del pueblo de las estrellas? El destino de la despreocupada elfa le deparará algunas sorpresas más...
La búsqueda de Lya: Volumen 1: El Santuario
by Tristan ValureAlegre y despreocupada, Lya no se atreve a dejarse engatusar por la dulce vida de Salinar. Tras descubrir rastros de una comunidad desaparecida llamada "los Viajeros o Avens", nunca dejará de intentar averiguar más sobre la historia de su pueblo: "la gente de las estrellas". Su búsqueda la llevará, a medida que conoce nuevas gentes y viaja por las provincias, a descubrir aspectos insospechados del mundo que la rodea. Al desvelar un fragmento de su historia, podría desentrañar uno de los mayores misterios que ha conocido su pueblo...
Neo Hominum: Libro 2: Rivelazioni
by Tristan ValureSconcertato dagli scopi del progetto Neo Hominum, l’equipaggio della Razza Urlante è solo all’inizio dei suoi vagabondaggi… Tornare indietro è impossibile, e Max e i suoi compagni porteranno avanti ciò che hanno iniziato senza sospettare delle rivelazioni che stanno per affrontare. L’equazione diventa a tre incognite, le une più terrificanti delle altre. La posta in gioco è colossale, il futuro dell’Uomo nella galassia si ritrova al centro della loro ricerca e dal loro successo potrebbe scaturire una nuova era o la fine. «Rivelazioni» svela i numerosi misteri che ruotano intorno al progetto Neo Hominum. Imbarcatevi a bordo della Razza Urlante per raggiungere Bethane, un Mondo Libero popolati di mutanti che forse custodisce la chiave del futuro dell’umanità.
Nyāya Sūtra – on Philosophical Method: Sanskrit Text, Translation, and Commentary (Routledge Hindu Studies Series)
by Victor A. van BijlertNyāya Sūtra offers a new English translation of the text ascribed to Akṣapāda, an Indian philosopher who lived around the beginning of the Common Era. The translation is accompanied by the original Sanskrit text and an original commentary.The commentary explains every sūtra separately and identifies the sources of the Nyāya Sūtra. It analyses the way older ideas on epistemology, logic, and soteriology were presented as a new coherent system of thought. The book puts forward the main goal of the Nyāya Sūtra: to define what it considered the basic tenets of a soteriology and how the goal of this soteriology could be reached by rationally applying epistemological and logical methods to finding out the truth. In turn, this truth was thought to lead to the ultimate soteriological goal of freedom from suffering. Showing the coherence of the text and its ultimate goal being soteriological, the new commentary also discusses many scholarly issues regarding the Nyāya Sūtra and its position in the history of Indian philosophy.This book will be of interest to researchers studying Indian philosophy, world philosophies, epistemology, logic, philosophical method, art of debate, soteriology, rationalism, spirituality, Hinduism, Indian religions, and religious studies.
Special Skills and Techniques (The Basic Bookshelf for Eyecare Professionals)
by Gretchen Beal Van BoemelThe Basic Bookshelf for Eyecare Professionals is a series that provides fundamental and advanced material with a clinical approach to clinicians and students. A special effort was made to include information needed for the certification exams in ophthalmic and optometric assisting, as well as for surgical assistants, opticians, plus low vision, and contact lens examiners. This book moves beyond basic exam skills into the arena of more advanced diagnostic testing. Topics include biometry and echography, electrophysiology, psychophysical testing, and microbiology. Special tests such as exophthalmometry, pachymetry, and ophthalmoscopy are also covered. This is the ultimate how-to book for those performing detailed patient exams.
Tales of Ancient India
by J.A.B. van Buitenen"This admirably produced and well-translated volume of stories from the Sanskrit takes the Western reader into one of the Golden Ages of India. . . . The world in which the tales are set is one which placed a premium upon slickness and guile as aids to success. . . . Merchants, aristocrats, Brahmins, thieves and courtesans mingle with vampires, demi-gods and the hierarchy of heaven in a series of lively or passionate adventures. The sources of the individual stories are clearly indicated; the whole treatment is scholarly without being arid."—The Times Literary Supplement "Fourteen tales from India, newly translated with a terse and vibrant effectiveness. These tales will appeal to any reader who enjoys action, suspense, characterization, and suspension of disbelief in the supernatural."—The Personalist
New Day in Babylon: he Black Power Movement and American Culture, 1965–1975
by William L. Van DeburgThe most comprehensive account available of the rise and fall of the Black Power Movement and of its dramatic transformation of both African-American and larger American culture. With a gift for storytelling and an ear for street talk, William Van Deburg chronicles a decade of deep change, from the armed struggles of the Black Panther party to the cultural nationalism of artists and writers creating a new aesthetic. Van Deburg contends that although its tactical gains were sometimes short-lived, the Black Power movement did succeed in making a revolution—one in culture and consciousness—that has changed the context of race in America. "New Day in Babylon is an extremely intelligent synthesis, a densely textured evocation of one of American history's most revolutionary transformations in ethnic group consciousness."—Bob Blauner, New York Times Winner of the Gustavus Myers Center Outstanding Book Award, 1993
Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds And How To Build Immunity
by Sander van der LindenWinner of the 2024 Harvard Goldsmith Book Prize • Winner of the 2024 Nautilus Book Award • A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read • A Financial Times Best Book of the Year • One of Nature’s best science picks • One of Behavioral Scientist’s Notable Books of 2023 Informed by decades of research and on-the-ground experience advising governments and tech companies, Foolproof is the definitive guide to navigating the misinformation age. From fake news to conspiracy theories, from inflammatory memes to misleading headlines, misinformation has swiftly become the defining problem of our era. The crisis threatens the integrity of our democracies, our ability to cultivate trusting relationships, even our physical and psychological well-being—yet most attempts to combat it have proven insufficient. In Foolproof, one of the world’s leading experts on misinformation lays out a crucial new paradigm for understanding and defending ourselves against the worldwide infodemic. With remarkable clarity, Sander van der Linden explains why our brains are so vulnerable to misinformation, how it spreads across social networks, and what we can do to protect ourselves and others. Like a virus, misinformation infects our minds, exploiting shortcuts in how we see and process information to alter our beliefs, modify our memories, and replicate at astonishing rates. Once the virus takes hold, it’s very hard to cure. Strategies like fact-checking and debunking can leave a falsehood still festering or, at worst, even strengthen its hold. But we aren’t helpless. As van der Linden shows based on award-winning original research, we can cultivate immunity through the innovative science of “prebunking”: inoculating people against false information by preemptively exposing them to a weakened dose, thus empowering them to identify and fend off its manipulative tactics. Deconstructing the characteristic techniques of conspiracies and misinformation, van der Linden gives readers practical tools to defend themselves and others against nefarious persuasion—whether at scale or around their own dinner table.
Elite Rivalry, Mass Killing and Genocide in Authoritarian Regimes: Why Autocrats Kill (Routledge Studies in Civil Wars and Intra-State Conflict)
by Eelco van der MaatThis book explains how mass killing is driven by elite politics within authoritarian regimes.Mass killing and genocide defy reason and explanation. How can genocidal elites present defenceless victims as an existential threat? Why use indiscriminate killing that drives victims to coordinated resistance? Mass killing seems counterproductive, irrational, and therefore inherently ideological. By building on new insights on authoritarian politics, this book argues that mass killing is not ideological, but instead is a rational response to elite rivalry within authoritarian regimes. Mass killing is therefore not driven by rivalries between groups, but by elite rivalry within groups. In Rwanda, for example, the genocide was not driven by conflicts between Hutu and Tutsi, but by conflicts within the Hutu regime. The work demonstrates how mass killing helps elites build coalitions with groups that benefit from violence and how it divides support coalitions of rival elites. Mass killing can therefore help elites win dangerous internal rivalries. By qualitatively and quantitatively exploring elite rivalry and mass killing, this book provides a new explanation for a host of mass killings and genocides. It demonstrates that well-known genocides, such as the Rwandan and Cambodian genocides, which are seemingly ideological are instead better explained by elite rivalry. Mass killing is therefore not driven by the random madness of leaders, nor by the desire to kill an outgroup, but by the internal threats that authoritarian elites face.This book will be of much interest to scholars and students of civil wars, genocide, political violence, and International Relations in general.