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Many lines on the map are worth far more than a thousand words, going well beyond merely marking divisions between nations. In this eye-opening investigation into the most remarkable points on the map, a single boundary might, upon closer inspection, reveal eons of history--from epic tales of conquest, treaties, and alliances to intimate, all-too-human stories of love, greed, and folly. Sometimes rooted in physical geography, sometimes entirely arbitrary, none of the lines we know today were inevitable, and all might have looked quite different if not for the intricate interplay of chance and ambition.
By listening to the stories these borders have to tell, we can learn how political identities are shaped, why the world's boundaries look the way they do--and what they tell us about our world and ourselves. From the very first maps in Egypt to the Roman attempts to define the boundaries of civilization, from the profound shift in meaning of the Mason-Dixon line to the secret British-French agreement to carve up the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, and from the dark consequences of Detroit's city limits to the intriguing reason why landlocked Bolivia still maintains a navy, this is a singular look at human history--told through its most spellbinding border stories.
Zen, haiku, martial arts, sushi, anime, manga, film, video games . . . Japanese culture has long enriched our Western way of life. Yet from a Western perspective, Japan remains a remote island country that has long had a complicated relationship with the outside world.
Japan--an archipelago strung like a necklace around the Asian mainland--is considerably farther from Asia than Britain is from Europe. The sea has provided an effective barrier against invasion and enabled the culture to develop in unique ways. During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shoguns successfully closed the country to the West. Then, Japan swung in the opposite direction, adopting Western culture wholesale. Both strategies enabled it to avoid colonization--and to retain its traditions and way of life.
A skilled storyteller and accurate historian, Lesley Downer presents the dramatic sweep of Japanese history and the larger-than-life individuals--from emperors descended from the Sun Goddess to warlords, samurai, merchants, court ladies, women warriors, geisha, and businessmen--who shaped this extraordinary modern society.
Which countries don't have rivers? Which ones have North Korean embassies? Who drives on the wrong side of the road? How many national economies are bigger than California's? And where can you still find lions in the wild? You'll learn answers to these questions and many more in Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds. This one-of-a-kind atlas is packed with eye-opening analysis (Which nations have had female leaders?), whimsical insight (Where can't you find a McDonald's?), and surprising connections that illuminate the contours of culture, history, and politics.
Each of these 100 maps will change the way you see the world--and your place in it.
Publisher's note: Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds was published in the UK under the title Brilliant Maps.
Warming soups and slurp-able noodles. Refreshing vegetable sides. Indulgent street foods. Adorable bite-size desserts.
Japanese French chef Julia Boucachard grew up devouring all of the above. When she went vegan, she was determined not to give up any of her childhood favorites. In Vegan Japan, she shows that cooking nourishing, flavor-packed plant-based Japanese food doesn't have to be complicated.
With an emphasis on seasonality, balanced flavors, and simple techniques, this is her plant-based celebration of Japanese cuisine and the myriad vegetables that make their way onto the Japanese plate. Inside, you'll find:
With beautiful photography and charming illustrations throughout, Vegan Japan is your one-stop ticket to authentic plant-based Japanese home cooking.
Months-long therapy wait-lists. Out-of-pocket costs. Online misinformation. There are more barriers than ever to accessing reliable mental health care--and when your mental health is suffering, you need help now.
This book, written by three practicing therapists, is your comprehensive mental health tool kit. Drawing on the techniques they use with their clients, they offer a holistic understanding of more than twenty all-too-common life challenges, plus compassionate, evidence-based strategies for when you're struggling. Even better, these are techniques that anyone can do at home.
In each chapter, you'll find:
You'll also find practical advice on accessing professional help, deciding if a therapist is the right fit for you (and breaking up with them if they're not), and paying for therapy.
You Will Get Through This illuminates the road to wellness so you can take charge of your own healing.
What is a good life? And how can we create that life in a world filled with uncertainty? Beyond Stoicism invites you to find your own answers to these big questions with help from thirteen of the most prominent Greco-Roman philosophers--many of whom inspired, or were inspired by, the Stoics. By taking cues from the lives and ideas of the Cynics, Epicureans, and others, you'll learn to:
Times have changed, but the quest for eudaimonia--a life worth living--stays the same: We still seek pleasure and crave love, avoid pain and fear death. That's why all these ancient sages can continue to guide us, practicing Stoics and new seekers alike.
With exercises to help you test-drive each philosophy today
Publisher's Note - Errata: The first printing of Beyond Stoicism duplicates page 188 on page 118. Readers may download page 118 at the Beyond Stoicism page at theexperimentpublishing.com.
Age-proofing an older relative's living space, figuring out powers of attorney, spotting and dealing with signs of dementia, asking them to give up the car keys or consider assisted living . . . the first step toward tackling these concerns and more is an honest, informed discussion.
Here are prompts and road maps for twenty-seven essential conversations--with your parent, other family members, and health care providers--including:
How to approach these topics is just as important as what needs to be said, so each chapter has tips for navigating complex emotions and finding shared ground when everyone has different ideas. You'll get informed, have a productive discussion, and make a plan--so you can get back to making the most of your time with your parent.
Exploding the tired stereotypes of autism, Daniel Tammet--acclaimed author and an autistic savant himself--draws out the inner worlds of nine extraordinary, neurodivergent lives from around the globe. A nonverbal man from Boston explores body language, gesture by eloquent gesture, in his mother's yoga classes. A Japanese researcher in psychology sets out to measure loneliness while drawing on her own experience of autism. From a Fields Medal-winning mathematician to a murder detective, a pioneering surgeon to a bestselling novelist, each is remarkable in their field, and each is changing how the world sees those on the spectrum.
Telling stories as richly diverse as the spectrum itself, this perspective-altering, life-affirming work of narrative nonfiction celebrates the power and beauty of the neurodivergent mind--and the daring freedom with which these individuals have built their lives.
In The Secret World of Weather, bestselling author Tristan Gooley turns his gaze up to the sky, bringing his signature brand of close observation and eye-opening deduction to the fascinating world of weather. Every cloud, every change in temperature, every raindrop, every sunbeam, every breeze reveals something about our weather--if you know what to look for. Before you know it, you'll be able to forecast impending storms, sunny days, and everything in between, all without needing to consult your smartphone.
But The Secret World of Weather goes far beyond mere weather prediction, changing the very way we think about weather itself. Weather is not something that blankets an area; rather, it changes constantly as you walk through woods or turn down a street. The weather is never identical on two sides of a tree--or even beneath it. Take, for example, Gooley's remarkable discovery that breezes accelerate beneath a tree. To Gooley, this is weather, a tiny microclimate that explains why people sit beneath a tree to cool down--not only for the shade but, subconsciously, for cooler breeze. And so Gooley shows us not only what the weather will be like five days from now, but also what to expect about the weather around every corner.
By carefully observing the subtle interplay of wind, cloud, fog, temperature, rain and many other phenomena, we not only form a deeper understanding of weather patterns, but also unlock secrets about our environment. Weather forms our landscape, and landscape forms our weather. Everything we see in the sky reflects where we are. When we learn to read weather's signs, Gooley shows us, the weather becomes our map, revealing to us how it has made our towns, cities, woods, and hills what they are. You'll never see your surroundings the same way again.
The calendar. The Senate. The university. The piano, the heliocentric model, and the pizzeria. It's hard to imagine a world without Italian influence--and easy to assume that inventions like these could only come from a strong, stable peninsula, sure of its place in the world. In this breakneck history, bestselling author Ross King dismantles this assumption, uncovering the story of a land rife with inner uncertainty even as its influence spread.
As the Italian tale unfolds, prosperity and power fluctuate like the elevation in the Dolomites. If Rome's seven hills could talk, they might speak of the glorious time of Trajan--or bemoan the era of conquest and the Bubonic Plague that decimated Rome's population. Episodes of wealth like the First Triumvirate and the time of the Medicis are given fresh life alongside descriptions of the Middle Ages, the early days of Venice, the invasion of Napoleon, and the long struggle for unification.
Highlighting key events and personalities, King paints a vibrant portrait of a country whose political and cultural legacies enrich our lives today.
Gender is everywhere. Politicians argue over it, educational systems struggle to define it, and our friends, neighbors, and children explore it. More than ever before, young people are questioning their gender identities and redefining the role of gender in their lives. How should our society--and we as individuals (parents, teachers, friends)--respond?
In Gender Explained, Diane Ehrensaft, PhD, and Michelle Jurkiewicz, PsyD, separate medical fact from fear-mongering falsehoods and answer these questions: What should parents do when their child starts experiencing gender dysphoria? Which sports teams should transgender youth play on? How should schools teach young people about gender? And most important: What is gender-affirming care, and when should an individual have access to it?
With clear, expert guidance, this book is a safeguard against political vitriol, and it offers urgent protection for those among us who are transgender and/or nonbinary. Far more than an introduction to gender creativity, it is an invitation to develop compassion for everyone along the gender continuum.
We are a species in motion--from the first steps of Homo sapiens across Africa to America's melting pot. And when we move--in search of better things, or against our will--our beliefs and skills clash and combine, reshaping society time and again.
In this visionary Shortest History of Migration, Ian Goldin uncovers key moments of cultural exchange while carefully examining empire, slavery, and war. Throughout, we meet famous explorers (Zheng He), exiles (Pablo Neruda), and everyday people in extraordinary circumstances: a Jewish man saved by the Kindertransport, a Japanese gardener who blossomed in Mexico City.
Today, freedom of movement is being curtailed, even as climate change and conflict mobilize people everywhere around the world. Goldin reminds us that passports at every border are a modern invention (he traces the birth of big brother to World War I), revealing the folly of trying to halt migration--and proposing commonsense policy instead.
A gripping chronicle of want and wanderlust, this is a moving portrait of humanity--in every sense of the word.
The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.
Dogs became our companions.
Wheat fed booming populations.
Cattle gave us meat and milk.
Corn fueled the growth of empires.
Potatoes brought feast and famine.
Chickens inspired new branches of science.
Rice promised a golden future.
Horses gave us strength and speed.
Apples provided harvestable sweetness.
Humans tamed them all.
For hundreds of thousands of years, our ancestors were just one wild species among many, their survival dependent on the whims of nature. Then, gradually, we began to tame the plants and animals all around us--and ourselves.
Combining genetics, archaeology, evolutionary biology, and anthropology, Tamed tells the story of the greatest revolution in human history, revealing the fascinating origins of crucial domesticated species and how they, in turn, transformed us. Dogs, our first natural ally, aided Ice Age-era hunters and gatherers. Domesticated horses led to new ideas about hunting and combat in the Eurasian Steppe. The reliability of wheat and corn allowed humans to settle down and build civilizations of unprecedented complexity.
As she uncovers the astounding global implications of domestication, Alice Roberts urges us to look again at our relationship with the natural world--and our incredible influence upon it.