Roger Bennett

This football book is not just about the game - it's an exploration of the unique role Black British footballers have played in shaping it both on and off the pitch. A New Formation tells new, forgotten, and undervalued stories with heart, humanity, and humor, with contributions from legendary players and sports broadcasters alike. Rather than focusing on the usual narratives of trauma and oppression, the book offers a highly original analysis of the intersections between football and wider Black British culture. Discover the vibrancy and nuance of contemporary Black life in Britain through this groundbreaking collection of essays.

Explore the fascinating history and culture of Mexico City, the largest Spanish-speaking metropolis in the world. The fear of earthquakes led to the city’s horizontal expansion and author Juan Villoro takes readers on a compelling journey through its people, places, and landmarks. From ancient indigenous roots to modern political and financial influence, Villoro unveils the experiences and identities that make Mexico City unique. The book is structured around themes of “Living in the City,” “City Characters,” “Shocks,” “Crossings,” and “Ceremonies,” creating a cohesive and eye-opening portrait of the city’s spirit of place.

A lyrical celebration of birdsong, and the rekindling of a deep passion for nature....

This book offers a wide-ranging and kaleidoscopic portrait of the Beatles phenomenon, delving into a vast catalog of heretofore unexamined lore. Part anthropology and part memoir, this humorous, elegiac, and at times madcap take on the Beatles' role in the making of the sixties and of music as we know it is enriched by the recollections of everyone from Tom Hanks to Bruce Springsteen.

Discover the incredible and untold story of survival and acceptance in Memoirs of a Kamikaze. Follow the journey of Kazuo Odachi, who unwittingly became a member of the Kamikaze Special Attack Corps at just 17 years old. Experience the hardships of fighter pilot training, the psychological trauma of each mission, and the eventual surrender of Japan. Learn about the samurai spirit that carried Odachi through to his nineties and discover the truth about the Kamikaze pilots. This book offers a new perspective on one of the darkest chapters in Japanese history, straight from the words of Kazuo Odachi himself.

Un análisis demoledor sobre el panorama político actual. El mejor libro del año según The Washington Post y The financial Times Las democracias occidentales modernas están bajo asedio y el auge del autoritarismo es una cuestión que debería preocuparnos a todos. En El ocaso de la democracia, Anne Applebaum (premio Pulitzer y una de las primeras historiadoras que alertó de las peligrosas tendencias antidemocráticas en Occidente) expone de forma clara y concisa las trampas del nacionalismo y de la autocracia. En este extraordinario ensayo explica por qué los sistemas con mensajes simples y radicales son tan atractivos. Los líderes despóticos no llegan solos al poder; lo hacen aupados por aliados políticos, ejércitos de burócratas y unos medios de comunicación que les allanan el camino y apoyan sus mandatos. Asimismo, los partidos nacionalistas y autoritarios que han ido tomando relevancia en las democracias modernas ofrecen unas perspectivas que benefician exclusivamente a sus partidarios, permitiéndoles alcanzar unas cotas de riqueza y poder inigualables. Siguiendo los pasos de Julien Benda y Hannah Arendt, Applebaum retrata a los nuevos defensores de las ideas antiliberales y denuncia cómo estas élites autoritarias utilizan las teorías de la conspiración, la polarización política, el terrorífico alcance de las redes sociales e incluso el sentimiento de nostalgia para destruirlo todo y redefinir nuestra idea de nación. Escrito de forma magistral, y de lectura urgente y necesaria, El ocaso de la democracia es un brillante análisis pormenorizado del terremoto que está sacudiendo el mundo y una apasionante defensa de los valores democráticos. La crítica ha dicho... «¿Cómo se torcieron nuestras democracias? Applebaum nos ofrece una respuesta en este extraordinario ensayo.» Timothy Snyder «La experiencia histórica y el conocimiento de Applebaum de la Europa contemporánea y de los Estados Unidos iluminan lo distintivo y eterno de los peligros políticos que enfrentamos hoy [...]. El ocaso de la democracia ofrece muchas lecciones sobre la antigua lucha entre los conceptos de democracia y de dictadura. Pero quizás lo más importante es lo frágil que es la democracia: su supervivencia depende de las decisiones que toman cada día las élites y la gente común.» Sheri Berman, The Washington Post «Un relato a menudo aleccionador, a veces impactante, pero nunca desesperante del auge del autoritarismo en Occidente.» Los Angeles Review of Books

En un sofocante día de verano, Makiko viaja a Tokio a visitar a su hermana Natsu. Incapaz de aceptar los cambios de su cuerpo después de dar a luz, Makiko está obsesiona con la perspectiva de someterse a una cirugía de aumento de senos. Mientras tanto, su hija Midoriko, de doce años, vive paralizada por el miedo a la pubertad que se aproxima y se siente incapaz de expresarse más allá de a través de una libreta. Por su parte, Natsu tiene treinta años, es aspirante a escritora y lucha con su propia identidad indeterminada de no ser ni una "hija" ni una "madre”. Reunidas en un barrio de clase trabajadora en Tokio, pasarán juntas unos días en los que el silencio de Midoriko será un catalizador para que confronten sus miedos, muchos de ellos impuestos en gran medida por ser mujer en la sociedad actual, y sus secretos familiares. Apadrinada por Haruki Murakami y Elena Ferrante, Mieko Kawakami se ha convertido en un fenómeno literario internacional y combina en estas páginas comedia y realismo para pintar un retrato de la feminidad de la clase trabajadora contemporánea.

Poets from across the US share their experiences of the pandemic as they shelter in place in this urgent outpouring of American voices. From grief and fear to hope and resilience, Together in a Sudden Strangeness provides an intimate and intricate portrait of our suddenly altered reality. These poems offer wisdom, companionship, and depths of feeling that enliven our spirits during these difficult and strange times.

A WWII soldier's guilt and struggles with atonement for his participation in Nazi atrocities comes to light in a letter to his grandson. Raw and visceral, this novel explores the moral ambiguity of war and the complicity of an entire country in heinous acts. Can one ever truly atone for the lives lost? A compelling page-turner that challenges beliefs and blurs the lines between right and wrong.

In this book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings. Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people's lives and behavior and the nation's fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people--including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball's Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others--she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.