"The era of the coronavirus has tested America, and our leaders and institutions have conspicuously failed. That failure shouldn't be surprising: Beneath social-media frenzy and reality-television politics, our era's deep truths are elite incompetence, cultural exhaustion, and the flight from reality into fantasy. Casting a cold eye on these trends, The Decadent Society explains what happens when a powerful society ceases advancing--how the combination...

"New York Times"--Bestselling author and radio phenomenon Ingraham turns her trademark satirical eye to the culture and habits of everyday U.S. citizens.

The follow-up to the groundbreaking Black Queer Studies, the edited collection "No Tea, No Shade" brings together nineteen essays from the next generation of scholars, activists, and community leaders doing work on black gender and sexuality. Building on the foundations laid by the earlier volume, this collection's contributors speak new truths about the black queer experience while exemplifying the codification of black queer studies as a rigorous...

Bryson chronicles the events and personalities of the summer of 1927, when Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, Ruth closed in on the home run record, Capone tightened his grip on bootlegging, the first true "talkie" was filmed, and Americans in general attempted and accomplished outsized things.--From publisher description.

A look at hip-hop culture, from its beginnings to the present day, describing its influence on people and popular culture in the United States.

"In The Physics of Superheroes acclaimed university professor James Kakalios shows that comic-book heroes and villains get their physics right more often than you think." "In this scientific survey of superpowers you'll learn what the physics of forces and motion can reveal about Superman's strength and the true cause of the destruction of his home planet, Krypton; what villains Magneto and Electro can teach us about the nature of electricity; and...

Communications expert Luntz offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the tactical use of words and phrases affects what we buy, who we vote for, and even what we believe in. Luntz has used his knowledge of words to help more than two dozen Fortune 500 companies grow. He tells us why Rupert Murdoch's six-billion-dollar decision to buy DirectTV was smart because "satellite" was more cutting edge than "digital cable," and why pharmaceutical companies transitioned...

Who were the women who called themselves "Ms." and who were the Material Girls? They weren't specific individuals, but rather symbols that defined perceptions of women during the 1970s through the 1990s. The term Ms. was adopted by feminists--women who believed in equal pay for equal work, freedom from sexual harassment, and equal employment opportunities. The Material Girls wanted all this, but they also wanted to be wild, sexy, and outrageously...

"We live in a culture of casual certitude. This has always been the case, no matter how often that certainty has failed. Though no generation believes there's nothing left to learn, every generation unconsciously assumes that what has already been defined and accepted is (probably) pretty close to how reality will be viewed in perpetuity. And then, of course, time passes. Ideas shift. Opinions invert. What once seemed reasonable eventually becomes...

Provides a broad and detailed glimpse into the ingenious artistry and attention to detail behind some of the most fabulous costumes you can find.