ODY New Books Collection

Peacemaker

"A new history of the turbulent 1960s told through the life of U Thant, the first UN secretary-general of color, whose decisions once shaped global war and peace. In the early 1960s, a peaceful world was an imaginable goal. The still-young United Nations was widely respected and regarded as humankind's best hope for resolving global conflicts. African and Asian nations, having recently won their freedom from colonial domination, sought dignity and influence on the world stage. At the helm of their international efforts was U Thant, a practicing Buddhist from a remote town in Burma who, as the UN's first non-Western secretary-general, became the Cold War era's preeminent ambassador of peace. From the moment of his predecessor's mysterious death in 1961, Thant faced a deluge of violent conflicts in Congo, Yemen, Cyprus, and Nigeria, as well as one between India and Pakistan, that threatened larger conflagrations. Crucially, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, he played an indispensable role--virtually hidden until now--in defusing tensions and helping both superpowers find a way back from nuclear confrontation. For years Thant also challenged Washington over its war in Vietnam, identifying paths to peace that could have saved the lives of millions. Drawing on newly declassified documents, Thant's grandson, historian Thant Myint-U, gives a riveting account of how his grandfather's gentle yet willful disposition shaped his determination to avoid a third world war, give voice to the newly decolonized world, create a fairer international economy, and safeguard the environment. Rather than a vestige of an idealistic past, U Thant's fight for peace is central to a fresh understanding of our world today." -- Provided by publisher

One Man's
Freedom

"In 'One man's freedom,' Nicholas Buccola reveals the fascinating, untold story of how Barry Goldwater and Martin Luther King Jr. became powerful symbols of two opposing visions of American freedom. Through a gripping blend of biography and history, Buccola traces their parallel rise during the 1950s and 1960s--King leading a movement for racial and social justice, Goldwater championing individual liberty and limited government. Though they never met, their ideas collided in a fierce public debate over what 'freedom' should mean in America. Their clash shaped the nation's political divide then--and continues to echo through American politics today." -- Adapted from publisher's description

Ninette's
War

Ninette Dreyfus belonged to one of the most influential Jewish families in Paris -- second only to the Rothschilds --her parents' social circle ranging from Einstein to Colette. But all that privilege counted for nothing when the Nazis arrived; the family was high up on the list of Philippe Petain's targets. Inspired by diary entries and by conversations the author had with Ninette before she died, Ninette's War narrates the family's fall from grace alongside the creeping understanding of the Vichy government's collaboration with the Nazis. Through Ninette's eyes we witness how it all unfolded: from the anti-Semitism in the playground -- sometimes from her own teachers -- to Ninette's first crush under a false identity. Woven into the political backdrop of a nation turning inward on itself, this is the tale of a life once filled with riches becoming rootless, where friends were left behind and politicians legislated their own people out of existence -- and to their deaths -- culminating in what we now know as the Holocaust. -- Provided by publisher

Masters of the Game

"Sam Smith and Phil Jackson grew to know and respect each other in the late 1980s, when Smith was a Chicago Tribune sportswriter and Jackson was an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls. Forty years later, the two remain close friends. In 2021, Smith helped the NBA arrive at a list of the seventy-five greatest players of all time in celebration of its seventy-fifth anniversary. Phil Jackson was asked to participate too, but he’s not a big fan of ranking greatness. They’ve been enjoying the argument ever since. In Masters of the Game, Smith and Jackson chop it up about the basketball life, the sport, and the genius and the shadow side of the all-time greats: Jordan, Kobe, Shaq, Magic, Bill Russell, Wilt, Jerry West, Bird, LeBron, KD, Steph Curry, Bill Walton, and more. In a conversation full of high-grade analysis and high-grade gossip, we meet the stars of long-ago eras of basketball and see the mark race left on players and the business of the game—and we get a master class on character and the alchemy of a good team. And of course, inevitably, these two old heads get into the GOAT debate. There are so many huge characters here, and Smith and Jackson can hold their own with any of them. Their spirit—sharp, wise, irreverent, honest, respectful of the lore and legacy of the game but never pious—and the clash of their different perspectives combine to make this book a joyous ride, a short course in greatness open to all students." -- Amazon

Luigi

This work examines public reactions to the shooting of a healthcare executive by Luigi Mangione and explores the social, economic, and cultural factors that shaped widespread online commentary surrounding the event. Drawing on decades of research, the author analyzes themes of alienation, distrust of institutions, and anti-corporate sentiment, situating the incident within broader historical movements. The book considers how individuals and groups have expressed dissent, the influence of previous extremist figures, and the role of digital platforms in shaping responses to acts of violence.

Love, Sex, and Frankenstein

Villa Diodati, Lake Geneva, 1816. The dark summer that birthed a monster. Eighteen-year-old Mary Shelley has fled London with her lover, Percy Shelley, and her sister, Claire. Tormented by Shelley's betrayals, haunted by the loss of their baby and suspicious of her sister's intentions, Mary seeks a refuge. But Lord Byron's villa, lying under ominous, ash-shrouded skies, feels more like a trap. When Byron suggests each guest write a supernatural tale, Mary is as drawn to the challenge as she is, unexpectedly, to Byron himself. And so an idea begins to form in her mind. It spills out of her in thick, black ink. A thing given life is before her. Day and night, it possesses her. Her heart, her desires. But is she in control, or is it?

A Love Story From the End of the World

"From the acclaimed author of Beasts of a Little Land and City of Night Birds, an exquisite, globetrotting story collection about humans in precarious balance with the natural world. Spanning multiple locales and epochs, and rendered in fine detail and vivid color, this transportive collection shows what it means to live as human inhabitants on our one miraculous planet. Lyrical, at times hilarious, and always heartfelt, each of these ten stories is a reflection of individual choice in the face of man-made apocalypse: in a near-future Seoul, where air pollution has become so fatal that the city has been encased in a translucent biodome, a civil engineer charged with its upkeep contemplates an arranged marriage. A painter, disenchanted with New York City, travels to the South of France and falls into a dalliance with an entrepreneur who claims to have invented a new color. And on an island where the Indian and Pacific Oceans meet, upon which other countries have relegated their waste to form a mountain of landfill, a local boy facing daily privation gets internet famous for his K-pop-inspired dances. With the clear-eyed reverence of Richard Powers and the sparkling sincerity of George Saunders, Juhea Kim's first story collection views our broken world-and broken hearts-from breathtaking heights. A Love Story from the End of the World delivers an impassioned reminder that we are human-but without nature, we are nothing at all." -- Provided by publisher

Lit

In a small town in the woods of northwest Wyoming, Kasey Cobb lives alone in a cabin, runs a drive-through coffee kiosk, and hangs out at the library, reading the classics. He's the least-likely guy to become the center of a culture clash... and death. Yet that's what happens when he strays past a book-bonfire, ignited by a pastor and his hapless followers, and inadvertently rescues a self-important (drunk) author from being burned with his obscure novel. From that moment on, Kasey's life becomes a whirlwind that sweeps up a laconic lawman, a pissed off grizzly bear, a relentless podcaster, a sensuous librarian obsessed with death, a fierce female rancher and, most troublesome of all, a devious murderer. And yet, amidst the chaos, Kasey chases another shot at a lasting love, even if it might kill him. -- Amazon

Listen

"A twisty, slow-burn mystery set in Paris and the Netherlands that has become a Dutch sensation."-- Provided by publisher

The Land in Winter

"December 1962: In a village deep in the English countryside, two neighboring couples begin the day. Local doctor Eric Parry commences his rounds in the village while his pregnant wife, Irene, wanders the rooms of their old house, mulling over the space that has grown between the two of them. On the farm nearby lives Irene's mirror image: witty but troubled Rita Simmons is also expecting. She spends her days trying on the idea of being a farmer's wife, but her head still swims with images of a raucous past that her husband, Bill, prefers to forget. When Rita and Irene meet across the bare field between their houses, a clock starts. There is still affection in both their homes; neither marriage has yet to be abandoned. But when the ordinary cold of December gives way--ushering in violent blizzards of the harshest winter in living memory--so do the secret resentments harbored in all four lives." -- Provided by publisher

I'm
Not Trying to Be Difficult

"Drew Nieporent has been a staple of the New York dining scene for decades, establishing a host of iconic restaurants like Nobu, Tribeca Grille, and Montrachet. But his career started from much more humble beginnings-the grill at the local McDonald's. A middle-class kid from New York's East Side, Drew spent his childhood tagging along with his father to help restaurants get their liquor license, igniting a lifelong obsession with food. His passion took him on a winding, continent-spanning journey, crossing paths with legendary chefs, iconic athletes, and movie stars as he grew into one of the most influential names in the culinary world. From waiting tables on a cruise ship to getting his first three-star review; from squabbling with Cornell professors to partnering with Robert De Niro; this is more than a story of one man's extraordinary life-it's a story of an evolving industry. As culinary trends come and go and relationships blossom and combust, Nieporent navigates it all with a simple yet powerful philosophy: Give the customer what they want. Told in Drew's unforgettable voice, "I'm Not Trying To Be Difficult" is a rollicking memoir that feels like sitting across the dinner table from someone who has seen it all-one of the last great restaurateurs." -- Provided by publisher

The Great Contradiction

"A major new history from our most trusted voice on the revolutionary era -- a daring and important work that reckons with the two great failures of America's founding: the failure to end slavery and the failure to avoid Indian removal. On the eve of the American Revolution, half a million enslaved African Americans were embedded in the North American population. The slave trade was flourishing, even as the thirteen colonies armed themselves to defend against the idea of being governed without consent. This paradox gave birth to what Joseph J. Ellis calls the "great contradiction": How could a government that had been justified and founded on the principles articulated in the Declaration of Independence institutionalize slavery? How could it permit a tidal wave of western migration by settlers who understood the phrase "pursuit of happiness" to mean the pursuit of Indian lands? With narrative grave and a flair for irony and paradox, Ellis addresses the questions that lie at America's twisted roots -- questions that turned even the sharpest minds of the revolutionary generation into mental contortionists. He discusses the first debates around slavery and the treatment of Native Americans, from the Constitutional Convention to the Treaty of New York, revealing the thinking and rationalizations behind Jay, Hamilton, and Madison's revisions of the Articles of Confederation, and highlights the key role of figures like Quaker abolitionist Anthony Benezet and Creek chief Alexander McGillivray. Ellis writes with candor and deftness, his clarion voice rising above presentist historians and partisans who are eager to make the founders into trophies in the ongoing culture wars. Instead, Ellis tells a story that is rooted in the coexistence of grandeur and failure, brilliance and blindness, grace and sin." -- Jacket flap

Food Intelligence

"Nutrition isn't rocket science ; it's harder. There are new diet fads, bold claims about superfoods and articles promising the secrets to lasting weight-loss and longevity. The more 'expert' advice we hear about diet, the less clarity we have about what to eat. In Food Intelligence, award-winning health journalist, Julia Belluz, and internationally renowned nutrition and metabolism scientist, Kevin Hall, cut through the myths about nutrition to deliver a comprehensive book on food, diet, metabolism and healthy eating."-- Provided by publisher

The Fire

A powerful, unflinching portrait of a generation fighting for change, The Fire takes readers on a journey through some of the world's most volatile regions, from Eastern Europe to the Middle East. Through the eyes of young people like Kateryna, a Ukrainian soldier; Assim, an Iranian student at the forefront of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests; Nabila, a Muslim kickboxing champion and lesbian; and Zarifa, a political activist in Afghanistan, Sala offers an intimate portrayal of lives caught amidst turmoil and the struggle for a better future.

Fateful Hours

"Democracies are fragile. Freedoms that seem secure can be lost. Few historical events illustrate this as vividly as the failure of the Weimar Republic. Germany's first democracy endured for fourteen tumultuous years and culminated with the horrific rise of the Third Reich. As one commentator wrote in July 1933: Hitler had "won the game with little effort... All he had to do was huff and puff -- and the edifice of German politics collapsed like a house of cards." But this tragedy was not inevitable. In Fateful Hours, award-winning historian Volker Ullrich chronicles the captivating story of the Republic, capturing a nation and its people teetering on the abyss. Born from the ashes of the First World War, the fledgling democracy was saddled with debt and political instability from its beginning. In its early years, a relentless chain of crises -- hyperinflation, foreign invasion, and upheaval from the right and left -- shook the republic, only letting up during a brief period of stability in the 1920s. Social and cultural norms were upended. Political murder was the order of the day. Yet despite all the challenges, the Weimar Republic was not destined for its ignoble end. Drawing on letters, memoirs, newspaper articles, and other sources, Ullrich charts the many failed alternatives and missed opportunities that contributed to German democracy's collapse. In an immersive style that takes us to the heart of political power, Ullrich argues that, right up until January 1933, history was open. There was no shortage of opportunities to stop the slide into fascism. Just as in the present, it is up to us whether democracy lives or dies." -- Provided by publisher

Every Day Is Sunday

"On February 11, 2024, NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, & the league's two most powerful owners, Jerry Jones & Robert Kraft, looked down at the spectacle before them. What they saw was the sport's championship game, the Super Bowl - now a de facto national holiday - being played in a shiny new $2B stadium, home to the first franchise based in Las Vegas, after the league's embrace of nationwide gambling. The moment was over 30 years in the making. "We're not competing with the NBA or MLB," Goodell later quipped in private. "Our competitors are Apple & Google." In Every Day is Sunday, veteran New York Times Business & NFL reporter, Ken Belson, traces the evolution of the league from "one of the four US professional sports," into the cultural & economic juggernaut it is today. Belson illustrates how the league's rise coincided with the arrival of Jones & Kraft in the early 90's. He provides an inside look on how these two men reshaped the league, taking readers into the secretive owner's meeting, how they decided Goodell was the right man to place as Commissioner, and how the three built, wielded, and held on to their collective power." -- Provided by publisher

The Emergency

"An empire has collapsed from boredom and loss of faith in itself. In the Emergency that follows, youth rebellions of urban Burghers and rural Yeomen embrace radical new ideas of humanity. Doctor Hugo Rustin, chief surgeon at the Imperial College Hospital, is increasingly estranged from his city and his family--from his wife, Annabelle, who finds fulfillment in their changed community; and especially from his teenage daughter, Selva, who has turned against her father's values. When an incident at the hospital leads to Rustin's disgrace, he seeks redemption in a quixotic and dangerous journey into the countryside, with Selva as his companion, just as the conflict between Burghers and Yeomen is reaching a crisis." -- Provided by publisher

The Diversity of Morals

"When we speak of morals, what are we speaking of? Is morality singular (as many philosophers tend to assume, even if they don't agree on what it is) or are there multiple moralities (which social scientists, notably anthropologists, study)? In The Diversity of Morals, Steven Lukes brings together these differing perspectives. Drawing on philosophy, sociology, social anthropology, psychology, and political theory, Lukes considers what the moral domain includes and what it excludes; how what is moral differs from what is conventional or customary in different contexts; whether morality is unified or a series of fragments; and, if there is a diversity of morals, what that diversity consists of. Lukes looks both ways--toward philosophers' quest for a single best answer to the question of morality and toward sociologists' and anthropologists' assumption that there are several, even many, even very many, answers--to make sense of their divergence. He traces the two approaches back to their beginnings, linking them to the differences between the ideas of David Hume, Johann Gottfried Herder, and Adam Smith. Lukes examines how we went from viewing the social world as 'us' versus 'them' to thinking of morality as universal, envisioning shared humanity and the sacredness of the human person, and what prevents this vision from being realized. Considering the breakdown of moral constraints in the perpetration of mass atrocities, Lukes asks if there are phenomena that are beyond moral justification. And he raises this crucial question: in light of the vast variation that history and the ethnographic record display, how wide and how deep is the diversity of morals?" -- Publisher's description

Daring to Be Free

"Historian Sudhir Hazareesingh recasts the story of slavery's end by showing that the enslaved themselves were at the center of the action--their voices, their resistance, and their extraordinary fight for freedom. Throughout, [his book] portrays the struggle for liberation from the perspective of the enslaved and, wherever possible, in their own words. It highlights the power of collective action, stressing the role of maroon communities, conspiracies, insurrections, and spiritual movements, from Haiti and Brazil to Cuba, Mauritius, and the American South. These acts of resistance involved entire communities, with women often at the heart of the story as warriors, organizers, and agents of radical change."-- Provided by publisher

Cursed Daughters

"When Ebun gives birth to her daughter, Eniiyi, on the day they bury her cousin Monife, there is no denying the startling resemblance between the child and the dead woman. So begins the belief, fanned by the entire family, the Eniiyi is the actual reincarnation of Monife, fated to follow in her footsteps. There is also the matter of the family curse-"No man will call your house home. And if they try, they will not have peace"-which has broken numerous hearts and caused three generations of abandoned Falodun women to live under the same roof. When Eniiyi falls in love, she can no longer run from her family's history. Is she destined to live out her family's story of love and heartache? Or can she break the pattern, not only avoiding the spiral that led Monife to her lonely death but liberating herself from all the secrets and unspoken traumas that have dogged her steps since before she can remember?" -- Front jacket flap