Bestselling author Erik Weihenmayer, who Jon Krakauer calls “an inspiration,” tells the epic story of his latest adventures, including solo kayaking The Colorado River.

Set against the societal changes and turmoil of the 1960's and 1970's, this is the story of one man's journey towards realizing his dream of becoming a writer. Self inflicted damage, family issues and twists of fate, all combine to challenge the main character, Michael Sanders, to confront his shortcomings and prejudices while also testing the bonds of uncommon relationships as his life unfolds in unexpected ways

Johnny Quinn shares his “wild dream” of playing in the NFL, being crushed after getting cut three times, losing $2.6 million in contracts, and blowing out his knee. At age thirty, when most professional athletes are considered “over the hill,” Johnny was competing for Team USA in the sport of bobsled at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. This book ushers readers through the valleys of life to the thrills of rocketing down icy mountains at 80+ mph with no seat belt. Discover how the author overcame failure on the road to achieving greatness. From an NFL failure to a US Olympian, Johnny Quinn had a “what’s next” attitude that led him to success he had never imagined. In Push, he looks at failure as a season of life rather than a death sentence. He provides incredible insight into the “what’s next” instead of “what could have been.” We all experience failure at some level; Quinn equips us to embrace change, accept risks, and learn to push through barriers, to live life on purpose.

Barriers takes place in South Carolina against the backdrop of the tumultuous struggle for civil rights of the 1950s. The lives of two families, the Richardsons and the Stalwarts, are intertwined as the Stalwarts sharecrop on the Richardsonsa plantation, and Anne Stalwart, the mother, serves as the Richardsonsa maid. Events during the summer of 1952 thrust the families closer together and rock traditional racial barriers. William Stalwart, the eleven-year-old son, and Anita Richardson, the ten-year-old daughter, accidentally meet and, finding acceptance with each other, their friendship flourishes. They discover shelter at a pond where they secretly meet to swim. The Stalwarts also join the struggle for civil rights as the eldest son Lester becomes involved. Tensions mount when segregationists led by Charlie Stalwart discover these events.

Why isn't the whole world as rich as the United States? Conventional views holds that differences in the share of output invested by countries account for this disparity. Not so, say Stephen Parente and Edward Prescott. In Barriers to Riches, Parente and Prescott argue that differences in Total Factor Productivity (TFP) explain this phenomenon. These differences exist because some countries erect barriers to the efficient use of readily available technology. The purpose of these barriers is to protect industry insiders with vested interests in current production processes from outside competition. Were this protection stopped, rapid TFP growth would follow in the poor countries, and the whole world would soon be rich. Barriers to Riches reflects a decade of research by the authors on this question. Like other books on the subject, it makes use of historical examples and industry studies to illuminate potential explanations for income differences. Unlike these other books, however, it uses aggregate data and general equilibrium models to evaluate the plausibility of alternative explanations. The result of this approach is the most complete and coherent treatment of the subject to date.

Why have countries increasingly restricted immigration even when they have opened their markets to foreign competition through trade or allowed their firms to move jobs overseas? In Trading Barriers, Margaret Peters argues that the increased ability of firms to produce anywhere in the world combined with growing international competition due to lowered trade barriers has led to greater limits on immigration. Peters explains that businesses relying on low-skill labor have been the major proponents of greater openness to immigrants. Immigration helps lower costs, making these businesses more competitive at home and abroad. However, increased international competition, due to lower trade barriers and greater economic development in the developing world, has led many businesses in wealthy countries to close or move overseas. Productivity increases have allowed those firms that have chosen to remain behind to do more with fewer workers. Together, these changes in the international economy have sapped the crucial business support necessary for more open immigration policies at home, empowered anti-immigrant groups, and spurred greater controls on migration. Debunking the commonly held belief that domestic social concerns are the deciding factor in determining immigration policy, Trading Barriers demonstrates the important and influential role played by international trade and capital movements.