The winners of the Nobel Prize show how economics, when done right, can help us solve the thorniest social and political problems of our day. Figuring out how to deal with today's critical economic problems is perhaps the great challenge of our time. Much greater than space travel or perhaps even the next revolutionary medical breakthrough, what is at stake is the whole idea of the good life as we have known it. Immigration and inequality, globalization and technological disruption, slowing growth and accelerating climate change--these are sources of great anxiety across the world, from New Delhi and Dakar to Paris and Washington, DC. The resources to address these challenges are there--what we lack are ideas that will help us jump the wall of disagreement and distrust that divides us. If we succeed, history will remember our era with gratitude; if we fail, the potential losses are incalculable. In this revolutionary book, renowned MIT economists Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo take on this challenge, building on cutting-edge research in economics explained with lucidity and grace. Original, provocative, and urgent, Good Economics for Hard Times makes a persuasive case for an intelligent interventionism and a society built on compassion and respect. It is an extraordinary achievement, one that shines a light to help us appreciate and understand our precariously balanced world.

A polemic against love that is “engagingly acerbic ... extremely funny.... A deft indictment of the marital ideal, as well as a celebration of the dissent that constitutes adultery, delivered in pointed daggers of prose” (The New Yorker). Who would dream of being against love? No one. Love is, as everyone knows, a mysterious and all-controlling force, with vast power over our thoughts and life decisions. But is there something a bit worrisome about all this uniformity of opinion? Is this the one subject about which no disagreement will be entertained, about which one truth alone is permissible? Consider that the most powerful organized religions produce the occasional heretic; every ideology has its apostates; even sacred cows find their butchers. Except for love. Hence the necessity for a polemic against it. A polemic is designed to be the prose equivalent of a small explosive device placed under your E-Z-Boy lounger. It won’t injure you (well not severely); it’s just supposed to shake things up and rattle a few convictions.

With an introduction by award-winning novelist Barbara Kingsolver In the late nineteenth century, when the great powers in Europe were tearing Africa apart and seizing ownership of land for themselves, King Leopold of Belgium took hold of the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. In his devastatingly barbarous colonization of this area, Leopold stole its rubber and ivory, pummelled its people and set up a ruthless regime that would reduce the population by half. . While he did all this, he carefully constructed an image of himself as a deeply feeling humanitarian. Winner of the Duff Cooper Prize in 1999, King Leopold’s Ghost is the true and haunting account of this man’s brutal regime and its lasting effect on a ruined nation. It is also the inspiring and deeply moving account of a handful of missionaries and other idealists who travelled to Africa and unwittingly found themselves in the middle of a gruesome holocaust. Instead of turning away, these brave few chose to stand up against Leopold. Adam Hochschild brings life to this largely untold story and, crucially, casts blame on those responsible for this atrocity.

From prim and proper… Seduced, abandoned and pregnant, Arabella Shelley is determined her baby's father will support them. Horrified to discover his death, she is shocked at the demand of his brother, the handsome, inscrutable Viscount Hadleigh. To legitimize her unborn child, she must marry him, instead! …to pleasured by the viscount! As Bella struggles with her unfamiliar, luxurious new lifestyle, and her scandalous desire for her stranger of a husband, will she find a love that matches the passion of their marriage bed?

Essays on the Greek Romances by Elizabeth Hazelton Haight: This collection of essays offers a detailed exploration of the Greek Romances, a genre of literature that emerged in the Hellenic and Roman worlds. With its insightful analysis and careful scholarship, "Essays on the Greek Romances" is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of literature. Key Aspects of the Book "Essays on the Greek Romances": Literary Criticism: The book offers detailed and insightful literary criticism, examining the themes, motifs, and conventions of the Greek Romances. Scholarship: The book is a work of careful scholarship, drawing on a wide range of sources to offer a comprehensive study of the genre. Cultural Context: The book explores the social, cultural, and historical context of the Greek Romances, offering insights into the values and beliefs of the Hellenic and Roman worlds. Elizabeth Hazelton Haight was an American author and scholar who lived from 1872 to 1964. She was a leading figure in the field of literary criticism, known for her careful scholarship and insightful analysis. "Essays on the Greek Romances" is one of her most celebrated works.