Ultimate fighting -- mixed martial arts competition between professional fighters which includes ju-jitsu, judo, boxing, kick0boxing and wrestling techniques -- is among the fastest-growing sports in the world today, outselling and outperforming boxing and indeed any other ring or combat sport. Coming live to the UK in April 2007 UFC sold out the Manchester MEN Arena, followed by further sell-out perfomances in Belfast in June and London in September at the 20,000-plus capacity O2. Matt Hughes, nine times UFC World Welterweight Champion, with a record of 42 wins from 48 fights to date, is the most dynamic figure in this hottest and most happening of sports. Here he recounts his sensational rise to stardom, from growing up on the family farm in Illinois to breaking records in the octagon in front of 20,000 live fans and 4 million television viewers.

“The most interesting book I have read in years. . . . WTF?! is like Freakonomics on steroids.” —Steven D. Levitt, New York Times–bestselling coauthor of Freakonomics Did you know that “pre-owned” wives were sold at auction in nineteenth-century England? That today, in Liberia, accused criminals sometimes drink poison to determine their fate? How about the fact that, for 250 years, Italy criminally prosecuted cockroaches and crickets? Do you wonder why? Then this book is for you! Introducing us to a cast of colorful characters, economist Peter T. Leeson explains how to use economic thinking to reveal the hidden sense behind seemingly senseless human behavior—including your own. Leeson shows that far from “irrational” or “accidents of history,” humanity’s most outlandish rituals are ingenious solutions to pressing problems—developed by clever people, driven by incentives, and tailor-made for their time and place. "A fascinating tour of some of the world’s strangest customs and behaviors, led by a brilliant, funny, and eccentric tour guide dedicated to the proposition that no matter how strange it looks, there’s always a reason for it—and a lesson to be learned by discovering that reason.” —Steven E. Landsburg, author of The Armchair Economist

*Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction *Shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award *Shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize One of The Times UK’s Best Memoirs of 2018, BuzzFeed’s Best Nonfiction of 2018, Autostraddle’s Best LGBT Books of 2018, and 52 Insight’s Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2018 A “no-holds-barred examination of masculinity” (BuzzFeed) and violence from award-winning author Thomas Page McBee. In this “refreshing and radical” (The Guardian) narrative, Thomas McBee, a trans man, sets out to uncover what makes a man—and what being a “good” man even means—through his experience training for and fighting in a charity boxing match at Madison Square Garden. A self-described “amateur” at masculinity, McBee embarks on a wide-ranging exploration of gender in society, examining sexism, toxic masculinity, and privilege. As he questions the limitations of gender roles and the roots of masculine aggression, he finds intimacy, hope, and even love in the experience of boxing and in his role as a man in the world. Despite personal history and cultural expectations, “Amateur is a reminder that the individual can still come forward and fight” (The A.V. Club). “Sharp and precise, open and honest,” (Women’s Review of Books), McBee’s writing asks questions “relevant to all people, trans or not” (New York Newsday). Through interviews with experts in neuroscience, sociology, and critical race theory, he constructs a deft and thoughtful examination of the role of men in contemporary society. Amateur is a graceful and uncompromising look at gender by a fearless, fiercely honest writer.

After escaping a brutal and televised attempt on their lives, Charlie and Vita abandon Los Angeles for the utopian desert paradise of Las Vegas. With the Reapr campaign against Charlie now worth over two million dollars, it's more important than ever to find out who's behind it and how to shut it down. But the journey is half the battle, and even if they manage to live through two states' worth of killers, they'll still have to survive each other.

After escaping a televised attempt on their lives and blowing past two million bucks in their REAPR campaign, Charlie and Vita abandon Los Angeles for the desert paradise Las Vegas in search of answers. But between the human debris of Charlie’s past and the well-kept secrets of Vita’s old life, the only thing less likely than Charlie and Vita surviving their REAPR campaign is them surviving each other. Collecting the second arc of the critically acclaimed ongoing series by Eisner-nominated writer CHRISTOPHER SEBELA (SHANGHAI RED, HIGH CRIMES, We(l)come Back) celebrated artists RO STEIN & TED BRANDT (Captain Marvel), TRIONA FARRELL (Runaways, Mech Cadet Yu), and CARDINAL RAE (BINGO LOVE, ROSE). Collects CROWDED #7-12

A gripping investigation into the nation’s most notorious far-right group, revealing how they created a new blueprint for extremism and turned American politics into a blood sport After the 2016 election, Americans witnessed a frightening trend: the sudden rise of a host of new extremist groups across the country. Emboldened by a new president, they flooded political rallies and built fervent online presences, expanding rapidly until they were a regular sight at everyday demonstrations. Amid the chaos, one group emerged as a leader among the others, with matching outfits, bizarre rituals, and a reputation for violence: the Proud Boys. From leading extremism reporter Andy Campbell, We Are Proud Boys is the definitive narrative exploration of this notorious street gang and all the far-right movements they’re connected to. Through groundbreaking new reporting, Campbell delivers the untold story of a gang of blundering, punch-happy goons who grew to become the centerpiece of American extremism and positioned themselves as the unofficial enforcement arm of the GOP. Beginning with their founding by Gavin McInnes, the media personality best known for co-founding VICE, Campbell takes us deep into the Proud Boys, laying bare their origins and their rise to prominence. As he exposes the group's noxious culture and strange rituals, he reveals how the ultimate project of the Proud Boys–to desensitize Americans to political violence–has succeeded entirely, culminating with Republicans calling the January 6 insurrection "legitimate political discourse." The bizarre, frightening story of the Proud Boys reveals the playbook they have created for domestic extremism, giving us the necessary insight to push back against radicalism in America before it swallows our democracy whole.

Andrew Kolin focuses on the destructive politics of Trump and Trumpism expressed as extreme forms of hate and violence, explaining how these destructive politics are actually rooted in various institutions. Trump and Trumpism amplify this institutional and ideological expression of destructive politics that is intended to cause harm to various social segments. The social base of this brand of destructive politics is supported by parts of the middle and upper classes. Trump and Trumpism examines how destructive politics tends toward fascism.

What happens when a self-styled wuss sets out to earn a black belt? Why have Eastern martial arts become so popular worldwide? Is the Ultimate Fighting Championship a beautiful fusion of East-meets-West martial technique, or shameless commercialization? These questions and more find answers in Me, Chi, and Bruce Lee, a rollicking journey through the world of modern martial arts. Author Brian Preston’s trek takes him from a kung fu school in his hometown of Victoria, Canada, to the storied Shaolin Temple in China, back to Canada to meet Brazilian Jujitsu legend Royce Gracie, and on to Vegas and the thrills of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Along the way, Preston discovers a vast array of martial arts practices, theories, and controversies—when he’s not too busy getting a beat-down from a 60-year-old woman. Sprinkled with reflective detours into serious subjects like the nature of violence and the state of modern China, Me, Chi, and Bruce Lee expertly blends a lively travelogue, a droll riff on the “innocent abroad” theme, and an informative introduction to global martial arts.