A beautiful collection of verse--both light and dark, elegiac and affirmative--from one of our most admired poets. The title Nothing by Design is taken from Salter's villanelle "Complaint for Absolute Divorce," in which we're asked to entertain the thought of a no-fault universe. The wary search for peace, personal and public, is a constant theme in poems as varied as "Our Friends the Enemy," about the Christmas football match between German and British soldiers in 1914; "The Afterlife," in which Egyptian tomb figurines labor to serve the dead; and "Voice of America," where Salter returns to the Saint Petersburg of her exiled friend, the late Joseph Brodsky. A section of charming light verse serves as counterpoint to another series entitled "Bed of Letters," in which Salter addresses the end of a long marriage. Artfully designed, with a highly intentional music, these poems movingly give form to the often unfathomable, yet very real, presence of nothingness and loss in our lives.

Master storyteller Chris Offutt's acclaimed crime series has been praised by Ian Rankin as "righteous Kentucky noir with top notes of Daniel Woodrell and S. A. Cosby," and in this breakneck new novel, sheriff Mick Hardin navigates the treacherous terrain of a town's festering secrets and the violent forces who want to keep them hidden Lauded as a "masterclass in the craft of crime fiction" (CrimeReads), Chris Offutt's beloved and critically acclaimed Mick Hardin series is an atmospheric, tightly crafted testament to Southern noir. The Reluctant Sheriff is a dark, bracing return to the hills of eastern Kentucky where secrets roil beneath the surface, and nothing and no one stays in the past for long. Mick Hardin never wanted to be sheriff. An ex-Army CID officer, he's supposed to be retired--or he was until his sister, Linda, was shot in the line of duty, requiring him to step in as interim sheriff while she recovered. Now he's stuck in Rocksalt, the place he was most hoping to escape. Back in uniform, Mick is chafing at the sudden dissolution of his retirement plans, wearied by the petty squabbles of Rocksalt's townsfolk. It's all business as usual, until the murder of a local bar owner draws an unlikely suspect who threatens to fan the flames of Mick's past. When two more bodies turn up, seemingly unconnected to the first, Mick is forced to reckon with the mysterious circumstances of a case not so open-and-shut as everyone believes. Meanwhile, Linda is slowly healing when a familiar business tycoon with a vested interest in her returning as sheriff makes it difficult for her to remain on the sidelines. Unflinching and devilishly compulsive, The Reluctant Sheriff is an explosive thriller confirming Chris Offutt as a Southern writer of muscular prose and unrivaled talent.

Haass, chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations, writes a brilliant, optimistic analysis of the opportunity that current global politics present to the USA.

This volume examines the new, the changing, and the enduring features of international security in the post-Cold War era. In so doing, it examines the extent to which present state structures and institutions have been able to adapt and accommodate themselves to the diversity of security threats.

'...thoughtful, well-researched and intellectually stimulating...' - Martin Holmes, Financial Times The European House of Cards examines how the fall of communism in 1989 and the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1991 are affecting the present-day development of the European Union. The book argues that, with the end of communism, the decades-long discussion of furthering the levels of European integration has moved from the realm of grand idea to absolute necessity. The Treaty's adoption has marked the period within which Europe will move from nation-states to a United States of Europe.

Connects the American exceptionalist ethos to the violence in Vietnam and the Middle East.

Who are we? Where are we going? And why are we so divided? Why America Matters addresses these questions and argues that the place Americans call home is worth fighting for. The widely held belief of past generations—that America is special, with an extraordinary role to play in the world—remains true, but has been undermined by external adversaries, internal contradictions, and weakness of vision. Why America Matters reveals how the nation faces four crises: extraordinary circumstances, confused identity, corrupt institutions, and inept policy engagement. The idea of America is under attack, yet many of our wounds are self-inflicted. Powerful forces within our country—hostile to the ideals of America—seem to be winning. These agents seek to rewrite America’s history, undermine its institutions, and silence those who don’t agree. All the while, America’s foreign adversaries prey on our divisions and weaknesses. America is neither declining nor dying, but in a winter season. Our current political and social crises represent fertile ground for national springtime and renewal, a process the nation has gone through before. While the country has never been more divided on partisan, cultural, and ideological lines, there is a path to achieve the unity and vigor necessary to confront the twenty-first century’s challenges. Americans must recognize and reject false ideologies; resist surveillance and tyranny; take back our communities, schools, and families; and assert our enshrined rights to free speech and privacy. The world recognized that America was great because America was good. America’s founding ideals, timeless values, and distinctive national character are needed now more than ever. But we can’t simply go back to the past. A new century requires a new vision of American greatness. Why America Matters points the way. “Why America Matters is an astonishing achievement. Wilkerson’s masterful synthesis of our history as it relates to where we are right at this moment—and how we can and must go forward—is an inestimable gift, and can hardly be praised enough.” —Eric Metaxas is the New York Times #1 bestselling author of Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther, Is Atheism Dead?, If You Can Keep It, and Letter to the American Church, and founder and host of Socrates in the City “Why America Matters is a courageous book. Wilkerson confronts the powers—both political and ideological, that have conspired to destroy our nation and its values. Why America Matters holds an urgent and timely message for anyone who cares about the future of this nation. Why America Matters is a must read for anyone seeking to understand what is happening to America, and more importantly, how to fix it!” —Matt Schlapp, Chairman, Conservative Political Action Coalition (CPAC) “Michael Wilkerson has pulled off a mean feat with Why America Matters. As much as it is a crisply written lament for our fractured national identity, his tour de force also is a blueprint for a new generation who will be left to rebuild the moral capital squandered by their forebears. America has never mattered more, and Wilkerson makes the powerful case for a new exceptionalism that will require men and women of courage and virtue to join the resistance against tyranny.” —Miranda Devine, New York Post correspondent and bestselling author of Laptop from Hell