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Recommendations based on Kolyma Talesby Varlam Shalamov
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Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar
by Simon Sebag Montefiore
A biography of Joseph Stalin, exploring his rise to power and the inner workings of his regime.
Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781400076789 This widely acclaimed biography provides a vivid and riveting account of Stalin and his courtiers—killers, fanatics, women, and children—during the ... (Goodreads)
The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956
by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
An expose of the horrors of the Soviet gulag system, exposing the cruelty and injustice.
Drawing on his own incarceration and exile, as well as on evidence from more than 200 fellow prisoners and Soviet archives, Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn reveals the entire apparatus of Soviet ... (Goodreads)
Love's Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy
by Irvin D. Yalom
Exploration of psychotherapy and the human condition, through stories of therapy sessions.
The collection of ten absorbing tales by master psychotherapist Irvin D. Yalom uncovers the mysteries, frustrations, pathos, and humor at the heart of the therapeutic encounter. In recounting his ... (Goodreads)
Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster
by Svetlana Alexievich
An oral history of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, as told by the survivors.
Written by the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history occurred in Chernobyl and contaminated as much as three quarters of Europe. ... (Goodreads)
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
by Naomi Klein
Examination of the exploitation of economic crises and shock tactics by governments and corporations.
In her ground-breaking reporting from Iraq, Naomi Klein exposed how the trauma of invasion was being exploited to remake the country in the interest of foreign corporations. She called it "disaster ... (Goodreads)
Gulag: A History
by Anne Applebaum
A comprehensive account of the Soviet Union's notorious prison system, the history of its inhumane treatment of inmates.
The Gulag–a vast array of Soviet concentration camps that held millions of political and criminal prisoners--was a system of repression and punishment that terrorized the entire society, embodying ... (Goodreads)
Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason
by Michel Foucault
Examination of the changing attitudes towards mental illness over time and the implications of social control.
Librarian note: an alternate cover for this edition can be found, here,. Michel Foucault examines the archeology of madness in the West from 1500 to 1800 – from the late Middle Ages, when insanity ... (Goodreads)
Mythologies
by Roland Barthes
A collection of essays that deconstructs the myths of modern society, revealing their hidden meanings and cultural significance.
"No denunciation without its proper instrument of close analysis," Roland Barthes wrote in his preface to Mythologies . There is no more proper instrument of analysis of our contemporary myths than ... (Goodreads)
War's Unwomanly Face
by Svetlana Alexievich
An exploration of the lives of Soviet women who served in World War II.
This book is a confession, a document and a record of people's memory. More than 200 women speak in it, describing how young girls, who dreamed of becoming brides, became soldiers in 1941. More than ... (Goodreads)
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
by Edward Gibbon
An in-depth account of the fall of the Roman Empire, tracing its causes and effects.
Length: 126 hrs and 31 mins The History of the Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire was written by English historian Edward Gibbon & originally published in six quarto volumes. Volume 1 was published ... (Goodreads)
Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets
by Svetlana Alexievich
A compilation of personal accounts from the last years of the Soviet Union.
From the 2015 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Svetlana Alexievich, comes the first English translation of her latest work, an oral history of the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the ... (Goodreads)
The Art of War
by Sun Tzu
Ancient Chinese military treatise outlining strategies for success in battle.
Twenty-Five Hundred years ago, Sun Tzu wrote this classic book of military strategy based on Chinese warfare and military thought. Since that time, all levels of military have used the teaching on ... (Goodreads)
The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss
by Edmund de Waal
A journey through time, tracing the history of a family's collection of art and their struggles with loss.
The Ephrussis were a grand banking family, as rich and respected as the Rothschilds, who “burned like a comet” in nineteenth-century Paris and Vienna society. Yet by the end of World War II, almost ... (Goodreads)
The Forgotten Soldier
by Guy Sajer
A memoir of a German soldier's experiences during WWII, depicting the horrors of war.
Forgotten Soldier recounts the horror of World War II on the eastern front, as seen through the eyes of a teenaged German soldier. At first an exciting adventure, young Guy Sajer’s war becomes, as ... (Goodreads)
Papillon
by Henri Charrière
An account of an unjustly convicted man's escape from a notorious French penal colony.
Henri Charrière, called "Papillon," for the butterfly tattoo on his chest, was convicted in Paris in 1931 of a murder he did not commit. Sentenced to life imprisonment in the penal colony of French ... (Goodreads)
History of the Peloponnesian War
by Thucydides
Detailed account of the protracted war between Athens and Sparta in ancient Greece.
Written four hundred years before the birth of Christ, this detailed contemporary account of the long life-and-death struggle between Athens and Sparta stands an excellent chance of fulfilling its ... (Goodreads)
The Elements of Style
by William Strunk Jr.
A practical guide to written English, providing guidance on grammar and style.
This style manual offers practical advice on improving writing skills. Throughout, the emphasis is on promoting a plain English style. This little book can help you communicate more effectively by ... (Goodreads)
No Logo
by Naomi Klein
A critique of the negative impact of corporate branding and globalization on society and culture.
With a new Afterword to the 2002 edition, No Logo employs journalistic savvy and personal testament to detail the insidious practices and far-reaching effects of corporate marketing—and the powerful ... (Goodreads)
Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
by Steve Krug
A guide to creating intuitive, user-friendly websites.
Since Don’t Make Me Think was first published in 2000, over 400,000 Web designers and developers have relied on Steve Krug’s guide to help them understand the principles of intuitive navigation and ... (Goodreads)
Parallel Worlds: A Journey through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos
by Michio Kaku
An exploration of the universe, its dimensions, and the possibilities of the future.
In this thrilling journey into the mysteries of our cosmos, bestselling author Michio Kaku takes us on a dizzying ride to explore black holes and time machines, multidimensional space and, most ... (Goodreads)
The World of Yesterday
by Stefan Zweig
Autobiography of a Jewish writer, describing the intellectual and social life of fin de siècle Europe.
The World of Yesterday, mailed to his publisher a few days before Stefan Zweig took his life in 1942, has become a classic of the memoir genre. Originally titled “Three Lives,” the memoir describes ... (Goodreads)
Tao Te Ching
by Lao Tzu
A collection of wise sayings and reflections on the nature of existence.
A lucid translation of the well-known Taoist classic by a leading scholar-now in a Shambhala Pocket Library edition. Written more than two thousand years ago, the Tao Teh Ching , or -The Classic of ... (Goodreads)
Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius
Reflections on Stoic philosophy, exploring the nature of existence and how to live life.
Written in Greek by the only Roman emperor who was also a philosopher, without any intention of publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius offer a remarkable series of challenging spiritual ... (Goodreads)
Wall and Piece
by Banksy
An introduction to the subversive street art of Banksy, with visual commentary on modern life.
Banksy, Britain's now-legendary "guerilla" street artist, has painted the walls, streets, and bridges of towns and cities throughout the world. Not only did he smuggle his pieces into four of New ... (Goodreads)
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
by Chip Heath
Exploring why certain ideas are remembered and others are forgotten, focusing on practical ways to make ideas ‘stick’.
NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER - The instant classic about why some ideas thrive, why others die, and how to improve your idea's chances–essential reading in the "fake news" era. Mark Twain once ... (Goodreads)
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
by Richard Dawkins
A detailed exploration of the evidence for evolution, and its implications for our understanding of the world.
***30th Anniversary Edition*** Cover note: Each copy of the anniversary edition of, The Blind Watchmaker, features a unique biomorph. No two covers are exactly alike. Acclaimed as the most ... (Goodreads)
Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life
by Henry Cloud
A practical guide to setting and maintaining healthy boundaries in all areas of life.
Boundaries is the book that's helped over 4 million people learn when to say yes and know how to say no in order to take control of their lives. Does your life feel like it's out of control? Perhaps ... (Barnes & Noble)
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
by Dale Carnegie
Advice on overcoming worry & anxiety and living a happier, more fulfilled life.
The book 'How to stop worrying & start living' suggest many ways to conquer worry and lead a wonderful life. The book mentions fundamental facts to know about worry and magic formula for solving ... (Goodreads)
The Complete Essays
by Michel de Montaigne
Collection of essays exploring diverse topics, from philosophy to morality.
Michel de Montaigne was one of the most influential figures of the Renaissance, singlehandedly responsible for popularising the essay as a literary form. This Penguin Classics edition of The Complete ... (Goodreads)
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
by Cal Newport
Strategies and techniques to help readers stay focused on tasks and achieve greater success.
One of the most valuable skills in our economy is becoming increasingly rare. If you master this skill, you'll achieve extraordinary results. Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on ... (Goodreads)
