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  Embezzlement and High Treason...

  Vincent J. Pitts

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  A look at life in the court of King Louis XIV, the politics of the time, and the trial of a man who knew too much for his own good. 
   
  From 1661 to 1664, France was mesmerized by the arrest and trial of Nicolas Fouquet, the country’s superintendent of finance. Prosecuted on trumped-up charges of embezzlement, mismanagement of funds, and high treason, Fouquet managed to exonerate himself from all the major charges over the course of three long years, in the process embarrassing and infuriating Louis XIV. The young king overturned the court’s decision and sentenced Fouquet to lifelong imprisonment in a remote fortress in the Alps. 
   
  A dramatic critique of absolute monarchy in pre-revolutionary France, Embezzlement and High Treason in Louis XIV’s France tells the gripping tale of an overly ambitious man who rose rapidly in the state hierarchy—then overreached. Vincent J. Pitts uses the trial as a lens through which to explore the inner workings of the court of Louis XIV, who rightly feared that Fouquet would expose the tawdry financial dealings of the king’s late mentor and prime minister, Cardinal Mazarin. 
   
  “A compelling account of a political drama in mid-seventeenth century France, but it is also a window into the process by which rule of law gradually became established . . . [and] I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.” —EH.Net 
   
  “Pitts’s book examines the show trial of Fouquet, and…the political process that created such an unfair outcome for a man who is often seen as one of the most well-known scapegoats in French history. Pitts has succeeded masterfully in weaving a powerful narrative that exposes convoluted corruption and mismanagement of ancient régime France.” —Renaissance Quarterly

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  Summary and Analysis of Winter...

  Worth Books

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  So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of Winter Is Coming tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Garry Kasparov’s book. Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader.   This short summary and analysis of Winter Is Coming includes: Historical contextChapter-by-chapter overviewsProfiles of the main charactersDetailed timeline of key eventsImportant quotesFascinating triviaGlossary of termsSupporting material to enhance your understanding of the original workAbout Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped by Garry Kasparov:  Winter Is Coming tells the story of Vladimir Putin’s stunning rise to power—and is a dire warning. Beginning with the fall of the Soviet Union, Russian dissident and chess champion Garry Kasparov traces the circumstances that allowed Putin to flourish, including Russia’s aborted attempt at democracy under Boris Yeltsin and the Chechen Wars.   Despite Putin’s constant and ruthless assaults on civil liberties and international diplomacy—including his botched hostage negotiations in Beslan, corruption and voter fraud, the imprisonment and murders of protesters and opposition figures, and the annexation of the Crimea region in Ukraine—the West and the UN continue to acquiesce to his demands, making him stronger.   Learn why Garry Kasparov likens Putin to Adolf Hitler of the 1930s and why he believes that if no one steps in to stop him, the consequences could be disastrous.   The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.  

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  The Terrorist Watch - Inside the...

  Ronald Kessler

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  Although it has been over five years since the 9/11 attacks, Americans still do not have a clear sense of how our government is waging the war on terror. In The Terrorist Watch, bestselling author Ronald Kessler takes listeners behind the scenes to reveal exactly how our leaders, charged with protecting the American people, are stopping terrorists.In his New York Times bestsellers A Matter of Character: Inside the White House of George W. Bush and Laura Bush: An Intimate Portrait of the First Lady, Kessler gained unprecedented access to the Bush administration. Now he has combined that access with the extraordinary network of contacts he has developed in the intelligence community to provide a headline-making, myth-busting insider account of how the U.S. intelligence agencies-under the leadership of the Bush administration-have completely reinvented themselves to thwart terrorist activity wherever it occurs.Never before has a reporter gained such entry to the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center, and the other agencies that are doing the real, unheralded work in spotting and capturing terrorists. By bringing listeners inside the key war rooms of the war on terror-from the Oval Office to the Pentagon, and from the CIA to the National Security Agency-Kessler destroys the common myths about our government's handling of the terrorist threat. Filled with news breaks, The Terrorist Watch will take listeners up to the minute by focusing not simply on the immediate aftermath of 9/11 but also on the more recent breakthroughs and successes, such as the thwarting of the 2006 London terrorist plot, as well as the discovery and breakup of terrorist cells in Canada. In The Terrorist Watch, the full story is told for the first time.

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  Disgrace - Global Reflections on...

  Joanna Bourke

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  Looking across time and the globe, a critical history of sexual violence—what causes it and how we overcome it. Disgrace is the first truly global history of sexual violence. The book explores how sexual violence varies widely across time and place, from nineteenth-century peasant women in Ireland who were abducted as a way of forcing marriage, to date-raped high-school students in twentieth-century America, and from girls and women violated by Russian soldiers in 1945 to Dalit women raped by men of higher castes today. It delves into the factors that facilitate violence—including institutions, ideologies, and practices—but also gives voice to survivors and activists, drawing inspiration from their struggles. Ultimately, Joanna Bourke intends to forge a transnational feminism that will promote a more harmonious, equal, and rape—and violence-free world.

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  Why Bad Governments Happen to...

  Danny Katch

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  “With wit and clarity, Katch argues for social movements, political activism, and socialism as the alternatives we need to win the world we want” (Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, author of From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation).   The election of Donald Trump has sent the United States and the world into uncharted waters, with a bigoted, petty man-child at the head of the planet’s most powerful empire. Danny Katch indicts the hollowness of the US political system which led to Trump’s rise and puts forward a vision for a real alternative, a democracy that works for the people.   “In the tradition of Abbie Hoffman and George Carlin, Sarah Silverman and Dave Chappelle, Katch’s generous, embracing humor is deployed to uncover the deepest truths of our predicament. Don’t miss it.” —Bill Ayers, author of Demand the Impossible!: A Radical Manifesto   “This is a moment when politics and laughter are both necessities for survival. Without them we would be lost. Now we have a book that gives us both.” —Dave Zirin, author of Game Over: How Politics Has Turned the Sports World Upside Down   “If you or your friends and family have been shocked and horrified since Election Day, Katch will calm you down, cheer you up, and get you ready to fight.” —Sarah Jaffe, podcast host and author of Necessary Trouble   “It’s horrible, tragic, ridiculous, and full of suspense. But enough about the White House. This book will make you laugh out loud, learn something about our world, and get inspired to change it.” —Brian Jones, actor, educator, and activist

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  Keywords - The New Language of...

  John Patrick Leary

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  “A clever, even witty examination of the manipulation of language in these days of neoliberal or late stage capitalism” (Counterpunch).   From Silicon Valley to the White House, from kindergarten to college, and from the factory floor to the church pulpit, we are all called to be innovators and entrepreneurs, to be curators of an ever-expanding roster of competencies, and to become resilient and flexible in the face of the insults and injuries we confront at work. In the midst of increasing inequality, these keywords teach us to thrive by applying the lessons of a competitive marketplace to every sphere of life. What’s more, by celebrating the values of grit, creativity, and passion at school and at work, they assure us that economic success is nothing less than a moral virtue.   Organized alphabetically as a lexicon, Keywords explores the history and common usage of major terms in the everyday language of capitalism. Because these words have infiltrated everyday life, their meanings may seem self-evident, even benign. Who could be against empowerment, after all? Keywords uncovers the histories of words like innovation, which was once synonymous with “false prophecy” before it became the prevailing faith of Silicon Valley. Other words, like best practices and human capital, are relatively new coinages that subtly shape our way of thinking. As this book makes clear, the new language of capitalism burnishes hierarchy, competition, and exploitation as leadership, collaboration, and sharing, modeling for us the habits of the economically successful person: be visionary, be self-reliant—and never, ever stop working.

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