Other books that might interest you

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  Manipulation - Influencing...

  Cito Harder

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  Manipulation is a form of covert influence where an individual or group uses deceptive tactics to control or alter the behaviors, beliefs, or decisions of others, often without their awareness. This subtle, often underhanded form of influence aims to achieve personal gain or power, typically at the expense of the manipulated party. Understanding the nature of manipulation requires delving into the methods and psychological mechanisms that make it so effective and insidious. 
  At its core, manipulation is about exerting influence in a way that is not immediately obvious to the target. Unlike more overt forms of control, manipulation operates in the shadows, using psychological tactics to induce desired behaviors or responses. It thrives on exploiting vulnerabilities, uncertainties, and emotional triggers in individuals, often capitalizing on their desires, fears, or insecurities. Manipulators may use a variety of techniques, such as flattery, guilt-tripping, emotional blackmail, and gaslighting, to sway decisions or actions in their favor. 
  One of the defining characteristics of manipulation is its covert nature. The manipulator often works behind the scenes, creating situations or presenting information in a way that influences the target’s perception of reality. This can lead the victim to make decisions they would not otherwise have made, under the false belief that they are acting independently or in their own best interest. For instance, a manipulative partner may use guilt to convince their significant other to compromise on something they would normally resist. Over time, these manipulative tactics can erode the target's sense of agency and self-worth, making them more susceptible to future manipulation.

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  The Coffee-House of Surat - A...

  Leo Tolstoy, Tim Zengerink

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  What if every path led to the same destination—just spoken in different tongues? 
  The Coffee-House of Surat by Leo Tolstoy is a short, powerful story that imagines a meeting of five religious men—each defending their path to truth. But when a quiet observer finally joins the discussion, he offers a perspective that challenges the foundation of their debate. 
  This modern audiobook adaptation presents Tolstoy’s timeless reflection on faith, dogma, and understanding in clear, thoughtful language for today’s listener. 
  What You’ll Hear in This Modern Translation: 
  •	A moving dialogue between representatives of different faiths 
  •	A calm, wise interruption that reframes the entire debate 
  •	A reminder that truth may not belong to any one group—but to all 
  Included in This Edition: 
  This audiobook retains the heart of Tolstoy’s message while modernizing the language for clarity, flow, and accessibility—making it ideal for both reflection and discussion. 
  Listen now—and let this parable open your heart to the wisdom of unity.

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  On Privacy - Twenty Lessons to...

  Lawrence Cappello

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  This short, powerful book provides practical advice on how to protect yourself in the information age. Living today means most of us must contend with things like workplace surveillance, cyberstalking, ransomware attacks, and facial recognition. But it's not too late to protect our privacy. Written in blunt, jargon-free prose, On Privacy defines today’s privacy landscape while also reminding readers of the joys of keeping things to ourselves—that privacy creates space for intimacy, is essential to mental health, and is a fundamental right in a free society.  Explored among the book's lessons are concepts like: .The Nothing-to-Hide Trap .How we become prisoners of our recorded past .The ways small data points about us can paint revealing pictures .How Big Brother is in fact real .Why we should insist on privacy by design .How to make ensuring privacy something that is profitable.  Each lesson ends with advice on how to talk about a given aspect of privacy and how to take actionable steps to safeguard yourself. On Privacy is small book with a big message about why privacy matters, who profits by invading it, and how best to defend yours in easy, everyday ways.

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  Portugal and Slovakia in...

  Pieter C. van Duin, Zuzana...

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  This book is a contribution to European comparative history involving Portugal and Slovakia, but also the larger geographic units of Iberia and Slavic Central Europe. While developments in Portugal and Slovakia predominate, Spain, the Czech lands, and other regions are discussed as well. The subjects investigated include the position of women and the activities of messianic thinkers in the seventeenth century as well as semi-fascist Catholic political movements in the twentieth century. The authors look at the subject matter from the viewpoint of politics, social phenomena, and culture. The cultural dimension includes religion and ideology, both of which have clearly been of critical importance in Portuguese and Slovak history. It also includes problems of ethno-linguistic and national identity and the more recent phenomenon of multiculturalism, whose social promotion is controversial and uncertain.
  
  
  
  This comparative study by Zuzana Poláčková and Peter C. van Duin, a collection of essays, is a revelation, especially for students of European authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, and, furthermore, anybody interested in European history."
  
  —Josette Baer, Professor, UZH University of Zurich
  
  
  
  This book gives proof to Cicero’s dictum: "Historia magistra vitae est"—without knowledge of the past we cannot build a sustainable future. Thanks to the authors for this great contribution to knowledge!"
  
  —Lucia Mokrá, Professor of International Law, Comenius University, Bratislava
  
  
  
  This collection of essays provides not only fascinating insights into the political workings of these two small states, but of the workings of politics in the larger Iberian / Slavic context. Highly recommended."
  
  —Dr. David Reichardt, International Relations, Webster University, Saint-Louis, Missouri 
  
  
  
  A very important contribution to the study of the comparative history of Europe, and therefore I fully recommend its publication."
  
  —Mgr. Juraj Marušiak, PhD. Institute of Political Science, public research institution, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

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  Life Map - A Short Guide For...

  Ioniţă "Shumu” Mihai

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  My aim with this book is to help bring some clarity and a sense of direction to adults and younger people alike. 
  As an adult, if you find yourself kind of stuck, say you’ve had a fair amount of experiences up to this point, you are financially independent and overall pretty content but feel you kind of lost contact with some of your dreams and aspirations from around…10 years ago…keep on reading. 
  Or, if you’re a student who feels overwhelmed in today’s world where we’re all constantly flooded by the online medium which fights for each second of our attention and distorts reality by feeding us fake reference points…keep on reading. 
  It’s completely understandable how someone can feel lost and not know what to do with one’s life. 
  While I do not claim to hold an absolute truth, I firmly believe that this book can and will be seen as a clear and solid starting point in helping you find at least some answers to questions you have or may have, whether you’re an adult looking to improve your life, or a student feeling your life is just starting out. 
  In short, my idea was to take Abraham Maslow’s Expanded Hierarchy of Needs and pump it full of steroids. 
  I wanted to take this pyramid and turn it into a tesseract. 
  Ok…so maybe that fifth cup of coffee at 3 a.m. wasn’t such a good idea after all.

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  Capturing News Capturing...

  Mel Bunce, Kate Wright, Martin...

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  The Voice of America (VOA) is the oldest and largest US government-funded international media organization. In 2020, Donald Trump nominated Michael Pack, a right-wing documentarian and close friend of Steve Bannon, to lead the US Agency for Global Media—the independent federal agency overseeing US-funded international media. During Pack's seven month tenure, more than thirty whistleblowers filed complaints against him, and a judge ruled that he had infringed journalists' constitutional right to freedom of speech. 
   
   
   
  How did such a major international public service media network become intensely politicized by government allies in such a short time, despite having its editorial independence protected by law? 
   
   
   
  Capturing News, Capturing Democracy puts these events in historical and international context—and develops a new analytical framework for understanding government capture and its connection to broader processes of democratic backsliding. Drawing from in-depth interviews with network managers and journalists, and analysis of private correspondence and internal documents, Kate Wright, Martin Scott, and Mel Bunce analyze how political appointees, White House officials, and right-wing media influenced VOA—changing its reporting of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the 2020 presidential election.

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