They Know Everything About You

Scheer, Robert/ Beladi, Sara (Get this book)
Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Scheer examines how online convenience has supplanted bedrock American values of personal freedom and the right to privacy. Have Americans really surrendered liberties for the "freedom" of bypassing the mall and doing their shopping online? Certainly, but as the author discusses at length, the Internet has also given rise to the most perfect surveillance apparatus ever created. A vital piece of work that demands attention.--Kirkus

Social Security Works!: Why Social Security Isn't Going Broke and How Expanding It Will Help Us All

Altman, Nancy J./ Kingson, Eric R./ Johnston, David Cay (Get this book)
For a balanced yet passionate defense of our Social Security system, author-lawyer Altman and professor Kingson team up, this time in print, to convince audiences from California to Maine that Social Security is, indeed, a valued and valuable program. Altman and Kingson present the facts in ways that nonactuaries can thoroughly understand. Appended is additional information about how Social Security works and about the Social Security Works All Generations Plan; descriptions of various Social Security expansion legislative bills; and a list of leading organizations working to expand Social Security.--Booklist

Lords of Secrecy: The National Security Elite and America's Stealth Warfare

Scott Horton (Get this book)
An examination of the erosion of personal liberty accompanying the rise of the national security state. Thanks at least in part to Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, Americans are more aware than ever before of the massive amount of data that the government keeps not just on suspected terrorists and enemies of the state, but also on ordinary citizens. Even so, in specific terms, writes Harper's contributing editor Horton, "Americans know less about what their national security forces are doing than ever before." This contradiction perfectly describes the way things are today: We know that there are spies among us, but we don't know what they're really after—save that they keep their activities from us by arguing that to know too much would endanger our safety. This useful book catches him in the act and even offers some thoughts on how to poke his eyes out.--Kirkus

More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High-Stakes Testing

Alfie Kohn, Diane Ravitch (Get this book)
The eagerly engaged voices assembled here present an action plan to combat the increase in high-stakes standardized testing currently plaguing K 12 education. Readily highlighting the drive to turn public education over to private companies, Hagopian and crew scathingly indict test preparation giant Pearson, the Chicago Public School System, the arrogance of the Texas State Legislature, and programs like No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top; Education Secretary Arne Duncan also comes under fire for his support of repetitive standardized testing over more free-form education. The contributors build on Hagopian's optimism for the blooming of an "educational spring" and make this book exceptional.--Publisher's Weekly

America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder

Bret Stephens (Get this book)
Stephens eloquently warns of mounting U.S. isolationism and the chaos that may result. This compact volume responds to current concerns, particularly among progressives and libertarians, that the U.S. military is overly committed abroad. Readers of Stephens's "WSJ"columns will recognize persistent themes: the return of al-Qaeda and the future of Iran; escalating Russian aggression; and Chinese militarism. Given the U.S.'s recently renewed commitments in the Middle East, Stephens's clear, convincing apologia for American power will make especially timely reading for American foreign policy's skeptics and opponents.--Publisher's Weekly

The Ebola Survival Handbook: An MD Tells You What You Need to Know Now to Stay Safe

Joseph Alton, MD (Get this book)
As the Ebola epidemic becomes more frightening--and hits closer to home--people are looking for answers. How does it spread? Are we at risk? How do we protect ourselves and our families from this deadly disease? In this necessary new book, Dr. Joseph Alton, an MD who is at the forefront of crisis medicine, explains the virus, how it spreads, how to prevent infection, and what the right treatment protocol is if the virus is contracted. He explains in easy-to-understand language the latest research on how Ebola is transmitted and treated, including late-breaking research from the University of Minnesota that shows it may be transmissible by air.

As the Ebola crisis unfolds with increasing severity and an exponential mortality rate, it is becoming more obvious that our government does not have the skills and resources to protect us in the event of a fast-moving pandemic. This book should be required reading for anyone who wants to ensure the health and safety of themselves and their loved ones. (Publisher)

America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder

Bret Stephens (Get this book)
In his first book, the Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign affairs columnist for the Wall Street Journal surveys the tumultuous international scene and calls for America to do what great nations have always done: Lead. By any objective measure, writes Stephens, the United States is not in decline. We'll be the world's leading power for decades to come, the chief adversary for the likes of China, Russia and Iran, and "the preferred target for any ambitious terrorist group." For the past 10 years, however, the nation has been in retreat, shrinking from international responsibilities. In this mostly persuasive polemic, the author outlines the persistent tension in our history-in both major parties-between the impulse to retire entirely from the world or to try to save it. A provocative, carefully reasoned argument, anathema to politicians as disparate as Barack Obama and Rand Paul.--Kirkus