A book judged so dangerous in the Soviet Union that not only the manuscript but the ribbons on which it had been typed were confiscated by the state, Life and Fate is an epic tale of World War II and a profound reckoning with the dark forces that dominated the twentieth century. Interweaving a transfixing account of the battle of Stalingrad with the story of a single middle-class family, the Shaposhnikovs, scattered by fortune from Germany to Siberia, Vasily Grossman fashions an immense, intricately detailed tapestry depicting a time of almost unimaginable horror and even stranger hope. Life and Fate juxtaposes bedrooms and snipers’ nests, scientific laboratories and the Gulag, taking us deep into the hearts and minds of characters ranging from a boy on his way to the gas chambers to Hitler and Stalin themselves. This novel of unsparing realism and visionary moral intensity is one of the supreme achievements of modern Russian literature.

A “startlingly original” novel of “recursive loops through the mind of a woman who is breaking down from not making the art she absolutely must make” (Alexander Chee, Paris Review ). Alma and her family live close to the land, raising chickens and sheep. While her husband works at a nearby college, she stays home with their young children, cleans, searches for secondhand goods online, and reads books by the women writers she adores. Then, one night, she abruptly leaves it all behind—speeding through the darkness, away from their Vermont homestead, bound for New York. In a series of flashbacks, Alma reveals the circumstances and choices that led to this moment: the joys and claustrophobia of their remote life; her fears and uncertainties about motherhood; the painfully awkward faculty dinners; her feelings of loneliness and failure; and her growing fascination with Celeste, a mysterious ceramicist and self-loving doppelgänger who becomes an obsession for Alma. A fable both blistering and surreal, The Shame is a propulsive, funny, and thought-provoking debut about a woman in isolation, whose mind—fueled by capitalism, motherhood, and the search for meaningful art—attempts to betray her. Honors for The Shame : A Refinery29 Best New Book of Fall 2020 A Literary Hub Recommended Read for August 2020 A Bustle "Most Anticipated Book of August 2020" A Harvard Review Favorite Book of 2020, Selected by Miciah Bay Gault A White Review Recommended Read of 2020 A Mpls.St.Paul Magazine Reading Recommendation for Fall 2020

“In a distracted age, focus is a superpower, and this book’s supremely persuasive case to focus energy on state government and unlock its power will win you over. If you’re upset about what’s happening around the country, The Fourth Branch offers a concrete way to make change.”—Chris Hayes, MS NOW host and bestselling author of The Siren’s Call This part handbook, part history, and part personal narrative will open readers’ eyes to the oft-overlooked arm of government that has done more harm and more good than any other in recent years: state legislatures. After the 2024 election, many voters were left feeling disillusioned with America’s highest governing body. Anxious citizens point to the federal government and national elected officials with growing alarm, but the broken political system they see in Washington is merely a symptom. The site of that break—and the best opportunity to mend it—lies in the states. In The Fourth Branch, co-founder of The States Project Daniel Squadron opens readers’ eyes to the oft-overlooked arm of government that has far more power than most people even realize: state legislatures. Nearly every major issue that Americans care about—from climate change to minimum wage, abortion access to criminal justice reform, gun control to paid family leave—can be determined without the involvement of the federal government. Detailing the systems, experiences, and strategic thinking that inform The States Project’s approach to making change—one designed to combat decades of conservative investment and manipulation at the state level—this guide is an urgently needed and galvanizing framework for participation in our democracy, made all the more engaging by Daniel’s stories of his time as a New York State Senator and his work with inspiring lawmakers around the country. In examining the power and possibility of the states—both their capacity to influence national politics and the low barriers to involvement at the state level—this book will chart a course to real, grounded hope for the future through actions that any ordinary civilian can take to make concrete and lasting change. A compelling exploration of where power really lies in our government, The Fourth Branch will be a book for anyone who cares about our country and wants to do something about where it’s headed.