Politics & Society

Conservative broadcaster, former Arkansas governor, and possible 2012 contender challenges the concept of the elite and says that faith alone, without action, is meaningless

NPR host and former foreign correspondent offers practical and anecdotal guidance on reporting the news. Says, "I don’t buy this idea that there was a golden age in journalism"

Amnesty International’s director of international advocacy chooses books that illuminate historical and contemporary human rights issues, from the Belgian Congo to Iran

Boston University professor delves into the origins of crime science, using literary and historical works to explain early forensics, phrenology and criminal psychology

Wars and terrorism usually end through a negotiated bargain where you have to sit across the table from those you consider terrorists and murderers, says American scholar and peace activist David Cortright. He picks books that help us think through the potential for non-military solutions to political conflicts.

Founder and CEO of Women for Women International Zainab Salbi says we need to make the 21st century the time for women’s rights, and describes how reading Rumi’s poems helps her to find inner peace

The former FBI Chief Negotiator says that negotiators need to come across as non-threatening and non-judgmental. And active listening isn’t just something you use in a hostage situation; it’s important in everyday life, too

Steeped in the pre-Christian traditions of English magic, Richard Heygate, the author of the bestselling The Book of English Magic, warns readers not to dabble unless they are prepared to end up in a padded cell.

U.S. government adviser and Dean of the American University School of Public Affairs leads a book-bound tour that takes us from the Bacardi dynasty in Cuba to American military interventions in Central America

Newspaper journalism is on its way out, regrets the former foreign correspondent and Browser co-founder Robert Cottrell. He chooses four novels that reflect the golden days and a style guide that is an equally fine work of imagination.