An edited and abridged version of Alexis de Tocqueville's study of the United States, written in 1831 when the democracy was still young, encompassing the history, geography, politics, legal system, economy, and culture of America, and addressing issues such as a free press and racism that are still pertinent in the twenty-first century.

Traces the parallel lives of two youths with the same name in the same community, describing how the author grew up to be a Rhodes Scholar and promising business leader while his counterpart suffered a life of violence and imprisonment.

"External physical characteristics that are genetically encoded are things over which no individual has control. But rather than appreciating the gift of diversity, some have chosen to use it to drive wedges between groups of people. Some of these external characteristics are associated with the past moral failing of slavery. Though slavery in America formally ended in the 1860s, the vestiges of that evil institution are still with us today, and those...

A stunning documentary about the life of indigenous people living in the heart of the Siberian Taiga. Deep in the wilderness, far away from civilization, 300 people inhabit the small village of Bakhtia at the river Yenisei. There are only two ways to reach this outpost: by helicopter or boat. There's no telephone, running water or medical aid. The locals, whose daily routines have barely changed over the last centuries, live according to their own...

Bryson examines closely the events and personalities of the summer of 1927 when America's story was one of brawling adventure, reckless optimism and delirious energy.

Today's Mexico is presented through the experiences, opinions and adventures of hundreds of Mexicans from all walks of life: not politics, nor statistics, but the personality of a nation grafted onto deep, indigenous roots by a European invader that still was entwined in feudal customs and superstitions. This narration takes readers through Mexico City, through its suburbs rich and poor, into its ceremonies--Christian and pre-Christian--and on journeys...

Often revealingly autobiographical, Du Bois explores topics as diverse as the death of his infant son and the politics of Booker T. Washington. In every essay, he shows the consequences of both a political color line and an internal one, as he grapples with the contradictions of being black and being American.--Publisher's description.