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Challenger - A True Story Of Heroism And Disaster On The Edge Of Space

Winner of the 2024 National Book Critics Circle Award in Nonfiction • Winner of the 2024 Kirkus Nonfiction Prize • Shortlisted for the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction • ANew York TimesNotable Book of 2024

NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLER • “Stunning…A heart-pounding thriller…Challengeris a remarkable book.” —The Atlantic• “Devastating…A universal story that transcends time.” —The New York Times• “Dramatic…a moving narrative.” —The Wall Street Journal

From theNew York Timesbestselling author ofMidnight in Chernobylcomes the definitive, “compelling, and exhaustively researched” (The Washington Post) minute-by-minute account of theChallengerdisaster, based on fascinating and new archival research—a riveting history that reads like a thriller.

On January 28, 1986, just seventy-three seconds into flight, the space shuttleChallengerbroke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven people on board. Millions of Americans witnessed the tragic deaths of the crew, which included New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. Like the assassination of JFK, theChallengerdisaster is a defining moment in 20th-century history—one that forever changed the way America thought of itself and its optimistic view of the future. Yet the full story of what happened, and why, has never been told.

Based on extensive archival research and metic­ulous, original reporting,Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Spacefollows a handful of central protagonists—including each of the seven members of the doomed crew—through the years leading up to the accident, and offers a detailed account of the tragedy itself and the inves­tigation afterward. It’s a compelling tale of ambition and ingenuity undermined by political cynicism and cost-cutting in the interests of burnishing national prestige; of hubris and heroism; and of an investigation driven by leakers and whistleblowers determined to bring the truth to light. Throughout, there are the ominous warning signs of a tragedy to come, recognized but then ignored, and later hidden from the public.

Higginbotham reveals the history of the shuttle program and the lives of men and women whose stories have been overshadowed by the disaster, as well as the designers, engineers, and test pilots who struggled against the odds to get the first shuttle into space. A masterful blend of riveting human drama and fascinating and absorbing science,Challengeridentifies a turning point in history—and brings to life an even more complex and astonishing story than we remember.

The Socrates Express

The New York Times bestselling author of The Geography of Bliss embarks on a rollicking intellectual journey, following in the footsteps of history’s greatest thinkers and showing us how each—from Epicurus to Gandhi, Thoreau to Beauvoir—offers practical and spiritual lessons for today’s unsettled times.

We turn to philosophy for the same reasons we travel: to see the world from a dif­ferent perspective, to unearth hidden beauty, and to find new ways of being. We want to learn how to embrace wonder. Face regrets. Sustain hope.

Eric Weiner combines his twin passions for philosophy and travel in a globe-trotting pil­grimage that uncovers surprising life lessons from great thinkers around the world, from Rousseau to Nietzsche, Confucius to Simone Weil. Traveling by train (the most thoughtful mode of transport), he journeys thousands of miles, making stops in Athens, Delhi, Wyoming, Coney Island, Frankfurt, and points in between to recon­nect with philosophy’s original purpose: teaching us how to lead wiser, more meaningful lives. From Socrates and ancient Athens to Beauvoir and 20th-century Paris, Weiner’s chosen philosophers and places provide important practical and spiritual lessons as we navigate today’s chaotic times.

In a “delightful” odyssey that “will take you places intellectually and humorously” (San Francisco Book Review), Weiner invites us to voyage alongside him on his life-changing pursuit of wisdom and discovery as he attempts to find answers to our most vital questions. The Socrates Express is “full of valuable lessons…a fun, sharp book that draws readers in with its apparent simplicity and bubble-gum philosophy approach and gradually pulls them in deeper and deeper” (NPR).

Principles: Your Guided Journal (Create Your Own Principles To Get The Work And Life You Want)

From Ray Dalio, the legendary investor and 1 New York Times bestselling author of Principles—whose books have sold more than five million copies worldwide—comes a guided reflection journal that empowers readers everywhere to develop their own principles for success in work and life.

“Principles are fundamental truths that serve as the foundations for behavior that gets you what you want out of life.” —Ray Dalio

In his 1 New York Times bestseller Principles, legendary investor Ray Dalio introduced millions of readers around the world to the unconventional approach he developed as the founder and builder of Bridgewater Associates, the largest and most successful hedge fund in the world. Dalio attributes his unique success to his process of recording, refining, and acting on a set of well-defined principles, which are effectively decision-rules for getting what you want out of life and work. His goal in publishing the book was to show readers the value of principle-based thinking so that they could develop their own principles, aligned with their own values, for getting whatever they wanted out of life.

With this new journal, Dalio takes his goal one step further to help readers reflect on and record their own principles. He does that by providing a series of guided exercises and questions for reflecting on what you’re like, what you value, and what principles will best help you achieve your goals. These exercises draw from key concepts in the original Principles book, including:

1. How to identify your strengths, weaknesses, motivations, and preferences

All of these exercises can optionally be enhanced using the free Principles in Action iOS and Android app (currently available in the United States, UK, Germany, Spain, and India with more countries to come), which provides an even more interactive, multimedia experience, and they are followed by a number of blank journal pages containing thought-provoking and unconventional prompts from Principles aimed at helping you formulate your own principles. The experience concludes with a structured reflection on where you and your loved ones are along life’s journey, leaving you with a highly personalized, practical playbook for achieving success in the years ahead.