"An eminent sociologist--and coauthor, with Aziz Ansari, of the #1 New York Times bestseller Modern Romance--makes the provocative case that the future of democratic societies rests not only on shared values but also on shared "social infrastructure": the libraries, childcare centers, bookstores, coffee shops, pools, and parks that promote crucial, sometimes life-saving connections between people who might otherwise fail to find common cause"--

Myths and misconceptions covered in the book include: Is the media unbiased? Are our schools helping or hurting our kids? Do singles have a better sex life than married people? Do we have less free time than we used to? Is outsourcing bad for American workers? Suburban sprawl is ruining America; money makes people happier; the world is too crowded; we're drowning in garbage; profiteering is evil; sweatshops exploit people. Investigative reporter Stossel...

"As we struggle to keep up in a knowledge economy that never sleeps, we arm ourselves with life hacks, to-do lists, and an inbox-zero mentality, grasping at anything that will help us work faster, push harder, and produce more. There's just one problem: most of these solutions are making things worse. Creativity isn't produced on an assembly line, and endless hustle is ruining our mental and physical health while subtracting from our creative performance....

"Beyond serving as the definitive guide to happiness in this country, Happiness in America offers readers a provocative argument that challenges standard thinking. Despite popular belief, Americans have never been a particularly happy people. Our perpetual (and futile) search for happiness indicates widespread dissatisfaction and discontent with life in general, something that will come as a surprise to many. The image of Americans as a happy-go-lucky...

"In Home from Nowhere Kunstler explores the growing movement across America to restore the physical dwelling place of our civilization. Picking up where The Geography of Nowhere left off, Kunstler describes precisely how the American Dream of a little cottage in a natural landscape mutated into today's sprawling automobile suburb in all its ghastliness, and why "we are going to run shrieking from it to a better world." He locates in our national psychology...

"High-flying Harley-Davidson executive Shelley Paxton had an enviable life by most measures - money, travel, excitement. Yet the trappings of success hid a growing discontent, which spiraled into addiction, divorce and despair before a long-overdue break forced her to face all the fears and dreams she'd been ignoring. She left a 26-year corporate career and took a "Soulbattical" - a deeply personal journey to reconnect with her true purpose and deepest...

"Wherever we live, however we do so, we desperately need a prophet of responsibility; and although the days of the prophets seem past to many of us, Berry may be the closest to one we have. But, fortunately, he is also a poet of responsibility. He makes one believe that the good life may not only be harder than what we're used to but sweeter as well." -The New York Review of Books In Home Economics, Berry explores this process and continues to discuss...