Under the Banner of Heaven (2003) traces the roots of contemporary Mormon fundamentalism through the lens of a horrendous double murder. The devotion of the Lafferty brothers is a gateway into core tenets that include divine revelation, polygamy, blood atonement, and the way Mormons act in their unique role as God’s chosen. Introduction: Understand religious …
Crime
Crime and Punishment (1866) is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Russian literature. It follows a young man called Rodion Raskolnikov – first as he plots to kill an elderly pawnbroker, then as he commits the deed, and finally as he confronts the many consequences of his actions. Emotionally poignant as well as philosophically …
Pegasus (2023) follows the thrilling, worldwide investigation into one of the most powerful and insidious pieces of cyber surveillance software known to date. Beginning with a massive data leak to a small, independent news outlet, it tells the story of how Pegasus came to be, the hundreds of innocent individuals who have had their privacy …
In 1978, a black detective at the Colorado Springs Police Department responded to an ad in the local paper for information on the KKK. The investigation that followed was one the most unique and informative intelligence operations in American history. In this book review, hear Detective Ron Stallworth’s extensive work to infiltrate the Ku Klux …
A few years ago, several dozen prominent neurologists and academics began receiving a similar package in the mail: a beautifully printed book with a note. The message to the recipients advised them that they’d been selected to crack a mysterious code, but no one knew where the packages had originated from. “The Psychopath Test” is …
Rogues (2022) is a compilation of veteran journalist Patrick Radden Keefe’s most famous profiles for the New Yorker Magazine. Keefe delves into the lives of notorious criminals and con artists, exploring their complex motivations. He examines the societies that made them and the systems we have for bringing people to justice. Genres Biography and Memoir, …
Confidence Man (2022) is a full account of Trump’s life in the spotlight. It tracks his career from early New York real estate deals to his tumultuous tenure in the White House. It shows how his aggressive personality was molded early on and only intensified as the stage grew bigger. Introduction: A rare look into …
Victor Bout, the gunrunner portrayed in the Hollywood hit Lord of War, ran his notorious weapons trade through companies in Delaware and Florida. If you think Delaware is a strange place for a Ukrainian man smuggling guns into African civil wars to call home, you clearly underestimate the power and influence of tax havens. Tax …