New York Times Bestseller New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice "An essential and groundbreaking text in the effort to understand how American criminal justice went so badly awry." —Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of Between the World and Me In A Colony in a Nation, New York Times best-selling author and Emmy Award–winning news anchor Chris Hayes upends the national conversation on policing and democracy. Drawing on wide-ranging historical, social, and political analysis, as well as deeply personal experiences with law enforcement, Hayes contends that our country has fractured in two: the Colony and the Nation. In the Nation, the law is venerated. In the Colony, fear and order undermine civil rights. With great empathy, Hayes seeks to understand this systemic divide, examining its ties to racial inequality, the omnipresent threat of guns, and the dangerous and unfortunate results of choices made by fear.

A provocative new book that shows us why we must put American history firmly in a global context--from 1492 to today Americans like to tell their country's story as if the United States were naturally autonomous and self-sufficient, with characters, ideas, and situations unique to itself. Thomas Bender asks us to rethink this "exceptionalism" and to reconsider the conventional narrative. He proposes that America has grappled with circumstances, doctrines, new developments, and events that other nations, too, have faced, and that we can only benefit from recognizing this. Bender's exciting argument begins with the discovery of the Americas at a time when peoples everywhere first felt the transforming effects of oceanic travel and trade. He then reconsiders our founding Revolution, occurring in an age of rebellion on many continents; the Civil War, happening when many countries were redefining their core beliefs about the nature of freedom and the meaning of nationhood; and the later imperialism that pitted the United States against Germany, Spain, France, and England. Industrialism and urbanization, laissez-faire economics, capitalism and socialism, and new technologies are other factors that Bender views in the light of global developments. A Nation Among Nations is a passionate, persuasive book that makes clear what damage is done when we let the old view of America alone in the world falsify our history. Bender boldly challenges us to think beyond our borders.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 There are two ways to experience the police in America: as the people you call when there is a problem, or as the people who are called on you. For many, the police are the ones who are called on them. #2 I was a college student at the time, and I was carrying weed to a Republican convention. I was almost caught, but fortunately nothing bad came out of it. With the advantage of hindsight, I can look back and know that if I had been arrested, it would’ve been no more than an embarrassing hassle. #3 I have never been to jail or prison, but I have spent a lot of time on the ground reporting on criminal justice and the growing social movement to reform it. #4 The United States has the most incarcerated citizens in the world, and it has done so for more than four decades. The country’s homicide rate has declined sharply from its peak, but it remains higher than that of any other developed democracy.

The colony of Connecticut was instrumental in the formation of the United States. Connecticut was the birthplace of some of the most important patriots of the American Revolution, including Nathan Hale, who was a famous patriot spy. As readers explore the history of Connecticut during its time as a British colony, they also learn about topics relevant to social studies curricula, such as the French and Indian War and the protests against British taxation. Historical images and full-color photographs allow readers to see for themselves what life was like in this colony while gaining practice interpreting primary sources.

Welcome to Massachusetts, the colony most associated with the earliest sparks of the American Revolution. In this volume, readers learn about the landing of the Pilgrims, early settlements that grew into famous cities, and important figures in Massachusetts’ history. The descriptions of major historical moments, including the Salem Witch Trials, Boston Tea Party, and Paul Revere’s famous ride, are sure to engage and delight elementary readers. Engaging text, primary sources, and supportive images will transport readers to the land that bred the Sons of Liberty and the true spirit of the American Revolution. This volume approaches national and state social studies curricula in an accessible and dynamic way.

Defining a Nation is set at Simla, in the foothills of the Himalayas, where the British viceroy has invited leaders of various religious and political constituencies to work out the future of Britain's largest colony. Will the British transfer power to the Indian National Congress, which claims to speak for all Indians? Or will a separate Muslim state—Pakistan—be carved out of India to be ruled by Muslims, as the Muslim League proposes? And what will happen to the vulnerable minorities—such as the Sikhs and untouchables—or the hundreds of princely states? As British authority wanes, tensions among Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs smolder and increasingly flare into violent riots that threaten to ignite all India. Towering above it all is the frail but formidable figure of Gandhi, whom some revere as an apostle of nonviolence and others regard as a conniving Hindu politician. Students struggle to reconcile religious identity with nation building—perhaps the most intractable and important issue of the modern world. Texts include the literature of Hindu revival (Chatterjee, Tagore, and Tilak); the Koran and the literature of Islamic nationalism (Iqbal); and the writings of Ambedkar, Nehru, Jinnah, and Gandhi.