A Thousand Splendid Suns is an ambitious work. Once again the setting is Afghanistan, but this time [Hosseini] has taken the last 33 years of that country’s tumultuous history of war and oppression and told it on an intimate scale, through the lives of two women.”

—The New York Times

“Spectacular. . . Hosseini’s writing makes our hearts ache, our stomachs clench and our emotions reel. . . Hosseini tells this saddest of stories in achingly beautiful prose through stunningly heroic characters whose spirits somehow grasp the dimmest rays of hope.”
—USA Today

“Just as good, if not better, than Hosseini’s best-selling first book, The Kite Runner.”
—Newsweek

“A compelling story that gives voice to the agonies and hopes of another group of innocents caught up in a war. . . Mesmerizing. . . Hosseini’s bewitching narrative captures the intimate details of life in a world where it’s a struggle to survive, skillfully inserting this human story into the larger backdrop of recent history.”
—San Francisco Chronicle

Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love.

Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them—in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul—they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.

A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love.

IMPRINT: Bloomsbury Publishing
PUBLISHED: 23/08/2018
ISBN: 9781526604750
LENGTH: 432 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 129mm x 198mm
WEIGHT: 100g

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'An eerily familiar reflection of our current moment ... It continues to haunt me' NATASHA BROWN, I PAPER BOOKS OF THE YEAR

'I will go wherever she takes me. A phenomenal book' DAISY JOHNSON

'A brilliant, scalding novel ... sharp, intricately layered, impossible to forget' MEGAN HUNTER

'Stunning ... beautifully written and deeply unsettling' BOOKSELLER, EDITOR'S CHOICE

CHOSEN AS A 2021 BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR BY OBSERVER, INDEPENDENT, FINANCIAL TIMES, EVENING STANDARD, GRAZIA, STYLIST, ELLE THE NATIONAL, FIVE BOOKS AND BURO

A couple drive from London to coastal Provence. Anya is preoccupied with what she feels is a relationship on the verge; unequal, precarious. Luke, reserved, stoic, gives away nothing. As the sun sets one evening, he proposes, and they return to London engaged.

But planning a wedding does little to settle Anya's unease. As a child, she escaped from Sarajevo, and the idea of security is as alien now as it was then. When social convention forces Anya to return, she begins to change. The past she sought to contain for as long as she can remember resurfaces, and the hot summer builds to a startling climax.

Lean, sly and unsettling, Asylum Road is about the many borders governing our lives: between men and women, assimilation and otherness, nations, families, order and chaos.

What happens, and who do we become, when they break down?

IMPRINT: Bloomsbury Publishing
PUBLISHED: 20/01/2022
ISBN: 9781526617408
LENGTH: 272 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 129mm x 198mm
WEIGHT: 100g

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'A must-read manifesto for border abolition' - gal-dem

Borders are more than geographical lines - they impact all our lives, whether it's the inhumanity of deportations, or a rise in racist attacks in the wake of the EU referendum. Border Nation shows how oppressive borders must be resisted.

Laying bare the web of media myths that vilify migrants, Leah Cowan dives into the murky waters of corporate profiteering from borders by companies like G4S, and the ramping up of everyday borders through legislation. She looks at their colonial origins, and explores how a draconian approach to border crossings damages our communities.

As borders multiply, so too must resistance. From demonstrations inside detention centres to migrant-led campaigns and acts of cross-border solidarity, people are fighting back to stand up for everyone's freedom to move.

Leah Cowan is the former Politics Editor at the award-winning magazine gal-dem. She works at Project 17, an advice centre which supports migrant families with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). She speaks on race, gender and migration, including for UN Women, in the House of Commons, and at the Trade Unions Congress, and has written for VICE, OpenDemocracy and the Guardian.

‘Powerful’ - Nikesh Shukla, editor of 'The Good Immigrant' (Unbound, 2017)

'This seminal text forms the grounding for a deep and vital understanding on how an abolition of Britain’s brutal border regime is needed to repair the harm caused by colonial legacies' - Rhys Thomas, VICE

'An accessible, well-researched and indispensable guide, myth-busting at every turn, and charting not just the origins of these violent realities, but of equal importance, how we can dismantle them' - Joshua Virasami, author of 'How To Change It: Make a Difference' (Merky Books, 2020)

'A powerful indictment of borders and border regimes that lays bare the story of how they emerged, how they exercise a tenacious hold on our imagination, and how they enact lethal violence on so many.' - Priyamvada Gopal, Professor of Postcolonial Studies at the University of Cambridge

IMPRINT: Pluto Press
PUBLISHED: 01/03/2021
ISBN: 9780745341071
LENGTH: 160 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 129mm x 198mm
WEIGHT: 100g

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A far-ranging, invigorating and irrepressible collection of essays on literature, cinema, art - and everything in between - from the MAN BOOKER PRIZE- and WOMEN'S PRIZE-SHORTLISTED author of Feel Free and Swing Time

'Alarmingly good' Metro

'Striding with open hearted zest and eloquence between fiction (from EM Forster to David Foster Wallace) and travel, movies and comedy, family and community in a self-portrait that charts the evolution of a formidable talent' Independent

'Supremely good. Smith writes with such infectious zeal and engaging accessibility that it makes you want to turn up at her house and demand tutoring' Dazed

'Brilliant' Vogue

IMPRINT: Penguin
PUBLISHED: 30/06/2011
ISBN: 9780141019468
LENGTH: 320 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 198mm x 19mm x 133mm
WEIGHT: 234g

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From Rachida: I have been following Natasha since her Conversations on Love newsletter that was the beginning of this book. Natasha is a master interviewer which is why this book is so interesting. She asked all the questions I had built up in my head over many years of relationships and I was left with some golden nuggets of wisdom. 

One of the many bonuses of this book is that it also tackles platonic love - the dynamic between friends, especially friends that are at different stages in their lives, and how to manage feelings of envy or jealousy.

Reading this book felt liberating and made me realise that so many things I thought I knew about love were simply myths. This book made me look back on my relationships with a new level of understanding and compassion towards others and also myself.

*THE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*

'One of this summer's most buzzed about books (and one that might just change your life)' Sunday Times

After years of feeling that love was always out of reach, journalist Natasha Lunn set out to understand how relationships work and evolve over a lifetime. She turned to authors and experts to learn about their experiences, as well as drawing on her own, asking: How do we find love? How do we sustain it? And how do we survive when we lose it?

In Conversations on Love she began to find the answers:

Philippa Perry on falling in love slowly
Dolly Alderton on vulnerability
Stephen Grosz on accepting change
Candice Carty-Williams on friendship
Lisa Taddeo on the loneliness of loss
Diana Evans on parenthood
Emily Nagoski on the science of sex
Alain de Botton on the psychology of being alone
Esther Perel on unrealistic expectations
Roxane Gay on redefining romance
and many more...

'A gorgeous, richly layered book about all forms of love. You can pick it up and turn to any page - literally any - and find a gem to soothe and fortify your soul' Pandora Sykes, Sunday Times bestselling author of 'How Do We Know We're Doing It Right?'

'Hopeful and uplifting... this deep dive into the human heart will expand and enrich your perspective on love' Evening Standard

'This eclectic and heartwarming collection explores love in all its forms, from romantic and parental love to friendship and loss' Observer

'Conversations on Love is a glorious celebration of human vulnerability and connection. It has made me laugh, shed tears, think deeply. I want every person I love to read this book' Dr Kathryn Mannix, Sunday Times bestselling author of WITH THE END IN MIND

IMPRINT: Viking
PUBLISHED: 15/07/2021
ISBN: 9780241448731
LENGTH: 320 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 222mm x 31mm x 144mm
WEIGHT: 427g

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After decades of occupation and creeping annexation, the situation on the ground in Palestine/Israel can only be described as a system of apartheid. Peace efforts have failed because of one, inconvenient truth: the Israeli maximum on offer does not meet the Palestinian minimum or the standards of international law.

But while the situation on the ground is bleak, Ben White argues that there are widening cracks in Israel's traditional pillars of support. Opposition to Israeli policies and even critiques of Zionism are growing in Jewish communities, as well as amongst Western progressives. The election of Donald Trump has served as a catalyst for these processes, including the transformation of Israel from a partisan issue into one that divides the US establishment. Meanwhile, the Palestinian-led boycott campaign is gathering momentum, prompting a desperate backlash by Israel and its allies.

With sharp analysis, Ben White says now is the time to plot a course that avoids the mistakes of the past - a way forward beyond apartheid in Palestine. The solution is not partition and ethnic separation, but equality and self-determination - for all.

Ben White is a journalist and analyst, who has been visiting and writing about Palestine for over a decade. His books include Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner's Guide (Pluto, 2014), and Cracks in the Wall: Beyond Apartheid in Palestine/Israel (Pluto, 2018). His articles have been published by the Guardian, Independent, Newsweek Middle East, and many others. Ben is a frequent guest expert on Al Jazeera, and is a contributor for Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network.

'An insightful, meticulously documented study' - Arab Studies Quarterly

'Important, essential reading for all who care about the rule of law and the rights of Palestinians' - Ken Loach

'With his usual incisive gaze, Ben White unfolds for us the Palestine/Israel reality as it is and cuts through the layers of misinformation, deceit and ignorance' - Illan Pappe, University of Exeter

IMPRINT: Pluto Press
PUBLISHED: 01/05/2018
ISBN: 9780745337616
LENGTH: 224 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 129mm x 198mm
WEIGHT: 100g

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WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INSIGHT INVESTMENT SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2020

How proteins, machine learning and molecular chemistry can teach us about the complexities of human behaviour and the world around us

How do we understand the people around us? How do we recognise people's motivations, their behaviour, or even their facial expressions? And, when do we learn the social cues that dictate human behaviour?

Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of eight, Camilla Pang struggled to understand the world around her and the way people worked. Desperate for a solution, Camilla asked her mother if there was an instruction manual for humans that she could consult. But, without the blueprint to life she was hoping for, Camilla began to create her own. Now armed with a PhD in biochemistry, Camilla dismantles our obscure social customs and identifies what it really means to be human using her unique expertise and a language she knows best: science.

Through a set of scientific principles, this book examines life's everyday interactions including:

- Decisions and the route we take to make them;
- Conflict and how we can avoid it;
- Relationships and how we establish them;
- Etiquette and how we conform to it.

Explaining Humans is an original and incisive exploration of human nature and the strangeness of social norms, written from the outside looking in. Camilla's unique perspective of the world, in turn, tells us so much about ourselves - about who we are and why we do it - and is a fascinating guide on how to lead a more connected, happier life.

IMPRINT: Penguin
PUBLISHED: 25/03/2021
ISBN: 9780241987117
LENGTH: 256 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 198mm x 16mm x 129mm
WEIGHT: 181g

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From Rachida: A masterpiece by Chomsky. The book is two decades old, but it is so relevant to the shit show of today that I am not surprised they keep reprinting it. Chomsky highlights the sheer hypocrisy of US foreign policy towards Palestine with such genius that even his haters would find it hard to argue with him. He reveals a mountain of rarely seen evidence and presents it in such a clear and readable manner that you will be gripped from the first sentence. Essential reading for anyone who wants a thorough understanding of the situation, not what those in charge of the mainstream media want you to think. 

A devastating indictment of American and Israeli foreign policy which covers a sustained period of Middle East history

With an extended new preface by the author.

'One of the most important intellectuals alive' Independent

One of Noam Chomsky's most important and renowned works, Fateful Triangle, is a devastating indictment of American and Israeli foreign policy which covers a sustained period of Middle East history from the formation of the State of Israeli to the Oslo Peace Accords. With a foreword by the late Edward Said, this powerful book belongs in the hands of anyone who wants a deep understanding of Israel and its relationship to Western power.

Noam Chomsky is one of the most cited scholars in history and has profoundly shaped contemporary understanding of American politics. An ally of anarcho-syndicalists the world over, he has authored numerous books on linguistics, history and politics. He is Institute Professor (emeritus) in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT, and Laureate Professor of Linguistics and Agnese Nelms Haury Chair in the Program in Environment and Social Justice at the University of Arizona.

IMPRINT: Pluto Press
PUBLISHED: 01/09/2016
ISBN: 9780745335469
LENGTH: 776 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 129mm x 198mm

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WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR CRITICISM 2019

From the MAN BOOKER PRIZE- and WOMEN'S PRIZE-SHORTLISTED author of Changing My Mind and Swing Time - discover a second unmissable collection of essays from Zadie Smith

'Generous, courageous, and tough-minded... [A] classic English essayist in the vein of Orwell, Woolf and Angela Carter' Financial Times

'Engrossing, astute... Should you read this brilliant book? Absolutely' Independent

'Generous and curious' Evening Standard

'Brilliant, lively and frequently hilarious... She's one of the brightest minds in English literature today' NPR

No subject is too fringe or too mainstream for the unstoppable Zadie Smith. From social media to the environment, from Jay-Z to Karl Ove Knausgaard, she has boundless curiosity and the boundless wit to match. In Feel Free, pop culture, high culture, social change and political debate all get the Zadie Smith treatment, dissected with razor-sharp intellect, set brilliantly against the context of the utterly contemporary, and considered with a deep humanity and compassion.

This electrifying new collection showcases its author as a true literary powerhouse, demonstrating once again her credentials as an essential voice of her generation.

IMPRINT: Penguin
PUBLISHED: 07/03/2019
ISBN: 9780241971024
LENGTH: 464 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 198mm x 28mm x 129mm
WEIGHT: 321g

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'Absorbing, mind-enlarging, studded with insights ... This could have significant real-world results' Sunday Times

Humanity's greatest feat is our incredible ability to learn. Even in their first year, infants acquire language, visual and social knowledge at a rate that surpasses the best supercomputers. But how, exactly, do our brains learn?

In How We Learn, leading neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene delves into the psychological, neuronal, synaptic and molecular mechanisms of learning. Drawing on case studies of children who learned despite huge difficulty and trauma, he explains why youth is such a sensitive period, during which brain plasticity is maximal, but also assures us that our abilities continue into adulthood. We can all enhance our learning and memory at any age and 'learn to learn' by taking maximal advantage of the four pillars of the brain's learning algorithm: attention, active engagement, error feedback and consolidation.

The human brain is an extraordinary machine. Its ability to process information and adapt to circumstances by reprogramming itself is unparalleled, and it remains the best source of inspiration for recent developments in artificial intelligence. How We Learn finds the boundary of computer science, neurobiology, cognitive psychology and education to explain how learning really works and how to make the best use of the brain's learning algorithms - and even improve them - in our schools and universities as well as in everyday life.

IMPRINT: Penguin
PUBLISHED: 28/01/2021
ISBN: 9780141989303
LENGTH: 353 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 198mm x 20mm x 129mm
WEIGHT: 282g

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*Shortlisted for the Palestine Book Awards 2012*

Since its release in 2009 Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner's Guide has become an essential primer for undergraduate students and activists getting to grips with the Palestine/Israel conflict for the first time. Ben White skillfully distils the work of academics and experts into a highly accessible introduction.

This new updated and expanded edition includes information on the Israeli blockade and attacks on the Gaza Strip since 2008, new policies targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel and the growth of the global Boycott Divestment Sanctions campaign.

Packed with vital information, quotations and resources, Israeli Apartheid never loses the human touch. The book is rooted in the author's extensive personal experience in Palestine and includes testimonies by Palestinians describing how Israeli apartheid affects their daily lives.

Ben White is a journalist and analyst, who has been visiting and writing about Palestine for over a decade. His books include Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner's Guide (Pluto, 2014), and Cracks in the Wall: Beyond Apartheid in Palestine/Israel (Pluto, 2018). His articles have been published by the Guardian, Independent, Newsweek Middle East, and many others. Ben is a frequent guest expert on Al Jazeera, and is a contributor for Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network.

'An essential guide for understanding Israeli apartheid - both the history, and the day to day reality' - Eyal Weizman, author of Hollow Land (2007)

'An excellent guide for understanding the magnitude of the crimes committed against the Palestinians and the nature of their present suffering and oppression' - Ilan Pappe, author of Out of the Frame

'A highly commendable effort to throw light on a fraught subject' - Archbishop Desmond Tutu

'This book takes on the most complex arenas of injustice and contested history, and renders them accessible, lucid, and morally compelling' - Karma Nabulsi, University of Oxford

'This little book is an invaluable tool' - Raymond Deane, The Electronic Intifada
'White's thesis is well researched, well argued and copiously referenced' - Susan de Muth, The Palestine Chronicle

IMPRINT: Pluto Press
PUBLISHED: 01/02/2014
ISBN: 9780745334639
LENGTH: 224 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 129mm x 198mm
WEIGHT: 100g

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From Rachida: This is one of those books that makes you feel more intelligent and more knowledgeable. Amelia goes into great detail about the concept of work and explains with impressive clarity why our current system is rigged against the employee (and what to do about this).

***Evening Standard's best non-fiction 2021***

'A brilliant, searing exposé of the lies underpinning work' - Owen Jones

'Work hard, get paid.' It's simple. Self-evident. But it's also a lie—at least for most of us. For people today, the old assumptions are crumbling; hard work in school no longer guarantees a secure, well-paying job in the future. Far from a gateway to riches and fulfilment, 'work' means precarity, anxiety and alienation.

Amelia Horgan poses three big questions: what is work? How does it harm us? And what can we do about it? While abolishing work altogether is not the answer, Lost in Work shows that when we are able to take control of our workplaces, we become less miserable, and can work towards the transformative goal of experimenting with 'work' as we know it.

Amelia Horgan is a writer and researcher. She has written for various publications including Tribune, the Guardian and VICE.

'Fascinating and absorbing ... a corrective to the widespread view that anyone can find fulfilment through their job, if they just work hard enough' - Grace Blakeley, editor of 'Futures of Socialism' (Verso, 2020)

‘Amelia Horgan is, in the words of organizer Fred Ross, a social arsonist. Her book will set your world on fire. Somewhere in our bones, we know that work is getting worse. But with this book, Horgan has provided the match and the kindling we need to burn the whole thing down/’ - Sarah Jaffe, author of 'Work Won't Love You Back' (Hurst, 2021)

'At last, a book that helps us appreciate the long history of the working class challenge to the tyranny of work that puts class struggle in the workplace firmly back on the agenda' - John McDonnell, former Shadow Chancellor of the Labour Party

IMPRINT: Pluto Press
PUBLISHED: 01/06/2021
ISBN: 9780745340913
LENGTH: 176 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 129mm x 198mm
WEIGHT: 100g

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Palestinians in Israel considers a key issue ignored by the official 'peace process' and most mainstream commentators: that of the growing Palestinian minority within Israel itself.

What the Israeli right-wing calls 'the demographic problem' Ben White identifies as 'the democratic problem' which goes to the heart of the conflict. Israel defines itself not as a state of its citizens, but as a Jewish state, despite the substantial and increasing Palestinian population. White demonstrates how the consistent emphasis on privileging one ethno-religious group over another cannot be seen as compatible with democratic values and that, unless addressed, will undermine any attempts to find a lasting peace.

Individual case studies are used to complement this deeply informed study into the great, unspoken contradiction of Israeli democracy. It is a pioneering contribution which will spark debate amongst all those concerned with a resolution to the Israel/Palestine conflict.

Ben White is a journalist and analyst, who has been visiting and writing about Palestine for over a decade. His books include Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner's Guide (Pluto, 2014), and Cracks in the Wall: Beyond Apartheid in Palestine/Israel (Pluto, 2018). His articles have been published by the Guardian, Independent, Newsweek Middle East, and many others. Ben is a frequent guest expert on Al Jazeera, and is a contributor for Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network.

'This book debunks convincingly and forcefully the myth of Israel being 'the only democracy' in the Middle East' - Prof. Ilan Pappe, author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine

'Essential reading to understand why there can never be peace unless Palestinian citizens of Israel are granted full equality' - li Abunimah, Co-founder of Electronic Intifada, author of 'One Country' (2007)

'A holistic view of the Palestine/Israel problem - then goes beyond it to point towards its only just and hopeful solution. A significant and timely contribution to the political discourse so necessary today' - Ahdaf Soueif, author of Booker Prize-shortlisted The Map of Love

IMPRINT: Pluto Press
PUBLISHED: 01/12/2011
ISBN: 9780745332284
LENGTH: 144 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 129mm x 198mm
WEIGHT: 100g

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A collection of essays written by Chomsky in the late 1990s, all of which subvert the United States foreign policy discourse.

Rogue States is a collection of essays written by Chomsky in the late 1990s, all of which subvert the United States foreign policy discourse and the notion of the “rogue state”, turning the focus of criticism inwards and demonstrating how Western powers fail to uphold their own standards of conduct. Among the topics considered are the Balkans Crisis, the embargo against Cuba, and US intervention in Latin America, all of which provide important lessons for today from one of our most eminent and insightful teachers.

'Indefatigable' - Guardian

Noam Chomsky is one of the most cited scholars in history and has profoundly shaped contemporary understanding of American politics. An ally of anarcho-syndicalists the world over, he has authored numerous books on linguistics, history and politics. He is Institute Professor (emeritus) in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT, and Laureate Professor of Linguistics and Agnese Nelms Haury Chair in the Program in Environment and Social Justice at the University of Arizona.

IMPRINT: Pluto Press
PUBLISHED: 01/09/2016
ISBN: 9780745335636
LENGTH: 352 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 129mm x 198mm

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How can we make sense of a world where we have both too many billionaires and too many foodbanks? We're supposed to go to university, forge a career, get wealthier, buy a house - but why is that so hard for most of us to achieve?

Split makes sense of our world by looking at class society - delving into the deep-rooted economic inequalities that shape our lives. From the gig economy, rising debt and the housing crisis that affects the majority of people, to the world of tax havens and unfair inheritance that affect the few…

Now is the time to fight back against the 1%.

Ben Tippet is an educator, activist, and writer. He is currently doing a PhD at the University of Greenwich, researching the causes of wealth inequality in the UK. He is a researcher for The Transnational Institute and has written for Novara, Stike! and Economy.

'More than a decade after the financial crisis, Split is a timely reminder of the most important divide that runs through the global economy, and how working people can organise to take back control of their lives. Clearly-argued, incisive and accessible, this book should be required reading for activists everywhere'

- Grace Blakeley, author of 'Stolen: How to Save the World from Financialisation'

IMPRINT: Pluto Press
PUBLISHED: 01/03/2020
ISBN: 9780745340210
LENGTH: 144 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 129mm x 198mm
WEIGHT: 100g

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