When 17-year-old Pavol fatally sets himself on fire in Prague in 1969 to protest the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, his three best friends must figure out how to survive an oppressive regime without him.

Raoul Martinez brings together ideas, facts, and arguments to dismantle sacred myths central to our society--myths about free will, free markets, free media, and free elections. From the lottery of our birth to the consent-manufacturing influence of concentrated power, this book exposes the mechanisms of control that pervade our lives. Although we are far less free than we like to think, freedom is something we can create together. In fact, our very...

Throughout history, humans have been driven by the quest for two cherished ideals: community and freedom. The two don't coexist easily. We value individuality and self-reliance, yet are utterly dependent on community for our most basic needs. In this thought-provoking book, Sebastian Junger examines the tension that lies at the heart of what it means to be human.