Adam O'Brien - Editor

Acquire and develop nonfiction titles in culture, memoir, science, and current affairs.

Work with several NYT-bestselling authors in nonfiction, spanning genres such as memoir, science, humor, and current affairs.

The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself

Sean Carroll

*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*"Vivid . . . impressive. . . . Splendidly informative."—The New York Times"Succeeds spectacularly."—Science"A tour de force."—SalonAlready internationally acclaimed for his elegant, lucid writing on the most challenging notions in modern physics, Sean Carroll is emerging as one of the greatest humanist thinkers of his generation as he brings his extraordinary... read more

*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*"Vivid . . . impressive. . . . Splendidly informative."—The New York Times"Succeeds spectacularly."—Science"A tour de force."—SalonAlready internationally acclaimed for his elegant, lucid writing on the most challenging notions in modern physics, Sean Carroll is emerging as one of the greatest humanist thinkers of his generation as he brings his extraordinary... read more

Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop

Nick Offerman

After two New York Times bestsellers, Nick Offerman returns with the subject for which he's known best—his incredible real-life woodshop. Nestled among the glitz and glitter of Tinseltown is a testament to American elbow grease and an honest-to-god hard day’s work: Offerman Woodshop. Captained by hirsute woodworker, actor, comedian, and writer Nick Offerman, the shop produces not only fine han... read more

After two New York Times bestsellers, Nick Offerman returns with the subject for which he's known best—his incredible real-life woodshop. Nestled among the glitz and glitter of Tinseltown is a testament to American elbow grease and an honest-to-god hard day’s work: Offerman Woodshop. Captained by hirsute woodworker, actor, comedian, and writer Nick Offerman, the shop produces not only fine han... read more

Power Your Happy: Work Hard, Play Nice & Build Your Dream Life

Lisa Sugar

Lisa Sugar has an amazing job. She spends her days at POPSUGAR creating content about pop culture, must-have handbags and makeup, healthy recipes, and Instagram-worthy sweets. She manages an enormously successful, growing company with employees who love what they do. And her life is just as great at home. She and her husband have three daughters and she’s the number one soccer mom who loves re... read more

Lisa Sugar has an amazing job. She spends her days at POPSUGAR creating content about pop culture, must-have handbags and makeup, healthy recipes, and Instagram-worthy sweets. She manages an enormously successful, growing company with employees who love what they do. And her life is just as great at home. She and her husband have three daughters and she’s the number one soccer mom who loves re... read more

The Human Superorganism: How the Microbiome Is Revolutionizing the Pursuit of a Healthy Life

Rodney Dietert PhD

"Eyeopening... Fascinating... may presage a paradigm shift in medicine.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"Teeming with information and big ideas... Outstanding.”—Booklist (starred review)The origin of asthma, autism, Alzheimer's, allergies, cancer, heart disease, obesity, and even some kinds of depression is now clear. Award-winning researcher on the microbiome, professor Rodney Dietert presen... read more

"Eyeopening... Fascinating... may presage a paradigm shift in medicine.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"Teeming with information and big ideas... Outstanding.”—Booklist (starred review)The origin of asthma, autism, Alzheimer's, allergies, cancer, heart disease, obesity, and even some kinds of depression is now clear. Award-winning researcher on the microbiome, professor Rodney Dietert presen... read more

Why We Snap: Understanding the Rage Circuit in Your Brain

Douglas Fields

The startling new science behind sudden acts of violence and the nine triggers this groundbreaking researcher has uncoveredWe all have a rage circuit we can’t fully control once it is engaged as R. Douglas Fields, PhD, reveals in this essential book for our time. The daily headlines are filled with examples of otherwise rational people with no history of violence or mental illness suddenly sna... read more

The startling new science behind sudden acts of violence and the nine triggers this groundbreaking researcher has uncoveredWe all have a rage circuit we can’t fully control once it is engaged as R. Douglas Fields, PhD, reveals in this essential book for our time. The daily headlines are filled with examples of otherwise rational people with no history of violence or mental illness suddenly sna... read more

Lucky Bastard: My Life, My Dad, and the Things I'm Not Allowed to Say on TV

Joe Buck

In this New York Times bestselling memoir, the announcer of the biggest sporting events in the country—including the 2017 Super Bowl and this century's most-watched, historic, Chicago Cubs–winning World Series—reveals why he is one lucky bastard.Sports fans see Joe Buck everywhere: broadcasting one of the biggest games in the NFL every week, calling the World Series every year, announcing the ... read more

In this New York Times bestselling memoir, the announcer of the biggest sporting events in the country—including the 2017 Super Bowl and this century's most-watched, historic, Chicago Cubs–winning World Series—reveals why he is one lucky bastard.Sports fans see Joe Buck everywhere: broadcasting one of the biggest games in the NFL every week, calling the World Series every year, announcing the ... read more

Relentless Spirit: The Unconventional Raising of a Champion

Missy Franklin, D.A. Franklin, Dick Franklin, Daniel Paisner

What does it take to become a champion? Gold medalist Missy Franklin, along with her parents, D.A. and Dick, tell the inspirational and heartwarming story of how Missy became both a legendary athlete and a happy and confident woman, something they accomplished by doing things their own way and making the right choices for their family. The word relentless has many meanings for swimmer Missy Fr... read more

What does it take to become a champion? Gold medalist Missy Franklin, along with her parents, D.A. and Dick, tell the inspirational and heartwarming story of how Missy became both a legendary athlete and a happy and confident woman, something they accomplished by doing things their own way and making the right choices for their family. The word relentless has many meanings for swimmer Missy Fr... read more

A Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking in the Information Age

Daniel J. Levitin

From The New York Times bestselling author of The Organized Mind and This is Your Brain on Music, a primer to the critical thinking that is more necessary now than ever. We are bombarded with more information each day than our brains can process—especially in election season. It's raining bad data, half-truths, and even outright lies. New York Times bestselling author Daniel J. Levitin shows h... read more

From The New York Times bestselling author of The Organized Mind and This is Your Brain on Music, a primer to the critical thinking that is more necessary now than ever. We are bombarded with more information each day than our brains can process—especially in election season. It's raining bad data, half-truths, and even outright lies. New York Times bestselling author Daniel J. Levitin shows h... read more

Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Amy Krouse Rosenthal

The bestselling author of Encyclopedia an Ordinary Life returns with a literary experience that is unprecedented, unforgettable, and explosively human. Ten years after her beloved, groundbreaking Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, #1 New York Times bestselling author Amy Krouse Rosenthal delivers a book full of her distinct blend of nonlinear narrative, wistful reflections, and insightful wit. ... read more

The bestselling author of Encyclopedia an Ordinary Life returns with a literary experience that is unprecedented, unforgettable, and explosively human. Ten years after her beloved, groundbreaking Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, #1 New York Times bestselling author Amy Krouse Rosenthal delivers a book full of her distinct blend of nonlinear narrative, wistful reflections, and insightful wit. ... read more

Thirty Million Words: Building a Child's Brain

Dana Suskind

*Nominated for the Books for a Better Life Award*The founder and director of the Thirty Million Words Initiative, Professor Dana Suskind, explains why the most important—and astoundingly simple—thing you can do for your child’s future success in life is to talk to him or her, reveals the recent science behind this truth, and outlines precisely how parents can best put it into practice. The res... read more

*Nominated for the Books for a Better Life Award*The founder and director of the Thirty Million Words Initiative, Professor Dana Suskind, explains why the most important—and astoundingly simple—thing you can do for your child’s future success in life is to talk to him or her, reveals the recent science behind this truth, and outlines precisely how parents can best put it into practice. The res... read more

The Man Who Wasn't There: Investigations into the Strange New Science of the Self

Anil Ananthaswamy

*Nominated for the 2016 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award**An NBC News Notable Science Book of 2015**Named one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2015**A Book of the Month for Brain HQ/Posit Science**Selected by Forbes as a Must Read Brain Book of 2015* *On Life Changes Network’s list of the Top 10 Books That Could Change Your Life of 2015*In the tradition of Oliver Sacks, a tou... read more

*Nominated for the 2016 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award**An NBC News Notable Science Book of 2015**Named one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2015**A Book of the Month for Brain HQ/Posit Science**Selected by Forbes as a Must Read Brain Book of 2015* *On Life Changes Network’s list of the Top 10 Books That Could Change Your Life of 2015*In the tradition of Oliver Sacks, a tou... read more

The Wonder Trail: True Stories from Los Angeles to the End of the World

Steve Hely

Steve Hely, writer for The Office and American Dad!, and recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, presents a travel book about his journey through Central and South America. Part travel book, part pop history, part comic memoir, Hely's writing will make readers want to reach for their backpack and hiking boots. The Wonder Trail is the story of a trip from Los Angeles to the bottom of... read more

Steve Hely, writer for The Office and American Dad!, and recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, presents a travel book about his journey through Central and South America. Part travel book, part pop history, part comic memoir, Hely's writing will make readers want to reach for their backpack and hiking boots. The Wonder Trail is the story of a trip from Los Angeles to the bottom of... read more

The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload

Daniel J. Levitin

New York Times bestselling author and neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin shifts his keen insights from your brain on music to your brain in a sea of details.The information age is drowning us with an unprecedented deluge of data. At the same time, we’re expected to make more—and faster—decisions about our lives than ever before. No wonder, then, that the average American reports frequently losin... read more

New York Times bestselling author and neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin shifts his keen insights from your brain on music to your brain in a sea of details.The information age is drowning us with an unprecedented deluge of data. At the same time, we’re expected to make more—and faster—decisions about our lives than ever before. No wonder, then, that the average American reports frequently losin... read more

Drinking Water: A History (Revised Edition)

James Salzman

The completely revised and updated edition of the definitive book on one of the most important and controversial topics of our time: drinking waterWhen we turn on the tap or twist open a tall plastic bottle, we probably don’t give a second thought about where our drinking water comes from. But how it gets from the ground to the glass is far more convoluted than we might think.In this revised e... read more

The completely revised and updated edition of the definitive book on one of the most important and controversial topics of our time: drinking waterWhen we turn on the tap or twist open a tall plastic bottle, we probably don’t give a second thought about where our drinking water comes from. But how it gets from the ground to the glass is far more convoluted than we might think.In this revised e... read more

The Great Stain: Witnessing American Slavery

Noel Rae

Comprising personal accounts from an intensely consequential chapter in human history, the transatlantic slave trade, The Great Stain takes readers from the depths of suffering to the heights of human dignity.There have been numerous books about the why, when, and where of slavery in America, but there is a dearth of material exposing what slavery was actually like. In The Great Stain, researc... read more

Comprising personal accounts from an intensely consequential chapter in human history, the transatlantic slave trade, The Great Stain takes readers from the depths of suffering to the heights of human dignity.There have been numerous books about the why, when, and where of slavery in America, but there is a dearth of material exposing what slavery was actually like. In The Great Stain, researc... read more

Your Pets Are Fine ...and Other Lies: True Adventures in Pet Sitting

Yvonne M. Feltman

The last time you left home who took care of your pets? How much do you really know about what goes on while you’re not there? If you’ve returned from vacation sensing something wasn’t right, wishing your pets or your walls could talk, then Yvonne Feltman has some stories for you. Find out what happens when the dogs go missing, the house floods, or when the seemingly normal couple has a very d... read more

The last time you left home who took care of your pets? How much do you really know about what goes on while you’re not there? If you’ve returned from vacation sensing something wasn’t right, wishing your pets or your walls could talk, then Yvonne Feltman has some stories for you. Find out what happens when the dogs go missing, the house floods, or when the seemingly normal couple has a very d... read more

Cardiac Arrest: Five Heart-Stopping Years as a CEO On the Feds' Hit-List

Howard Root, Stephen Saltarelli

Who polices America s prosecutors? And when they set their sights on an innocent CEO, can he survive a 5-year, $25 million legallabyrinth to save the company he built, and himself from prison?Howard Root started Vascular Solutions with little more than a dream and an idea for a single medical device. Fifteen years later, his Minnesota company had created over 500 American jobs and developed mo... read more

Who polices America s prosecutors? And when they set their sights on an innocent CEO, can he survive a 5-year, $25 million legallabyrinth to save the company he built, and himself from prison?Howard Root started Vascular Solutions with little more than a dream and an idea for a single medical device. Fifteen years later, his Minnesota company had created over 500 American jobs and developed mo... read more

Before and After Alexander: The Legend and Legacy of Alexander the Great

Richard A. Billows

By the author of Marathon, an enlightening look at the historical context behind Alexander the Great, his accomplishments, and his legacyIn the arc of western history, Ancient Greece is at the apex, owing to its grandeur, its culture, and an intellectual renaissance to rival that of Europe. So important is Greece to history that figures such as Plato and Socrates are still household names, and... read more

By the author of Marathon, an enlightening look at the historical context behind Alexander the Great, his accomplishments, and his legacyIn the arc of western history, Ancient Greece is at the apex, owing to its grandeur, its culture, and an intellectual renaissance to rival that of Europe. So important is Greece to history that figures such as Plato and Socrates are still household names, and... read more

Our Woman in Havana: A Diplomat's Chronicle of America's Long Struggle with Castro's Cuba

Vicki Huddleston

A longtime insider’s unprecedented look behind the “Sugar Curtain” during America’s long standoff with communist Cuba, by “one of this generation’s finest diplomats” (Ambassador Joseph Wilson)Our Woman in Havana chronicles the past several decades of U.S.-Cuba relations from the bird’s-eye view of State Department veteran and longtime Cuba hand Vicki Huddleston, our top diplomat on the ground ... read more

A longtime insider’s unprecedented look behind the “Sugar Curtain” during America’s long standoff with communist Cuba, by “one of this generation’s finest diplomats” (Ambassador Joseph Wilson)Our Woman in Havana chronicles the past several decades of U.S.-Cuba relations from the bird’s-eye view of State Department veteran and longtime Cuba hand Vicki Huddleston, our top diplomat on the ground ... read more

How Not To Be A Doctor: And Other Essays

John Launer

A doctor’s world laid bare in a collection of short essays that are surprising, entertaining, and movingDoctor and medical columnist John Launer has written on the practice and teaching of medicine for many years. Now, more than fifty of his essays have been collected in How Not to Be A Doctor. Taken together, they set out an argument that being a doctor―a real doctor―should mean being able to... read more

A doctor’s world laid bare in a collection of short essays that are surprising, entertaining, and movingDoctor and medical columnist John Launer has written on the practice and teaching of medicine for many years. Now, more than fifty of his essays have been collected in How Not to Be A Doctor. Taken together, they set out an argument that being a doctor―a real doctor―should mean being able to... read more

Secret Service Dogs: The Heroes Who Protect the President of the United States

Maria Goodavage

In an age fraught with terrorism, United States Secret Service canine teams risk their lives to safeguard the president, vice president, their families, visiting heads of state, and a host of others. Unprecedented access to these heroic dog teams has allowed a fascinating first-time-ever look at a very special breed of heroes.Wherever the president goes, there will be dogs. They’ll be there no... read more

In an age fraught with terrorism, United States Secret Service canine teams risk their lives to safeguard the president, vice president, their families, visiting heads of state, and a host of others. Unprecedented access to these heroic dog teams has allowed a fascinating first-time-ever look at a very special breed of heroes.Wherever the president goes, there will be dogs. They’ll be there no... read more

The Bassoon King: My Life in Art, Faith, and Idiocy

Rainn Wilson

Rainn Wilson’s memoir about growing up geeky and finally finding his place in comedy, faith, and life. For nine seasons Rainn Wilson played Dwight Schrute, everyone's favorite work nemesis and beet farmer. Viewers of The Office fell in love with the character and grew to love the actor who played him even more. Rainn founded a website and media company, SoulPancake, that eventually became a be... read more

Rainn Wilson’s memoir about growing up geeky and finally finding his place in comedy, faith, and life. For nine seasons Rainn Wilson played Dwight Schrute, everyone's favorite work nemesis and beet farmer. Viewers of The Office fell in love with the character and grew to love the actor who played him even more. Rainn founded a website and media company, SoulPancake, that eventually became a be... read more

Wildflower

Drew Barrymore

Award-winning actress Drew Barrymore shares funny, insightful, and profound stories from her past and present told from the place of happiness she's achieved today. Wildflower is a portrait of Drew's life in stories as she looks back on the adventures, challenges, and incredible experiences of her earlier years. It includes tales of living on her own at 14 (and how laundry may have saved her l... read more

Award-winning actress Drew Barrymore shares funny, insightful, and profound stories from her past and present told from the place of happiness she's achieved today. Wildflower is a portrait of Drew's life in stories as she looks back on the adventures, challenges, and incredible experiences of her earlier years. It includes tales of living on her own at 14 (and how laundry may have saved her l... read more

8-Bit Apocalypse: The Untold Story of Atari's Missile Command

Alex Rubens

The first history of Atari’s Missile Command, and its unforeseen effects on its creators and the cultureBefore Call of Duty, before World of Warcraft, before even Super Mario Bros., the video game industry exploded in the late 1970s with the advent of the video arcade. Leading the charge was Atari Inc., the creator of, among others, the iconic game Missile Command. The first game to double as ... read more

The first history of Atari’s Missile Command, and its unforeseen effects on its creators and the cultureBefore Call of Duty, before World of Warcraft, before even Super Mario Bros., the video game industry exploded in the late 1970s with the advent of the video arcade. Leading the charge was Atari Inc., the creator of, among others, the iconic game Missile Command. The first game to double as ... read more