Books published by Basic Books

"At a time when quotas and preferences are under attack nationwide, Barbara Bergmann courageously show that without the help of affirmative action America will never be able to attain a truly race-blin"

"In this provocative and paradigm-shifting book, Richard D. Kahlenberg argues that affirmative action programs ought to be based not on race but on class. America's exclusive focus on race in determini"

The rich and revealing story of a tumultuous journey from Left to Right and from poverty to prominence-by one of the most influential female conservatives in the country

A powerful look at the real America, dominated by America's "forgotten majority"-white working-class men and women who make up 55 percent of the voting population

What the family connection between apes and humans really means

From renowned critic Lee Siegel--hailed as a model of "original thinking and passionate writing"--a sometimes scathing, always thrilling examination of the state of contemporary art and culture, and beyond

One of the world's leading sleep researchers provides the latest word on sleep, dreams, and sleep disorders.

If we were to meet actual aliens from outer space, what would they look like? Noted author Clifford Pickover speculates on their appearance, biology, language, even their sex lives.

Through fifteen riveting case studies, a leading figure in adolescent psychiatry offers a provocative new way of thinking about parenting teens.

"Proteanism"--or the protean self--describes a psychological phenomenon integral to our times. We live in a world marked by breathtaking historical change and instantaneous global communication. Our liv

Are Hispanics making it",achieving the American dream following the pattern of other ethnic groups? This controversial book shatters the myth that 20 million His panics,fast becoming the nation's largest minority,are a permanent underclass. Chavez considers the radical implications for bilingual education, immigration policy, and affirmative action.

"A magnificent book, an honor to its writer... a book that makes for a return of civilized discussion of the question of the morality of war."-New York Review of Books

"It is no secret that corporate America is in trouble--as are labor unions--and a principal reason is our archaic system of labor-management relations, which excludes labor from participating in, and sha"

A leading economist and a top economic journalist show that contrary to conventional wisdom, America is at the peak of its economic well-being, with more opportunity for more people than at any other time in our history.

"In Moral Judgment, James Q. Wilson demonstrates how our judicial system has compromised its obligation to discriminate between right and wrong. Citing highly publicized verdicts, he makes an erudite c"

In this irreverent campaign diary, equal parts Hunter S. Thompson and Michael Lewis, Washington Post political writer Dana Milbank remembers the bruising highlights of the 2000 presidential campaign

This groundbreaking volume shows the powerful benefits that can emerge when therapists acknowledge illness as a vital part of everyone's psychology.

One of America's most influential historians and interpreters of the black experience reinvents racial politics for the twenty-first century

An impressive overview of Human Resource Development programs the world over-touching on important issues in culture, environment, and geopolitics

A masterful account of world racial politics and the future of global race relations by a leading American sociologist

A political scientist at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government analyzes how public policy is made in this country,and why the system works so much better than most observers believe.

From New York Times columnist and Emmy-winning TV commentator Jeff Madrick, a sharply contrarian analysis of economic growth--and a provocative agenda for how to get our economy growing again

An award-winning scholar challenges the intellectuals of the baby boom generation to shake off a decade's worth of complacency and reclaim the mantle of social justice

In a mix of the serious and the irreverent, this view of the many rites and phases of lesbian life, from coming out to commitment ceremonies, brings together essays by lesbian and bisexual women of different ages, races, and classes.

This controversial book describes the transformation of modern tort law since the 1960s, and shows how the dramatic increase in liability lawsuits has had an adverse effect on the safety, health, the cost of insurance, and individual rights.

From a media expert and network commentator, an engaging guide through the welter of misinformation--generated by politicians and the media alike--that surrounds political campaigns.

An examination of the origins of public and private social welfare, from the days of the colonial poorhouse through the current tragedy of the homeless, explaining why such a highly criticized system persists.

An entertaining and revealing history that charts the hopes, dreams, fears, and frustrations of Americans as they pursued the good life in an age of affluence.

An engaging examination of current research into how exposure to television, iPads, and other "screen time" affects the development of babies and toddlers