Books with author Frank Thompson

Becoming a more effective learner and boosting your productivity will help you earn better grades - but it’ll also cut down on your study time. This is a short, meaty book that will guide you through ten steps to achieving those goals: Pay better attention in class Take more effective notes Get more out of your textbooks Plan like a general Build a better study environment Fight entropy and stay organized Defeat Procrastination Study smarter Write better papers Make group projects suck less Whether you’re in college or high school, this book will probably help you. But not if you’re a raccoon. I want to be very clear about that; if you’re a raccoon, please buy a different book. This one will do absolutely nothing for you. How did you even learn to read, anyway?

With a New Afterword by the AuthorThe New York Times bestseller, praised as "hilariously funny . . . the only way to understand why so many Americans have decided to vote against their own economic and political interests" (Molly Ivins)Hailed as "dazzlingly insightful and wonderfully sardonic" (Chicago Tribune), "very funny and very painful" (San Francisco Chronicle), and "in a different league from most political books" (The New York Observer), What's the Matter with Kansas? unravels the great political mystery of our day: Why do so many Americans vote against their economic and social interests? With his acclaimed wit and acuity, Thomas Frank answers the riddle by examining his home state, Kansas-a place once famous for its radicalism that now ranks among the nation's most eager participants in the culture wars. Charting what he calls the "thirty-year backlash"-the popular revolt against a supposedly liberal establishment-Frank reveals how conservatism, once a marker of class privilege, became the creed of millions of ordinary Americans.A brilliant analysis-and funny to boot-What's the Matter with Kansas? is a vivid portrait of an upside-down world where blue-collar patriots recite the Pledge while they strangle their life chances; where small farmers cast their votes for a Wall Street order that will eventually push them off their land; and where a group of frat boys, lawyers, and CEOs has managed to convince the country that it speaks on behalf of the People.

One of "our most insightful social observers"* cracks the great political mystery of our time: how conservatism, once a marker of class privilege, became the creed of millions of ordinary Americans With his acclaimed wit and acuity, Thomas Frank turns his eye on what he calls the "thirty-year backlash"—the populist revolt against a supposedly liberal establishment. The high point of that backlash is the Republican Party's success in building the most unnatural of alliances: between blue-collar Midwesterners and Wall Street business interests, workers and bosses, populists and right-wingers.In asking "what 's the matter with Kansas?"—how a place famous for its radicalism became one of the most conservative states in the union—Frank, a native Kansan and onetime Republican, seeks to answer some broader American riddles: Why do so many of us vote against our economic interests? Where's the outrage at corporate manipulators? And whatever happened to middle-American progressivism? The questions are urgent as well as provocative. Frank answers them by examining pop conservatism—the bestsellers, the radio talk shows, the vicious political combat—and showing how our long culture wars have left us with an electorate far more concerned with their leaders' "values" and down-home qualities than with their stands on hard questions of policy.A brilliant analysis—and funny to boot—What's the Matter with Kansas? presents a critical assessment of who we are, while telling a remarkable story of how a group of frat boys, lawyers, and CEOs came to convince a nation that they spoke on behalf of the People. *Los Angeles Times

Millions of people each year visit the 4.2-acre complex known worldwide as “The Alamo.” According to Richard Bruce Winders, Historian and Curator at the Alamo, they come to see the old mission in San Antonio, Texas, where a small band of Texan revolutionaries and other heroes fought to the death, holding out for thirteen days against the Mexican army of General Antonio López de Santa Anna. Although the Alamo fell in the early morning hours of March 6, 1836, the death of the Alamo defenders has come to symbolize courage and sacrifice for the cause of liberty. The memories of Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, and William B. Travis are as powerful today as when the Texan Army under Sam Houston shouted “Remember the Alamo!” less than two months later when it routed Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. This book is more than a fabulous tribute to those heroic few who fell defending the mission, ultimately buying time for Houston to consolidate his forces. It is a thoroughly researched, vividly illustrated, objective description of the circumstances building up to and leading from that vital stand. Author Frank Thompson describes the political and military organization of both sides in the conflict, the weapons and equipment available to them, and the enduringly famous personalities involved. He reveals contemporary writings and reported views of those whose help was repeatedly begged for, and also of those who wanted desperately to help but arrived too late to relieve the Alamo. Narrating the dramatic battle in fascinating detail, Thompson builds an accurate picture of one of the greatest periods in American history. He also explores how the Alamo has been viewed by historians and by those in the entertainment industry, searching diligently for the truth and highlighting bias and mythology. Complementing the narrative are more than one hundred superb illustrations, many in full color, including maps, contemporary paintings, and specially commissioned color photographs of artifacts.

From the acclaimed author of Listen, Liberal and What’s the Matter with Kansas, a scathing collection of his incisive commentary on our cruel times―perfect for this political momentWhat does a middle-class democracy look like when it comes apart? When, after forty years of economic triumph, America’s winners persuade themselves that they owe nothing to the rest of the country?With his sharp eye for detail, Thomas Frank takes us on a wide-ranging tour through present-day America, showing us a society in the late stages of disintegration and describing the worlds of both the winners and the losers―the sprawling mansion districts as well as the lives of fast-food workers.Rendezvous with Oblivion is a collection of interlocking essays examining how inequality has manifested itself in our cities, in our jobs, in the way we travel―and of course in our politics, where in 2016, millions of anxious ordinary people rallied to the presidential campaign of a billionaire who meant them no good.These accounts of folly and exploitation are here brought together in a single volume unified by Frank’s distinctive voice, sardonic wit, and anti-orthodox perspective. They capture a society where every status signifier is hollow, where the allure of mobility is just another con game, and where rebellion too often yields nothing.For those who despair of the future of our country and of reason itself, Rendezvous with Oblivion is a booster shot of energy, reality, and moral outrage.

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.CliffsNotes on The Return of the Native carries you through this timeless romantic classic about an ambitious beauty and the two men who will seemingly sacrifice everything to claim her. CliffsNotes helps you explore this novel by providing you with summaries and commentaries, book by book. You’ll also gain insight into the author Thomas Hardy, and discover what led him to write The Return of the Native. Other features that help you study includeA list of characters and their descriptionsAnalyses of the main characters to unravel their motivationsCritical essays on the theme, setting, and point of view of the novel, and moreReview questions and essay topicsA selected bibliography for more studyClassic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.