**A Washington Post "Notable Nonfiction Book of 2016"** ON A TRANQUIL SUMMER NIGHT in July 2012, a trio of peace activists infiltrated the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Nicknamed the “Fort Knox of Uranium,” Y-12 was supposedly one of the most secure sites in the world, a bastion of warhead parts and hundreds of tons of highly enriched uranium—enough to power thousands of nuclear bombs. The three activists—a house painter, a Vietnam War veteran, and an 82-year-old Catholic nun—penetrated the complex’s exterior with alarming ease; their strongest tools were two pairs of bolt cutters and three hammers. Once inside, these pacifists hung protest banners, spray-painted biblical messages, and streaked the walls with human blood. Then they waited to be arrested. WITH THE BREAK-IN and their symbolic actions, the activists hoped to draw attention to a costly military-industrial complex that stockpiles deadly nukes. But they also triggered a political and legal firestorm of urgent and troubling questions. What if they had been terrorists? Why do the United States and Russia continue to possess enough nuclear weaponry to destroy the world several times over? IN ALMIGHTY, WASHINGTON POST REPORTER Dan Zak answers these questions by reexamining America’s love-hate relationship to the bomb, from the race to achieve atomic power before the Nazis did to the solemn 70th anniversary of Hiroshima. At a time of concern about proliferation in such nations as Iran and North Korea, the U.S. arsenal is plagued by its own security problems. This life-or-death quandary is unraveled in Zak’s eye-opening account, with a cast that includes the biophysicist who first educated the public on atomic energy, the prophet who predicted the creation of Oak Ridge, the generations of activists propelled into resistance by their faith, and the Washington bureaucrats and diplomats who are trying to keep the world safe. Part historical adventure, part courtroom drama, part moral thriller, Almighty reshapes the accepted narratives surrounding nuclear weapons and shows that our greatest modern-day threat remains a power we discovered long ago.

What do you do when you're granted Gods power for a whole year—no strings attached—by an urbane, bald-headed heavenly mes­senger named Chet? That's the question facing Charlie Wiggins, the hapless car salesman who chronicles his run-in with omnipotence in the outrageous, wickedly funny Almighty Me. Author Robert Bausch aims his inspired social satire at men and women, love and marriage, and he hits the comic mark full center. Endearing and dark, side-splitting and thought-provoking, Almighty Me probes the nature of our earthly perplex­ities as it celebrates the loving and fallible human heart. Charlie Wiggins is not very different from you and me. To do good in the world is his first inclination, but doing good is harder than it looks, because Charlie can't seem to focus on anything but his own crumbling marriage. With the power of God, it’s easy enough to make himself the star salesman at the deal­ership, or to cure his boss's embarrassing speech problem, or even to bring his mother-in-law back from the dead. But to turn his adored wife, Dorothy, away from her determined quest for independence? That's where this befuddled acting deity dis­covers that omnipotence has its limitations. "In the face of that conscious choice to strive for what she needed,' my 'power' seemed helpless. Either it was not adequate—and God's power is tremendously overrated—or women have unbelievable strength, and even God pales in the face of a woman's will." Only a guided tour of heaven convinces Charlie that it’s time to deal with the world at large. To his horror, he learns the chilling answer to his question "Why me?" and decides to confront his cosmic responsibilities. When he does, both Dorothy and God himself are in for a big surprise.

"Shadow of the Almighty" is the bestselling account of the martyrdom of Jim Elliot and four other missionaries at the hands of the Huaorani Indians in Ecuador. "Elizabeth Elliot's account is more than inspirational reading, it belongs to the very heartbeat of evangelic witness"--"Christianity Today."

Visually arresting and utterly one-of-a-kind, Sarah J. Sloat's Hotel Almighty is a book-length erasure of Misery by Stephen King, a reimagining of the novel's themes of constraint and possibility in elliptical, enigmatic poems. Here, "joy would crawl over broken glass, if that was the way." Here, sleep is “a circle whose diameter might be small," a circle "pitifully small," a "wrecked and empty hypothetical circle." Paired with Sloat's stunning mixed-media collage, each poem is a miniature canvas, a brief associative profile of the psyche—its foibles, obsessions, and delights.

“In this fascinating book, Madeleine Albright weaves together history, personal experiences, and brilliant analysis in exploring how religion can be a force for liberty and tolerance rather than oppression and terror." -- Walter Isaacson, author of The Code Breaker The New York Times bestselling author and former secretary of state Madeleine Albright offers a provocative and very personal look at the role of religion in America’s foreign policy Traditionally, America’s foreign policy professionals have sought to downplay the impact of religious beliefs in international affairs. Reinforced by the constitutional separation between church and state, policymakers have shied away from this potentially volatile and divisive issue. In this timely precient book, one of the most renowned figures in American politic argues that in today’s climate, a secular approach is no longer sufficient. The 21st century seems to be devolving into a period of religious war, and in an era of confrontation between international terrorism and the West, our political leaders can no longer avoid dealing directly and explicitly with religious issues. In The Mighty and the Almighty, Madeleine Albright examines religion and foreign affairs through the lens of U.S. history as well as her own experience in public office. She offers a sharp critique of U.S. policy, condemnation for those who exploit religious fervor for violent ends, and praise for political, cultural, and spiritual leaders who seek to harness the values of faith to unite us in these confusing and dangerous times. Illuminating and engrossing, this is a provocative work calling for leadership that is bold enough to rein in divisive religious rivalries and lay the groundwork for a new moral consensus.

During much of his life Voltaire's plays and verse made him the toast of society, but his barbed wit and commitment to reason also got him into trouble. Jailed twice and eventually banished by the King, he was an outspoken critic of religious intolerance and persecution. His personal life was as colourful as his intellectual one. Voltaire never married, but had long-term affairs with two women: Emilie, who died after giving birth to the child of another lover, and his niece, Marie-Louise, with whom he spent his last twenty-five years. With its tales of illegitimacy, prison, stardom, exile, love affairs and tireless battles against critics, Church and King, Roger Pearson's brilliant biography brings Voltaire vividly to life.

Edward Armstead has lived much of his life in the shadow of his famous media lord father. When his father dies, he leaves a will that makes it nearly impossible for Edward to keep the thing he wants most - The New York Record - his father's flagship newspaper. Edward's determination to exceed his father drives him to embark on two obssesive quiests - to make the New York Reporter the number one nerwspaper in the city - and the the world - and to make his father's young mistress his own. In a swiftly paced and prescient story reaching out of Manhattan into the inner circles of power in England, France, Spain, Switzerland, and Isarael, a growing wave of violence gives the publisher sensational headlines, exclusive to the Record, that turn Armstead into a media legend almost overnight. As Weston begins to believe his own hype, considering himself media's 'Almighty', a young, prize-winning investigative reporter on his staff, Victoria Weston, begins to suspect that someone is manipulating front-page news. As she follows her investigation through France and back to Manhattan, she begins to suspect the terrible truth. This novel brings Rupert Murdoch and the current string of media scandals immediately to mind. A sobering tale of power, corruption, and madness at the highest levels from a master craftsman of the written word.