Books like TEMPTATIONS OF THE WEST by Pankaj Mishra

Bill Bryson’s witty farewell tour of England, capturing its idiosyncrasies, landscapes and people, as he prepares to return to the United States after decades of living there.

Bill Bryson retraces a journey across Britain, from Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath, uncovering the country’s quirks, charms and changes with humor and keen observation.

Louis Theroux explores diverse American subcultures, from claims of alien killings to a neo‑Nazi family’s white‑power folk band, weaving travel and social commentary into a candid portrait of contemporary U.S. eccentricities.

Ancient Egypt has been a focus of awe and fascination from the age of the Pyramids to the present day. In 'Egyptomania' Ronald H. Fritze takes us on a historical journey to unearth the Egypt of the imagination, a land of weird gods, murky magic, secret knowledge, marvellous pyramids, enigmatic sphinxes, monumental obelisks, immense wealth and mystifying mummies. Egypt has always exerted a powerful attraction in popular and high culture, and an array of personalities have been attracted to and repelled by the idea of Egypt. Medieval Christians considered Egypt a land with many connections to the Bible, while medieval Muslims were intrigued by its massive monuments, esoteric learning and hidden treasures. Scholars of the Renaissance, the Baroque and the Enlightenment pondered the mysteries of hieroglyphs and Hermes Trismegistus. Even the practical-minded Napoleon dreamed of Egyptian glory and helped open that antique land to the West. Fritze goes beyond the examination of Egyptomania in art and architecture to reveal its impact on religion, philosophy, historical study, literature, travel, science and popular culture. All those who remain captivated by the ongoing phenomenon of Egyptomania will revel in the mysteries uncovered in this book.

People around the world are confused and concerned. Is it a sign of strength or of weakness that the US has suddenly shifted from a politics of consensus to one of coercion on the world stage? What was really at stake in the war on Iraq? Was it all about oil and, if not, what else was involved? What role has a sagging economy played in pushing the US into foreign adventurism? What exactly is the relationship between US militarism abroad and domestic politics? These are the questions taken up in this compelling and original book. In this closely argued and clearly written book, David Harvey, one of the leading social theorists of his generation, builds a conceptual framework to expose the underlying forces at work behind these momentous shifts in US policies and politics. The compulsions behind the projection of US power on the world as a "new imperialism" are here, for the first time, laid bare for all to see.

"An entertaining and thought-provoking portrait of Indonesia: a rich, dynamic, and often maddening nation awash with contradictions. Jakarta tweets more than any other city on earth, but 80 million Indonesians live without electricity and many of its communities still share in ritual sacrifices. Declaring independence in 1945, Indonesia said it would 'work out the details of the transfer of power etc. as soon as possible.' With over 300 ethnic groups spread across 13,500 islands, the world's fourth most populous nation has been working on that 'etc.' ever since. Bewitched by Indonesia for twenty-five years, Elizabeth Pisani recently traveled 26,000 miles around the archipelago in search of the links that bind this impossibly disparate nation. Fearless and funny, Pisani shares her deck space with pigs and cows, bunks down in a sulfurous volcano, and takes tea with a corpse. Along the way, she observes Big Men with child brides, debates corruption and cannibalism, and ponders 'sticky' traditions that cannot be erased"--Provided by publisher.