{"title":"Currently In-Stock \/ Featured","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis collection is specifically what I have available on \"the shelves\" in the MCBC office. About the same amount of books are currently on order, so more to come, friends. And of course, if you aren't seeing something you'd like to see, fill out the contact form! I can order just about any request!\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"morbidly-curious-book-club-subscription-box","title":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Subscription Box","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGet the \u003cem\u003eMorbidly Curious Book Club\u003c\/em\u003e selections sent right to your doorstep! \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; text-align: left;\"\u003eEvery month, the \u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/morbidlycuriousbookclub\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMorbidly Curious Book Club\u003c\/a\u003e reads a nonfiction book that feeds your curious mind. Cults, true crime, serial killers, weird science, dark history, plagues, and more. It’s okay to be curious! Join us! The book box subscription service lets you receive that month’s pick without having to worry about where to buy it, and supports small businesses!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAll boxes\u003c\/strong\u003e come with a hardcover copy of the MCBC selection*, stickers, a signed book plate from the author (\u003cem\u003ewhen available\u003c\/em\u003e), a bookmark, and a postcard detailing the selection! \u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e*The book will always be hardcover, unless that title didn’t release in hardcover\/isn’t available in hardcover anymore. If there is a paperback month, you will get the pick in paperback, along with another paperback (that is either topic adjacent or a previous MCBC pick) to meet the box price. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLocal pick up\u003c\/strong\u003e is available to those in the \u003cem\u003eStatesville, North Carolina \u003c\/em\u003earea. Pick up location TBD. Will coordinate with you individually on an available time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYour renewal date will be the same day of the month you first subscribe\u003c\/strong\u003e. Deliveries typically arrive within a week, unless there is a hang up with receiving books from the publisher (currently happening with our October book)*.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYou can start your subscription at any time\u003c\/strong\u003e, or purchase a book club pick at any time. Keep in mind, of course, if you subscribe to the box later in the month, it might take a week or so to arrive depending on where you live, which might delay your reading slightly.\u003cbr\u003eOctober book will be available for purchase September 1st. \u003cbr\u003eNovember book will be available for purchase October 1st... so on and so forth!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e*October's book is limited due to low stock from publisher.\u003c\/strong\u003e The amount of subscribers is unlimited, and individual books without a subscription can be purchased. Extra copies can be ordered if needed, and customers will be notified of the slight delay!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYou can cancel your subscription anytime via your account.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease note: You do not have to be a subscriber or purchase the book through the MCBC website to participate in the book club meetings. Join the live show discussion over on MCBC’s YouTube, Facebook, and\/or \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/morbidlycuriousbookclub\/\" title=\"Instagram\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eInstagram\u003c\/a\u003e on the last Sunday of every month at 7 pm EST. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53405620142447,"sku":null,"price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/Website_photos_1.png?v=1788347551"},{"product_id":"the-vampires-cult-the-untold-story-of-obsession-control-and-a-shocking-small-town-murder-with-signed-bookplate","title":"THE VAMPIRE'S CULT: The Untold Story of Obsession, Control, and a Shocking Small-Town Murder (with SIGNED bookplate!)","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eA self-proclaimed vampire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eHis harem of \"witches.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eAnd the small-town murder that shocked America.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eWhen twenty-four-year-old Sydney Loofe disappeared after a Tinder date, the quiet town of Wilber, Nebraska was stunned. Days later, her dismembered body was found scattered across nearby fields—and the horrifying truth began to emerge. Sydney hadn't just met the wrong man. She had crossed paths with a deeply disturbed psychopath and his dangerous accomplice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eIn The Vampire's Cult, investigative journalist Chet Hardin exposes the twisted world of Aubrey Trail, an aging con man who presented himself as an all-powerful being, and Bailey Boswell, the woman who called herself his \"queen.\" Together, they lured vulnerable young women into a spiral of sex, theft, and psychological manipulation—with deadly consequences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eThrough exclusive interviews, firsthand reporting, and chilling detail, Hardin unravels the making of a modern cult—and the social desperation that feeds it. In an era defined by false realities and toxic charisma, The Vampire's Cult reveals just how easily darkness can disguise itself as devotion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe author was featured on the \u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/shows\/17f819be-161a-4326-b504-f9fe87e6dad2\/episodes\/d14f5869-f0ca-416b-bfaa-d929d160c468?_gl=1*z7os36*_gcl_au*MTIxMzg0MjQ0Ny4xNzgwNjczNDY4LjEzODQ4NjI0NDEuMTc4NzMyMzQ0Ny4xNzg3MzIzNDQ2LjExMjE2MTE3OTMuMTc4NzMyMzQ0Ny4xNzg3MzIzNDQ2*_ga*MTI4NTgzMjU2NS4xNzY0Mzc5MjY3*_ga_KVZ47LYJWW*czE3ODczNDQyNzgkbzEwMiRnMSR0MTc4NzM0NDU4OSRqNTUkbDAkaDA.\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMorbidly Curious Book Club Podcast\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53405679124847,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/Websitephotos_37.png?v=1788959816"},{"product_id":"99-ways-to-die-and-how-to-avoid-them","title":"99 WAYS TO DIE... And How to Avoid Them","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn illuminating, hilarious, and practical guide to 99 of the most terrifying ways to die and how to avoid them from an emergency medicine doctor.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDr. Ashely Alker is a self-described death escapologist—or, in more familiar terms, an emergency medicine doctor. She has seen it all, from flesh-eating bacteria to the work of a serial killer to the more mundane but no less deadly, and her work outwitting the end has uniquely prepared her to write this book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDr. Alker manages to shock listeners while making them laugh, educating them on how to outsmart a wide range of deadly situations and conditions. Many of the chapters include stories from her experiences in life and medicine, at times heartwarming, others heartbreaking. Sections include explorations of sex, poison, drugs, biological warfare, disease, animals, crime, the elements, and much more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn Anthony Bourdain-style greatest hits tour of death,\u003cem\u003e 99 Ways to Die\u003c\/em\u003e is entertaining while it informs. Full of valuable advice and wild stories, this riveting listen might just save your life.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53412006658415,"sku":null,"price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/14_a1199b1d-1ca6-453b-8669-c3779b5cba58.png?v=1788812105"},{"product_id":"the-summer-of-death-the-great-heat-wave-of-1936-and-the-making-of-modern-day-america","title":"THE SUMMER OF DEATH: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern-Day America","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eAvailable to Order: \u003c\/em\u003eShips to you in 1–2 weeks (processing + transit time)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"book-title is-size-3 has-title-font\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"The Summer of Death: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern-Day America\" By Geoff Williams\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA riveting historic narrative that tells the iconic story of the great heat wave that ravaged the continent in the last gasps of the Dust Bowl.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1936, after one of the coldest winters on record, North America experienced a heat wave that remains unmatched today. Thanks to a combination of an unusually warm sea surface in the Atlantic and Pacific, stagnating high-pressure, drought, and poor farming techniques, temperatures soared across virtually every state (and the territory of Alaska) for months.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis summer, the sun aimed its deadly rays at more than 11,000 Americans and 1,000 Canadians. Air conditioning was uncommon, workers’ rights were few, and in an age before high blood pressure medication, a lot of middle-aged adults, toiling in the sun, were literally working themselves to death.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis was a summer in which there was almost no escape from the 100-plus temperatures, and woe to those who tried. Men, women, and children rushed into rivers to cool off, only to drown. Desperate people slept on roofs to catch a breeze, only to roll over and plummet to their deaths. Young and old, rich and poor, human and animal, it didn’t really matter. If the heat wanted you, it was going to get you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe heat wave of 1936 sparked massive social changes and technological advances, as well as improvements in health care, and it ignited an ongoing impassioned national dialogue about climate change that continues, to varying degrees, to this day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFilled with vivid detail and characters as intense as the oppressive heat itself, \u003cem\u003eThe Summer of Death\u003c\/em\u003e is the definitive narrative history about this paradigm changing season. In the tradition of Timothy Egan’s \u003cem\u003eThe Worst Hard Time\u003c\/em\u003e and Edward P. Kohn’s \u003cem\u003eHot Time in the Old Town, The Summer of Death\u003c\/em\u003e reveals a unique and vital chapter of American history, one that could portend dire consequences for our future.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/shows\/17f819be-161a-4326-b504-f9fe87e6dad2\/ep\/bc128a7a-892b-40e0-8afe-3b8ac581e033\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eListen to the podcast episode here!\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53412012425583,"sku":null,"price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/Websitephotos_68_c0b976d0-44d1-4258-9fca-f0e0fb3bd6ec.png?v=1789821732"},{"product_id":"the-trial-of-lizzie-borden","title":"THE TRIAL OF LIZZIE BORDEN","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eAvailable to Order: \u003c\/em\u003eShips to you in 1–2 weeks (processing + transit time)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Trial of Lizzie Borden\u003c\/em\u003e tells the true story of one of the most sensational murder trials in American history. When Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally hacked to death in Fall River, Massachusetts, in August 1892, the arrest of the couple’s younger daughter Lizzie turned the case into international news and her trial into a spectacle unparalleled in American history. Reporters flocked to the scene. Well-known columnists took up conspicuous seats in the courtroom. The defendant was relentlessly scrutinized for signs of guilt or innocence. Everyone—rich and poor, suffragists and social conservatives, legal scholars and laypeople—had an opinion about Lizzie Borden’s guilt or innocence. Was she a cold-blooded murderess or an unjustly persecuted lady? Did she or didn’t she?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe popular fascination with the Borden murders and its central enigmatic character has endured for more than one hundred years. Immortalized in rhyme, told and retold in every conceivable genre, the murders have secured a place in the American pantheon of mythic horror, but one typically wrenched from its historical moment. In contrast, Cara Robertson explores the stories Lizzie Borden’s culture wanted and expected to hear and how those stories influenced the debate inside and outside of the courtroom. Based on transcripts of the Borden legal proceedings, contemporary newspaper accounts, unpublished local accounts, and recently unearthed letters from Lizzie herself,\u003cem\u003e The Trial of Lizzie Borden\u003c\/em\u003e offers a window onto America in the Gilded Age, showcasing its most deeply held convictions and its most troubling social anxieties.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/shows\/17f819be-161a-4326-b504-f9fe87e6dad2\/ep\/c042cb01-a9ff-46ca-b460-1a50c38b6d63\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eListen to the podcast episode here!\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53444646207855,"sku":null,"price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/120_999f5de6-89ac-4d57-a009-4d31360ce692.png?v=1788811571"},{"product_id":"true-crime-copy","title":"ALL THE LIVING AND THE DEAD: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA deeply compelling exploration of the death industry and the people--morticians, detectives, crime scene cleaners, embalmers, executioners--who work in it and what led them there.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are surrounded by death. It is in our news, our nursery rhymes, our true-crime podcasts. Yet from a young age, we are told that death is something to be feared. How are we supposed to know what we're so afraid of, when we are never given the chance to look?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFueled by a childhood fascination with death, journalist Hayley Campbell searches for answers in the people who make a living by working with the dead. Along the way, she encounters mass fatality investigators, embalmers, and a former executioner who is responsible for ending sixty-two lives. She meets gravediggers who have already dug their own graves, visits a cryonics facility in Michigan, goes for late-night Chinese with a homicide detective, and questions a man whose job it is to make crime scenes disappear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough Campbell's incisive and candid interviews with these people who see death every day, she asks: Why would someone choose this kind of life? Does it change you as a person? And are we missing something vital by letting death remain hidden? A dazzling work of cultural criticism, \u003ci\u003eAll the Living and the Dead\u003c\/i\u003e weaves together reportage with memoir, history, and philosophy, to offer readers a fascinating look into the psychology of Western death.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis was our January 2023 pick!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53444972413295,"sku":null,"price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/Websitephotos_84.png?v=1789759353"},{"product_id":"replaceable-you-mary-roach","title":"REPLACEABLE YOU: Adventures in Human Anatomy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e* Please note:\u003c\/strong\u003e Signed bookplates are on the way from the author. If you purchase a book before they arrive, I'll send you one once they're in, at no cost to you!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe body is the most complex machine in the world, and the only one for which you cannot get a replacement part from the manufacturer. For centuries, medicine has reached for what's available--sculpting noses from brass, borrowing skin from frogs and hearts from pigs, crafting eye parts from jet canopies and breasts from petroleum by-products. Today we're attempting to grow body parts from scratch using stem cells and 3D printers. How are we doing? Are we there yet?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eReplaceable You\u003c\/em\u003e, Mary Roach explores the remarkable advances and difficult questions prompted by the human body's failings. When and how does a person decide they'd be better off with a prosthetic than their existing limb? Can a donated heart be made to beat forever? Can an intestine provide a workable substitute for a vagina?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoach dives in with her characteristic verve and infectious wit. Her travels take her to the OR at a legendary burn unit in Boston, a \"superclean\" xeno-pigsty in China, and a stem cell \"hair nursery\" in the San Diego tech hub. She talks with researchers and surgeons, amputees and ostomates, printers of kidneys and designers of wearable organs. She spends time in a working iron lung from the 1950s, stays up all night with recovery techs as they disassemble and reassemble a tissue donor, and travels across Mongolia with the cataract surgeons of Orbis International.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIrrepressible and accessible, \u003cem\u003eReplaceable You\u003c\/em\u003e immerses readers in the wondrous, improbable, and surreal quest to build a new you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/shows\/17f819be-161a-4326-b504-f9fe87e6dad2\/ep\/be9161bd-9131-43dc-bef7-4e4689931f0e\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eListen to the podcast episode here!\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53444980932975,"sku":null,"price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/23_9d9ba8ab-941c-4efc-8c02-9eb3006973e1.png?v=1789413498"},{"product_id":"the-fact-of-a-body-a-murder-and-a-memoir","title":"THE FACT OF A BODY: A Murder and a Memoir","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLIMITED QUANTITY!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable to Order: Ships to you in 1–2 weeks (processing + transit time)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore Alex Marzano-Lesnevich begins a summer job at a law firm in Louisiana, working to help defend men accused of murder, they think their position is clear. The child of two lawyers, they are staunchly anti-death penalty. But the moment convicted murderer Ricky Langley's face flashes on the screen as they review old tapes--the moment they hear him speak of his crimes -- they are overcome with the feeling of wanting him to die. Shocked by their reaction, they dig deeper and deeper into the case. Despite their vastly different circumstances, something in his story is unsettlingly, uncannily familiar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCrime, even the darkest and most unsayable acts, can happen to any one of us. As Alex pores over the facts of the murder, they find themself thrust into the complicated narrative of Ricky's childhood. And by examining the details of Ricky's case, they are forced to face their own story, to unearth long-buried family secrets, and reckon with a past that colors their view of Ricky's crime.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut another surprise awaits: They weren't the only one who saw their life in Ricky's.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn intellectual and emotional thriller that is also a different kind of murder mystery, THE FACT OF A BODY is a book not only about how the story of one crime was constructed -- but about how we grapple with our own personal histories. Along the way it tackles questions about the nature of forgiveness, and if a single narrative can ever really contain something as definitive as the truth. This groundbreaking, heart-stopping work, ten years in the making, shows how the law is more personal than we would like to believe -- and the truth more complicated, and powerful, than we could ever imagine.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53445116330351,"sku":null,"price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/136.png?v=1788812536"},{"product_id":"exhumed-unearthing-the-history-of-the-american-vampire","title":"EXHUMED: Unearthing the History of the American Vampire","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable to Order: Ships to you in 1–2 weeks (processing + transit time)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn engrossing and macabre exploration of the folklore and early medical practices that led to the New England Vampire Panic in the 1890s, from critically acclaimed podcaster and bestselling author Aaron Mahnke.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat would drive a man to exhume the body of his daughter and remove her heart? That question has haunted Aaron Mahnke, creator and host of the award-winning podcast Lore. Fueled by a decade of research, Mahnke excavates the past to understand the hysteria that fueled the ghastly exhumation of Mercy Brown in 1892, who like her mother and sister before her, succumbed to \"consumption\" at the age of 19.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith Exhumed, Mahnke presents a unique history of the intersection of folklore and science, and how pop culture and both genuine medical advancements and pseudoscience of the time shaped the perspectives of people in 19th century America. From the death of George Washington to Mary Shelley writing \u003ci\u003eFrankenstein\u003c\/i\u003e, Mahnke leads reads on a fascinating journey through history, touching on methods of mummification, the multifaceted role of executioners, medicine made from corpses, European folklore that traveled across the Atlantic, and so much more. He reveals that as shocking as Brown's exhumation might seem, it also reflected surprisingly common attitudes and beliefs about the relationship between the dead and the living, the nature of science and magic, and the fate of a human soul. It all builds to a revelatory understanding of human behavior that continues to this very day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePossessing an irreverent view of science, history, and the human condition, Exhumed is perfect for fans of Mary Roach's \u003ci\u003eStiff\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as readers of forgotten American histories like Brad Meltzer's \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling \u003ci\u003eThe First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53445120164207,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/79.png?v=1788812523"},{"product_id":"how-to-kill-a-language-power-resistance-and-the-race-to-save-our-words","title":"HOW TO KILL A LANGUAGE: Power, Resistance, and the Race to Save Our Words","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable to Order: Ships to you in 1–2 weeks (processing + transit time)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLanguages can be killed in many ways: war, the climate crisis, nationalism, and even quiet choices made at the dinner table. Around the world, an unprecedented shift is drawing speakers toward national and global lingua francas. For some, that means losing the language of parents or grandparents; for many, it is a permanent farewell to systems that carry knowledge, culture, and belonging. With half of our 7,000 languages due to disappear this century, linguicide is one of the most pressing cultural emergencies of our age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eHow to Kill a Language\u003c\/i\u003e, journalist Sophia Smith Galer travels across continents and generations to chart this phenomenon. In Ecuador, she sees firsthand how shame deters parents from passing Kichwa onto their children. In Oman, she learns about languages with roots older than Arabic but never officially recognized. And in Italy, she searches for her Nonna's dialët, which is vanishing from diaspora communities and Italy itself. But languages can also be reclaimed: We meet the Karuk tribe of California, pioneering a grassroots language immersion program, and the storytellers challenging the criminalization of Kurdish. And in her discussion of Hebrew, Smith Galer reckons with the unintended consequences of raising a language seemingly from the grave.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePart investigation, part travelogue from a disappearing world, \u003ci\u003eHow to Kill a Language\u003c\/i\u003e exposes the true costs of this mass extinction event. Brought to life by vivid storytelling and Smith Galer's own experience with language loss, it's a fierce rallying cry for a multilingual future.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/shows\/17f819be-161a-4326-b504-f9fe87e6dad2\/ep\/b34ecda1-d389-42b5-9472-72c701b3bb69\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eListen to the podcast episode here!\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53445131895151,"sku":null,"price":31.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/77.png?v=1788812519"},{"product_id":"hidden-creatures-luscious-leeches-bashful-botflies-and-the-wondrous-history-shaping-world-of-parasites","title":"HIDDEN CREATURES: Luscious Leeches, Bashful Botflies, and the Wondrous, History-Shaping World of Parasites","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable to Order: Ships to you in 1–2 weeks (processing + transit time)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is the tapeworm, which can grow 120 feet in length within the gut of a whale; the tsetse fly, a notorious vector of disease that can pierce the skin even of crocodiles with its needle-like mouth; and the most universal symbol of parasitic behavior--the leech. Long villainized as, well, \u003ci\u003eparasitic\u003c\/i\u003e, these creatures are actually a vital part of every ecosystem--and Dr. Dino Martins, an award-winning entomologist and biologist from Kenya, has made it his life's mission to demystify these beguiling beings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eHidden Creatures\u003c\/i\u003e is a journey across the world ten times over--from Martins's home in the wilds of East Africa to the rainforests of Borneo to cities and backyards across the globe. Along the way we encounter brilliant and eccentric experts who join Martins on his adventures to investigate not only parasites but their hosts, from hyraxes and hippos to, of course, humans.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImmersive, driven by an utterly infectious curiosity, and sure to transform every reader's understanding of these organisms, \u003ci\u003eHidden Creatures \u003c\/i\u003ehas the magnetic force of a David Attenborough documentary and introduces a monumental, charming new voice in science writing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53445156733295,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/88.png?v=1788812528"},{"product_id":"pathogenesis-a-history-of-the-world-in-eight-plagues","title":"PATHOGENESIS: A History of the World in Eight Plagues","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLIMITED AVAILABILITY!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable to Order: Ships to you in 1–2 weeks (processing + transit time)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to the accepted narrative of progress, humans have thrived thanks to their brains and brawn, collectively bending the arc of history. But in this revelatory book, Professor Jonathan Kennedy argues that the myth of human exceptionalism overstates the role that we play in social and political change. Instead, it is the humble microbe that wins wars and topples empires.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on the latest research in fields ranging from genetics and anthropology to archaeology and economics, \u003ci\u003ePathogenesis\u003c\/i\u003e takes us through sixty thousand years of history, exploring eight major outbreaks of infectious disease that have made the modern world. Bacteria and viruses were protagonists in the demise of the Neanderthals, the growth of Islam, the transition from feudalism to capitalism, the devastation wrought by European colonialism, and the evolution of the United States from an imperial backwater to a global superpower. Even Christianity rose to prominence in the wake of a series of deadly pandemics that swept through the Roman Empire in the second and third centuries: Caring for the sick turned what was a tiny sect into one of the world's major religions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy placing disease at the center of his wide-ranging history of humankind, Kennedy challenges some of the most fundamental assumptions about our collective past--and urges us to view this moment as another disease-driven inflection point that will change the course of history. Provocative and brimming with insight, \u003ci\u003ePathogenesis\u003c\/i\u003e transforms our understanding of the human story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur March 2023 selection!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/shows\/17f819be-161a-4326-b504-f9fe87e6dad2\/ep\/0c9fddc0-c049-472a-97b4-c52098d61950\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eListen to our podcast episode here!\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53445538906479,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/47.png?v=1788812526"},{"product_id":"from-here-to-eternity-traveling-the-world-to-find-the-good-death","title":"FROM HERE TO ETERNITY: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLIMITED AVAILABILITY!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable to Order: Ships to you in 1–2 weeks (processing + transit time)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFascinated by our pervasive fear of dead bodies, mortician Caitlin Doughty embarks on a global expedition to discover how other cultures care for the dead. From Zoroastrian sky burials to wish-granting Bolivian skulls, she investigates the world's funerary customs and expands our sense of what it means to treat the dead with dignity. Her account questions the rituals of the American funeral industry--especially chemical embalming--and suggests that the most effective traditions are those that allow mourners to personally attend to the body of the deceased. Exquisitely illustrated by artist Landis Blair, \u003cem\u003eFrom Here to Eternity\u003c\/em\u003e is an adventure into the morbid unknown, a fascinating tour through the unique ways people everywhere confront mortality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur February 2022 selection!\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/shows\/17f819be-161a-4326-b504-f9fe87e6dad2\/ep\/0c9fddc0-c049-472a-97b4-c52098d61950\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53445542576495,"sku":null,"price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/21.png?v=1788812499"},{"product_id":"the-day-i-die-the-untold-story-of-assisted-dying-in-america","title":"THE DAY I DIE: The Untold Story of Assisted Dying in America","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable to Order: Ships to you in 1–2 weeks (processing + transit time)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn intimate investigation of assisted dying in America and what it means to determine the end of our lives.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this groundbreaking book, award-winning cultural anthropologist Anita Hannig brings us into the lives of ordinary Americans who go to extraordinary lengths to set the terms of their own death. Faced with a terminal diagnosis and unbearable suffering, they decide to seek medical assistance in dying--a legal option now available to one in five Americans.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on five years of research on the frontlines of assisted dying, Hannig unearths the uniquely personal narratives masked by a polarized national debate. Among them are Ken, an irreverent ninety-year-old blues musician who invites his family to his death, dons his best clothes, and goes out singing; Derianna, a retired nurse and midwife who treks through Oregon and Washington to guide dying patients across life's threshold; and Bruce, a scrappy activist with Parkinson's disease who fights to expand access to the law, not knowing he would soon, in an unexpected twist of fate, become eligible himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLyrical and lucid, sensitive but never sentimental, \u003cem\u003eThe Day I Die\u003c\/em\u003e tackles one of the most urgent social issues of our time: how to restore dignity and meaning to the dying process in the age of high-tech medicine. Meticulously researched and compassionately rendered, the book exposes the tight legal restrictions, frustrating barriers to access, and corrosive cultural stigma that can undermine someone's quest for an assisted death--and why they persist in achieving the departure they desire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Day I Die\u003c\/em\u003e will transform the way we think about agency and closure in the face of death. Its colorful characters remind us what we all stand to gain when we confront the hard--and yet ultimately liberating--truth of our mortality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur June 2024 selection!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53445546639727,"sku":null,"price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/50.png?v=1788812508"},{"product_id":"the-devil-reached-toward-the-sky-an-oral-history-of-the-making-and-unleashing-of-the-atomic-bomb","title":"THE DEVIL REACHED TOWARD THE SKY: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable to Order: Ships to you in 1–2 weeks (processing + transit time)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOn the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, the Pulitzer Prize finalist whose work is \"oral history at its finest\" (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) delivers an epic narrative of the atomic bomb's creation and deployment, woven from the voices of hundreds of scientists, generals, soldiers, and civilians.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe building of the atomic bomb is the most audacious undertaking in human history: a rush by a small group of scientists and engineers in complete secrecy to unlock the most fundamental power of the universe. Even today, the Manhattan Project evokes boldness, daring, and the grandest of dreams: bringing an end to World War II in the Pacific. As Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen fight overseas, men and women strive to discover the atom's secrets in places like Chicago, Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Hanford, and Los Alamos. On August 6, 1945, the world discovers what the end of the war--and the new global age--will look like.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe road to the first atomic bomb ends in Hiroshima, Japan, but it begins in Hitler's Europe, where brilliant physicists are forced to flee fascism and antisemitism--bringing to America their determination to harness atomic power before it falls into the Führer's arsenal. \u003ci\u003eThe Devil Reached Toward the Sky \u003c\/i\u003etraces the breakthroughs and the breakneck pace of atomic development in the years leading up to 1945, then takes us inside the B-29 bombers carrying Little Boy and Fat Man and finally to ground zero at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Pulitzer Prize finalist Garrett M. Graff comes a panoramic narrative of how ordinary people grapple with extraordinary wartime risks, sacrifices, and choices that will transform the course of history. Engineers experiment with forces of terrifying power, knowing each passing day costs soldiers' lives--but fearing too the consequences of their creation. Hundreds of thousands of workers toil around the clock to produce uranium and plutonium in an endeavor so classified that most people involved learn the reality of their effort only when it is announced on the radio by President Truman. The 509th Composite Group trains for a mission whose details are kept a mystery until shortly before takeoff, when the \u003ci\u003eEnola Gay \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eBockscar \u003c\/i\u003eare loaded with bombs the crew has never seen. And the civilians of two Japanese cities that have been spared American attacks--preserved for the sake of judging the bomb's power--escape their pulverized homes into a greater hellscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing from dozens of oral history archives and hundreds of books, reports, letters, and diaries, Graff masterfully blends the memories and perspectives from the known and unknown--key figures like J. Robert Oppenheimer, General Leslie Groves, and President Truman; the crews of the B-29 bombers; and the haunting stories of the Hibakusha--the \"bomb-affected people.\" Both a testament to human ingenuity and resilience and a compelling drama told by the participants who lived it, this book is a singular, profound, and searing work about the inception of our most powerful weapon and its haunting legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53445578654063,"sku":null,"price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/Websitephotos_10.png?v=1788837932"},{"product_id":"the-zorg-a-tale-of-greed-and-murder-that-inspired-the-abolition-of-slavery","title":"THE ZORG: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable to Order: Ships to you in 1–2 weeks (processing + transit time)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrom the Pulitzer Finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePerfect for fans of David Grann's The Wager and The Wide, Wide Sea by Hampton Sides\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn late October 1780, a slave ship set sail from the Netherlands, bound for Africa's Windward and Gold Coasts, where it would take on its human cargo. The Zorg (a Dutch word meaning \"care\") was one of thousands of such ships, but the harrowing events that ensued on its doomed journey were unique.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy the time its journey ends, the Zorg would become the first undeniable argument against slavery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen a series of unpredictable weather events and navigational errors led to the Zorg sailing off course and running low on supplies, the ship's captain threw more than a hundred slaves overboard in order to save the crew and the most valuable slaves. The ship's owners then claimed their loss on insurance, a first for slaves who had not been killed due to insurrection or died of natural causes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe insurers refused to pay due to the higher than usual mortality rate of the slaves on board, leading to a trial which initially found in their favor, in which the Chief Justice compared the slaves to horses. Thanks to the outrage of one man present in court that day, a retrial was held. For the first time, concepts such as human rights and morality entered the discourse on slavery in a courtroom case that boiled down to a simple yet profound question: Were the Africans on board people or cargo?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat followed was a fascinating legal drama in England's highest court that turned the brutal calculus of slavery into front-page news. The case of the Zorg catapulted the nascent anti-slavery movement from a minor evangelical cause to one of the most consequential moral campaigns in history―sparking the abolitionist movement in both England and the young United States.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Zorg is the astonishing yet little-known true story of the most consequential ship that ever crossed the Atlantic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53445608407407,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/126.png?v=1788812538"},{"product_id":"the-radium-girls-the-dark-story-of-americas-shining-women","title":"THE RADIUM GIRLS: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable to Order: Ships to you in 1–2 weeks (processing + transit time)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Charts Bestseller! \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"The glowing ghosts of the radium girls haunt us still.\" --\u003cem\u003eNPR Books\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDiscover the gripping and inspiring true story of \u003cem\u003eThe Radium Girls\u003c\/em\u003e, a groundbreaking work by acclaimed author Kate Moore. Immerse yourself in this compelling narrative that unravels the extraordinary lives of these fearless women who fought against all odds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Curies' newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright in the otherwise dark years of the First World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these \"shining girls\" are the luckiest alive--until they begin to fall mysteriously ill.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women's cries of corruption. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America's early 20th century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers' rights that will echo for centuries to come.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith meticulous research and a keen eye for detail, Kate Moore delves into the lives of these remarkable individuals, capturing their resilience, strength, and unwavering determination. Through their stories, she exposes the shocking negligence and corporate cover-ups that plagued the radium industry, ultimately sparking a revolution in workplace safety.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Radium Girls\u003c\/em\u003e is a masterful blend of historical account and heartfelt tribute. Moore's vivid prose brings these forgotten heroines back to life, ensuring that their sacrifices and triumphs are forever etched in our collective memory. As you turn each page, you'll be captivated by their indelible legacy and inspired by their enduring spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Radium Girls\u003c\/em\u003e is a must-read for history enthusiasts, feminists, and anyone seeking a remarkable story of resilience and empowerment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur May 2022 selection!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morbidly Curious Book Club Online Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53445618565487,"sku":null,"price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/3040\/9327\/files\/24.png?v=1788812506"},{"product_id":"this-is-me-a-reckoning","title":"THIS IS ME: A Reckoning","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable to Order: Ships to you in 1–2 weeks (processing + transit time)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHeroes and Nashville star Hayden Panettiere reclaims her story in a remarkably candid memoir. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHayden Panettiere's career in entertainment began before she was old enough to walk. 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When a key figure in the investigation turns up dead under suspicious circumstances, Sharpe's sources and editors insist that he could be in danger. And even as evidence mounts of Perry's innocence, local officials work to keep him in prison--until Sharpe's reporting forces the state to launch a new investigation--thirty-five years after the Swains' murders. 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Early in the morning of April 26, 1986, Reactor Number Four of the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station exploded, triggering history's worst nuclear disaster. In the thirty years since then, Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning, for a dangerous technology slipping its leash, for ecological fragility, and for what can happen when a dishonest and careless state endangers its citizens and the entire world. But the real story of the accident, clouded from the beginning by secrecy, propaganda, and misinformation, has long remained in dispute. Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews conducted over the course of more than ten years, as well as letters, unpublished memoirs, and documents from recently-declassified archives, Adam Higginbotham has written a harrowing and compelling narrative which brings the disaster to life through the eyes of the men and women who witnessed it firsthand. The result is a masterful nonfiction thriller, and the definitive account of an event that changed history: a story that is more complex, more human, and more terrifying than the Soviet myth. 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Surprising entertainment, combining deep learning with dad jokes . . . [Schutt] is a natural teacher with an easy way with metaphor.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this lively, unexpected look at the hearts of animals--from fish to bats to humans--American Museum of Natural History zoologist Bill Schutt tells an incredible story of evolution and scientific progress.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe join Schutt on a tour from the origins of circulation, still evident in microorganisms today, to the tiny hardworking pumps of worms, to the golf-cart-size hearts of blue whales. We visit beaches where horseshoe crabs are being harvested for their blood, which has properties that can protect humans from deadly illnesses. We learn that when temperatures plummet, some frog hearts can freeze solid for weeks, resuming their beat only after a spring thaw. 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