Find your book's discussion guide

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S 2025 SUMMER READS AS SEEN ON CBS MORNINGS, CNN ANDERSON COOPER, ABC NEWS LIVE, MSNBC MORNING JOE, AND MANY MORE "This eye-opening, multifaceted ode to public service. . . feels both urgent and moving." —The Guardian "Terrific." —New York Times An all-star team of writers and storytellers go in search of the essential public servant Who works for the government and why does their work matter? Michael Lewis invited his favorite writers, including Casey Cep, Dave Eggers, John Lanchester, Geraldine Brooks, Sarah Vowell, and W. Kamau Bell, to join him in writing about someone doing an interesting job for the government. The stories they found are unexpected, riveting, and inspiring, including a former coal miner devoted to making mine roofs less likely to collapse, saving thousands of lives; an IRS agent straight out of a crime thriller; and the manager who made the National Cemetery Administration the best-run organization, public or private, in the entire country. Each essay shines a spotlight on the essential behind-the-scenes work of exemplary federal employees. Whether they’re digitizing archives, chasing down cybercriminals, or discovering new planets, these public servants are committed to their work and universally reluctant to take credit. Expanding on the celebrated Washington Post series, these vivid profiles show how the essential business of government makes our lives possible.

Nya can't remember the last time she felt safe. The rundown rental house didn't seem so bad at first. But now, someone is stealing her food. Rattling her bedroom doorknob. Digging through her belongings. Each night brings more disturbing incidents. And each night, Nya is more convinced that it's not an intruder. She suspects the culprit is hiding in plain sight: her peculiar roommate-of-necessity, Sidney. Nya can't afford to live anywhere else. The horrible rental is her only option. In a few months, she'll finish her final semester of college-and get the hell out of dodge. But to her horror, the sinister mind games are just the beginning. Before long, she's forced to face the possibility that her physical safety may be at risk. Maybe even her life. The truth is more terrifying than Nya could have guessed. And as the situation spirals out of control, it's suddenly clear that surviving the night may no longer be an option. "Gripping and unpredictable, Room for Rent by Noelle Ihli had me peering between my fingers as I read. Anyone who has had a problematic roommate will immediately relate to this darkly disturbing, compulsively readable page-turner. An immersive, spine-tingling, deeply visceral experience, I recommend reading Room for Rent with the lights blazing." - Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Overnight Guest "What a thrill ride! Room for Rent made me afraid of what could be happening in my own home. It gave me nightmares I still can't shake. Trust me, you'll never look at basements the same way again." -Steph Nelson, author of The Vein "This heart-pounding thriller will grip you from the first sentence and won't let go until the last. Settle in and get comfy when you start Room for Rent, because it's the very definition of unputdownable." -Faith Gardner, author of The Slaying Game 2025 IngramSpark(R) Editorial Selection - Mystery/Thriller

Ten children, abducted in broad daylight-and buried alive. Sage and her sister won't make it home from school today. Neither will the other children on Bus 315. But that's only the beginning of the nightmare. New bus driver Jessa blames herself for what happened. She couldn't protect the kids she was supposed to deliver to daycare, just like she couldn't protect her own daughter three years ago. But this time, everything will be different. It has to be. Trapped in a shipping container buried twenty feet underground, Jessa and the children do their best to stay calm. The kidnappers insist that if everyone behaves, they'll be freed when the ransom is paid. But Sage isn't sure they'll last that long. Neither is Jessa. It's dark and cramped, and with every passing minute it's getting harder to breathe. With time-and air-running thin, Jessa and the children must find a way to outsmart their captors, or face an unthinkable fate. Such Quiet Girls was inspired by actual events.

The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII. His name wasn’t Chester Nez. That was the English name he was assigned in kindergarten. And in boarding school at Fort Defiance, he was punished for speaking his native language, as the teachers sought to rid him of his culture and traditions. But discrimination didn’t stop Chester from answering the call to defend his country after Pearl Harbor, for the Navajo have always been warriors, and his upbringing on a New Mexico reservation gave him the strength—both physical and mental—to excel as a marine. During World War II, the Japanese had managed to crack every code the United States used. But when the Marines turned to its Navajo recruits to develop and implement a secret military language, they created the only unbroken code in modern warfare—and helped assure victory for the United States over Japan in the South Pacific. INCLUDES THE ACTUAL NAVAJO CODE AND RARE PICTURES