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The Number 1 best seller is updatedThis newly updated book features 2 new Chapters of content and insights infiltration of China, Russia and Iranian agents to undermine the very democracy we hold dear. Politicians and business elites including former Ambassadors to Canada, who may unwittingly have helped the criminal enterprises get a secure hold in the West.Soon after Wilful Blindness was published, I learned the book was having an impact in Beijing. I was contacted by Canadian intelligence and informed that Chinese espionage assets in Canada had been tasked with collecting information on me. Beijing wanted to know how the public was reacting to my book, and whether it could damage the Chinese Communist Party.It was shocking to hear this, but I wasn’t surprised that the United Front Work Department’s thin-skinned apparatchiks felt threatened by my granular reporting on their operations in Vancouver. I had named names and cited documents.I had even developed sources within local Chinese espionage networks. And I had drawn links between senior CCP official Bin Zhang, Markham underground casino suspect Wei Wei, and a Chinese front company that donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s family foundation. It can’t be overstated how significant this reporting was. I showed how this espionage operation extended to elite criminal suspects and their United Front comrades in Vancouver, including the flag-waving leaders of rallies against Hong Kong Canadians. This in turn was all connected to Triad suspects with deep ties to illegal casinos, violent loan-sharking networks,Chinese police forces and military, and the Vancouver Model of money laundering and economic infiltration. And I continued to dig. After my book came out, I learned that the keyfundraiser and Chinese community organizer for Justin Trudeau in Toronto was flagged in Fintrac suspicious transaction reports. The documents said this Markham man had, in just a few months, routed millions of dollars of wire transfers from Hong Kong for Chinese corruption suspects accused of big-time real estate money laundering in Canada. He was also tight with a top-tier CSIS..... Cooper has exposed the close ties between Chinese nationals who are dedicated to Beijing and have bought influence with all political parties in Canada. It's about time that former PM's cut their lucrative arrangements with the PRC and Cooper makes a compelling case as to how money through these networks has undermined our political process and policy engagement with the Peoples's Republic of China.Sam’s vigorous journalism on tracking and exposing money laundering has been crucial in the national push to reform and update Canada’s laws. This book pulls his work, and indeed the work of many professionals, into one explosive narrative. Canadian lore often pitches our country as a well-meaning good partner in the world. But as Sam’s report has shown, we are a node in global systems of corruption and crime, with the infiltration and implications only becoming worse over time. James Cohen, President of Transparency International Canada"A Gripping read that you won't want to put down" Benedict Rogers, Hong Kong Watch"This is a must-read book for concerned citizens who want to keep their democratic societies free"Solomon Yue, Vice-Chair and CEO, Republicans Overseas In 1982 three of the most powerful men in Asia met in Hong Kong. They would decide how Hong Kong would be handed over to the People's Republic of China and how Chinese business tycoons Henry Fok and Li Ka-Shing would help Deng Xiaoping realize the Chinese Communist Party's domestic and global ambitions. That meeting would not only change Vancouver but the world. Billions of dollars in Chinese investment would soon reach the shores of North America's Pacific coast. B.C. government casinos became a tool for global criminals to import deadly narcotics into Canada and launder billions of drug cash into Vancouver real estate. And it didn't happen by accident.A cast of accomplices - governments hungry for revenue, casino and real estate companies with ties to shady offshore wealth, professional facilitators including lawyers and bankers, an aimless RCMP that gave organized crime room to grow - all combined to cause this tragedy. There was greed, folly, corruption, conspiracy, and wilful blindness.Decades of bad policy allowed drug cartels, first and foremost the Big Circle Boys - powerful transnational narco-kingpins with ties to corrupt Chinese officials, real estate tycoons, and industrialists - to gain influence over significant portions of Canada's economy. Many looked the other way while B.C.'s primary industry, real estate, ballooned with dirty cash. But the unintended social consequences are now clear: a fentanyl overdose crisis raging in major cities throughout North America and life spans falling for the first time in modern Canada, and a runaway housing market that has devastated middle-class income earners.This story isn't just about real estate and fentanyl overdoses, though. Sam Cooper has uncovered evidence that shows the primary actors in so-called "Vancouver Model" money laundering have effectively made Canada's west coast a headquarters for corporate and industrial espionage by the CCP. And these ruthless entrepreneurs have used Vancouver and Canada to export their criminal model to other countries around the world including Australia and New Zealand. Meanwhile, Cooper finds that the RCMP's 2019 arrest of its top intelligence official, Cameron Ortis, raises many frightening questions. Could Chinese transnational criminals and state actors targeting Canada's industrial and technological crown jewels have gained protection from the Mounties?Could China and Iran have insight into Canada's deepest national security secrets and influence on investigations? According to the evidence Cooper has found, Ortis had oversight of many investigations into transnational money laundering networks and insight into sensitive probes of suspects seeking to undermine Canada's democracy and infiltrate the United States.Wilful Blindness is a powerful narrative that follows the investigators who refused to go along with institutionalized negligence and corruption that enabled the Vancouver Model, with Cooper drawing on extensive interviews with the whistle-blowers; thousands of pages of government and court documents obtained through legal applications; and large caches of confidential material available exclusively to Cooper.The book culminates with a shocking revelation showing how deeply Canada has been compromised and what needs to happen to get the nation back on track with its "Five Eyes" allies."I'm astonished that some Hollywood production company hasn't already signed him for a big-screen treatment of this story. It's a huge story." - Terry Glavin, National Post

The figure of the newspaper columnist, which emerged in America in the mid-nineteenth century, plays a key role in modern newspapers. Columnists nowadays add a decidedly personal touch to the newspapers in which they appear—an important consideration in an increasingly impersonal, corporate, no-nonsense medium. This volume provides the most complete look available at the emergence of the columnist and at who the leading columnists have been from the Civil War era to the present. In total, 780 columnists and their work are examined chronologically—according to when their columns first appeared—within several categories: early (1800s), humor, column poets, syndicated political, other syndicated, local, and minority.

The Number 1 best seller, 2nd EditionThis newly updated book features 2 new Chapters of content and insights about the infiltration of China, Russia and Iranian agents who have infiltrated our democracies throughout the free world. Politicians and business elites including former Ambassadors to Canada, may have unwittingly helped criminal enterprises and Chinese agents secure a hold in the West. From the UFW to the Minisitry of State Security(MSS) and Organized Crime bosses, Cooper takes readers on a wild ride in the shadows of the underworld and yet the agents of the CCP are hiding in plain site.Soon after Wilful Blindness was published, I learned the book was having an impact in Beijing. I was contacted by Canadian intelligence and informed that Chinese espionage assets in Canada had been tasked with collecting information on me. Beijing wanted to know how the public was reacting to my book, and whether it could damage the Chinese Communist Party.It was shocking to hear this, but I wasn’t surprised that the United Front Work Department’s thin-skinned apparatchiks felt threatened by my granular reporting on their operations in Vancouver. I had named names and cited documents.I had even developed sources within local Chinese espionage networks. And I had drawn links between senior CCP official Bin Zhang, Markham underground casino suspect Wei Wei, and a Chinese front company that donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s family foundation. It can’t be overstated how significant this reporting was. I showed how this espionage operation extended to elite criminal suspects and their United Front comrades in Vancouver, including the flag-waving leaders of rallies against Hong Kong Canadians. This in turn was all connected to Triad suspects with deep ties to illegal casinos, violent loan-sharking networks,Chinese police forces and military, and the Vancouver Model of money laundering and economic infiltration. And I continued to dig. After my book came out, I learned that the keyfundraiser and Chinese community organizer for Justin Trudeau in Toronto was flagged in Fintrac suspicious transaction reports. The documents said this Markham man had, in just a few months, routed millions of dollars of wire transfers from Hong Kong for Chinese corruption suspects accused of big-time real estate money laundering in Canada. He was also tight with a top-tier CSIS..... Cooper has exposed the close ties between Chinese nationals who are dedicated to Beijing and have bought influence with all political parties in Canada. It's about time that former PM's cut their lucrative arrangements with the PRC and Cooper makes a compelling case as to how money through these networks has undermined our political process and policy engagement with the Peoples's Republic of China.Sam’s vigorous journalism on tracking and exposing money laundering has been crucial in the national push to reform and update Canada’s laws. This book pulls his work, and indeed the work of many professionals, into one explosive narrative. Canadian lore often pitches our country as a well-meaning good partner in the world. But as Sam’s report has shown, we are a node in global systems of corruption and crime, with the infiltration and implications only becoming worse over time. James Cohen, President of Transparency International Canada"A Gripping read that you won't want to put down" Benedict Rogers, Hong Kong Watch"This is a must-read book for concerned citizens who want to keep their democratic societies free"Solomon Yue, Vice-Chair and CEO, Republicans Overseas In 1982 three of the most powerful men in Asia met in Hong Kong. They would decide how Hong Kong would be handed over to the People's Republic of China and how Chinese business tycoons Henry Fok and Li Ka-Shing would help Deng Xiaoping realize the Chinese Communist Party's domestic and global ambitions. That meeting would not only change Vancouver but the world. Billions of dollars in Chinese investment would soon reach the shores of North America's Pacific coast. B.C. government casinos became a tool for global criminals to import deadly narcotics into Canada and launder billions of drug cash into Vancouver real estate. And it didn't happen by accident.A cast of accomplices - governments hungry for revenue, casino and real estate companies with ties to shady offshore wealth, professional facilitators including lawyers and bankers, an aimless RCMP that gave organized crime room to grow - all combined to cause this tragedy. There was greed, folly, corruption, conspiracy, and wilful blindness.Decades of bad policy allowed drug cartels, first and foremost the Big Circle Boys - powerful transnational narco-kingpins with ties to corrupt Chinese officials, real estate tycoons, and industrialists - to gain influence over significant portions of Canada's economy. Many looked the other way while B.C.'s primary industry, real estate, ballooned with dirty cash. But the unintended social consequences are now clear: a fentanyl overdose crisis raging in major cities throughout North America and life spans falling for the first time in modern Canada, and a runaway housing market that has devastated middle-class income earners.This story isn't just about real estate and fentanyl overdoses, though. Sam Cooper has uncovered evidence that shows the primary actors in so-called "Vancouver Model" money laundering have effectively made Canada's west coast a headquarters for corporate and industrial espionage by the CCP. And these ruthless entrepreneurs have used Vancouver and Canada to export their criminal model to other countries around the world including Australia and New Zealand. Meanwhile, Cooper finds that the RCMP's 2019 arrest of its top intelligence official, Cameron Ortis, raises many frightening questions. Could Chinese transnational criminals and state actors targeting Canada's industrial and technological crown jewels have gained protection from the Mounties?Could China and Iran have insight into Canada's deepest national security secrets and influence on investigations? According to the evidence Cooper has found, Ortis had oversight of many investigations into transnational money laundering networks and insight into sensitive probes of suspects seeking to undermine Canada's democracy and infiltrate the United States.Wilful Blindness is a powerful narrative that follows the investigators who refused to go along with institutionalized negligence and corruption that enabled the Vancouver Model, with Cooper drawing on extensive interviews with the whistle-blowers; thousands of pages of government and court documents obtained through legal applications; and large caches of confidential material available exclusively to Cooper.The book culminates with a shocking revelation showing how deeply Canada has been compromised and what needs to happen to get the nation back on track with its "Five Eyes" allies."I'm astonished that some Hollywood production company hasn't already signed him for a big-screen treatment of this story. It's a huge story." - Terry Glavin, National Post

This newly updated book provides readers with over 18,000 words of new information regarding the infiltration of China, Russia and Iranian agents to undermine the very democracy we hold dear. Politicians and business elite including former Ambassador to Canada, Dominic Barton facilitated and helped the criminal enterprises get a secure hold in the West. Cooper has exposed the close ties between Chinese nationals who are dedicated to Beijing and have bought influence with all political parties in Canada. It's about time that former PM's cut their lucrative arrangements with the PRC and Cooper makes a compelling case as to how money through these networks has undermined our political process and policy engagement with the Peoples's Republic of China.

Sam Cooper started exposing the CCP's malfeasances abroad long before "China reporting" was popular. Thanks to his and a few others' selfless perseverance, Canadians and others worldwide have opened their eyes to the reality of the multiple threats posed by authoritarian China to the freedoms and values we hold dear. Doing so is not without a cost, as Chinese dissidents and diaspora communities around the world know all too well. Sam has and continues to bear that cost, head held high. We owe him and those who worked with him an immense debt of gratitude and a duty to act. Laura Harth, Quote, Campaign Director, Safeguard Defenders, RomeWilful Blindness, Foreign Interference, and Elite and State Capture build on the compelling narrative that has cemented Samuel Cooper's reputation as a premier investigative journalist, now under the banner of The Bureau. Hybrid Warfare does not involve firing a single shot but rather winning the hearts and minds of those in power to influence the decision-making apparatus. Cooper's findings now reveal how the Chinese Communist Party used its network and money to influence the outcome of the 2019 and 2021 elections. As the Hogue Commission unfolds, the government continues to block access to key documents that could shed light on a scandal that won't go away for the Liberal government.This explosive update makes Wilful Blindness a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the depth of political corruption, elite capture and foreign influence shaping our world today. Cooper also shows readers how China, Iran, and Russia work with organized crime as part of their Transnational Repression Operations worldwide that have targeted diaspora communities from China here in Canada and around the world. However, Canada was the soft underbelly for the PRC to infiltrate and undermine with their eyes clearly on the prize. The USA. In 1982, three of the most influential men in Asia convened in Hong Kong to shape the future of the city’s handover to the People’s Republic of China.This pivotal meeting saw Chinese business magnates Henry Fok and Li Ka-Shing align with Deng Xiaoping to advance the Chinese Communist Party's domestic and global ambitions. That day's decisions would ripple far beyond Hong Kong, reaching as far as Vancouver and reshaping the world. Soon, billions of dollars in Chinese investments poured into North America’s Pacific coast. British Columbia’s government casinos became conduits for global criminals, facilitating the influx of deadly narcotics into Canada and laundering billions of drug money into Vancouver’s real estate market.This was no accident.A web of accomplices—revenue-hungry governments, casino and real estate firms with connections to dubious offshore wealth, complicit lawyers and bankers, and an unresponsive RCMP—allowed organized crime to flourish. The consequences of this greed, corruption, and wilful blindness are staggering. Drug cartels, particularly the Big Circle Boys—transnational narco-kingpins with ties to corrupt Chinese officials and industrial tycoons—have infiltrated significant sectors of Canada’s economy. As dirty money inflated Vancouver’s real estate market, the social toll became evident: a fentanyl crisis ravaging North American cities, declining life expectancy in Canada, and an unattainable housing market for the middle class. But the story extends beyond real estate and overdoses.Samuel Cooper’s investigation reveals that the key players in the "Vancouver Model" of money laundering have turned Canada’s West Coast into a hub for CCP-led corporate and industrial espionage. These unscrupulous entrepreneurs have exported their criminal operations globally, impacting countries like Australia and New Zealand. The 2019 arrest of Cameron Ortis, the RCMP’s top intelligence official, raises alarming questions. Could Chinese transnational criminals and state actors have secured protection from within Canada’s national security apparatus? Could China and Iran possess insights into Canada’s most sensitive secrets and investigations?Ortis’s oversight of critical probes into transnational money laundering and espionage efforts underscores the depth of the infiltration. Wilful Blindness is a gripping narrative that follows tenacious investigators who challenged the institutionalized negligence and corruption behind the Vancouver Model. Drawing from extensive interviews with whistle-blowers, thousands of pages of government and court documents, and exclusive confidential materials, Cooper uncovers the shocking extent of Canada’s compromise.The book concludes with a startling revelation about the extent of the infiltration and outlines crucial steps Canada must take to realign with its “Five Eyes” allies and restore national security. In the third edition of his gripping international bestseller, investigative journalist Sam Cooper unveils the explosive narrative of corruption, crime, and complicity that has infiltrated the West. Wilful Blindness dives deep into the murky world of narcos, tycoons, and Chinese Communist Party agents, revealing how they have embedded themselves into the fabric of Western society. Drawing from extensive interviews with whistle-blowers and thousands of pages of government and court documents, Cooper exposes the dark underbelly of political and financial systems.This book is a testament to Cooper's relentless pursuit of the truth, from the shocking revelations of money laundering in Vancouver casinos to the high-stakes real estate deals masking illicit activities. The explosive NSICOP report from parliament suggests MPs from the NDP, Liberals and Conservatives have been compromised and may well be committing treason through their Wilful Blindness or direct engagement with PRC agents if only we had laws to prosecute them. Through the pages of Wilful Blindness, he reveals the probable suspects, from backbench MP's right to the PM's office. Renowned for his award-winning journalism, Cooper's work has forced a public conversation about corruption in Canada and beyond.This edition features new chapters that delve into the continued infiltration by foreign agents and the staggering implications for democracy and national security. Praise for Wilful Blindness is widespread. Dr. Charles Burton calls it "explosive revelations that expose our government's complicity," while Terry Glavin highlights its role in sparking a crucial public dialogue. Robert Spalding, a former US Brigadier General, urges readers to understand the modern war landscape through Cooper's revelations. For anyone seeking to comprehend the complex web of global crime and its insidious impact on Western democracies,Wilful Blindness is an essential read. This book not only informs but also empowers readers to recognize and confront the pervasive threats to our societal integrity. Updated forewords by Dr. Charles Burton with an Introduction by the former Chief of Asia Pacific, Michel Juneau-Katsuya

The toot-ally hilarious and messy origin story of Superpoop, your new favourite pooperhero, perfect for children (and parents) who enjoy a little potty-humour!Superpoop is fresh from hero training and only needs one mission under his belt to join the super league of superheroes. Yet, whenever he tries to save the day, another hero always gets there first! All Superpoop needs is a job that only he can do, so when toilet trouble is the mission of the day, he might just get the plopportunity!100,000 copies sold - loved by kids EVERYWHERE!

A hilariously silly Christmas rhyming picture book, featuring 101 magical festive bums of all shapes and sizes! From the creators of 101 Spooky Bums and 101 Bums - winner of the Best Laugh Out Loud Picture Book at the Lollies 2022Find sparkly bums, twinkly bums, jolly bums, snowy bums and lots more in this fun-filled celebration of Christmas - with an exciting festive finale!A bouncy read-aloud text and hilarious illustrations will get every child (and grown-up) giggling and excited for Christmas.With a super-shiny foil cover!

Join Superpoop, everyone's favourite pooperhero as he faces his biggest challenge yet . . .Since joining the League of Superheroes, Superpoop has been single-handedly dealing with the town's toilet trouble. But when the mayor tasks him with protecting the museum's priceless Egyptian Golden Toilet Brush, Superpoop decides it's finally time to find a sidekick to help with these messy jobs.Superpoop puts the call out for a solid, smell-proof companion who isn't afraid of the dirty work. Will he ever find the perfect number two, or will he forever battle the city drains alone?The toot-ally hilarious and messy toilet tale is the perfect read for children (and parents) who enjoy a little potty-humour! From the creators of 101 Bums, winner of the Lollies' Best Laugh Out Loud Picture Book 2022.

A hilariously silly rhyming picture book, featuring 101 roaring, stomping dino bums! From the creators of 101 Bums - winner of the Best Laugh Out Loud Picture Book at the Lollies 2022.Roaring bum Soaring bum Chomping bum Stomping bum!Find teethy bums and beefy bums, mucky bums and plucky bums and many MANY more prehistoric bums in this laugh-out-loud celebration of dinosaurs - with a dino dance party finale!The bouncy read-aloud text and hilarious illustrations will have every child (and grown-up) ROARING with laughter!

Waking bumsBaking bums, making hot cross bunsmatching bumshatching bums - welcome little ones!Find bunting bums and egg-hunting bums, floral bums and choral bums and many MANY more bushy-tailed bums in this lively, laugh-out-loud springtime celebration - with a bum-tastic Bunny Bottom Brunch finale!The bouncy read-aloud text and hilarious illustrations will have every child (and grown-up) springing with laughter!With 101 bunny bums to count - from bushy-tailed bunnies to characters dressed up as bunnies -this is the perfect Easter gift for little bunnies everywhere!

A hilariously silly sticker activity book, with 101 bums and over 200 stickers!- Featuring 200 easy to use stickers - Full of boredom-busting activities, including mazes, spot-the-difference, search-and-find and much more- Ideal to carry on the go for long journeys - Packed with LOTS of different farmyard animals, jungle creatures and dinosaurs - 101 bums to make kids giggle Say goodbye to boredom, with this jam-packed sticker activity book: guaranteed to keep little ones entertained for hours!

In the era of commercial sail, clipper ships were the ultimate expression of speed and grace. Racing out to the gold fields of America and Australia, and breaking speed records carrying tea back from China, the ships combined beauty with breathtaking performance. With over 200 gorgeous paintings and illustrations, and thrilling descriptions of the adventures and races on the water, this beautiful book brings the era vividly to life. Chapters include:The origins of the clippers - from the gold rush to the tea tradeA hell ship voyage with ''Bully'' Waterman, one of the most successful and notorious captains of the eraMarco Polo, the fastest ship in the world - her rise to prominence and subsequent declineMary Patten''s battle with Cape Horn - a lady captain takes charge in a very male worldMutiny aboard the ''wild boat of the Atlantic''The great China tea race of 1866 - an amazingly close race across the world, only decided in the final few milesThe Sir Lancelot defies the odds - her eccentric captains and rivalry with the legendary ThermopylaeThe Cutty Sark''s longest voyageFirst-hand accounts, newspaper reports and log entries add fascinating eyewitness detail, whilst the stunning images show how the designs of these thoroughbreds developed over the years.A wonderful read and worthy celebration of these racehorses of the sea.

In the era of commercial sail, clipper ships were the ultimate expression of speed and grace. Racing out to the gold fields of America and Australia, and breaking speed records carrying tea back from China, the ships combined beauty with breathtaking performance. With over 200 gorgeous paintings and illustrations, and thrilling descriptions of the adventures and races on the water, this beautiful book brings the era vividly to life. Chapters include:The origins of the clippers - from the gold rush to the tea tradeA hell ship voyage with ''Bully'' Waterman, one of the most successful and notorious captains of the eraMarco Polo, the fastest ship in the world - her rise to prominence and subsequent declineMary Patten''s battle with Cape Horn - a lady captain takes charge in a very male worldMutiny aboard the ''wild boat of the Atlantic''The great China tea race of 1866 - an amazingly close race across the world, only decided in the final few milesThe Sir Lancelot defies the odds - her eccentric captains and rivalry with the legendary ThermopylaeThe Cutty Sark''s longest voyageFirst-hand accounts, newspaper reports and log entries add fascinating eyewitness detail, whilst the stunning images show how the designs of these thoroughbreds developed over the years.A wonderful read and worthy celebration of these racehorses of the sea.

Daniel J. Flood was among the last of the oldtime movers and shakers on Capitol Hill. Known for his wardrobe of white linen suits, dark shirts, white ties, silk top hats, and dark, flowing capes, as a vaudevillian who became a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania, Flood was a flamboyant sight on the floor of the House. He presented his addresses and arguments with the overly precise and clipped accent of an old-fashioned stage actor, and he reveled in the attention he attracted for each and every performance. At the same time, 'Dapper Dan' understood the complexities of the old power politics and played the legislative game with sheer genius. He worked his will by employing the common practices that greased the wheels of the political process in the post - World War II era: persuasion, manipulation, arm-twisting, and grandiloquent oratory rarely matched by his congressional colleagues. Between 1945 and 1980, Flood used his clout as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee to wield near veto power over the $300 billion federal budget. Flood was instrumental in funding the Cold War as well as the 'Great Society' social reforms of the 1960s. A consummate pork-barrel politician, the mustachioed congressman channeled billions of dollars into a northeast Pennsylvania district suffering from a declining anthracite coal industry. As a result, the well-educated scion of the middle class was accepted by his blue-collar constituents as 'one of their own' and elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for sixteen terms. Accused of improprieties in arranging federal contracts, Flood became the subject of sweeping investigations by the U.S. Attorney General and the House Ethics Committee. A federal court case resulted in a mistrial in February 1979. Stripped of his congressional power, ravaged by illness, and facing a second bribery trial, Flood resigned from Congress on January 31, 1980. Based on recently declassified FBI documents, court records, public papers, and contemporary newspaper accounts, as well as more than thirty interviews of Flood's widow, congressional colleagues, and Capitol Hill staff, ""Dapper Dan Flood"" explodes the myths surrounding Pennsylvania's controversial - and colorful - congressman. It is a story of power, accomplishment, and, ultimately, failure and humiliation.

Daniel J. Flood was among the last of the old-time movers and shakers on Capitol Hill. A flamboyant vaudevillian who became a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania, he was a sight on the House floor, sporting white linen suits, silk top hats, and dark, flowing capes. Flood presented his addresses and arguments with the overly precise and clipped accent of an old-fashioned stage actor, and he reveled in the attention he attracted for every performance. At the same time, “Dapper Dan” understood the complexities of the old power politics and played the legislative game with sheer genius. He worked his will by employing the common practices that greased the wheels of the political process in the post–World War II era: persuasion, manipulation, arm-twisting, and grandiloquent oratory rarely matched by his congressional colleagues.Between 1945 and 1980, Flood used his clout as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee to wield near-veto power over the $300 billion federal budget. Flood was instrumental in funding the Cold War as well as the “Great Society” social reforms of the 1960s. This consummate pork-barrel politician was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for sixteen terms. Eventually accused of improprieties in arranging federal contracts, Flood became the subject of sweeping investigations by the U.S. Attorney General and the House Ethics Committee. Based on recently declassified FBI documents, court records, public papers, and contemporary newspaper accounts, as well as more than thirty interviews of Flood’s widow, congressional colleagues, and Capitol Hill staff, Dapper Dan Flood explodes the myths surrounding this controversial Pennsylvania congressman.

In the 1920s, newspapers and real estate developers colluded in a scheme to sell tiny vacation lots to subscribers. A zealous advertising campaign spawned a land-buying frenzy that sprouted dozens of waterfront summer colonies across the country. The resulting legal, social and environmental mayhem caused some of these communities to disappear or be drastically altered in character, while others managed to survive more or less intact. Drawing on newspaper accounts of the day, this book explores how the scheme eluded accusations of fraud, creating an assembly line for middle class resorts through a lucrative merger of real estate and journalism. Pell Lake, Wisconsin, serves as a case study that yields the best evidence for determining if it was all a scam. Told here for the first time, the story of this unusual alliance and the communities it created offers lessons for today's entrepreneurs, journalists, advertisers, real estate developers, environmentalists and anyone who has ever lived in a resort community.

'For anyone who enjoyed Hillbilly Elegy or Educated, Unfollow is an essential text' - Louis Theroux'Such a moving, redemptive, clear-eyed account of religious indoctrination' - Pandora Sykes'A nuanced portrait of the lure and pain of zealotry' New York Times'Unfolds like a suspense novel . . . A brave, unsettling, and fascinating memoir about the damage done by religious fundamentalism' NPRA Radio Four Book of the Week Pick for June 2021As featured on the BBC documentaries, 'The Most Hated Family in America' and 'Surviving America's Most Hated Family'It was an upbringing in many ways normal. A loving home, shared with squabbling siblings, overseen by devoted parents. Yet in other ways it was the precise opposite: a revolving door of TV camera crews and documentary makers, a world of extreme discipline, of siblings vanishing in the night.Megan Phelps-Roper was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church - the fire-and-brimstone religious sect at once aggressively homophobic and anti-Semitic, rejoiceful for AIDS and natural disasters, and notorious for its picketing the funerals of American soldiers. From her first public protest, aged five, to her instrumental role in spreading the church's invective via social media, her formative years brought their difficulties. But being reviled was not one of them. She was preaching God's truth. She was, in her words, 'all in'.In November 2012, at the age of twenty-six, she left the church, her family, and her life behind.Unfollow is a story about the rarest thing of all: a person changing their mind. It is a fascinating insight into a closed world of extreme belief, a biography of a complex family, and a hope-inspiring memoir of a young woman finding the courage to find compassion for others, as well as herself.---More praise for Unfollow'A beautiful, gripping book about a singular soul, and an unexpected redemption' - Nick Hornby'A modern-day parable for how we should speak and listen to each other' - Dolly Alderton'Her journey - from Westboro to becoming one of the most empathetic, thoughtful, humanistic writers around - is exceptional and inspiring' - Jon Ronson'A gripping story, beautifully told . . . It takes real talent to produce a book like this. Its message could not be more urgent' Sunday Times

'For anyone who enjoyed Hillbilly Elegy or Educated, Unfollow is an essential text' - Louis Theroux'A moving, redemptive, clear-eyed account of religious indoctrination' - Pandora Sykes'A nuanced portrait of the lure and pain of zealotry' New York TimesAs featured on the BBC documentaries, 'The Most Hated Family in America' and 'Surviving America's Most Hated Family'It was an upbringing in many ways normal. A loving home, shared with squabbling siblings, overseen by devoted parents. Yet in other ways it was the precise opposite: a revolving door of TV camera crews and documentary makers, a world of extreme discipline, of siblings vanishing in the night.Megan Phelps-Roper was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church - the fire-and-brimstone religious sect at once aggressively homophobic and anti-Semitic, rejoiceful for AIDS and natural disasters, and notorious for its picketing the funerals of American soldiers. From her first public protest, aged five, to her instrumental role in spreading the church's invective via social media, her formative years brought their difficulties. But being reviled was not one of them. She was preaching God's truth. She was, in her words, 'all in'.In November 2012, at the age of twenty-six, she left the church, her family, and her life behind.---More praise for Unfollow'A beautiful, gripping book about a singular soul, and an unexpected redemption' - Nick Hornby'A modern-day parable for how we should speak and listen to each other' - Dolly Alderton'Her journey - from Westboro to becoming one of the most empathetic, thoughtful, humanistic writers around - is exceptional and inspiring' - Jon Ronson'A gripping story, beautifully told . . . It takes real talent to produce a book like this. Its message could not be more urgent' Sunday Times