The United States Navy SEALs may be the most elite special operations force in the world today. They have a fearsome reputation dating back to the Second World War, but they shun the spotlight, and the public at large knows little of what they do or how they do it. Now, for the first time, their story is told in fascinating detail in a book accessible to all. SEAL is an acronym for sea, air and land. These formidable commandos operate with deadly...

The great Yiddish scholar Max Weinreich was delivering a lecture in Finland when the Nazis invaded his native Poland. The lecture saved his life. He made his way to New York, where he opened his doors to new students. Many thought his work with hopeless -- especially since half of the world Yiddish speakers had been killed in the Holocaust. Asked why he persevered, Weinreich answered simply: "Because Yiddish has magic, it will outwit history." And...