Newsmax Rising Bestsellers – Week of Aug. 15, 2022

The Newsmax Rising Bestsellers list will do more than stimulate your mind. These reads may challenge your beliefs, broaden your perspectives, excite your curiosities, or widen your imagination.

These books may not necessarily appear on the official New York Times list of bestsellers, but they're the ones our Newsmax audience is reading, talking about, sharing with friends, and buying.

Here are the Newsmax Rising Bestsellers for the week of August 15, 2022:

1. “Political Prisoner: Persecuted, Prosecuted, but Not Silenced’’ by Paul Manafort (Skyhorse)

Manafort — who chaired the Donald Trump presidential campaign, was convicted on bank fraud and tax charges and sentenced to seven years in prison, and pardoned by Trump in 2020 — argues that he was prosecuted for refusing to turn against the commander in chief. He charges that the case against him was a hoax cooked up by a partisan media and dishonest Democratic Party. He dissects what he says was “a completely false narrative’’ about his alleged supposed conspiracy with pro-Russian elements in Ukraine to further Vladimir Putin’s efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election. (Nonfiction)

2. “Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China’’ by Hal Brands and Michael Beckley (W.W. Norton & Company)

The authors, both American Enterprise Institute scholars, say China is at a perilous moment: strong enough to violently challenge the existing order, yet losing confidence that time is on its side. They cite its aggression toward Taiwan, its record-breaking military buildup, and its efforts to dominate the critical technologies that will shape the world’s future. They also argue that over the long run, the Chinese challenge will most likely prove more manageable than many pessimists currently believe ― but during the 2020s, the pace of Sino-American conflict will accelerate, and the prospect of war will be frighteningly real. (Nonfiction)

3. “Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider's Guide to Jeopardy!’’ By Claire McNear (Grand Central Publishing)

McNear, a journalist who writes on culture, explores the long and colorful history of America’s most popular television game show. She reveals the rigorous preparations taken by contestants as they gird for their shot onstage, and recounts the various dramas the show has faced, including the time the “Clue Crew,’’ which travels the world to gather obscure tidbits used in the program, nearly slid off a glacier. (Nonfiction)

4. “The Atlanta Daily Intelligencer Covers the Civil War’’ by Stephen Davis and Bill Hendrick (University of Tennessee Press)

The authors investigate how Atlanta’s most important Confederate newspaper reported the Civil War in news articles and editorials, and its role as a voice of Confederate patriotism, Southern nationalism, and wartime public morale. They trace its politically powerful role in the reporting of information, both accurate or biased, and how it shaped public perceptions of war — all the while facing paper shortages, high ink prices, printers striking for higher pay and faulty telegraphic services. (Nonfiction)

5. “Big Trouble Ahead: A Real Plan for Flourishing in a Time of Fear and Deception’’ by Allen Jackson (Thomas Nelson)

Jackson,  pastor of the World Outreach Church, says Christians today live in an unsettling reality defined by a steady cultural drift toward “blatant immorality and disregard for the truth.’’ The economic and social instability of the past couple of years — not to mention the fear and confusion brought on by the global pandemic — have only added to the atmosphere of uncertainty and anxiety, he argues. But encouragingly, he says God's kingdom is unshakeable and that if we take hold of the fundamental truths of the Gospel and decipher the gathering storm clouds through the lens of Scripture, the church will be empowered to prevail. (Nonfiction)