When Navy SEAL Adam Brown woke up on March 17, 2010, he did not know he would die that night in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan, but he was ready. In a letter to his children, he wrote, “I’m not afraid of anything that might happen to me on this earth, because I know no matter what, nothing can take my spirit from me.”

One of the great heroes of the Iraq War, Staff Sergeant David Bellavia captures the brutal action and raw intensity of leading his Third Platoon, Alpha Company, into the lethally choreographed kill zone of booby-trapped, explosive-laden houses of Fallujah’s militant insurgents.

Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? The primary obstacle is a conflict that is built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems— the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control.

Despite the growing importance and virtual ubiquity of the Internet, the open nature of this 20th century innovation makes the Internet vulnerable to attack. Worm: The First Digital World War, by veteran journalist and bestselling author Mark Bowden, looks at the evolving cyber arena and the serious threats that will continue to challenge the security of all Internet users, including individuals, the private sector, and governments.