Socrates

Johnson, Paul. Socrates: A Man for Our Times. New York: Viking, 2011.

Call no.: 183.2 J636s

Publisher's Description: Socrates was undeniably one of the greatest thinkers of all time, yet he wrote nothing. Throughout his life, and indeed until his very last moment alive, Socrates fully embodied his philosophy in thought and deed. It is through the story of his life that we can fully grasp his powerful actions and ideas.


In his highly acclaimed style, historian Paul Johnson masterfully disentangles centuries of scarce sources to offer a riveting account of a homely but charismatic middle-class man living in Athens in the fifth century b.c., and how what this man thought still shapes the way we decide how to act, and how we fathom the notion of body and soul. Johnson provides a compelling picture of the city and people Socrates reciprocally delighted in, as well as many enlightening and intimate analyses of specific aspects of his personality. Enchantingly portraying "the sheer power of Socrates's mind, and its unique combination of steel, subtlety, and frivolity," Paul Johnson captures the vast and intriguing life of a man who did nothing less than supply the basic apparatus of the human mind.


Publisher's Book Page: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780670023035,00.html?Socrates_Paul_Johnson#

The Story of Charlotte's Web

Sims, Michael. The Story of Charlotte's Web: E. B. White's Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic. New York: Walker & Company, 2011.

Call no.: 813.52 W583si

Publisher's Description: In The Story of Charlotte's Web Michael Sims's shows how E. B. White solved what critic Clifton Fadiman once called "the standing problem of the juvenile-fantasy writer: how to find, not another Alice, but another rabbit hole." By mining the raw ore of his childhood in Mount Vernon, New York, in the first decade of the twentieth century, White translated his own passions and contradictions, delights and fears, into a book that would be read the world over. Building on a visit to White's farm in Maine, viewing his handwritten first draft of Charlotte's Web, Michael Sims chronicles White's animal-rich childhood, his writing about urban nature for the New Yorker, his scientific research into how spiders spin webs and lay eggs, his friendship with his legendary editor, Ursula Nordstrom, the composition and publication of his masterpiece, and his ongoing quest to recapture an enchanted childhood.

Publisher's Book Page: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-story-of-charlottes-web-9780802777546/

The Filter Bubble

Pariser, Eli. The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding From You. New York: Penguin, 2011.

Call no.: 004.678 P218f

Publisher's Description: An eye-opening account of how the hidden rise of personalization on the Internet is controlling-and limiting-the information we consume.

In December 2009, Google began customizing its search results for each user. Instead of giving you the most broadly popular result, Google now tries to predict what you are most likely to click on. According to MoveOn.org board president Eli Pariser, Google's change in policy is symptomatic of the most significant shift to take place on the Web in recent years-the rise of personalization. In this groundbreaking investigation of the new hidden Web, Pariser uncovers how this growing trend threatens to control how we consume and share information as a society-and reveals what we can do about it.

Though the phenomenon has gone largely undetected until now, personalized filters are sweeping the Web, creating individual universes of information for each of us. Facebook-the primary news source for an increasing number of Americans-prioritizes the links it believes will appeal to you so that if you are a liberal, you can expect to see only progressive links. Even an old-media bastion like The Washington Post devotes the top of its home page to a news feed with the links your Facebook friends are sharing. Behind the scenes a burgeoning industry of data companies is tracking your personal information to sell to advertisers, from your political leanings to the color you painted your living room to the hiking boots you just browsed on Zappos.

In a personalized world, we will increasingly be typed and fed only news that is pleasant, familiar, and confirms our beliefs-and because these filters are invisible, we won't know what is being hidden from us. Our past interests will determine what we are exposed to in the future, leaving less room for the unexpected encounters that spark creativity, innovation, and the democratic exchange of ideas.

While we all worry that the Internet is eroding privacy or shrinking our attention spans, Pariser uncovers a more pernicious and far- reaching trend on the Internet and shows how we can- and must-change course. With vivid detail and remarkable scope, The Filter Bubble reveals how personalization undermines the Internet's original purpose as an open platform for the spread of ideas and could leave us all in an isolated, echoing world.

Publisher's Book Page: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781594203008,00.html?The_Filter_Bubble_Eli_Pariser#

Native American Mythology

Pearce, Q. L. Native American Mythology. (Mythology and Culture Worldwide). Detroit: Lucent Books, 2012.

Call no.: J 398.208997 P315n

Publisher's Description: This new volume in Lucent's Mythology and Culture Worldwide series looks at Native American mythology, draws connections between Native American culture and its myths, and explains how the beliefs, values, and experiences of that culture are represented in its treasured stories. Tales covered include earth diver and origin stories, and myths of culture heroes, nature deities, spirits, and tricksters. This volume has a map of the tribal regions of North America, a table of major characters with name pronunciations and brief descriptions, a glossary, sidebars, fact boxes, a bibliography of sources for further study, and a subject index.

Publisher's Book Page: http://www.gale.cengage.com/servlet/ItemDetailServletCr?region=9&imprint=070&titleCode=LMCWL&cf=p&type=3&id=264912

William Wilberforce

Belmonte, Kevin. William Wilberforce: A Hero for Humanity. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007.

Call no.: FDC 326.092 W641be

Publisher's Description: Here is the true story of how British statesman and reformer William Wilberforce overcame great obstacles to bring about the end of the slave trade in England two centuries ago. The movie Amazing Grace brings this story to life, and this book is the inspiring, definitive biography of Wilberforce, written by the lead historical consultant for the film.

Michelangelo

Emert, Phyllis Raybin. Michelangelo. (Eye on Art). Detroit: Lucent Books, 2012.

Call no.: J 709.2 M582em

Publisher's Description: In this new Eye on Art title, author Phyllis Raybin Emert explores the life and work of Michelangelo Buonarroti. Considered one of the greatest artists of all time, Michelangelo gave the world some of the most magnificent Christian artwork ever created, including his famous painting on the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel and his sculptures David and Pietà. Michelangelo's works are described in vivid detail and the text includes numerous color photographs of the artist's work. The author provides interesting personal details about Michelangelo's life, his friendships, his family, and the political connections that sometimes caused him strife. Finally, Michelangelo's legacy to the art world is summarized.

Publisher's Book Page: http://www.gale.cengage.com/servlet/ItemDetailServletCr?region=9&imprint=070&titleCode=LEAL&cf=p&type=3&id=264715

The Iranian Revolution

Berlatsky, Noah, ed. The Iranian Revolution. (Perspectives on Modern World History). Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012.

Call no.: J 955.053 Ir1b

Publisher's Description: This new addition to the Perspectives on Modern World History series explores the historical and cultural events leading up to and following the Iranian uprising of 1978-1979. The text addresses issues surrounding the Iranian Revolution, such as the role of United States policy in fueling the unrest, the impact of the western press on anti-Khomeini sentiment, and parallels to the Green Revolution of 2009-2010. Personal narratives from people impacted by the Revolution, including a British diplomat eyewitness and an arrested Iranian feminist, are featured.

Publisher's Book Page: http://www.gale.cengage.com/servlet/ItemDetailServletCr?region=9&imprint=070&titleCode=GPMWHL&cf=p&type=3&id=262409

Conflicts and Independence

Ollhoff, Jim. Conflicts and Independence. (Hispanic American History) Minneapolis, Minn.: ABDO, 2012.

Call No.: J 980 Ol4c

Publisher's Description: Hispanic American History follows the timeline of this proud and ethnically diverse culture. This title discusses conflicts arising from the throwing off of Spanish colonial rule and the loss of land to the United States. Major conflicts such as the Spanish-American War and the Mexican-American War are introduced. The book also includes key figures such as Simon Bolivar, Miguel Hidalgo, Vicente Guerrero, Santa Anna, and David Glasgow Farragut.

Publisher's Book Page: http://www.abdopub.com/shop/pc/configurePrd.asp?idproduct=29807

Colors of Confinement

Muller, Eric L., ed. Colors of Confinement: Rare Kodachrome Photographs of Japanese American Incarceration in World War II. Photographs by Bill Manbo. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2012.

Call No.: 940.5317 M311c

Publisher's Description: In 1942, Bill Manbo (1908-1992) and his family were forced from their Hollywood home into the Japanese American internment camp at Heart Mountain in Wyoming. While there, Manbo documented both the bleakness and beauty of his surroundings, using Kodachrome film, a technology then just seven years old, to capture community celebrations and to record his family's struggle to maintain a normal life under the harsh conditions of racial imprisonment. Colors of Confinement showcases sixty-five stunning images from this extremely rare collection of color photographs, presented along with three interpretive essays by leading scholars and a reflective, personal essay by a former Heart Mountain internee.


The subjects of these haunting photos are the routine fare of an amateur photographer: parades, cultural events, people at play, Manbo's son. But the images are set against the backdrop of the barbed-wire enclosure surrounding the Heart Mountain Relocation Center and the dramatic expanse of Wyoming sky and landscape. The accompanying essays illuminate these scenes as they trace a tumultuous history unfolding just beyond the camera’s lens, giving readers insight into Japanese American cultural life and the stark realities of life in the camps.

Publisher's Book Page: http://www.uncpress.unc.edu/browse/book_detail?title_id=3075

My Freshman Year

Nathan, Rebekah. My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student. New York: Penguin, 2006.

Call no.: FDC 378.198 N195m

Publisher's Description: After fifteen years of teaching anthropology at a large university, Rebekah Nathan had become baffled by her own students. Their strange behavior—eating meals at their desks, not completing reading assignments, remaining silent through class discussions—made her feel as if she were dealing with a completely foreign culture. So Nathan decided to do what anthropologists do when confused by a different culture: Go live with them. She enrolled as a freshman, moved into the dorm, ate in the dining hall, and took a full load of courses. And she came to understand that being a student is a pretty difficult job, too. Her discoveries about contemporary undergraduate culture are surprising and her observations are invaluable, making My Freshman Year essential reading for students, parents, faculty, and anyone interested in educational policy.

Dreams from My Father

Obama, Barack. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2004.

Call no.: FDC 973.932 Ob1dr

Publisher's Description: In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New York, where Barack Obama learns that his father—a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man—has been killed in a car accident. This sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey—first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother’s family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family, confronts the bitter truth of his father’s life, and at last reconciles his divided inheritance.

Without a Summer

Kowal, Mary Robinette. Without a Summer. New York: TOR, 2013.

Call No.: F KOW

Publisher's Description: Up-and-coming fantasist Mary Robinette Kowal enchanted fans with her novels Shades of Milk and Honey and Glamour in Glass, which introduced Regency glamourists Jane and David Vincent. In Without a Summer, Jane and Vincent take a break from their international travels. But in a world where magic is real, nothing—even the domestic sphere—is quite what it seems.

After a dramatic trip to Belgium, Jane and Vincent go to Long Parkmeade to spend time with Jane’s family, but quickly turn restless. The spring is unseasonably cold, and no one wants to be outside. Mr. Ellsworth is concerned by the harvest, since a poor one may imperil Melody’s dowry. And Melody has concerns of her own, given an inadequate selection of eligible bachelors locally.

When Jane and Vincent receive a commission from a prominent London family, they take it, and bring Melody with them. They hope the change of scenery will do her good and her marriage prospects—and mood—will be brighter in London. Talk here frequently turns to increased unemployment of coldmongers and riots in nearby villages by Luddites concerned that their way of life is becoming untenable. With each passing day, it’s more difficult to avoid getting embroiled in the intrigue, which does not really help Melody’s chances for romance. It doesn’t take long for Jane to Vincent realize that in addition to arranging a wedding, they must take on one small task: solving a crisis of national proportions.

Living on the Boundaries

Creegan, Nicola Hoggard and Pohl, Christine D. Living on the Boundaries: Evangelical Women, Feminism and the Theological Academy. Downers Grove, Ill.: Intervarsity Press, 2005.

Call no.: FDC 230.04624 C861l

The 2020 Workplace

Meister, Jeanne C. and Willyerd, Karie. The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop, and Keep Tomorrow's Employees Today. New York: Harper, 2010.

Call no.: FDC 658.3 M479t

Publisher's Description: What companies need to know—and do—to win and hold on to tomorrow's best employees.


The workplace of the future is being shaped today by Web 2.0—a collection of breakthrough social media technologies—and by the Millennial Generation, people born between 1977 and 1997. The convergence of these emerging workplace trends has created a generation of hyperconnected workers who are placing increased pressure on employers to overhaul their approach to talent management. In The 2020 Workplace, human resources experts Jeanne C. Meister and Karie Willyerd offer a practical game plan companies can use to attract and keep these employees, and, in doing so, transform their organizations; achieve compelling business results, such as increased innovation and improved customer connectedness; and compete more effectively in the global marketplace.

Based on key findings from two surveys of global professionals, as well as case studies from organizations such as Deloitte, Cisco, Bell Canada, JetBlue, Nokia, and NASA, this book shows how the social technologies that are used outside the company in marketing to connect with customers can be adapted for use inside the company to connect with employees. Meister and Willyerd bolster their thought-provoking research with real-world examples of these practices in action, including a YouTube new-hire orientation contest, the use of Twitter for sourcing job candidates, and a video game for new hires. With twenty predictions for the 2020 workplace and a glossary for those who have never texted, posted to Facebook, or Tweeted, this book is a must-read guide to what companies should do—and are already doing—to create tomorrow's workplace of choice.