Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Red Circle






Webb, Brandon. The Red Circle: My Life in the Navy Seal Sniper Corps and How I Trained America's Deadliest Marksmen. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2012.

Call no.: 359.984 W381r

Publisher's Description:


BEFORE HE COULD FORGE A BAND OF ELITE WARRIORS… HE HAD TO BECOME ONE HIMSELF.

Brandon Webb’s experiences in the world’s most elite sniper corps are the stuff of legend. From his grueling years of training in Naval Special Operations to his combat tours in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan, The Red Circle provides a rare and riveting look at the inner workings of the U.S. military through the eyes of a covert operations specialist.

Yet it is Webb’s distinguished second career as a lead instructor for the shadowy “sniper cell” and Course Manager of the Navy SEAL Sniper Program that trained some of America’s finest and deadliest warriors—including Marcus Luttrell and Chris Kyle—that makes his story so compelling. Luttrell credits Webb’s training with his own survival during the ill-fated 2005 Operation Redwing in Afghanistan. Kyle went on to become the U.S. military’s top marksman, with more than 150 confirmed kills.

From a candid chronicle of his student days, going through the sniper course himself, to his hair-raising close calls with Taliban and al Qaeda forces in the northern Afghanistan wilderness, to his vivid account of designing new sniper standards and training some of the most accomplished snipers of the twenty-first century, Webb provides a rare look at the making of the Special Operations warriors who are at the forefront of today’s military.

Explosive, revealing, and intelligent, The Red Circle provides a uniquely personal glimpse into one of the most challenging and secretive military training courses in the world.

Publisher's Book Page: http://us.macmillan.com/theredcircle/BrandonWebb

Author's Web Site: http://www.brandontylerwebb.com/books/

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZVb8jMlTyo

Military.com podcast: http://podcasts.military.com/2012/04/brandon-webb-hits-the-red-circle.html

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Amexica






Vulliamy, Ed. Amexica: War Along the Borderline. Rev. and updated ed. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2011.

Call no.: 363.45 V977a

Publisher's Description: In 2009, Ed Vulliamy traveled two thousand miles along the frontier from the Pacific coast to the Gulf of Mexico, and from Tijuana to Matamoros, a journey through a kaleidoscopic landscape of corruption and all-out civil war. He describes in revelatory detail the dreaded narco gangs; the smuggling of people, weapons, and illegal drugs; and the interrelated economies of drugs and the ruthless, systematic murder of young women in Ciudad Juarez. Amexica takes us far beyond today’s headlines. It is a street-level portrait, by turns horrific and sublime, of a place and people in a time of war as much as of the war itself, “an impressively rendered, nightmare-inducing account” (Kirkus Reviews, Top 25 Books of 2010).

Publisher's Book Page: http://us.macmillan.com/amexica/EdVulliamy

Telegraph review: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/8159754/Amexica-War-Along-the-Borderline-by-Ed-Vulliamy-review.html

New York Times book review: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/books/review/Jacoby-t.html?pagewanted=all

Harvest






Crace, Jim. Harvest. New York: Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2013.

Call No.: F CRA

Publisher's Description: On the morning after harvest, the inhabitants of a remote English village awaken looking forward to a hard-earned day of rest and feasting at their landowner's table. But the sky is marred by two conspicuous columns of smoke, replacing pleasurable anticipation with alarm and suspicion.

One smoke column is the result of an overnight fire that has damaged the master's outbuildings. The second column rises from the wooded edge of the village, sent up by newcomers to announce their presence. In the minds of the wary villagers a mere coincidence of events appears to be unlikely, with violent confrontation looming as the unavoidable outcome. Meanwhile, another newcomer has recently been spotted taking careful notes and making drawings of the land. It is his presence more than any other that will threaten the village's entire way of life.

In effortless and tender prose, Jim Crace details the unraveling of a pastoral idyll in the wake of economic progress. His tale is timeless and unsettling, framed by a beautifully evoked world that will linger in your memory long after you finish reading.

Publisher's Book Page: http://www.randomhouse.com/book/33086/harvest-by-jim-crace

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Creating Consumers






Goldstein, Carolyn M. Creating Consumers: Home Economists in Twentieth-Century America. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2012.

Call no.: 640.023 G578c

Publisher's Description:


Home economics emerged at the turn of the twentieth century as a movement to train women to be more efficient household managers. At the same moment, American families began to consume many more goods and services than they produced. To guide women in this transition, professional home economists had two major goals: to teach women to assume their new roles as modern consumers and to communicate homemakers' needs to manufacturers and political leaders. Carolyn M. Goldstein charts the development of the profession from its origins as an educational movement to its identity as a source of consumer expertise in the interwar period to its virtual disappearance by the 1970s.

Working for both business and government, home economists walked a fine line between educating and representing consumers while they shaped cultural expectations about consumer goods as well as the goods themselves. Goldstein looks beyond 1970s feminist scholarship that dismissed home economics for its emphasis on domesticity to reveal the movement's complexities, including the extent of its public impact and debates about home economists' relationship to the commercial marketplace.


Publisher's Book Page: http://www.uncpress.unc.edu/browse/book_detail?title_id=2768

Monday, February 25, 2013

The Viral Storm






Wolfe, Nathan. The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age. New York: Times Books, 2011.

Call no.: 616.91 W832v

Publisher's Description:


In The Viral Storm, award-winning biologist Nathan Wolfe tells the story of how viruses and human beings have evolved side by side through history; how deadly viruses like HIV, swine flu, and bird flu almost wiped us out in the past; and why modern life has made our species vulnerable to the threat of a global pandemic. He takes readers along on his groundbreaking and often dangerous research trips to reveal the surprising origins of the most deadly diseases and to explain the role that viruses have played in human evolution.

In a world where each new outbreak seems worse than the one before, Wolfe points the way forward, as new technologies are brought to bear to neutralize these viruses and even harness their power for the good of humanity. His provocative vision of the future will change the way we think about viruses, and perhaps remove a potential threat to humanity's survival.


Publisher's Book Page: http://us.macmillan.com/theviralstorm/NathanWolfe

NPR's Fresh Air broadcast: http://www.npr.org/2012/10/12/162781027/the-man-who-tracks-viruses-before-they-spread

Science News book review: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/335457/description/BOOK_REVIEW_The_Viral_Storm_The_Dawn_of_a_New_Pandemic_Age_by_Nathan_Wolfe_

1356






Cornwell, Bernard. 1356: A Novel. New York: HarperCollins, 2012.

Call no.: F COR

Publisher's Description: "The most prolific and successful historical novelist in the world today" (Wall Street Journal) has delivered another blockbuster with this thrilling tale of peril and conquest at the Battle of Poitiers.


September 1356. All over France, towns are closing their gates. Crops are burning, and through-out the countryside people are on the alert for danger. The English army—led by the heir to the throne, the Black Prince—is set to invade, while the French, along with their Scottish allies, are ready to hunt them down.
But what if there was a weapon that could decide the outcome of the imminent war?

Thomas of Hookton, known as le Batard, has orders to uncover the lost sword of Saint Peter, a blade with mystical powers said to grant certain victory to whoever possesses her. The French seek the weapon, too, and so Thomas's quest will be thwarted at every turn by battle and betrayal, by promises made and oaths broken. As the outnumbered English army becomes trapped near Poitiers, Thomas, his troop of archers and men-at-arms, his enemies, and the fate of the sword converge in a maelstrom of violence, action, and heroism.

Rich with colorful characters, great adventure, and thrilling conflict, 1356 is a magnificent tale of how the quest for a holy relic with the power to change history may culminate in an epic struggle.


Publisher's Book Page: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/1356-Bernard-Cornwell?isbn=9780061969676&HCHP=TB_1356

Author's Web Site: http://www.bernardcromwell.net/

Washington Post review: http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-12-25/entertainment/36016184_1_british-soldiers-british-troops-foot-soldiers

YouTube book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_rjMiq9ZFg

Sunday, February 24, 2013

The Transforming Vision





Walsh, Brian J. and Middleton, J. Richard. The Transforming Vision: Shaping a Christian World View. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1984.

Call no.: FDC 210 W168t

Publisher's Description: Science, technology and economic growth motivate our society. Each is carried on with little regard for Christian concerns.


Brian Walsh and Richard Middleton yearn for change. They long to see Christianity penetrate the structures of society, reforming and remolding our culture. From scholarship in the universities to politics, business and family life, the Christian vision can transform our world.

To stimulate such change the authors analyze our troubled age, show us how it got that way and suggest a solution. Their clear presentation of a Christian world view forms the basis of their hope.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

The Spartan Army






Lazenby, J. F. The Spartan Army. (Stackpole Military History Series.) Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole, 2012.

Call no.: 355.009389 L458s

Publisher's Description: 

  • Reprint of a classic work of ancient military history
  • Traces the origins of Sparta's unique training, tactics, and organization that made it the master of Greek battlefields
  • Clear analysis of battles such as Thermopylae, Plataea, Mantinea, and Leuktra
  • Spartan warriors continue to influence modern militaries, including the U.S. Marine Corps


  • Publisher's Book Page: http://www.stackpolebooks.com/productdetails.cfm?sku=1084&isbn=9780811710848&title=spartan-army,-the

    Friday, February 22, 2013

    A Military History of China






    Graff, David A. and Higham, Robin, eds. A Military History of China. Updated ed. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2012.

    Call no.: 355.00951 M599g

    Publisher's description: Gaining an understanding of China’s long and sometimes bloody history can help to shed light on China’s ascent to global power. Many of China’s imperial dynasties were established as the result of battle, from the chariot warfare of ancient times to the battles of the Guomindang (KMT) and Communist regimes of the twentieth century. China’s ability to sustain complex warfare on a very large scale was not emulated in other parts of the world until the Industrial Age, despite the fact that the country is only now rising to economic dominance.

    In A Military History of China, Updated Edition, David A. Graff and Robin Higham bring together leading scholars to offer a basic introduction to the military history of China from the first millennium B.C.E. to the present. Focusing on recurring patterns of conflict rather than traditional campaign narratives, this volume reaches farther back into China’s military history than similar studies. It also offers insightful comparisons between Chinese and Western approaches to war. This edition brings the volume up to date, including discussions of the Chinese military’s latest developments and the country’s most recent foreign conflicts.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.kentuckypress.com/live/title_detail.php?titleid=3061

    The Wrath of Angels






    Connolly, John. The Wrath of Angels. New York: Emily Bestler Books/Atria, 2013.

    Call no.: F CON

    Publisher's Description: In the depths of the Maine woods, the wreckage of a plane is discovered. There are no bodies, and no such plane has ever been reported missing, but men both good and evil have been seeking it for a long, long time.


    What the wreckage conceals is more important than money. It is power: a list of names, a record of those who have struck a deal with the devil. Now a battle is about to commence between those who want the list to remain secret and those for whom it represents a crucial weapon in the struggle against the forces of darkness. The race to secure the prize draws in private detective Charlie Parker, a man who knows more than most about the nature of the terrible evil that seeks to impose itself on the world, and who fears that his own name may be on the list. It lures others, too: a beautiful, scarred woman with a taste for killing; a silent child who remembers his own death; and a serial killer known as the Collector, who sees in the list new lambs for his slaughter. But as the rival forces descend upon this northern state, the woods prepare to meet them, for the forest depths hide other secrets.

    Someone has survived the crash. Something has survived the crash.

     And it is waiting. . . .


    Publisher's Book Page: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Wrath-of-Angels/John-Connolly/9781476703022

    Author's Web Site: http://www.johnconnollybooks.com/

    YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3xz3TyE74I

    Thursday, February 21, 2013

    Merchants of Doubt






    Oreskes, Naomi and Conway, Erik M. Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2010.

    Call no.: 174.95 Or3m

    Publisher's Description: Merchants of Doubt was one of the most talked-about climate change books of recent years, for reasons easy to understand: It tells the controversialstory of how a loose-knit group of high-level scientists and scientific advisers, with deep connections in politics and industry, ran effective campaigns to mislead the public and deny well-established scientific knowledge over four decades. The same individuals who claim the scienceof global warming is "not settled" have also denied the truth about studies linking smoking to lung cancer, coal smoke to acid rain, and CFCs to the ozone hole. "Doubt is our product," wrote one tobacco executive. These "experts" supplied it.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/merchants-of-doubt-9781608193943/

    YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOnXL8ob_js

    Guardian review: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/08/merchants-of-doubt-oreskes-conway

    George C. Marshall Institute's response to the book: http://www.marshall.org/article.php?id=1079


    Wednesday, February 20, 2013

    Behind the Dream





    Jones, Clarence B. and Connelly, Stuart. Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech That Transformed a Nation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

    Call no.: 323.092 K585jo

    Publisher's Description: “I have a dream.” When those words were spoken on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, the crowd stood, electrified, as Martin Luther King, Jr. brought the plight of African Americans to the public consciousness and firmly established himself as one of the greatest orators of all time. Behind the Dream is a thrilling, behind-the-scenes account of the weeks leading up to the great event, as told by Clarence Jones, co-writer of the speech and close confidant to King. Jones was there, on the road, collaborating with the great minds of the time, and hammering out the ideas and the speech that would shape the civil rights movement and inspire Americans for years to come.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://us.macmillan.com/behindthedream/ClarenceBJones

    YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8Jo8Ble0wE

    NPR's Fresh Air program: http://www.npr.org/2011/01/17/132905796/dream-speech-writer-jones-reflects-on-king-jr

    Forbes Magazine: http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorgan/2011/04/15/go-behind-the-dream-how-martin-luther-kings-great-speech-happened/

    White Dog Fell from the Sky






    Morse, Eleanor. White Dog Fell from the Sky. New York: Viking, 2013.

    Call no.: F MOR

    Publisher's Description: Eleanor Morse’s rich and intimate portrait of Botswana, and of three people whose intertwined lives are at once tragic and remarkable, is an absorbing and deeply moving story.

    In apartheid South Africa in 1976, medical student Isaac Muthethe is forced to flee his country after witnessing a friend murdered by white members of the South African Defense Force. He is smuggled into Botswana, where he is hired as a gardener by a young American woman, Alice Mendelssohn, who has abandoned her Ph.D. studies to follow her husband to Africa. When Isaac goes missing and Alice goes searching for him, what she finds will change her life and inextricably bind her to this sunburned, beautiful land.

    Like the African terrain that Alice loves, Morse’s novel is alternately austere and lush, spare and lyrical. She is a writer of great and wide-ranging gifts.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780670026401,00.html?White_Dog_Fell_from_the_Sky_Eleanor_Morse#

    New York Journal of Books review: http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/review/white-dog-fell-sky-novel

    Tuesday, February 19, 2013

    Irving Berlin's American Musical Theater






    Magee, Jeffrey. Irving Berlin's American Musical Theater. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.

    Call no.: 780.92 B465ma

    Publisher's Description: From patriotic "God Bless America" to wistful "White Christmas," Irving Berlin's songs have long accompanied Americans as they fall in love, go to war, and come home for the holidays. Irving Berlin's American Musical Theater is the first book to fully consider this songwriter's immeasurable influence on the American stage. Award-winning music historian Jeffrey Magee chronicles Berlin's legendary theatrical career, providing a rich background to some of the great composer's most enduring songs, from "There's No Business Like Show Business" to "Puttin' on the Ritz." Magee shows how Berlin's early experience singing for pennies made an impression on the young man, who kept hold of that sensibility throughout his career and transformed it into one of the defining attributes of Broadway shows. Magee also looks at darker aspects of Berlin's life, examining the anti-Semitism that Berlin faced and his struggle with depression. Informative, provocative, and full of colorful details, this book will delight song and theater aficionados alike as well as anyone interested in the story of a man whose life and work expressed so well the American dream.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Music/PopularMusic/MusicTheatrePopularSongFilmMusic/?view=usa&ci=9780195398267

    Jewish Journal's review: http://www.jewishjournal.com/books/article/irving_berlin_master_of_secular_religion_20120626

    Talkin Broadway's review: http://www.talkinbroadway.com/bookreviews/berlin.html

    Monday, February 18, 2013

    Signs & Symbols






    Signs & Symbols. New York: DK Publishing, 2008.

    Call no.: R 302.222 Si26d

    Publisher's Description: Why is a flag at half-mast a symbol of mourning? Why do brides in the West traditionally wear white, while Asian cultures associate this color with death? Discover answers to these and other mystifying questions in Signs & Symbols, a fully-illustrated guide that helps unlock the secret language of the signs, symbols, and traditions around us. A rich source of information for readers of all ages, this book is divided into two sections, first looking at major sources of symbols (basic shapes, colors and numbers, the natural world), then, placing symbols in context of mythologies and religions, the human life cycle, people and culture, and symbol systems. Clear cross-referencing illuminates connections between symbols, while beautiful artwork and photography make this a collector’s edition to treasure.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://us.dk.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780756633936,00.html?strSrchSql=signs/Signs_and_Symbols_DK_Publishing

    Doctor Who: The Wheel of Ice






    Baxter, Stephen. Doctor Who: The Wheel of Ice. New York: Ace Books, 2013.

    Call no.: F BAX

    Publisher's Description: Resilience. Remembrance. Restoration. Whatever the cost.

    Hurtling through a vortex beyond time and space is a police box that’s not a police box. The TARDIS has carried the Doctor and his companions, Jamie and Zoe, to all sorts of places, but now, when they don’t want to go anywhere, the TARDIS makes a decision for them. Like it or not, they’re coming in for a landing, who knows where or when…

    The Wheel. A ring of ice and metal turning around a moon of Saturn, home to a mining colony supplying a resource-hungry Earth. It’s a bad place to live—and a worse place to grow up.

    The colony has been plagued by problems. Maybe it’s only a run of bad luck, but the equipment failures and thefts of resources have been increasing. And there are stories among the children of mysterious creatures glimpsed aboard the Wheel. Some of the younger workers are even refusing to go down into the warren-like mines any more.

    And then one of them, surfing Saturn’s rings, saves an enigmatic blue box from destruction.

    Once on the Wheel, the Doctor and his companions face a critical situation when they become suspected by some as the source of the ongoing sabotage.

    They soon find themselves caught in a mystery that goes all the way back to the creation of the solar system. A mystery that could destroy the Wheel—and kill them all... 

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780425261224,00.html?Doctor_Who:_The_Wheel_of_Ice_Stephen_Baxter#

    Sunday, February 17, 2013

    Revelations






    Pagels, Elaine. Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation. New York: Viking, 2012.

    Call no.: 228.06 P146r

    Publisher's Description: A startling exploration of the history of the most controversial book of the Bible, by the bestselling author of Beyond Belief.


    Through the bestselling books of Elaine Pagels, thousands of readers have come to know and treasure the suppressed biblical texts known as the Gnostic Gospels. As one of the world's foremost religion scholars, she has been a pioneer in interpreting these books and illuminating their place in the early history of Christianity. Her new book, however, tackles a text that is firmly, dramatically within the New Testament canon: The Book of Revelation, the surreal apocalyptic vision of the end of the world . . . or is it?
    In this startling and timely book, Pagels returns The Book of Revelation to its historical origin, written as its author John of Patmos took aim at the Roman Empire after what is now known as "the Jewish War," in 66 CE. Militant Jews in Jerusalem, fired with religious fervor, waged an all-out war against Rome's occupation of Judea and their defeat resulted in the desecration of Jerusalem and its Great Temple. Pagels persuasively interprets Revelation as a scathing attack on the decadence of Rome. Soon after, however, a new sect known as "Christians" seized on John's text as a weapon against heresy and infidels of all kinds-Jews, even Christians who dissented from their increasingly rigid doctrines and hierarchies.

    In a time when global religious violence surges, Revelations explores how often those in power throughout history have sought to force "God's enemies" to submit or be killed. It is sure to appeal to Pagels's committed readers and bring her a whole new audience who want to understand the roots of dissent, violence, and division in the world's religions, and to appreciate the lasting appeal of this extraordinary text.


    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780670023349,00.html?Revelations_Elaine_Pagels#

    Saturday, February 16, 2013

    JG 26 Luftwaffe Fighter Wing War Diary Vol. 1






    Caldwell, Donald. JG 26 Luftwaffe Fighter Wing War Diary. Volume One: 1939-42. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole, 2012.

    Call no.: 940.544943 C127j

    Publisher's Description: 

  • Day-by-day account of a German fighter squadron, one of only two Luftwaffe units to spend the entire war in the West
  • Covers the Battle of France, the Battle of Britain, the Dieppe raid, and more
  • JG 26 was known as "The Abbeville Boys" and seen by the Allies as an elite squadron
  • Unit flew Messerschmitt Bf 109s and Focke-Wulf Fw 190s


  • Publisher's Book Page: http://www.stackpolebooks.com/productdetails.cfm?sku=1077&isbn=9780811710770&title=jg-26-luftwaffe-fighter-wing-war-diary

    Friday, February 15, 2013

    A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling






    Phillips, Andrea. A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling: How to Captivate and Engage Audiences Across Multiple Platforms. New York: McGraw Hill, 2012.

    Call no.: 006.7 P541c

    Publisher's Description:
    What is transmedia storytelling and what can it do for you?

    It’s the buzzword for a new generation—a revolutionary technique for telling stories across multiple media platforms and formats—and it’s rapidly becoming the go-to strategy for a wide variety of businesses. If you work in marketing, entertaining, or advertising, transmedia storytelling is a must-have tool for pulling people into your world.

    Why do you need A Creator’s Guide to Transmedia Storytelling?

    If you want to attract, engage, and captivate your audience, you need this book. Written by an award-winning transmedia creator and renowned games designer, this book shows you how to utilize the same marketing tools used by heavy-hitters such as HBO, Disney, Ford, and Sony Pictures—at a fraction of the cost.

    You’ll learn how to:
    • Choose the right platforms for your story
    • Decide whether to DIY or outsource work
    • Find and keep a strong core production team
    • Make your audience a character in your story
    • Get the funding you need—and even make a profit
    • Forge your own successful transmedia career
    With these proven media-ready strategies, you’ll learn how to generate must-read content, must-see videos, and must-visit websites that will only grow bigger as viewers respond, contribute, and spread the word. You’ll create major buzz with structures such as alternate reality games and fictional character sites—or even “old-fashioned” platforms such as email and phone calls. The more you connect to your audience and the more you get them involved in the storytelling process, the more successful you will be.

    This isn’t the future. This is now. This is how you tell your story, touch your audience, and take your game to the next level—through transmedia storytelling.


    Publisher's Book Page: http://catalogs.mhhe.com/mhhe/viewProductDetails.do?isbn=0071791523

    Wired Magazine's review: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2012/07/creators-guide-to-transmedia/

    The Twelve Tribes of Hattie






    Mathis, Ayana. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie. New York: Knopf, 2012.

    Call no.: F MAT

    Honors: Oprah's Book Club 2.0  (Reading Guide ;  Oprah's notes & quotes)

    Publisher's Description: The arrival of a major new voice in contemporary fiction.

    A debut of extraordinary distinction: Ayana Mathis tells the story of the children of the Great Migration through the trials of one unforgettable family.

    In 1923, fifteen-year-old Hattie Shepherd flees Georgia and settles in Philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Instead, she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins succumb to an illness a few pennies could have prevented.  Hattie gives birth to nine more children whom she raises with grit and mettle and not an ounce of the tenderness they crave.  She vows to prepare them for the calamitous difficulty they are sure to face in their later lives, to meet a world that will not love them, a world that will not be kind. Captured here in twelve luminous narrative threads, their lives tell the story of a mother’s monumental courage and the journey of a nation.

    Beautiful and devastating, Ayana Mathis’s The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is wondrous from first to last—glorious, harrowing, unexpectedly uplifting, and blazing with life. An emotionally transfixing page-turner, a searing portrait of striving in the face of insurmountable adversity, an indelible encounter with the resilience of the human spirit and the driving force of the American dream.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.randomhouse.com/book/227706/the-twelve-tribes-of-hattie-oprahs-book-club-20-by-ayana-mathis

    Entertainment Weekly review: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20655915,00.html

    Cleveland Plain Dealer review: http://www.cleveland.com/books/index.ssf/2012/12/ayana_mathis_makes_the_twelve.html

    Thursday, February 14, 2013

    In This Timeless Time





    Jackson, Bruce and Christian, Diane. In This Timeless Time: Living and Dying on Death Row in America. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2012.

    Call No.: 364.66 J132i

    Publisher's Description:

    In this stark and powerful book, Bruce Jackson and Diane Christian explore life on Death Row in Texas and in other states, as well as the convoluted and arbitrary judicial processes that populate all Death Rows. They document the capriciousness of capital punishment and capture the day-to-day experiences of Death Row inmates in the official "nonperiod" between sentencing and execution.

    In the first section, "Pictures," ninety-two photographs taken during their fieldwork for the book and documentary film Death Row illustrate life on cell block J in Ellis Unit of the Texas Department of Corrections. The second section, "Words," further reveals the world of Death Row prisoners and offers an unflinching commentary on the judicial system and the fates of the men they met on the Row. The third section, "Working," addresses profound moral and ethical issues the authors have encountered throughout their careers documenting the Row.

    Included is a DVD of Jackson and Christian's 1979 documentary film, Death Row.


    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.uncpress.unc.edu/browse/book_detail?title_id=2844

    Publishers Weekly review: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8078-3539-5

    Suspect






    Crais, Robert. Suspect. New York: Dutton, 2013.

    Call no.: F CRA

    Publisher's Description: LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well. Eight months ago, a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty—until he meets his new partner.

    Maggie is not doing so well, either. A German shepherd who survived three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan sniffing explosives before losing her handler to an IED, her PTSD is as bad as Scott’s.

    They are each other’s last chance. Shunned and shunted to the side, they set out to investigate the one case that no one wants them to touch: the identity of the men who murdered Stephanie.  What they begin to find is nothing like what Scott has been told, and the journey will take them both through the darkest moments of their own personal hells. Whether they will make it out again, no one can say.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780399161483,00.html?Suspect_Robert_Crais

    Author's Web Site: http://www.robertcrais.com/

    Chicago Daily Herald review: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130129/entlife/701299966/

    Daily News (Galveston County) review: http://www.galvestondailynews.com/news_ap/entertainment/other/article_e2ac6026-1ae8-52fb-be31-8d2b0853d2c4.html

    Wednesday, February 13, 2013

    We've Got a Job





    Levinson, Cynthia. We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March. Atlanta: Peachtree, 2012.

    Call no.: J 323.1196 L578w

    Publisher's Description: 


    The inspiring story of one of the greatest moments in civil rights history as seen through the eyes of four young people who were at the center of the action.

    The 1963 Birmingham Children's March was a turning point in American history. In the streets of Birmingham, Alabama, the fight for civil rights lay in the hands of children like Audrey Hendricks, Wash Booker, James Stewart, and Arnetta Streeter.

    Through the eyes of these four protesters and others who participated, We've Got a Job tells the little-known story of the 4,000 black elementary, middle, and high school students who voluntarily went to jail between May 2 and May 11, 1963. The children succeeded - where adults had failed - in desegregating one of the most racially violent cities in America.

    By combining in-depth, one-on-one interviews and extensive research, author Cynthia Levinson recreates the events of the Birmingham Children's March from a new and very personal perspective.

    Publisher's Book Page:  http://peachtree-online.com/index.php/book/weve-got-a-job.html

    Author's web site: http://www.cynthialevinson.com/

    Kirkus Reviews: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/cynthia-y-levinson/weve-got-job-1963-birmingham-childrens-march/

    School Library Journal blog post: http://blogs.slj.com/practicallyparadise/2011/12/19/nonfiction-monday-weve-got-a-job/

    Standing in Another Man's Grave






    Rankin, Ian. Standing in Another Man's Grave. New York: Little, Brown, 2012.

    Call no.: F RAN

    Publisher's Description: John Rebus returns to investigate the disappearances of three women from the same road over ten years.

    For the last decade, Nina Hazlitt has been ready to hear the worst about her daughter's disappearance. But with no sightings, no body, and no suspect, the police investigation ground to a halt long ago, and Nina's pleas to the cold case department have led her nowhere.

    Until she meets the newest member of the team: former Detective John Rebus.

    Rebus has never shied away from lost causes - one of the many ways he managed to antagonize his bosses when he was on the force. Now he's back as a retired civilian, reviewing abandoned files. Necessary work, but it's not exactly scratching the itch he feels to be in the heart of the action.

    Two more women have gone missing from the same road where Sally Hazlitt was last seen. Unlike his skeptical colleagues, Rebus can sense a connection - but pursuing it leads him into the crosshairs of adversaries both old and new.

    Rebus may have missed the thrill of the hunt, but he's up against a powerful enemy who's got even less to lose.

    On the twentieth anniversary of Ian Rankin's first American publication comes a novel bursting with the vitality and suspense that made its author one of crime fiction's most dazzling stars. STANDING IN ANOTHER MAN'S GRAVE is the triumphant return of John Rebus, and a riveting story of sin, redemption, and revenge.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ian-rankin/standing-in-another-mans-grave/9780316224581/

    Author's Web Site: http://www.ianrankin.net/

    Seattle Times review: http://seattletimes.com/html/books/2020208007_bookrankinxml.html

    Tuesday, February 12, 2013

    History of Britain & Ireland





    History of Britain & Ireland: The Definitive Visual Guide. New York: DK Publishing, 2011.

    Call no.: 942 H629

    Publisher's Description: From the Roman conquest of 43 CE to the Norman conquest of 1066 and from the Elizabethan age of Shakespeare to the Iraq and Afghan wars of the 21st century, DK's History of Britain and Ireland traces the key events that shaped the societies living in the British Isles from the earliest times to the present day. 


    History of Britain and Ireland is the definitive visual guide to 5,000 years of British history. It includes a comprehensive timeline chronicling key events in the history of Britain and Ireland, in addition to "decisive moment" spreads that vividly describe turning points in British history. It also profiles the people who have had a significant impact on British culture and society through their inventions, discoveries, and ideas.


    Publisher's Book Page: http://us.dk.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780756675554,00.html?strSrchSql=history+of+britain/History_of_Britain_&_Ireland_DK_Publishing

    The Perfect Marriage






    Roby, Kimberla Lawson. The Perfect Marriage. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2013.

    Call no.: F ROB

    Publisher's Description: Denise and Derrek Shaw are the perfect American couple. Happily married for 15 years, they have a wonderful daughter, successful careers, and a beautiful house. They also have a shocking secret: a dangerous addiction to drugs. Denise and Derrek attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings, but with Denise's job becoming more stressful, it is the drugs that allow her to get through her long days. Then Derrek, who has been clean for weeks, relapses when there is a family tragedy. Once soul mates, this husband and wife are quickly losing the immense love they once felt for each other. With her parents spiraling out of control, their daughter, Mackenzie, makes an unexpected move to take matters into her own hands. Is there still hope and a final chance to save the Shaw family?

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kimberla-lawson-roby/the-perfect-marriage/9780446572507/

    Author's Web Site: http://www.kimroby.com/

    YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYgCZqwOGVs

    Monday, February 11, 2013

    Seeing Trees





    Hugo, Nancy Ross. Seeing Trees: Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Everyday Trees. Photography by Robert Llewellyn. Portland: Timber Press, 2011.

    Call no.: 582.16 H874s

    Publisher's Description:

    Have you ever looked at a tree? That may sound like a silly question, but there is so much more to notice about a tree than first meets the eye. Seeing Trees celebrates seldom-seen but easily observable tree traits and invites you to watch trees with the same care and sensitivity that birdwatchers watch birds. Many people, for example, are surprised to learn that oaks and maples have flowers, much less flowers that are astonishingly beautiful when viewed up close.

    Focusing on widely grown trees, this captivating book describes the rewards of careful and regular tree viewing, outlines strategies for improving your observations, and describes some of the most visually interesting tree structures, including leaves, flowers, buds, leaf scars, twigs, and bark. In-depth profiles of ten familiar species — including such beloved trees as white oak, southern magnolia, white pine, and tulip poplar — show you how to recognize and understand many of their most compelling (but usually overlooked) physical features.

    Nancy Ross Hugo's delightful text and Robert Llewellyn's breathtaking photographs deliver a steady stream of small astonishments that not only underscore the fascinating physiology of trees but will bring you into a closer, more intimate relationship with these miracles of nature.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.timberpress.com/books/seeing_trees/hugo/9781604692198

    YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGv21FZFLPY

    Author's web site: http://nancyhugo.home.comcast.net/~nancyhugo/

    Photographer's web site: http://robertllewellyn.com/

    The Round House






    Erdrich, Louise. The Round House. New York: Harper Collins, 2012.

    Call no.: F ERD

    Awards: Winner of National Book Award (Link includes video.)

    Publisher's Description: One Sunday in the spring of 1988, a woman living on a reservation in North Dakota is attacked. The details of the crime are slow to surface as Geraldine Coutts is traumatized and reluctant to relive or reveal what happened, either to the police or to her husband, Bazil, and thirteen-year-old son, Joe. In one day, Joe's life is irrevocably transformed. He tries to heal his mother, but she will not leave her bed and slips into an abyss of solitude. Increasingly alone, Joe finds himself thrust prematurely into an adult world for which he is ill prepared.


    While his father, who is a tribal judge, endeavors to wrest justice from a situation that defies his efforts, Joe becomes frustrated with the official investigation and sets out with his trusted friends, Cappy, Zack, and Angus, to get some answers of his own. Their quest takes them first to the Round House, a sacred space and place of worship for the Ojibwe. And this is only the beginning.

    Written with undeniable urgency, and illuminating the harsh realities of contemporary life in a community where Ojibwe and white live uneasily together, The Round House is a brilliant and entertaining novel, a masterpiece of literary fiction. Louise Erdrich embraces tragedy, the comic, a spirit world very much present in the lives of her all-too-human characters, and a tale of injustice that is, unfortunately, an authentic reflection of what happens in our own world today.


    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/The-Round-House-Louise-Erdrich?isbn=9780062065247&HCHP=TB_The+Round+House

    NPR review: http://www.npr.org/2012/10/16/162959731/round-house-is-one-of-erdrichs-best

    Native News Network review: http://www.nativenewsnetwork.com/erdrichs-national-book-award-the-round-house-reads-like-reality.html

    Sunday, February 10, 2013

    First Baptist Church (Cumberland City, Tenn.)

    First Baptist Church (Cumberland City, Tenn.) Records, 1914-1964. Microfilm. Nashville, Tenn.: Historical Commission, Southern Baptist Convention, 1969.

    Call No.: BAPT MICROFILM 286.176835 F519r

    This church is located in Stewart County. The records include minutes of church business meetings and membership rolls.

    Saturday, February 09, 2013

    Japanese Army Fighter Aces, 1931-45






    Hata, Ikuhiko; Izawa, Yasuho; and Shores, Christopher. Japanese Army Fighter Aces, 1931-45. (Stackpole Military History Series.) Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole, 2012.

    Call no.: 940.544952 H280j

    Publisher's Description:

  • In-depth review of Imperial Japanese Army Air Force fighter units and pilots
  • Detailed study of equipment (e.g., the Zero fighter), operations from Pearl Harbor to kamikaze attacks, and pilots who achieved ace status
  • Heavily illustrated with photos of pilots, aircraft, and unit insignia


  • Publisher's Book Page: http://www.stackpolebooks.com/productdetails.cfm?sku=1076&isbn=9780811710763&title=japanese-army-fighter-aces

    Friday, February 08, 2013

    The Struggle for Egypt






    Cook, Steven A. The Struggle for Egypt: From Nasser to Tahrir Square. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.

    Call No.: 962.05 C773s

    Publisher's Description: The recent revolution in Egypt has shaken the Arab world to its roots. The most populous Arab country and the historical center of Arab intellectual life, Egypt is a linchpin of the US's Middle East strategy, receiving more aid than any nation except Israel. This is not the first time that the world and has turned its gaze to Egypt, however. A half century ago, Egypt under Nasser became the putative leader of the Arab world and a beacon for all developing nations. Yet in the decades prior to the 2011 revolution, it was ruled over by a sclerotic regime plagued by nepotism and corruption. During that time, its economy declined into near shambles, a severely overpopulated Cairo fell into disrepair, and it produced scores of violent Islamic extremists such as Ayman al-Zawahiri and Mohammed Atta.

    In The Struggle for Egypt, Steven Cook--a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations--explains how this parlous state of affairs came to be, why the revolution occurred, and where Egypt might be headed next. A sweeping account of Egypt in the modern era, it incisively chronicles all of the nation's central historical episodes: the decline of British rule, the rise of Nasser and his quest to become a pan-Arab leader, Egypt's decision to make peace with Israel and ally with the United States, the assassination of Sadat, the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood, and--finally--the demonstrations that convulsed Tahrir Square and overthrew an entrenched regime.

    Throughout Egypt's history, there has been an intense debate to define what Egypt is, what it stands for, and its relation to the world. Egyptians now have an opportunity to finally answer these questions. Doing so in a way that appeals to the vast majority of Egyptians, Cook notes, will be difficult but ultimately necessary if Egypt is to become an economically dynamic and politically vibrant society.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Politics/ComparativePolitics/MiddleEast/?view=usa&ci=9780199795260

    YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bska_K2f4lA

    Middle East Policy Council review: http://mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/struggle-egypt-nasser-tahrir-square

    New York Times Book Review: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/books/review/the-struggle-for-egypt-by-steven-a-cook-book-review.html?pagewanted=all


    My Beloved World






    Sotomayor, Sonia. My Beloved World. New York: Knopf, 2013.

    Call no.: B SOTOMAYOR

    Publisher's Description: The first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor has become an instant American icon. Now, with a candor and intimacy never undertaken by a sitting Justice, she recounts her life from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench, a journey that offers an inspiring testament to her own extraordinary determination and the power of believing in oneself.

    Here is the story of a precarious childhood, with an alcoholic father (who would die when she was nine) and a devoted but overburdened mother, and of the refuge a little girl took from the turmoil at home with her passionately spirited paternal grandmother. But it was when she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes that the precocious Sonia recognized she must ultimately depend on herself.  She would learn to give herself the insulin shots she needed to survive and soon imagined a path to a different life. With only television characters for her professional role models, and little understanding of what was involved, she determined to become a lawyer, a dream that would sustain her on an unlikely course, from valedictorian of her high school class to the highest honors at Princeton, Yale Law School, the New York County District Attorney’s office, private practice, and appointment to the Federal District Court before the age of forty. Along the way we see how she was shaped by her invaluable mentors, a failed marriage, and the modern version of extended family she has created from cherished friends and their children. Through her still-astonished eyes, America’s infinite possibilities are envisioned anew in this warm and honest book, destined to become a classic of self-invention and self-discovery.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.randomhouse.com/book/207069/my-beloved-world-by-sonia-sotomayor

    Boston Globe review: http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2013/01/12/review-beloved-world-sonia-sotomayor/JMzS897EPkiR5YO0fwwMRK/story.html

    YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ5qBQLTsOw

    Huffington Post comments: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/11/sonia-sotomayor-memoir_n_2276372.html

    Thursday, February 07, 2013

    Rome: An Empire's Story





    Woolf, Greg. Rome: An Empire's Story. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.

    Call no.: 937.06 W883r

    Publisher's Description: The very idea of empire was created in ancient Rome and even today traces of its monuments, literature, and institutions can be found across Europe, the Near East, and North Africa--and sometimes even further afield.

    In Rome, historian Greg Woolf expertly recounts how this mammoth empire was created, how it was sustained in crisis, and how it shaped the world of its rulers and subjects--a story spanning a millennium and a half of history. The personalities and events of Roman history have become part of the West's cultural lexicon, and Woolf provides brilliant retellings of each of these, from the war with Carthage to Octavian's victory over Cleopatra, from the height of territorial expansion under the emperors Trajan and Hadrian to the founding of Constantinople and the barbarian invasions which resulted in Rome's ultimate collapse. Throughout, Woolf carefully considers the conditions that made Rome's success possible and so durable, covering topics as diverse as ecology, slavery, and religion. Woolf also compares Rome to other ancient empires and to its many later imitators, bringing into vivid relief the Empire's most distinctive and enduring features.

    As Woolf demonstrates, nobody ever planned to create a state that would last more than a millennium and a half, yet Rome was able, in the end, to survive barbarian migrations, economic collapse and even the conflicts between a series of world religions that had grown up within its borders, in the process generating an image and a myth of empire that is apparently indestructible. Based on new research and compellingly told, this sweeping account promises to eclipse all previously published histories of the empire.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/ClassicalStudies/AncientHistory/Roman/?view=usa&ci=9780199775293

    YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD8C9XNuI3M

    Washington Post review: http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-06-29/news/35460930_1_rome-rise-and-fall-empire

    Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker






    Chiaverini, Jennifer. Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker. New York: Dutton, 2013.

    Call no.: F CHI

    Publisher's Description: New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini illuminates the extraordinary friendship between Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, a former slave who won her freedom by the skill of her needle, and the friendship of the First Lady by her devotion.
    In Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, novelist Jennifer Chiaverini presents a stunning account of the friendship that blossomed between Mary Todd Lincoln and her seamstress, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Keckley, a former slave who gained her professional reputation in Washington, D.C. by outfitting the city’s elite. Keckley made history by sewing for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln within the White House, a trusted witness to many private moments between the President and his wife, two of the most compelling figures in American history.

    In March 1861, Mrs. Lincoln chose Keckley from among a number of applicants to be her personal “modiste,” responsible not only for creating the First Lady’s gowns, but also for dressing Mrs. Lincoln in the beautiful attire Keckley had fashioned. The relationship between the two women quickly evolved, as Keckley was drawn into the intimate life of the Lincoln family, supporting Mary Todd Lincoln in the loss of first her son, and then her husband to the assassination that stunned the nation and the world.

    Keckley saved scraps from the dozens of gowns she made for Mrs. Lincoln, eventually piecing together a tribute known as the Mary Todd Lincoln Quilt. She also saved memories, which she fashioned into a book, Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. Upon its publication, Keckley’s memoir created a scandal that compelled Mary Todd Lincoln to sever all ties with her, but in the decades since, Keckley’s story has languished in the archives. In this impeccably researched, engrossing novel, Chiaverini brings history to life in rich, moving style.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780525953616,00.html?Mrs._Lincoln%27s_Dressmaker_Jennifer_Chiaverini

    Author's Web Site: http://elmcreek.net/

    USA Today review: http://books.usatoday.com/book/jennifer-chiaverini-mrs-lincolns-dressmaker/l48887

    Washingtonian review: http://www.washingtonian.com/bookreviews/biographyhistory/book-review-mrs-lincolns-dressmaker-by-jennifer-chiaverini.php

    Wednesday, February 06, 2013

    John F. Kennedy





    Brinkley, Alan. John F. Kennedy. New York: Times Books, 2012.

    Call no.: 973.922092 K383br

    Publisher's Description:

    The young president who brought vigor and glamour to the White House while he confronted cold war crises abroad and calls for social change at home

    John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a new kind of president. He redefined how Americans came to see the nation's chief executive. He was forty-three when he was inaugurated in 1961—the youngest man ever elected to the office—and he personified what he called the "New Frontier" as the United States entered the 1960s.

    But as Alan Brinkley shows in this incisive and lively assessment, the reality of Kennedy's achievements was much more complex than the legend. His brief presidency encountered significant failures—among them the Bay of Pigs fiasco, which cast its shadow on nearly every national-security decision that followed. But Kennedy also had successes, among them the Cuban Missile Crisis and his belated but powerful stand against segregation.

    Kennedy seemed to live on a knife's edge, moving from one crisis to another—Cuba, Laos, Berlin, Vietnam, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama. His controversial public life mirrored his hidden private life. He took risks that would seem reckless and even foolhardy when they emerged from secrecy years later.
    Kennedy's life, and his violent and sudden death, reshaped our view of the presidency. Brinkley gives us a full picture of the man, his times, and his enduring legacy.


    Publisher's Book Page: http://us.macmillan.com/johnfkennedy/AlanBrinkley

    YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds-IzS3GaRw

    Kirkus Reviews: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/alan-brinkley/john-f-kennedy-american-presidents/


    The Lost Art of Mixing





    Bauermeister, Erica. The Lost Art of Mixing. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2013.

    Call no.: F BAU

    Publisher's Description: Lillian and her restaurant have a way of drawing people together. There’s Al, the accountant who finds meaning in numbers and ritual; Chloe, a budding chef who hasn’t learned to trust after heartbreak; Finnegan, quiet and steady as a tree, who can disappear into the background despite his massive height; Louise, Al’s wife, whose anger simmers just below the boiling point; and Isabelle, whose memories are slowly slipping from her grasp. And there’s Lillian herself, whose life has taken a turn she didn’t expect. . . .

    Their lives collide and mix with those around them, sometimes joining in effortless connections, at other times sifting together and separating again, creating a family that is chosen, not given. A beautifully imagined novel about the ties that bind—and links that break—The Lost Art of Mixing is a captivating meditation on the power of love, food, and companionship.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780399162114,00.html?The_Lost_Art_of_Mixing_Erica_Bauermeister#

    Author's Web Site: http://www.ericabauermeister.com/

    Lesa Holstine's review: http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-lost-art-of-mixing-by-erica.html

    Tuesday, February 05, 2013

    Every Leader Is an Artist





    O'Malley, Michael and Baker, William F. Every Leader Is an Artist: How the World's Greatest Artists Can Make You a More Creative Leader. New York: McGraw Hill, 2012.

    Call no.: 658.4 Om1e

    Publisher's Description:
    Artists put their work on display for everyone to judge, accepting a position of vulnerability for want of something important to say and in the service of contributing to the common good. Artists bring people closer together by providing a forum for shared experiences. Artists challenge, excite, comfort, and motivate people, and they don’t learn their craft by reading about it in a book; they practice, push themselves and their means of expression, and execute, execute, execute.
    These are exactly the same things effective business leaders do day in and day out.
    In Every Leader Is an Artist, leadership experts O’Malley and Baker employ the “leadership as an art” metaphor to its conceptual limits: leadership is an art. Literally. And leaders are artists; they just happen to work in a different medium.
    This groundbreaking look at leadership offers a completely new perspective on the age-old question: What separates the effective leader from the ineffective leader? O’Malley and Baker reveal 12 key characteristics shared by great artists and leaders, including:
    • Intention: Makes an express commitment to achieve certain exceptional ends
    • Authenticity: Expresses individuality and personal beliefs with honesty and transparency
    • Engagement: Challenges the intellectual capacities of employees and tests their abilities to develop creative solutions to problems
    • Imagination: Makes surprising and unconventional departures from the ordinary that create a new sense of awareness or understanding
    • Form: Diligently combines various communications, structures, and policies into a unified, coherent whole
    “Collectively, these attributes make great leadership possible, or, in their absence, difficult,” write the authors. “Their presence does not assure leadership excellence, but it does set the range of potential.”
    Providing the tools and techniques for developing these qualities, the authors provide vignettes that draw parallels between the personal qualities of famous artists and effective leaders.
    Every Leader Is an Artist will make you see your own leadership characteristics with newfound clarity and help you build upon them to be the best leader you can be. After reading this book, you will never think about leadership and your responsibilities as a leader in quite the same way again.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://catalogs.mhhe.com/mhhe/viewProductDetails.do?isbn=0071778578

    Harvard Business Review blog review: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/08/every_leader_is_an_artist.html

    Mount Locust Inn and Plantation

    Another site along the Natchez Trace Parkway in the Natchez area is Mount Locust Inn and Plantation. It's located at milepost 15.5 along the parkway. You'll find a brochure telling more about this site at I 29.6/6:N 19.

    Monday, February 04, 2013

    In Afghanistan





    Loyn, David. In Afghanistan: Two Hundred Years of British, Russian and American Occupation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.

    Call no.: 958.103 L957i

    Publisher's Description: Afghanistan has been a strategic prize for foreign empires for more than 200 years. The British, Russians, and Americans have all fought across its beautiful and inhospitable terrain, in conflicts variously ruthless, misguided and bloody. This violent history is the subject of David Loyn's magisterial book. It is a history littered with misunderstandings and broken promises, in which the British, the Russians, and later the Americans, constantly underestimated the ability of the Afghans.In Afghanistan brilliantly brings to life the personalities involved in Afghanistan's relationship with the world, chronicling the misunderstandings and missed opportunities that have so often led to war.

     
    With 30 years experience as a foreign correspondent, David Loyn has had a front-row seat during Afghanistan’s recent history. In Afghanistan draws on David Loyn's unrivalled knowledge of the Taliban and the forces that prevail in Afghanistan, to provide the definitive analysis of the lessons these conflicts have for the present day. 
     

    Treaties in Force

    Treaties in Force: A List of Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States in Force on January 1, 2011 has been received.  This annual publication of the State Department can be found at S 9.14:2011.

    The Last Runaway






    Chevalier, Tracy. The Last Runaway. New York: Dutton, 2013.

    Call no.: F CHE

    Publisher's Description: New York Times bestselling author of Girl With a Pearl Earring Tracy Chevalier makes her first fictional foray into the American past in The Last Runaway, bringing to life the Underground Railroad and illuminating the principles, passions and realities that fueled this extraordinary freedom movement.

    In New York Times bestselling author Tracy Chevalier’s newest historical saga, she introduces Honor Bright, a modest English Quaker who moves to Ohio in 1850, only to find herself alienated and alone in a strange land. Sick from the moment she leaves England, and fleeing personal disappointment, she is forced by family tragedy to rely on strangers in a harsh, unfamiliar landscape.

    Nineteenth-century America is practical, precarious, and unsentimental, and scarred by the continuing injustice of slavery. In her new home Honor discovers that principles count for little, even within a religious community meant to be committed to human equality.

    However, drawn into the clandestine activities of the Underground Railroad, a network helping runaway slaves escape to freedom, Honor befriends two surprising women who embody the remarkable power of defiance. Eventually she must decide if she too can act on what she believes in, whatever the personal costs.

    A powerful journey brimming with color and drama, The Last Runaway is Tracy Chevalier’s vivid engagement with an iconic part of American history.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780525952992,00.html?The_Last_Runaway_Tracy_Chevalier#

    Author's Web Site: http://www.tchevalier.com/

    NPR review: http://www.npr.org/2013/01/17/169068068/new-world-old-evil-in-tracy-chevaliers-runaway

    Globe and Mail review: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/the-last-runaway-tracks-life-in-the-underground-railway/article7853692/

    Sunday, February 03, 2013

    Dover Baptist Church (Dover, Tenn.)

    Dover Baptist Church (Dover, Tenn.) Records, 1924-1958. Microfilm. Nashville, Tenn.: Historical Commission, Southern Baptist Convention, 1964. 3 reels.

    Call No.: BAPT MICROFILM 286.176835 D751r

    This church is located in Stewart County, Tennessee.

    Reel 1: 1924-1943
    Reel 2: 1944-1953
    Reel 3: 1953-1958

    Saturday, February 02, 2013

    Increasing Persistence





    Habley, Wesley R.; Bloom, Jennifer L.; and Robbins, Steve. Increasing Persistence: Research-Based Strategies for College Student Success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012.

    Call No.: FDC 378.169 H114i

    Publisher's Book Description: What really works in student retention?

    Increasing Persistence
    offers a compendium on college student persistence that bridges the gaps between theory, research, and successful practice. Anchored by ACT, Inc.’s 2010 What Works in Student Retention survey of 1,100 colleges and universities, which provides insights on the causes of attrition and identifies retention interventions most likely to enhance student persistence, the book provides decision-makers and practitioners with evidence-based interventions and best practices for improving student success in college.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470888431.html

    Friday, February 01, 2013

    James Madison





    Broadwater, Jeff. James Madison: A Son of Virginia & a Founder of the Nation. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2012.

    Call no.: 973.51092 M265br

    Publisher's Description:

    James Madison is remembered primarily as a systematic political theorist, but this bookish and unassuming man was also a practical politician who strove for balance in an age of revolution. In this biography, Jeff Broadwater focuses on Madison's role in the battle for religious freedom in Virginia, his contributions to the adoption of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, his place in the evolution of the party system, his relationship with Dolley Madison, his performance as a wartime commander in chief, and his views on slavery. From Broadwater's perspective, no single figure can tell us more about the origins of the American republic than our fourth president.

    In these pages, Madison emerges as a remarkably resilient politician, an unlikely wartime leader who survived repeated setbacks in the War of 1812 with his popularity intact. Yet Broadwater shows that despite his keen intelligence, the more Madison thought about one issue, race, the more muddled his thinking became, and his conviction that white prejudices were intractable prevented him from fully grappling with the dilemma of American slavery.

    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.uncpress.unc.edu/browse/book_detail?title_id=2783

    Book Review from Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204781804577269423066233662.html

    Book Review from Kirkus: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jeff-broadwater/james-madison-son-virginia/

    The Civil War Begins: Opening Clashes, 1861

    The Center of Military History of the United States Army produces some great materials on the various conflicts in which the United States has been involved over the years. Jennifer M. Murray has written The Civil War Begins: Opening Clashes, 1861 which has been received in our library. You'll find it in government documents at D 114.2:C 49.  If you are writing a paper on the war, don't forget to check out this publication.

    The Drowning House





    Black, Elizabeth. The Drowning House. New York: Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2013.

    Call no.: F BLA

    Publisher's Description: A gripping suspense story about a woman who returns to Galveston, Texas after a personal tragedy and is irresistibly drawn into the insular world she’s struggled to leave.


    Photographer Clare Porterfield's once-happy marriage is coming apart, unraveling under the strain of a family tragedy. When she receives an invitation to direct an exhibition in her hometown of Galveston, Texas, she jumps at the chance to escape her grief and reconnect with the island she hasn't seen for ten years. There Clare will have the time and space to search for answers about her troubled past and her family's complicated relationship with the wealthy and influential Carraday family. 

    Soon she finds herself drawn into a century-old mystery involving Stella Carraday. Local legend has it that Stella drowned in her family's house during the Great Hurricane of 1900, hanged by her long hair from the drawing room chandelier. Could Stella have been saved? What is the true nature of Clare's family's involvement? The questions grow like the wildflower vines that climb up the walls and fences of the island. And the closer Clare gets to the answers, the darker and more disturbing the truth becomes.

    Steeped in the rich local history of Galveston, The Drowning House portrays two families, inextricably linked by tragedy and time.

    "The Drowning House marks the emergence of an impressive new literary voice. Elizabeth Black's suspenseful inquiry into dark family secrets is enriched by a remarkable succession of images, often minutely observed, that bring characters, setting, and story sharply into focus." —John Berendt, author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil


    Publisher's Book Page: http://www.randomhouse.com/book/217216/the-drowning-house-by-elizabeth-black

    Dallas News review: http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/books/20130125-book-review-the-drowning-house-by-elizabeth-black.ece