New Book List

Carolina Day School Upper School Library

August 2005

VIDEOS, DVDs, ETC.

The Homes of Frank Lloyd Wright    -    VHS

Originally broadcast as part of A&E's America's Castles series, this program celebrates and makes accessible the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright, hailed as this century's greatest architect. From Fallingwater to the Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright created some of the most celebrated designs in history. But his development as an architect is best seen in the three homes he built for himself. Freed from the wishes and demands of any client, they are the purest expressions of the talents and theories of the greatest architect of the 20th century. This video follows the evolution of Wright's style from the balanced simplicity of Oak Park (1891) to the destruction of the traditional boundaries between inside and outside space of Taliesin West (1937). Go inside Taliesin (1911) in Spring Green Wisconsin - off limits to the public - to see what many scholars feel is the most beautiful of all Wright's domestic designs. And learn of the turmoil and tragedy that marked Wright's private life. - from the producer

Foot Soldier:   The Barbarians    -    VHS

50 minutes.   The work and lives of ancient barbarian soldiers who fought against the Romans, and their influence on current warfare.

The Black Death    -    VHS

Originally telecast on the television program Ancient Mysteries .   Explores the causes, effects, and legacy of the epidemic that killed millions of people in Europe during the fourteenth century.

Why Shakespeare?    -    Bridges, Lawrence   DVD

Various famous and not so famous individuals state the effect that Shakespeare's works have had in their lives. A main video presentation accompanied by seventeen vignettes.   Offers insight into the brilliance, wonder and transformative force within the works of William Shakespeare. The DVD contains interviews and recitations by contemporary actors, writers and students as well as extensive bonus footage for classroom use.

From Acadian to Cajun    -    DVD and Activity book

Learn why French is spoken in Louisiana. This DVD traces the deportment of the Acadians from Atlantic Canada in 1755 to the southern United States and shows the Cajun culture as it exists today in Louisiana. Hear Cajun music and first-hand accounts of how Cajun culture is kept alive through music and food. Footage from the silent movie Evangeline and a Cajun Man's Swamp Cruise will keep students interested and informed. Activity sheets filled with viewing activities, exercises, suggestions for projects and web links accompany the video. Each package includes the DVD (approximately 25 minutes) and copy masters. The French version includes a combination of French narration and some English with French sub-titles.

Provence : the Experience    -    DVD and Activity book

Students will discover the many highlights of Provence: the markets of Nice and Aix-en-Provence, le pont d'Avignon, the yachts and shops of St. Tropez and Monaco, the horses and bulls of the Camargue, the fields of lavender in Haute Provence, candy-making in Carpentras, the breathtaking calanques in Cassis, the boardwalk and seaside of Nice and Cannes, the arenas of Nimes and Orgon, hilltop villages, and the Roman architecture of Aries and the Aquaduct. The fast pace of the video is designed to capture and hold the interest of your students. Approx. 30 min. The video, narrated in French, will enhance your students' understanding of France, its culture and its language.

Les Fables de La Fontaine    -    DVD

These beautifully illustrated fables by one of France's most celebrated writers are easy to understand. Valuable lessons about life are revealed as animal characters interact in various situations.   11 minutes.   Learning objectives:   1) Students will become familiar with some of the fables of Jean de La Fontaine.   2) Students will sharpen listening comprehension skills.   3) Appreciation of lessons taught by fables will be encouraged.

French Commercials 2001    -    VHS

A compilation of many short commercials that have appeared on French television.

Comerciales de espana    -    VHS

A compilation of many short commercials that have appeared on Spanish-language television.

Waterfalls of Western North Carolina    -    VHS

Come along and tour the nonstop falling water of western North Carolina. Spectacular footage of over 40 different waterfalls is included in this 55 minute feast for the senses. A 20-page pocket-sized trail guide comes with the video. - from the producer

Ernesto Che Guevara:   The Bolivian Diary    -    VHS

Following the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro's trusted comrade Ernesto Che Guevara found himself becoming a bureaucrat. Seeking a return to action, Che eventually traveled in secret to Bolivia in 1966, hoping to foment a revolution on the South American mainland that would spread throughout all of Latin America. This documentary, which relies greatly on a journal Che kept during his time in Bolivia, as well as interviews with contemporaries who fought in the hills with him, provides an insightful look at his thoughts during the last year of his life. Che's apparent intent in Bolivia was, of course, to copy the success of the Cuban Revolution, but the words of his journal, as read in the documentary, betray his increasing hopelessness. His band of guerrillas was tiny and hungry, often more concerned with killing birds for food than with any principles of global revolution. According to those who appear on camera to speak of Guevara's final days, it seems the peasants were terrified of getting involved. Tracking Guevara's movements through the Bolivian mountains, the documentary proceeds at a leisurely pace, but it also provides a great deal of information about Guevara's final days, leading up to his execution by Bolivian troops acting, some say, under the direction of the CIA. - from the producer

REFERENCE

The Oxford Dictionary of Plays

Anyone with an academic, professional, amateur, or recreational interest in the theater is likely to want to look up details of particular plays sometimes - perhaps to check on the author, or on when they were first performed, or perhaps to see how many characters they have, and whether or not they would be suitable for their theater company or drama group to perform. The Oxford Dictionary of Plays provides essential information on the 1000 best-known, best-loved, and most important plays in world theater. Each entry includes details of title, author, date of composition, date of first performance, genre, setting, and the composition of the cast, and more. A synopsis of the plot and a brief commentary, perhaps on the context of the play, or the reasons for its enduring popularity, follow. Around 80 of the most significant plays - from The Oresteia to Waiting for Godot - are dealt with in more detail. Genres covered include: burlesque, comedy, farce, historical drama, kabuki, masque, melodrama, morality play, mystery play, No, romantic comedy, tragicomedy, satire, and tragedy. An index of characters enables the reader to locate favorite characters, and trace the trajectory of major historical and legendary characters - such as Iphigenia - through world drama, including in plays that do not have entries in the Dictionary. An index of playwrights, with dates, allows the reader to find all the plays included by a particular author. - from the publisher

Thematic Guide to Popular Short Stories    -    Smith, Patrick A.

Providing easy access to information on nearly 450 short stories, this unique guide surveys a wide spectrum of world literature, canonical works, and contemporary fiction. Concise annotations, arranged alphabetically by author, form the core of this work. Insightful critical statements synthesize plot summaries and identify the thematic content of each short story. A theme guide utilizes the nearly 100 theme headings matching those at the start of each entry, allowing the user to quickly locate story titles on related themes and construct reading lists based on individual interests and needs. In addition to the theme index, the general subject and author indexes make this a user-friendly and invaluable resource. - from the publisher

FICTION

The Historian    -    Kostova, Elizabeth

For centuries, the story of Dracula has captured the imagination of readers and storytellers alike. Kostova's breathtaking first novel, ten years in the writing, is an accomplished retelling of this ancient tale. "The story that follows is one I never intended to commit to paper…. As an historian, I have learned that, in fact, not everyone who reaches back into history can survive it." With these words, a nameless narrator unfolds a story that began 30 years earlier. Late one night in 1972, as a 16-year-old girl, she discovers a mysterious book and a sheaf of letters in her father's library -- a discovery that will have dreadful and far-reaching consequences, and will send her on a journey of mind-boggling danger. While seeking clues to the secrets of her father's past and her mother's puzzling disappearance, she follows a trail from London to Istanbul to Budapest and beyond, and learns that the letters in her possession provide a link to one of the world's darkest and most intoxicating figures. Generation after generation, the legend of Dracula has enticed and eluded both historians and opportunists alike. Now a young girl undertakes the same search that ended in the death and defilement of so many others -- in an attempt to save her father from an unspeakable fate. - Barnes and Noble

The Magic of Ordinary Days    -    Creel, Ann Howard

Olivia Dunne, a studious minister's daughter who dreams of being an archaeologist, never thought that the drama of World War II would affect her quiet life in Denver. An exhilarating flirtation reshapes her life, though, and she finds herself banished to a rural Colorado outpost, married to a man she hardly knows. Overwhelmed by loneliness, Olivia tentatively tries to establish a new life, finding much-needed friendship and solace in two Japanese American sisters who are living at a nearby internment camp. When Olivia unwittingly becomes an accomplice to a crime and is faced with betrayal, she finally confronts her own desires. Beautifully written and filled with memorable characters, Creel's novel is a powerful exploration of the nature of trust and love. - from the publisher

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince    -    Rowling, J. K.

Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lord Voldemort becomes ever more powerful with his followers increasing day by day in this continuing battle between good and evil. Harry searches for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort, and thereby finds what may be his only vulnerability. - from the publisher

Midnight at the Dragon Cafe    -    Bates, Judy Fong

Booklist Starred Review: Su-Jen Chou, six, meets her elderly father for the first time when she and her beautiful mother leave China to join him in a small Ontario town in the 1950s. She sleeps between her parents in the same bed in a room upstairs from the restaurant. "They settled into an uneasy and distant relationship. Their love, their tenderness, they gave to me." Then her adult half-brother joins them, and his mail-order bride is on her way. Su-Jen, now Annie, is soon comfortable in English and makes friends as she grows up Canadian; her mother remains stranded among strangers, unable to speak the language. But even at home, the unspeakable drowns out what is being said. True to the young girl's viewpoint, the plain first-person narrative tells an immigrant story with rare intensity, the anger and the sadness, as the adults fight about one thing while Su-Jen wants to shout about what they all pretend they do not know. The mounting suspense of family secrets makes this first novel a breathless read, even as the simple, beautiful words make you want to stop and read the sentences over and over again. The haunting characters in that lonely greasy spoon evoke a tradition stretching back to Carson McCullers. - Booklist

Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood    -    Brashares, Ann

Since publication of The Second Summer of the Sisterhood in 2003, readers have waited with bated breath for the third uplifting installment of Ann Brashares' blockbuster series. At last, the Traveling Pants are back! Filled with changes, surprises, and -- of course -- friendship, this appealing page-turner follows the four friends through the last eventful summer before they head off to college. In this touching and heartfelt story, Brashares sends her likable characters off in several directions; but, as always, she ultimately brings them together in an affirmation of friendship. And, while it remains to be seen what further adventures await the girls as they leave for their different schools, one thing is sure: Fans of the Traveling Pants will continue to savor every twist and turn in this inspiring series. - Barnes and Noble

NONFICTION

1776    -    McCullough, David

A master storyteller's character-driven account of a storied year in the American Revolution. Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner McCullough opens with a courteous nod to the customary villain in the story of American independence, George III, who turns out to be a pleasant and artistically inclined fellow who relied on poor advice; his Westmoreland, for instance, was a British general named Grant who boasted that with 5,000 soldiers he "could march from one end of the American continent to the other." Other British officers agitated for peace, even as George wondered why Americans would not understand that to be a British subject was to be free by definition. Against these men stood arrayed a rebel army that was, at the least, unimpressive; McCullough observes that New Englanders, for instance, considered washing clothes to be women's work and so wore filthy clothes until they rotted, with the result that Burgoyne and company had a point in thinking the Continentals a bunch of ragamuffins. The Americans' military fortunes were none too good for much of 1776, the year of the Declaration; at the slowly unfolding battle for control over New York, George Washington was moved to despair at the sight of sometimes drunk soldiers running from the enemy and of their officers "who, instead of attending to their duty, had stood gazing like bumpkins" at the spectacle. For a man such as Washington, to be a laughingstock was the supreme insult, but the British were driven by other motives than to irritate the general--not least of them reluctance to give up a rich, fertile and beautiful land that, McCullough notes, was providing the world's highest standard of living in 1776. Thus the second most costly war in American history, whose "outcome seemed little short of a miracle." A sterling account. - Kirkus

Mediated: How the Media Shapes Your World and the Way You Live in It -    de Zengotita, Thomas

In a deceptively colloquial, intellectually dense style, de Zengotita posits that since the 1960s, Americans have belonged to a culture of reflexivity, and the media in all their forms have put us there. We're bombarded from childhood with so many images putting "us"-the individual person-at the center of the universe that we cannot help thinking that this is where we belong. We live in a Times Square world, says the Harper's contributing editor, and thus we become the ultimate Descartesians: media think only of us, therefore we think only of ourselves. The result of this self-centeredness is that we become increasingly numbed by the bombardment of images and, in a variation on the "if a tree falls in the woods" query, we can no longer imagine our premediated lives. Media imagery has given us an omniscient perspective--we can be on the grassy knoll, by the Twin Towers, on the beach as the tsunami hits--while never having to incur the horrors of being there. "Mediation" inevitably closes us off to the unmediated world, home of those victims of the tsunami whose lives are hideously hard and where no media put them front and center. This provocative, extreme and compelling work is a must-read for philosophers of every stripe. - Publisher's Weekly

First Impressions: What You Don't Know about How Others See You    -    Demarais, Ann

A person gets only one chance to make a first impression-and it's often those first few minutes that make or break a potential relationship. Demarais and White, consultants to many Fortune 100 companies, have pooled their knowledge and experience to help people put their best foot forward. They do so by explaining the seven components of a first impression (e.g., accessibility, conversational dynamics, and self-disclosure) and guiding readers through self-assessment exercises. Insight on what behaviors form positive vs. negative impressions is also offered. Both informative and entertaining, this book asks provocative questions that will promote self-awareness and provides many examples of client behavior to reveal the signals that people send during ordinary conversation. It will be especially helpful to those who deal with other people, be they business clients, fellow partygoers, or potential dates. Students in communications or other social sciences might also find the book useful, as it incorporates current research. - Library Journal

The Poetry of Pablo Neruda    -    Neruda, Pablo

This hefty anthology offers 600 chronologically arranged poems from the work of Chilean Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda, perhaps the most extensively translated poet in the world. Rejecting the abstract and evasive poetry of the 19th century, Neruda was inspired by humble things like socks and the smell of firewood and wrote fiercely of social injustice, celebrating heroes such as Fray Bartolome de las Casas and Abraham Lincoln and damning oppressors (e.g., "General Franco in Hell"). Editor Stavans (Latin American studies, Amherst) draws from a pool of 36 translators, including Angel Flores (who first translated Neruda into English in 1944), Robert Bly, John Felstiner, Galway Kinnell, Nathaniel Tarn, Alastair Reid, James Wright, and Clark Zlotchew. Consistent with Neruda's enthusiasm for multiple translations of his poems, Stavans offers more than one version of some poems, although the Spanish originals are only occasionally provided. If, as Stavans believes, 30 years after his death the time is right for a reappraisal of Neruda, then this volume is just what's needed to jump-start the process. Highly recommended for all libraries. - Library Journal

The Oxford History of Islam    -    Esposito, John L., editor

An excellent survey of recent Islamic scholarship. 16 leading scholars--Muslim and non-Muslim--from various disciplines and diverse national and religious traditions, survey a wide range of subjects. Contributors treat, among other things, Muslim history, law, and society; art and architecture; and regional differences. Chapters on the "Globalization of Islam" and "Contemporary Islam" are particularly relevant to current events. Like most of Oxford's "histories," this book is meticulous and thorough, readable and comprehensive. An ideal one-volume source. - Library Journal.   Lavishly illustrated.

Contents:   Muhammad and the caliphate : political history of the Islamic empire up to the Mongol conquest / Fred M. Donner -- Fruit of the tree of knowledge : the relationship between faith and practice in Islam / Vincent J. Cornell - - Law and society : the interplay of revelation and reason in the Shariah / Mohammad Hashim Kamali -- Science, medicine, and technology : the making of a scientific culture / Ahmad Dallal -- Art and architecture : themes and variations / Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan M. Bloom -- Philosophy and theology : from the eighth century C.E. to the present / Majid Fakhry -- Islam and Christendom : historical, cultural, and religious interaction from the seventh to the fifteenth centuries / Jane I. Smith -- Sultanates and gunpowder empires : the Middle East / Ira M. Lapidus -- The eastward journey of Muslim kingship : Islam in South and Southeast Asia / Bruce B. Lawrence -- Central Asia and China : transnationalization, Islamization, and ethnicization / Dru C. Gladney -- Islam in Africa to 1800 : merchants, chiefs, and saints / Nehemia Levtzion -- Foundations for renewal and reform : Islamic movements in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries / John Obert Voll -- European colonialism and the emergence of modern Muslim states / S.V.R. Nasr -- The globalization of Islam : the return of Muslims to the West / Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad -- Contemporary Islam : reformation or revolution? / John L. Esposito.

Bound for Canaan: The Underground Railroad And The War For The Soul Of America    -    Bordewich, Fergus

Though the Underground Railroad is one of the touchstones of American collective memory, there's been no comprehensive, accessible history of the secret movement that delivered more than 100,000 runaway slaves to freedom in the Northern states and Canada. Journalist Bordewich ( Killing the White Man's Indian ) fills this gap with a clear, utterly compelling survey of the Railroad from its earliest days in Revolution-era America through the Civil War and the extension of the vote to African Americans in 1870. Using an impressive array of archival and contemporary sources (letters, autobiographies, tax records and slave narratives, as well as new scholarship), Bordewich reveals the Railroad to be much more complicated--and much more remarkable--than is usually understood. As a progressive movement that integrated people across races and was underwritten by secular political theories but carried out by fervently religious citizens in the midst of a national spiritual awakening, the clandestine network was among the most fascinatingly diverse groups ever to unite behind a common American cause. What makes Bordewich's work transcend the confines of detached social history is his emphasis on the real lives and stories of the Railroad's participants. Religious extremists, left-wing radicals and virulent racists all emerge as fully realized characters, flawed but determined people doing what they believed was right, and every chapter has at least one moment--a detail, a vignette, a description--that will transport readers to the world Bordewich describes. The men and women of this remarkable account will remain with readers for a long time to come. - Publisher's Weekly

Broadway: The American Musical    -    Maslon, Laurence

An extravaganza of history, interviews, and photographs of Broadway musicals from 1893 to 2004, this masterly compilation serves as companion to the PBS documentary. Documentary filmmaker Kantor and Maslon, a master teacher at NYU, cover the productions in chronological chapters that also present a look at "Who's Who" (the major performers of the period), "Broadway and" (essays on important influences of the period), "Spotlight on" (an indepth discussion of a milestone production), "Words and Music" (an analysis of an important song lyric), and "Archives" (articles by, or interviews with, major figures in the American musical scene). Illustrated from cover to cover with over 500 photographs, many in color and/or never before published, this work is an exciting adventure for the musical lover. Highly recommended for all theater collections. - Library Journal

Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World    -    Kurlansky, Mark

A New York Times bestseller: In this engaging history of a "1000-year fishing spree," Kurlansky traces the relationship of cod fishery to such historical eras and events as medieval Christianity and Christian observances; international conflicts between England and Germany over Icelandic cod; slavery, the molasses trade, and the dismantling of the British Empire; and, the evolution of a sophisticated fishing industry in New England. Kurlansky relates this information in an entertaining style while providing accurate scientific information. The story does not have a happy ending, however. The cod fishery is in trouble, deep trouble, as the Atlantic fish has been fished almost to extinction. - Library Journal

Dark Age Ahead    -    Jacobs, Jane

The end of the world as we know it has inspired a lot of writing lately. With this selection, eminent architectural and city-planning scholar Jacobs ( The Death and Life of Great American Cities ) argues that Western civilization in general and North American society in particular are headed for a period of reconfiguration, chaos, and--perhaps most frightening--lost cultural memory: a Dark Ages for the new millennium. Jacobs examines five key load-bearing pillars of Western civilization (community and family, higher education, scientific advancement, taxation, and self-policing by learned professions) and compares their dry rot to the crumbling of earlier cultures. Getting beyond well-worn parallels between America and Rome, she also considers the respective Dark Ages of Native America and, with the help of Karen Armstrong's work on post-agrarian cultures, the Middle East. Changes in agriculture and transportation, as it turns out, are particularly important to her argument and reveal Jacobs' sound urban-studies foundation, a solid analysis of demographics that keeps this book's alarming thesis from being simply alarmist. - Booklist

Contents: The Hazard -- Families Rigged to Fail -- Credentialing Versus Educating --   Science Abandoned -- Dumbed-Down Taxes -- Self-Policing Subverted -- Unwinding Vicious Spirals -- Dark Age Patterns -- Notes and Comments -- Acknowledgments -- Index.

Arthur Conan Doyle : Beyond Baker Street    -    Pascal, Janet B.

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) is best known for his Sherlock Holmes stories and novels, yet he considered them only a small part of his literary output. He expected to be remembered for his historical fiction, especially The White Company. He also wrote science fiction novels, short stories, and horror tales. He was knighted for a pamphlet he wrote justifying England's actions during the Boer War, in which he served as a physician in a field hospital. After one of his sons was killed during World War I, he turned to spiritualism for comfort. He became a prominent spiritualist, lecturing and writing frequently on the subject. This book provides a lively account of the writer's fascinating life. Pascal considers the overlaps between the fictional Holmes and Watson and their creator, and draws a memorable picture of late Victorian society. Sidebars containing excerpts from Doyle's writings, and numerous photographs and illustrations invigorate the captivating narrative. - from the publisher

Jack London: An American Original    -    Stefoff, Rebecca

During his lifetime, London was immensely popular as a writer and speaker. After his death at the age of 40, however, his work gradually fell into critical disfavor, and he became known as the author of "dog stories" until literary interest in his work revived. This volume does an excellent job of illuminating his extraordinary life and career. The narrative is exciting and accessible, leaving readers with a sense of London's adventuresome and hardworking personality. The text is supplemented by interesting and informative illustrations, and includes excerpts from primary-source material. A list of parks and other historic sites that commemorate London's career is appended. - School Library Journal

Johannes Kepler and the New Astronomy    -    Voelkel, James R.

Kepler often gets overlooked in discussions of the two giants of astronomy, Copernicus and Galileo. Yet it was Kepler who made sense of the motions of the planets, discovered the mathematical laws that govern their movements, and helped establish the heliocentric theory. He was truly a giant of astronomy. The author makes all of this clear, but devotes an equal amount of time to Kepler's chaotic personal life. Kepler spent most of his adult life moving from city to city, as his outspoken Protestant beliefs were at odds with the Catholic majorities during the Thirty Years War. He was married twice and, at one time, was trying to decide between 11 possible brides! Once, he even had to defend his harridan of a mother against a charge of witchcraft! Despite these distractions, Kepler was able to produce the Rudolfine Tables, a monumental work that allowed for the calculation of a planet's position in the heavens at any time in the past or future. - Science Book & Fiction

John Keats    -    Hebron, Stephen

This well-written, generously illustrated volume is a grand little biography cum reference work. It's somewhat longer than an encyclopedia essay, and somewhere short of an actual book-length biography. The story of Keats's short life and great gift is told in a compelling manner that will lead many readers to look further into this most amazing and ardent of poets. The author covers his subject's childhood, family life, education, friendships, and work. The paintings, drawings, etchings, and manuscript pages are well chosen and give a great sense of the period. - School Library Journal

The Company : A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea    -    Micklethwait, John

Considering the astounding impact companies have had on every corner of civilization, it's amazing that the development of the institution has been largely unexamined. Economist editors Micklethwait and Wooldridge present a compact and timely book that deftly sketches the history of the company. They trace its progress from Assyrian partnership agreements through the 16th- and 17th-century European "charter companies" that opened trade with distant parts of the world, to today's multinationals. The authors' breadth of knowledge is impressive. They infuse their engaging prose with a wide range of cultural, historical and literary references, with quotes from poets to presidents. Micklethwait and Wooldrige point out that the enormous power wielded by the company is nothing new. Companies were behind the slave trade, opium and imperialism, and the British East India Company ruled the subcontinent with its standing army of native troops, outmanning the British army two to one. By comparison, the modern company is a bastion of restraint and morality. In a short, final chapter on the company's future, the authors argue against the fear, in antiglobalization circles, that "a handful of giant companies are engaged in a `silent takeover' of the world." Indeed, trends point toward large organizations breaking into smaller units. Moreover, the authors argue that for all the change companies have engendered over time, their force has been for an aggregate good. - Publisher's Weekly

Enterprising Women: 250 Years of American Business by Virginia G. Drachman

What might have turned out to be a rather commercial tome, sponsored by corporate heavyweights AT & T and Ford, has become a reference work to consult on the topic of women in business. Drachman, the architect of the project spearheaded by the National Heritage Museum and the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library, does the subject proud. Copious research on little-known trailblazers such as Wall Street's Hetty Green and iron-manufacturing czar Rebecca Lukens is combined with thoughtful commentary on more modern-day icons such as Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey. Each of the five chapters begins with a visual time line, setting the historical context. Then, in a compelling narrative, themes and trends are woven through a text that focuses on specific women and their accomplishments in detail. Photographs and illustrations add another dimension. There's Lydia Pinkham, inventor of tonics and other health products, claiming, "A woman best understands a woman's ills." And who could forget Katharine Graham's words when she decided to publish the Pentagon Papers: "Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. Let's go." Inspiring and long overdue. - Booklist

Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists    -    Stossel, John

Stossel, the well-known television correspondent, was one of the first consumer reporters, sticking up for the little folks who got scammed by quack doctors, envelope-stuffing schemes, and the like. But he found himself frustrated. He would expose the bad guys, and the next month they would be back in business. Why, he asked, can't government step in and help? "The more reporting I did," Stossel writes, "the more it dawned on me that the government is often the problem, not the solution." His book, drawn from his television pieces, is full of stories of government gone mad: entrepreneurs put out of business because they violated a ridiculous regulation; competition unfairly quashed by regulators acting in the interests of lobby groups; laws interpreted so narrowly that they become ludicrous. Rapidly, he went from an intrepid consumer reporter to--in the eyes of his critics--a turncoat who abandoned the cherished liberal belief in the ability of government to help people. Although the book is clearly one man's opinion, Stossel is very persuasive. His thesis is simple: there is nothing government can do that the private sector can't do better, more efficiently, and cheaper. We are being ripped off, he laments, by excessive taxation, incompetent and bloated bureaucracies, and politicians who make decisions based on self-interest rather than public interest. It's a powerful, well-argued, and immensely thought-provoking book, and with Stossel's visibility, not to mention the incendiary subject matter, it's sure to be a hot one, too.   - Booklist

Kepler's Witch: An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother    -    Connor, James A.

Johannes Kepler confirmed the Copernican universe, laying the foundation for Newton's later laws of physics; calculated the true shape of the solar system, along with the basic laws of planetary motion; and was mathematician to Emperor Rudolph II for 11 years (1601-12). But as former Jesuit priest Connor makes clear, he was also an extremely spiritual Protestant living in a time of violent religious clashes-the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. While Kepler was sorting out his religious beliefs (a Lutheran, he sympathized with aspects of the Calvinist belief system, promoting a "live and let live" philosophy that was totally unacceptable to any of the churches of the time), his elderly mother was tried for witchcraft. Connor uses this event to show that Kepler spent as much time on his faith as on his science. More so than Dava Sobel in Galileo's Daughter-with which this book is being compared-Connor offers religious interpretation of a scientific figure. At the same time, he successfully demonstrates Kepler's ability to develop scientific theory by interpreting data based on science (primarily mathematics), not on religion, as many of his predecessors did. - Library Journal

Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants     -    Sullivan, Robert

Sullivan's narration reads like a monologue by a charming and witty party guest, albeit his topic is the city rat. No fact is too minute or detail too obscure. In his research, the author consulted many "rat experts," including a New York exterminator who shared the lower Manhattan alley that became the location for his observations. Tales of rats' run-ins with humans include a particularly disturbing one about a woman who was "attacked" by the rodents near his observation place. One chapter is dedicated to the Irish immigrant who hosted rat fights in his bar in the 1840s. Each of these tales is filled with digressions–the history of some of the buildings in the alley, the founding of the SPCA. The greatest digression occurs with regard to the World Trade Center catastrophe. Because Sullivan's alley was so close to the scene, his observations were necessarily interrupted, and when he returned, of course things had changed. But so singular is his vision that even this disaster is put into a rat context–how exterminators were on the job, how the subject of rats was unmentionable in discussions about disaster cleanup, even though his observations showed that rats were plentiful. This creative writer has taken on a seemingly unappealing subject and turned it into a top-notch page-turner. – School Library Journal

Runner's World Guide to Injury Prevention    -    Barrios, Dagny Scott

The world of running--and running injury prevention--has evolved greatly in the last decade. Beginners and veterans alike will benefit from this expert guidance from the cutting edge of sports medicine and science. - from the publisher

Contents:   Introduction -- Injury 101: the big impact of little things -- The laws of injury: how to train properly -- Shoes: the runner's equipment -- Stretching: investing in your body -- Strengthening: the icing on the cake -- Cross-training: the runner's insurance policy -- Forces of nature: running hot, running cold -- I'm injured--now what? -- Alternative treatment choices: sub tk -- Attitude is everything: the emotional side of injury -- A new runner's safety primer: start slow, stay well -- Young runners: looking toward the future -- Women runners: special health issues -- The older runner: long may you run -- Index.

Zounds!: A Browser's Dictionary of Interjections    -    Dunn, Mark

Often thought of as unnecessary verbal fringe or simply linguistic decoration, interjections (ahem, howdy, mamma mia, pshaw, tally-ho, whoop-de-doo) may well be the most overlooked part of speech in the English language. Zounds! A Browser's Dictionary focuses the spotlight on this most deserving (and sometimes most demented) grammatical group. A lighthearted look at more than five hundred interjections, Zounds! explores the origins of these essential words and highlights the contributions of these previously unheralded parts of speech. Zounds! brings together the linguistic talents of Mark Dunny, author of the award-winning novel Ella Minnow Pea, and the graphic hilarity of Sergio Aragones, the legendary cartoonist and contributor to Mad magazine. - from the publisher

Multicultural American Literature: Comparative Black, Native, Latino/a and Asian American Fictions    -    Lee, A. Robert

This is a full, detailed and carefully comparative analysis of recent American 'ethnic' writing from an author with an unparalleled knowledge of his subject. Timely, wide-ranging and informative, Multicultural American Literature covers the writing -- in both fiction and autobiography -- of Black, Native, Latino/a and Asian American authors including Ishmael Reed, Toni Morrison, Gerald Vizenor, Leslie Marmon Silko, Rudolfo Anaya, Sandra Cisneros, Maxine Hong Kingston and Jessica Hagedorn. Taking a cultural studies perspective, A. Robert Lee recognises the context of politics and popular culture and draws on the visual as well as the literary spectrum. This is the first book of its kind -- while there are books available which introduce one or other of the ethnic traditions, no one has yet considered them in comparative terms in a single volume. As such it is an invaluable resource for all those with an interest in multicultural American literature. - from the publisher

Contents:   1. America and the Multicultural Word: Legacies, Vistas, Maps, Theory -- Landmarks: Ellison, Momaday, Anaya, Kingston -- Selves: Autobiography, Autoethnicity, Autofiction -- Afro-America: Styling Modern and Contemporary Fictions -- "I Am Your Worst Nightmare: I Am an Indian with a Pen": Fictions of the Indian, Native Fictions -- Chicanismo, La Raza, Aztlán: Fictions of Memory -- Eat a Bown of Tea: Fictions of America's Asia, Fictions of Asia's America -- Sites: Indian Country, Asiatown, Black City, Barrio, Borderland, Migrancy -- Island America: Hawai'i, Puerto Rico, The Philippines, Cuba, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, Manhattan -- The Postmodern Turn: Metafiction, Playfield, Ventriloquy -- Epilogue: Fictions of Whiteness -- Notes -- Bibliographies: Primary, Secondary, Anthologies, Reference -- Index

Literary Feuds:   A Century of Celebrated Quarrels from Mark Twain to Tom Wolfe    -    Arthur, Anthony

Arthur has uncovered a treasure trove of stories that offers revealing glimpses into that most entertaining of spectator sports: nasty quarreling among the literati. He pulls together some familiar feuds (Ernest Hemingway versus Gertrude Stein) as well as some more recent, perhaps less well known, dust-ups (Tom Wolfe versus John Updike; Vladimir Nabokov versus Edmund Wilson), and the result is a compelling page-turner. Readers will enjoy seeing the undignified depths eminent authors descend to when petty jealousies and professional disagreements explode into unrelenting verbal warfare. Arthur sometimes spends a little too much time on thumbnail biographies before getting to the good stuff, but in each case the wait is worth it. Along the way, he offers incisive and revealing observations on the writers and their works--always in a prose style accessible to all varieties of readers.   - Booklist   Contents: Partners No More: Mark Twain and Bret Harte -- The Boy with the Interested Eyes: Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein -- The Slap Heard 'Round the World: Sinclair Lewis, Theodore Dreiser, and the Nobel Prize -- Not Always a "Pleasant Tussle": The Difficult Friendship of Edmund Wilson and Vladimir Nabokov -- The Battle of the "Two Cultures": C. P. Snow and F R. Leavis -- "Now There's a Play": Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy -- Les Enfants Terribles: Truman Capote and Gore Vidal -- Not-So-Dry Bones: Tom Wolfe, John Updike, and the Perils of Literary Ambition.

Wild Blue:   Stories of Survival from Air and Space

Wild Blue collects the most gripping accounts of what some would call the greatest achievement of the century: controlled flight. Charles Lindbergh takes readers wing-walking in a barnstorming biplane; Ernest K. Gann describes the nocturnal spell of copiloting a DC-2 at night, broken by the unexpected terror of ice on its wings; a young ace named Chuck Yeager shatters the sound barrier and then loses consciousness in a violently tumbling rocket-plane. From the soaring to the harrowing, from flying a Piper Cub over the Rockies at the age of 14 to a nighttime carrier approach with an anxious, rusty lieutenant, Wild Blue puts readers right in the cockpit.   from the publisher

Great Scenes and Monologues for Actors

Contents:   Creating A Character / Michael Schulman -- SCENES FOR ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN -- The Dining Room / A.R. Gumey --A Month In The Country / Ivan Turgenev   (translation / Richard Freeborn) --The Fourposter / Jan De Hartog --Extremities / William Mastrosimone -- The Death Of A Miner / Paula Cizmar -- Later Life / A.R. Gurney-- Monday After The Miracle / William Gibson -- The Three Sisters / Anton Chekhov (translation / Ann Dunnigan) -- Hurlyburly / David Rabe -- Beyond Therapy / Christopher Durang -- The Sea Gull / Anton Chekhov (translation / Ann Dunnigan) -- Annie And Arthur / Michael Schulman --    Amadeus / Peter Shaffer--Frankie And Johnny In The Clair De An Ideal Husband / Oscar Wilde -- Measure For Measure / William Shakespeare -- Much Ado About Nothing / Willam Shakespeare -- King Richard Iii / William Shakespeare -- The Taming Of The Shrew / William Shakespeare --
SCENES FOR TWO WOMEN -- A Taste Of Honey / Shelagh Delaney -- The Miss Firecracker Contest / Beth Henley -- All The Way Home / Tad Mosel -- Isn't It Romantic / Wendy Wasserstein -- Playing For Time / Arthur Miller -- Anton Chekhov's "The Duel" / Adapted / Michael Schulman And Eva Mekler, -- Come Back To The 5 And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean / Ed Graczyk -- Absent Friends / Alan Ayckbourn -- Sylvia / A. R. Gurney -- Steel Magnolias / Robert Harling -- Piaf / Pam Gems -- Twelfth Night Or, What You Will / William Shakespeare -- SCENES FOR TWO MEN -- Speed-The-Plow / David Mamet -- Suburbia / Eric Bogosian -- Other People's Money / Jerry Sterner-- Glengarry Glen Ross / David Mamet-- Cover / Jeffrey Sweet, With Stephen Johnson And Sandra Hastie -- Sight Unseen / Donald Margulies -- I Hate Hamlet / Paul Rudnick-- Anton Chekhov's "The Duel" / Adapted / Michael Schulman And Eva Mekler, Translation / Ana Dunnigan-- Breaking The Code / Hugh Whitemore -- Bent / Martin Sherman --
Blobo's Boy / Albert J. Zuckerman-- Julius Caesar / William Shakespeare-- MONOLOGUES FOR WOMEN -- A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking / John Ford Noonan -- Absent Friends / Alan Ayckbourn -- Master Class / Terrence Mcnally -- An Ideal Husband / Oscar Wilde -- Anton Chekhov's "The Duel" Adapted / Michael Schulman And Eva Mekler, Translation / Ann Dunnigan -- A Month In The Country / Ivan Turgenev / Translation / Richard Freeborn -- Say Goodnight, Gracie / Ralph Pape -- Double Solitaire / Robert Anderson -- Uncle Vanya / Anton Chekhov / Translation / Ann Dunnigan -- Three Tall Women / Edward Albee -- Sexual Perversity In Chicago / David Mamet -- Seascape With Sharks And Dancer / Don Nigro -- Eat Your Heart Out / Nick Hall -- The Faculty Lounge / Michael Schulman -- Whiskey / Terrence Mcnally -- Ivanov / Anton Chekhov/ Translation / Ann Dunnigan -- Twelfth Night Or, What You Will / William Shakespeare -- The Two Gentlemen Of Verona / William Shakespeare -- Romeo And Juliet / William Shakespeare-- A Midsummer-Night's Dream / William Shakespeare -- The Winter's Tale / William Shakespeare -- MONOLOGUES FOR MEN -- Uncle Vanya / Anton Chekhov / Translation / Ann Dunnigan -- The Three Sisters / Anton Chekhov / Translation / Ann Dunnigan -- Conversations With My Father / Herb Gardner -- Say Goodnight, Gracie / Ralph Pape -- The House Op Blue Leaves / John Guare -- A Delicate Balance / Edward Albee -- The Substance Of Fire / Jon Robin Baitz -- Steambath / Bruce Jay Friedman -- One For The Road / Harold Pinter -- Lips Together, Teeth Apart / Terrence Mcnally -- Lolita / Edward Albee, Adapted From The Novel / Vladimir Nabokov -- Anton Chekhov's "The Duel" Adapted / Michael Schulman And Eva Mekler, Translation / Ann Dunnigan-- Death Op A Salesman / Arthur Miller -- Much Ado About Nothing / William Shakespeare -- King Richard / William Shakespeare.

The Actor's Scenebook : Scenes and Monologues from Contemporary Plays

More than 20 monologues and 80 scenes  for both men and women, carefully chosen to display the  widest range of dramatic ability. - from the publisher

Duo!   Best Scenes for the 90's : Scenes for Two

"Duo!" offers a full spectrum of age range, region, character, level of difficulty, and non -- traditional casting potential. Each scene has a synopsis of the play, character descriptions and notes on how to propel the scene to full power. Over 500 pages with 135 scenes. - from the publisher

The Best Stage Scenes of 2002

Contents:   1. Scenes For One Man And One Woman -- A.M.Sunday / Jerome Hairston -- Armitage / Don Nigro -- Beast With Two Backs / Don Nigro -- Boys And Girls / Tom Donaghy -- Carl The Second / Marc Palmieri -- Cellini / John Patrick Shanley -- Dirty Blonde / Claudia Shear -- Endpapers / Thomas Mccormack -- Fortune's Fool / By Ivan Turgenev, Adapted By Mike Pointon -- Four / Christopher Shinn -- Golden Ladder / Donna Spector -- Good Thing / Jessica Goldberg -- The Graduate / Terry Johnson -- Last Call / Kelly Mcallister -- Limonade Tous Les Jours / Charles L. Mee -- Months On End / Craig Pospisil -- The Ninth Circle / Edward Musto Other People / Christopher Shinn -- The Parker Family Circus / Jan Buttram -- Race / By Ferdinand Bruckner, Adapted By Barry Edelstein -- Red Herring / Michael Honninger -- Signature / Beth Henley -- Something In The Air / Richard Dresser --   Stranger / Craig Lucas -- Trudy Blue / Marsha Norman -- U.S. Drag / Gina Gionfriddo -- Scenes For Two Women -- All It Is In Heaven / Arlene Hutton -- Bang / Laura Shame Cunningham -- Beautiful Bodies / Laura Shame Cunningham -- Bingo Babes / Isabel Duarte -- Black Thang / Ato Essandoh -- Boys And Girls / Tom Donaghy -- Buffalo Gl / A.R. Gurney -- Golden Ladder / Donna Spector --   Sorrows And Rejoicings / Athol Fugard -- U.S. Drag / Gina Gionfriddo -- Where's My Money? / John Patrick Shanley -- Scenes For Two Men -- Months On End / Craig Pospisil -- The Mystery Of Attraction / Mariane Meyer -- Scenes At Mount Rushmore / Quincy Long -- Other People /      Christopher Shinn -- Tape / Stephen Belber -- The Test / Paula J. Caplan

Che Guevara:   A Biography    -    James, Daniel

In a revelatory examination of Guevara's formative years and his family life in Argentina, James recounts how Guevara was particularly influenced by his mother, whose political views helped forge the revolutionary consciousness that would leave such a significant imprint on the times. The author describes how, within six years, Guevara evolved from a medical school graduate to a full-blown revolutionary and how he became a crucial figure in the Cuban revolution as well as in insurgent communist movements in the Congo and Bolivia. James analyzes the rebel icon's life and career with a critical acumen and unsparing perspective distinct from other Guevara biographers. James was the first to note that Guevara enthusiastically endorsed the many executions of anti-Castro Cubans that followed Castro's victory in 1959. It was an irony that Guevara himself recognized as he was about to be executed in Bolivia in 1967, betrayed by the people he had come to liberate, but had fatally misread. This biography, based on numerous interviews and access to family members, also provides an intimate glimpse into Guevara's last desperate days and hours, and into the international political maneuverings that followed his execution by the Bolivian army. - from the publisher