New Books

December 2004

FICTION

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell    -    Clarke, Susanna

Booklist starred review: It's surprising that this first novel works at all. Readers have to accept an especially fanciful premise but, as it quickly becomes obvious, acceptance presents no difficulty. This novel took 10 years to research and write, according to publicity material; for readers at least, the author's arduous task results in a smashing success--it's an exceptionally compelling, brilliantly creative, and historically fine-tuned piece of work. The brilliance of the novel lies in how Clarke so completely and believably creates a world within a world: the "outside" world being early-nineteenth-century England, as Napoleon the eagle looms over all of Europe; the "inner" world being the community of English magicians. At the story's outset, magic in the land is moribund; magicians, who convene in various convocations, "did not want to see magic done; they only wished to read about it in books." But circumstances arise that cause magic again to become manifest, not simply discussed as an academic subject; this resurrection has extensive consequences for the heretofore stately state of magic in the English realm. History and fantasy form a beautiful partnership in this detailed, authentic, and heartfelt novel, which is part fairy tale and part epic. The inner world it creates is completely furnished and credible; the outside world is exact in its accuracy. Written in a style correlative to the writing and speaking of the time, which the reader will come to find quite mellifluous, this novel is, in a word, charming . Comparisons to Harry Potter are inevitable but not distracting, for this novel stands on its own. - Booklist

The News from Paraguay       -    Tuck, Lily

Winner of the National Book Award.   The notorious Irish courtesan who also inspired Anne Enright's The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch presides regally over Tuck's impressively researched, lushly written latest. The episodic tale picks up (the historical) "Ella" Lynch's story in 1854 in Paris, where she attracts the attention of Paraguayan prince regent Francisco Solano Lopez ("Franco"), who appropriates the statuesque beauty, and brings her home, to "transform Paraguay into a country exactly like France." Tuck skillfully distributes dozens of narrative vignettes among these two impetuously matched lovers, their servants and miscellaneous acquaintances and correspondents, and numerous foreigners ("engineers, architects, physicians, all eager to make their fortunes in this rich new world"). Franco succeeds his tyrannical father Carlos as dictator, and spends his country's resources lavishly. A splendid realization of its rich subject, and Tuck's best so far. - Kirkus

Perfect Circle   -    Stewart, Sean

Booklist starred review: DK--William "Dead" Kennedy, that is--is a haunted man. Literally. He sees dead people with unfinished business. Has all his life. Moreover, he is haunted by an ex-wife he can't get over, and, recently, long-deceased Uncle Billy has been pestering him for something as yet unidentified. But never mind the dead; things are tough, anyway. DK isn't exactly a financial success. Always struggling to close the gap between his hourly wage and the cost of fixing his air conditioner, or of taking his savvy 12-year-old daughter to Six Flags, he has just lost his job at Pet-Co for eating cat food in front of a customer to make a point. So when a long-lost cousin calls at 2 a.m. to tell him about the ghost in his garage, it looks like a fast way to a much-needed chunk of change. It is just DK's luck, however, for a simple plot to thicken like lumpy gravy, and suddenly murder is afoot. Dead funny, a little bit scary, and sometimes warm and fuzzy, but not too, among the greatest of Perfect Circle 's virtues is that daughter Megan, like father DK, is quirky and totally believable. She is also, unlike him, wise and hip, and she knows when to keep her mouth shut. At last, DK begins growing up, moving on, and, with Uncle Billy's help, bringing his past to a close. All-around terrific. - Booklist

Changing Planes    -    Le Guin, Ursula K.

A New York Times Notable Book.   When most people get stuck for hours in an airport, nothing much comes of it but boredom. When a writer like Le Guin (The Other Wind, etc.) has such an experience, however, the result may be a book of short stories. In "Sita Dulip's Method," a bored traveler, a friend of the narrator, discovers that if she sits on her uncomfortable airport chair in just the right way and thinks just the right thoughts, she can change planes-not airplanes, mind you, but planes of existence. Each of the linked stories that follows recounts a trip by the narrator or someone of her acquaintance to a different plane. "The Silence of the Asonu," for example, describes a world where the people speak only half a dozen words in any given year, and "The Ire of the Veksi" recounts a visit to a plane where virtually all the natives are angry virtually all of the time. The majority of these stories are allegorical to some degree. Most have a satiric edge, as in "Great Joy," for example which features an entire world devoted to the commercial side of various holidays, with lots of great shopping in quaint little towns like No‰l City, O Little Town and Yuleville. Many of the tales echo, or take issue with, other works of fantastic fiction. Swift's Gulliver's Travels is clearly an influence, and one story, "Wake Island," can be seen as a re-examination of the basic premise of Nancy Kress's classic superman tale, "Beggars in Spain." This is a fairly minor effort, but like everything from Le Guin's pen, a delight. - Publisher's Weekly

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom    -    Doctorow, Cory

A lot of ideas are packed into this short novel, but Doctorow's own best idea was setting his story in Disney World, where it's hard to tell whether technology serves dreams or vice versa. Jules, a relative youngster at more than a century old, is a contented citizen of the Bitchun Society that has filled Earth and near-space since shortage and death were overcome. People are free to do whatever they wish, since the only wealth is respect and since constant internal interface lets all monitor exactly how successful they are at being liked. What Jules wants to do is move to Disney World, join the ad-hoc crew that runs the park and fine-tune the Haunted Mansion ride to make it even more wonderful. When his prudently stored consciousness abruptly awakens in a cloned body, he learns that he was murdered; evidently he's in the way of somebody else's dreams. Jules first suspects, then becomes viciously obsessed by, the innovative group that has turned the Hall of Presidents into a virtual experience. In the conflict that follows, he loses his lover, his job, his respect-even his interface connection-but gains perspective that the other Bitchun citizens lack. Jules's narrative unfolds so smoothly that readers may forget that all this raging passion is over amusement park rides. Then they can ask what that shows about the novel's supposedly mature, liberated characters. Doctorow has served up a nicely understated dish: meringue laced with caffeine. - Publisher's Weekly

I, Lucifer: Finally, the Other Side of the Story    -    Duncan, Glen

Glen Duncan has been hailed by the Times Literary Supplement (London) as one of Britain's twenty best young novelists. His new novel, I, Lucifer -- shortlisted for the Geoffrey Faber Award -- is a satirical tour de force fueled by a scorching, hyper-intelligent wit that burns up the pages. The End is nigh, and the Prince of Darkness has been given one last shot at redemption, if he can manage to live out a reasonably blameless life on earth. As a trial run, he negotiates a month of "trying without buying" in the body of struggling writer Declan Gunn. ("Incarnation, the angelic drug of choice. Unlike cocaine, not to be sniffed at.") Luce seizes the opportunity to binge on earthly delights, to straighten the biblical record (Adam, it's hinted, was a misguided variation on the Eve design), to celebrate his favorite achievements (Elton John, for one), and to try to get his screenplay sold, but the experience of walking among us isn't what His Satanic Majesty expected: instead of teaching us what it's like to be him, Lucifer finds himself understanding what it's like to be human. - from the publisher

The Laws of Evening: Stories    -    Waters, Mary Yukari

In her first short story collection, Waters (winner of O. Henry and Pushcart awards) explores the themes of loss, memory, grief, and cultural change in Japan during and after World War II. These compelling stories describe the daily lives of Japanese women and men who have coped with the effects of the war on their lives. Some stories, like those narrated by Japanese widows whose children died because of the poor living conditions, reveal the enlightenment and redemption one can experience over time. Others concentrate on the effect of cultural change. A young widow, who watches her son adapt to Western ways and forget his father, learns to accept these changes for her son's sake. But a young woman in another story lives with her parents and cannot adjust to modern Japan. Through Waters's lyrical descriptions of nature and Buddhist shrines, the reader gains insight into Japanese culture and philosophy. - Library Journal

The Locus Awards: Thirty Years of the Best in Science Fiction and Fantasy    -    Brown, Charles N.

The introduction to The Locus Awards says it all: "This book contains some of the finest science fiction and fantasy short fiction ever written." Included within are some of the best Locus Award–winning stories covering the last three decades.   This collection is, simply put, essential reading for any serious fan of the genre. Groundbreaking classics and author masterworks abound in this collection. - Barnes & Noble

Contents: The 1970s: The death of Doctor Island / Gene Wolfe -- The day before the revolution / Ursula K. Le Guin -- Jeffty is five / Harlan Ellison -- The persistence of vision / John Varley -- The 1980s: The way of cross and dragon / George R.R. Martin -- Souls / Joanna Russ -- Bloodchild / Octavia E. Butler -- The only neat thing to do / James Tiptree Jr. -- Rachel in love / Pat Murphy -- The scalehunter's beautiful daughter / Lucius Shepard -- The 1990s: Bears discover fire / Terry Bisson -- Buffalo / John Kessel - - Even the queen / Connie Willis -- Gone / John Crowley -- Maneki Neko / Bruce Sterling -- The 2000s: Border guards / Greg Egan -- Hell is the absence of God / Ted Chiang -- October in the chair / Neil Gaiman -- Previous winners.

The Water Dancers            -    Gamble, Terry

Moving from 1945 to 1956 to 1970, this first novel explores issues of race, class, and duty among the summer people on Lake Michigan. The Marches, a prominent family who divide their time between St. Louis and the lake, face adversity when the favorite son is killed in World War II and the surviving son, Woody, returns without a leg and with a drug problem. In the summer, the family is assisted by a young Native American girl, Rachel, a charity case referred by the local nuns. Before the war, Woody was engaged to Elizabeth, who's having a hard time reconciling herself to marrying a wounded veteran. Rachel has known enough of life to have little sympathy for Woody's self-pity but not enough of servitude to humble herself like the full-time servants. She bullies Woody into healing, and in the process, the two fall in love. By summer's end, Woody is whole enough to marry Elizabeth, and Rachel is too proud to let him know she's expecting. These three characters, plus two sons, are reunited in 1956. A descendant of a Procter and Gamble cofounder, the author clearly knows the class system of which she writes. The novel features well-drawn characters and engaging prose. - Library Journal

The Stand-In    -    Clemens, Kate

Jayne Cooper's movies make millions, and so does she. And she's quite the diva. When she doesn't get a role because the director feels that she has no idea how real people live, Jayne has her own idea and starts looking for a stand-in, someone who looks enough like her to fool those close to her. One day her limo gets a flat tire in front of a warehouse store. Heavily disguised to purchase an enormous bottle of gin, Jayne notices that the cashier resembles her. Mary Lynn leads a simple life; there's no money to do otherwise. She pays her ex-husband spousal support, and works two part-time jobs just to make ends meet. Nevertheless, when Jayne drags Mary Lynn out to her limo and proposes trading places for a few weeks, paying Mary Lynn $100,000 to do so, she's reluctant. Clemens' modern take on The Prince and the Pauper is highly entertaining and quite hilarious as readers watch Jayne and Mary Lynn try each other's lives and men on for size. - Booklist

Where the Sea Used to Be    -    Bass, Rick

An ambitious and often captivatingly beautiful story, both Bass's 13th book and his first full-length novel. In sensuous descriptive prose whose incantatory rhythms invite comparison with both Lawrence and Faulkner, Bass tells a tale of familial, sexual, and, in a way, fraternal conflict among four uneasily related characters who are, simultaneously, denizens, preservers, and destroyers of Montana's north country near the Canadian border. Old Dudley is a veteran oil driller who sends Wallis, a young geologist in his employ, to that wilderness to seek oil. It's an expression of Dudley's power, as is well known by his 40ish daughter Mel, a schoolteacher and naturalist who "follows" the lives of wolves, and by Wallis's predecessor (and Mel's former lover). Though the wary relationship of Wallis and Mel (his host, and mentor in this strange new world) is delineated with great skill, and though the story of their slowly developing closeness is punctuated by vividly rendered episodes (digging a limousine out of the snow, observing a summer drought and an ensuing forest fire), the story is essentially an extended meditation on the prickly, necessary interrelationship of man and the natural world. The story's drama builds not through action per se, but from the intensity of its characters' observations of themselves and of the exterior world that nurtures, tests, and reshapes them. Read it slowly, and it won't let go of you. - Kirkus

And some classics we didn't have:

The Innocents Abroad     -    Twain, Mark

The Innocents Abroad is one of the most prominent and influential travel books ever written about Europe and the Holy Land. In it, the collision of the American "New Barbarians" and the European "Old World" provides much comic fodder for Mark Twain - and a remarkably perceptive lens on the human condition. Gleefully skewering the ethos of American tourism in Europe, Twain's lively satire ultimately reveals just what it is that defines cultural identity. As Twain himself points out. "Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - from the publisher

A Clockwork Orange    -    Burgess, Anthony

Told by the central character, Alex, this brilliant, hilarious, and disturbing novel creates an alarming futuristic vision of violence, high technology, and authoritarianism. Anthony Burgess' 1963 classic stands alongside Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World as a classic of twentieth century post-industrial alienation, often shocking us into a thoughtful exploration of the meaning of free will and the conflict between good and evil. In this recording, the author's voice lends an intoxicating lyrical dimension to the language he has so masterfully crafted. - from the publisher

Anthem     -    Rand, Ayn

Rand's dark portrait of the future was first released in England in 1938 and reedited for publication in the United States in 1946. This 50th-anniversary edition includes a scholarly introduction and a facsimile of the original British version, which bears Rand's handwritten alterations for its American debut. - Library Journal.   From the publisher: Anthem has long been hailed as one of Ayn Rand's classic novels, and a clear predecessor to her later masterpieces, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged . In Anthem , Rand examines a frightening future in which individuals have no name, no independence, and no values. Equality 7-2521 lives in the dark ages of the future where all decisions are made by committee, all people live in collectives, and all traces of individualism have been wiped out. Despite such a restrictive environment, the spark of individual thought and freedom still burns in him--a passion which he has been taught to call sinful. In a purely egalitarian world, Equality 7-2521 dares to stand apart from the herd--to think and choose for himself, to discover electricity, and to love the woman of his choice. Now he has been marked for death for committing the ultimate sin. In a world where the great "we" reign supreme, he has rediscovered the lost and holy word--"I."

Huis Clos Et Les Mouches    -    Sartre, Jean-Paul

Two plays by Sartre in the original French:   No Exit and The Flies .

And some lost books that have now been replaced:

Love in the Time of Cholera   -    Garcia Marquez, Gabriel

The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde    -    Stevenson, Robert Louis

Shoeless Joe    -    Kinsella, W. P.

Dune    -    Herbert, Frank

The House on Mango Street    -    Cisneros, Sandra

DVD & VHS

Religions of the World    -    DVD, 6 discs

Six disc set exploring the history and beliefs of major world religions presented through documentary film, recreations, and specialist explanations.    With teacher's guide.

Contents: Buddhism -- v. 2. Catholicism -- v. 3. Hinduism -- v. 4. Islam -- v. 5. Judaism -- v. 6. Protestantism.

Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory    -    Videotape, 51 minutes

An Emmy Award-winning adaptation of Capote's novella, this production, starring Geraldine Page, was originally telecast on ABC-TV in December 1966, as part of the ABC Stage 67 series.   A reminiscence of a Christmas shared by a seven-year-old boy and a sixtyish childlike woman, with enormous love and friendship between them.

NONFICTION

Beyond Genetics: The User's Guide to DNA    -    McGee, Glenn

Just as digital technology transformed our world faster and in ways that would have been unimaginable mere decades ago, genetic science is about to radically alter our lives -- and in ways perhaps even more dramatic and profound. Sooner than you can imagine, human beings will be capable of diagnosing their own illnesses, designating the sex of their children, even designing the food they eat -- all as easily as using a cell phone. One of the most respected authorities in the field of genomics -- the study of the genetic "software" inside plants, animals, and us -- McGee takes us on an eye-opening journey behind the headlines and into the heart of this formidable cutting-edge science, revolutionizing the global debate about genetics with an energy and a plan that are certain to surprise, delight, and amaze fellow experts and laypersons alike. McGee has written the first user's guide to genomics, outlining the ways in which ordinary people will soon be using genetic information in radically new ways at home, at work, and at leisure. Probing the far-ranging ethical and legal implications of genomic research, McGee tackles its most controversial and hotly debated aspects -- from patenting your DNA to genetic engineering at the supermarket -- and explodes unnecessary fears about this wondrous new knowledge. - from the publisher

Contents: Introduction: Genetics again? -- Bits and genes -- Floppy genes and rewritable genomes -- Learning to program your genes -- Bugs in the geneware: genetic testing -- Bugs in the geneware: gene "therapy" -- Geneware in your kitchen -- Geneware is not free anymore -- Geneware and the new infertility -- Want to be abeta tester? -- Notes -- Suggested further reading -- Acknowledgments -- Index.

The Complete Audition Book for Young Actors: A Comprehensive Guide to Winning by Enhancing Acting Skills   -    Ellis, Roger

More than just a nuts-and-bolts auditioning book, this title is meant to help high school and college students hone their skills in preparation for a career on the stage, with the audition being just one part of the process. It is a practical guide, with chapters on training, background skills, how to select and prepare material for an audition, cold readings, musical theater, and supporting materials such as resume and head shots. A revised edition of the author's Audition Handbook for Student Actors (Burnham, 1985), it adds more introductory-level acting material, more practical exercises, resources and references for younger actors in high school, and Internet resources. Chapters are well organized into subtopics, and important ideas are in bold italics, making them easy to skim. However, the writing is so engaging that it is a pleasure to read straight through. Ellis speaks to his readers as a trusted advisor or coach. Exploration exercises and questions for review and reflection at the end of each chapter make this a useful textbook for an acting course. Several sample audition pieces are included, and resources for college auditions and scholarships are appended. Acting teachers looking for a text and students looking for a useful and inspiring guidebook will welcome this title. - School Library Journal

Debatabase Book: A Must Have Guide for Successful Debate    -    Editors of Idea

An invaluable resource for debaters, this books provides background, arguments and resources on over 125 debate topics in areas as diverse as business, science and technology, environment, politics, religion, culture, and education. All topics have been updated and new topics added for this revised edition. Among the new topics are: Targeting of Children in Advertising, Arranged Marriages, Beauty Contests, Child Labor, Condoms in Schools, Banning of Confederate Flag, Limits of Debate, Genetically Modified Foods, Minority Schools, Multiculturalism vs. Integration, Parental Responsibility, Polygamy and the Two-Party System. Each entry presents: an introduction placing the topic in context; arguments pro and con; sample motions; and Web links and print resources for further research. Organized in a handy A-Z format, the book also includes a topical index for easy searching. - from the publisher

The Voice That Is Great Within Us    -    Carruth, Hayden, editor

This famous anthology includes the works of more than 130 major American poets of the modern period--Robert Frost, Paul Goodman, Carl Sandburg and Gwendolyn Brooks among them--along with short biographies of each. - from the publisher

The Impeachment and Trial of President Clinton: The Official Transcripts, from the House Judiciary committee Hearing to the Senate Trial

The official record.

The Big Book of Knitting     -    Buss, Katharina

This is a big, beautiful, and colorful tribute to the art and pleasure of knitting. Beginners will be well on their way to finishing off their first projects with the easy step-by-step illustrated instructions, and more experienced knitters will find inspiration in a multitude of advanced stitch patterns, innovative designs, and charming finishing touches. Barnes & Noble

Building Big    -    Macaulay, David

Macaulay's forte is breaking down daunting engineering problems into clear, concise words and images that readers of any age can appreciate. Five types of structures—bridges, tunnels, dams, domes, and skyscrapers—are analyzed in this fascinating book that is a companion to the PBS series of the same name. Other specific examples range from the humble Ponte Fabricio bridge (62 B.C.) to St. Peter's Basilica (1505-1590), the Hoover Dam (1931-1936), and the Sears Tower (1974). In each case, one is left with the understanding that any architectural accomplishment is the result of a logical sequence of events. This book represents a remarkable achievement. VOYA

Cheating Culture: Why More Americans Are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead    -    Callahan, David

This is the kind of book that will have incredulous teens calling up their friends in order to read passages aloud. It's that scary. Callahan's premise is that, yes, there is a true moral crisis in this country, but it has nothing to do with so-called "family values"-and everything to do with the fact that more Americans are feeling the pressure to cheat to get ahead. From parents who bribe psychiatrists to diagnose their teens with phony mental disorders (buying the kids extra time for their SATs) to the Little League star pitcher who made it to the World Series before it was discovered that he was too old to be playing, the stories are amazing. Is there more cheating today than in years past? That's debatable, but Callahan makes a strong case that the 1980s, with their new emphasis on "leaner, meaner" companies and dog-eat-dog competition, created an atmosphere that makes cheating almost seem inevitable. One of the author's most important observations is that white-collar crime, often costing Americans billions of dollars, goes ridiculously unpunished while we lock up the poor for the most minor of drug offenses. People pat each other on the backs about successful tax evasion, which costs the government millions, but think a man who shoplifts a bottle of wine is deviant scum. Well-researched and very readable chapters on corruption in the sports world, in health care, on resumes, and elsewhere will give teens much to talk (and probably shout) about. - School Library Journal

Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science    -    Gawande, Atul

Finalist for the 2002 National Book Award, Nonfiction; American Library Association 2003 Notable Book Award.   A gem-like collection of essays on medicine by eighth-year surgical resident, Harvard Med graduate, Rhodes scholar, and New Yorker staff writer Gawande, himself the son of physicians. Part I contains chilling stories of medical errors, some the near-inevitable results of young docs learning their craft by practicing on live patients, some due to the burnout or depression of seasoned specialists.   Part II chronicles medical mysteries. In Part III, Gawande addresses the issue of uncertainty, an ever-daunting challenge in a profession where information is always imperfect. Autopsies, which would help clarify many cases, are performed with appalling infrequency, perhaps because they reveal a depressing rate of misdiagnosis. The new, more democratic relationship between physicians and patients may also have a downside when patients make the wrong decision. The final chapter reports on a case of heart-stopping suspense, lacking clear indications and plagued by great uncertainty, in which the doctors' intuition was critical. If Gawande's hands in the operating room are as sure as his handling of words, his success in his chosen career is all but guaranteed. - Kirkus

Isaac Newton     -    Gleick, James

Popular sci-tech author Gleick takes as his subject one of the most written-about figures in the history of science--so what's the new angle here? A crystalline expositor of what Newton accomplished, Gleick throttles back the personal aspects of Newton's life to show the curves of his thought processes. Although Newton's reputation dimmed in the early twentieth century when his papers revealed devotion to alchemy and biblical hermeneutics--what a waste of genius, ran the theme of subsequent biographies--Gleick incorporates them with the physics and mathematics, as aspects of Newton's singular obsession with truth . . and secrecy. He suppressed for decades his invention of calculus; laws of motion; and optics; and harbored vitriolic hatred for those who disputed him, such as calculus co-inventor Gottfried Leibniz. Newton's choleric moods and blazing ideation, Gleick ventures to explain, can be understood in the context of Restoration England's intellectual climate, still heavily mystical and only incipiently rational. Weaving this background into his fine presentation of Newton's interests, Gleick renders a wonderful impression of the icon's mind. - Booklist

Risking Everything: 110 Poems of Love and Revelation    -    Housden, Roger

This anthology brings together great poets from around the world whose work transcends culture and time. In his selection, Roger Housden has placed strong emphasis on contemporary voices such as the American poet laureate Billy Collins and the Nobel Prize–winners Czeslaw Milosz and Seamus Heaney, but the collection also includes some timeless echoes of the past in the form of work by masters such as Goethe, Wordsworth, and Emily Dickinson. - from the publisher

Snowball Earth: The Story of a Maverick Scientist and His Theory of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life As We Know It    -    Walker, Gabrielle

Part biography and part scientific detective story, this debut by British science journalist Walker (a features editor for New Scientist) tells the story of Paul Hoffman, the brilliant, cantankerous Harvard geology professor most responsible for promoting the concept of "Snowball Earth." This controversial hypothesis asserts that about 600 million years ago, the entire planet was encased in ice that was thicker and lasted millennia longer than in any previously recognized ice age. Instantaneously in geologic time, the hypothesis continues, the planet moved from temperatures averaging minus 40 degrees centigrade to sweltering heat unlike anything seen since. These extreme climatic fluctuations may have been responsible for the origination of multicellular life at the beginning of the Cambrian Era and thus, ultimately, for most life on Earth today. Walker does a superb job of relating both the scientific and the human side of the controversy. Her prose, like her story, is likely to engage both scientists and general readers equally. All will be able to appreciate the importance of the issues while gaining greater insight into the process of scientific advances. Walker has written an important, provocative book that is a joy to read. - Publisher's Weekly

 

Teen Torment: Overcoming Verbal Abuse at Home and at School    -    Evans, Patricia

Evans explores how verbal abuse affects parents, teachers, peers, and the abusers themselves. She also reveals how teens become verbal abusers and how this verbal poison can spread into every aspect of teen life. - from the publisher

Thomas Jefferson    -    Appleby, Joyce

Appleby provides an excellent and concise study of our third president's time in office, rich with detail and sharp insights. Her summary and evaluation of the current research on Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemmings is clear and fair. Most important, her portrait of President Jefferson presents the man in all his complexity: as democrat, people's champion, intellectual, social engineer, and racist. Though touted as a biography, the work is more a study of Jefferson's years as chief executive, with lengthy discussions of his political philosophy and only intermittent information on his years outside the White House. Clearly sympathetic to her subject, Appleby judiciously and objectively balances her work so that readers may draw their own conclusions about this multifaceted and brilliant individual. - Library Journal

Castle    -    Macaulay, David

What David Macaulay can draw -- churches, cities, pyramids -- he does better than any pen-and-ink illustrator in the world. Castle once again goes through a brick-by-brick assembly, employing cross-hatches and thin black lines to evoke a medieval place and period. - Time

City: A Story of Roman Planning and Constuction    -    Macaulay, David

Charts the planning and building of an imaginary Roman city, 'Verbonia.' Macaulay focuses on the achievement of efficient and rational city planning. His brilliantly individualistic drawings capture the essential quality of the Roman character, the ability to organize. Amazon.com

The Complete Book of Knitting    -    Abbey, Barbara

Excellent guide for learning how to knit well, undertake new projects, and even create new designs. All basic procedures thoroughly explained--from casting on and binding off, to inserting zippers and lining garments. Over 500 illustrations show how to knit and purl, increase and decrease stitches, knit left-handed, knit with more than one color, make cables, and much else. Includes chapter on Abbreviations and Terms. - from the publisher

Due Process of Law: A Brief History    -    Orth, John V.

Orth, a law professor, presents an accessible overview of the concept of due process of law as it has evolved over the centuries. Although well rooted in British case law precedent, certain of the concepts of due process are associated with pre-precedents or what some call natural law. Orth takes the reader through medieval British history, where those concepts are rooted, up to the American constitutional expansion and modification of such concepts. Out of these assumptions about natural law certain models were developed. - Booklist

Hiroshima     -    Hersey, John

"A new edition with a final chapter written forty years after the explosion." When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, few could have anticipated its potential for devastation. Pulitzer prize-winning author John Hersey recorded the stories of Hiroshima residents shortly after the explosion and, in 1946, Hiroshima was published, giving the world first-hand accounts from people who had survived it. - Amazon.com.  

Lord Byron: The Major Works    -    Byron, Lord George Gordon

Byron is regarded today as the ultimate Romantic, whose name has entered the language to describe a man of brooding passion. Although his private life shocked his contemporaries his poetry was immensely popular and influential, especially in Europe. This comprehensive edition includes the complete texts of his two poetic masterpieces Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and Don Juan, as well as the dramatic poems Manfred and Cain. There are many other shorter poems and part of the satire English Bards and Scotch Reviewers. In addition there is a selection from Byron's inimitable letters, extracts from his journals and conversations, as well as more formal writings. - Amazon.com

The Medieval Myths     -    Goodrich, Norma Lorre

Offering nine retellings of the great myths of the world, from Beowulf to The Cid, this is the first collection to compare national heroes at a time when their cultures were emerging from barbarism into civilization, demonstrating how their reverberations have deeply affected the ideals of the nations from which they came. - from the book cover

Contents:   Preface -- Beowulf; Scandinavia -- Peredur; Wales -- Roland; France -- Berta of Hungary; France -- Sifrit; Austria -- Tannhauser; Germany -- Cuchulain; Ireland -- Prince Igor; Russia-- The Cid, Spain -- Index.

REFERENCE

The Cambridge Companion to Modern Latin America    -    King, John (editor)

Specially-commissioned essays analyze Latin American history, politics, art and literature from the nineteenth century to the present and reveal the common heritage of pre-Columbian and colonial Latin America. Although the Portuguese and Spanish-speaking states created in the early 1820s differed greatly geographically and demographically (in ethnic composition and economic resources), they also shared distinct historical and cultural traits. A chronology and guide to further reading make this volume an invaluable introduction to the rich and varied culture of modern Latin America. - from the publisher

Cold War America, 1946 to 1990    -    Facts on File Inc

Through statistical tables, maps, charts, excerpts from period documents, lists, b&w photos and illustrations, and detailed overviews, this work examines aspects of American culture during the 45 years after WWII, a period of drastic political, social, technological, and military change. There is information on diverse topics such as population and immigration, education, and weather, along with essays on special topics including the Civil Rights movement, capital punishment, and the development of the Internet. - Book News

Time: Almanac 2005    -    Editors of Time Magazine

World Almanac and Book of Facts 2005     -    World Almanac

Novels for Students, Volume 21

Poetry for Students, Volume 21