New Book List

December 3, 2002

Nonfiction

Moments: Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographs : A Visual Chronicle Of Our Time - Buell, Hal

Beautifully presents every award-winning image from 1942 (when the Pulitzer Prize for photography was founded) through 2002. In addition, the story of how the photographer got the photo is supplied, as well as information about the camera, shutter speed and aperture, film, and lens used.

Chapters: The Large Format Camera and the Early Pulitzers - The Small Camera and the Vietnam and Civil Rights Pulitzers - A New Kind of Pulitzer: The Picture Story - Color and Digital Photography, Woman Photographers, and the Africa Pulitzers.

Strangers and Kin: The American Way of Adoption - Melosh, Barbara

An insightful and well-researched history of adoption in the United States. The author begins in the early 20th century, when adoption was rare; through the 1930s and 1940s, when social workers formalized many of the procedures for adoption; to the post-World War II period, when adoption reached its peak; and to the decline of adoption after the 1970s. The reader will learn of prevailing cultural and social science theories during each period. Final chapters deal with transracial and international adoption, how children have been told about their adoption across this time span, and the growth of an adoption rights movement and "open" adoptions. Unlike most of the recent literature on adoption, this book is a scholarly history, not a memoir or parenting book. Extensive notes and an index follow the text. – Library Journal

Journey Into the Deaf-World - Lane, Harlan

An introduction to the lives, language, and culture of the Deaf World, the signing community in the US. Conversations with deaf people reveal concepts central to the Deaf World, while overviews of the history, culture, and political agenda of the Deaf World provide details on the education of deaf children, deaf culture worldwide, and the ways in which technology helps and hinders deaf people. - Booknews

And Words Can Hurt Forever :How To Protect Adolescents From Bullying, Harassment, And Emotional Violence - James Garbarino and Ellen deLara

Garbarino (human development, Cornell Univ.; Lost Boys) and de Lara, a researcher and family therapist, focus on the pathology of mainstream high school life in America. Based on interviews and discussions with rural and suburban students from "All-American" communities and published research, the book debunks myths about school safety and discusses multiple aspects of emotional violence in a school setting, including stalking, bullying, dysfunctional adaptations to harassment, and teacher violations. The authors exhibit an insightful understanding of school cliques (e.g., "hicks," jocks, and "Goths"). The research is impressive and generates many valuable suggestions for improving the school environment. The book concludes with resources and readings on bullying and violence prevention. Library Journal

Chapters: Emotional Violence Can Kill - The Secret School Life of Adolescents - Taking On the Myths of Adolescents at School - Ins and Outs: Issues of Power and Groups - The Many Faces of Bullying - Sexual Harassment and Stalking - Warning Signs: The System Needs Repairs - Taking It - The Puzzle of Peer Predictability - Kids High at School: Everyone's Affected - Principals and Teachers Stepping Up to the Plate - Epilogue: Final Reflections on the Emotionally Safe School - Resources on Bullying and Violence Prevention - Suggested Readings - References - Index

Gladiator: The Secret History of Rome's Warrior Slaves - Baker, Alan

"The book begins with a look at the origins of the gladiator games (circa 400 B.C.E.) and ends with why they were abolished 800 years later. In the 150 pages in between, the author covers all aspects of the games: training, equipment, styles of fighting, and types of combat (man versus man, man versus beast, and the grand spectacle of the naval battles). There are chapters on why men became gladiators (some were slaves, others prisoners of wars or common criminals, while others voluntarily participated), the development of the arenas, and even a chapter on the emperors who fought. A culminating chapter called "A Day at the Games" provides readers with a vivid blow-by-blow description-what it was like in the expensive and cheap seats, the opening ceremonies, the scheduling of the events, their staging, and the reactions of the crowds. Baker goes into great detail and the book may not appeal to squeamish readers." - School Library Journal

Inside Iran: Women's Lives - Howard, Jane Mary

"Former BBC correspondent Howard recounts her experiences living in Iran from 1996 to 2000 as the wife of a UN diplomat. Relying heavily on anecdotes about individual women, Howard places in context the history and politics of gender in Iran, making this volume accessible to a popular audience. She attempts to evoke the atmosphere of dinner parties and of rice paddies while noting the differences between the official accounts of women's situation and their real circumstances. She also often focuses on paradoxes; for example, new educational opportunities for girls include university attendance while at the same time they can be married at their father's insistence at age nine. The legal code is harsh, but some women have found ways to circumvent it. Howard's tone is generally optimistic, as she points to the creation of the Centre for Women's Participation in the wake of the Beijing Conference on women, but, sensibly, her optimism is guarded." – Library Journal

Chapters: All the President's Women -- Births, Marriages, Divorces and Deaths -- Twentieth-Century Woman & the Sun Lady -- Working Women -- Knowledge from Cradle to Grave -- You Can Leave Your Scarf On... -- Families in the Form of Political Parties -- Making the News -- The Nightingale and the Rose -- Making Your Own Freedom -- The Nomad's Life and Journey's End -- Not Without My Children -- Epilogue -- Acknowledgments --Bibliography -- Index

Promoting The Arts & Sciences : Opportunities To Volunteer - Ryan, Bernard

How to volunteer. Chapters: What are the arts and sciences, and who promotes them: - What you’ll do as a volunteer – Volunteering in history, natural history and science museums – volunteering in living-history sites – Volunteering in the performing arts – Volunteering in visual arts and art museums – What’s in it for you? – Where to find opportunities – Glossary – Suggestions for further reading – Index.

Geisha : A Life - Iwasaki, Mineko. ; Ouchi, Rande Brown.

Iwasaki was the model for the very successful novel, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. From age five, Iwasaki trained to be a geisha (or, as it was called in her Kyoto district, a geiko), learning the intricacies of a world that is nearly gone. As the first geisha to truly lift the veil of secrecy about the women who do such work (at least according to the publisher), Iwasaki writes of leaving home so young, undergoing rigorous training in dance and other arts and rising to stardom in her profession. She also carefully describes the origins of Kyoto's Gion Kobu district and the geiko system's political and social nuances in the 1960s and '70s. - Publisher's Weekly

A Child Called "It" :An Abused Child's Journey From Victim To Victor - Dave Pelzer

Peltzer’s autobiographical book about the abuse he suffered as a child and its sequels have been on the bestseller lists for years. His journey from despair to wholeness is compelling and inspirational.

The Lost Boy :A Foster Child's Search For The Love Of A Family - Dave Pelzer

A Man Named Dave :A Story Of Triumph And Forgiveness - Dave Pelzer

A Matter Of Degrees: What Temperature Reveals About The Past And Future Of Our Species, Planet, And Universe /Gino Segráe

Popular science books are usually those that explain the latest breakthrough or tell a compelling story of the human quest for knowledge. True fans of the genre know, however, that the science behind ordinary phenomena can be just as fascinating. Take temperature, for example. Segre, a physicist at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses the common experiences of feeling hot and cold, of measuring temperature, and of studying how variations of just a few degrees can make tremendous differences in our world. In doing so, he synthesizes several disciplines, from the biology of human thermoregulation to the physics of black holes. While this subject is probably not the stuff of New York Times best sellers, those fans will appreciate it for what it is an elegant, captivating exposition of one of the most basic yet remarkable principles of science. Highly recommended review in Library Journal.

Down to Earth: Nature's Role in American History - Steinberg, Theodore

"A provocative new perspective on American history -- one that for the first time places the environment at its center. Writing with passion and wit, historian Ted Steinberg sweeps across the centuries, reenvisioning the story of America as he recounts how the environment has played a key role in virtually every social, economic, and political development. Ranging from the colonists' attempts to impose order on the land to the modern efforts to sell the wilderness as a consumer good, packaged in national parks and Alaskan cruises, Steinberg reminds readers that many critical episodes in our history were, in fact, environmental events: Plantation slavery, the California Gold Rush, and even the Cold War were all shaped by natural conditions and in turn reshaped the natural world. Equally important, Steinberg highlights the ways in which we have envisioned nature -- and attempted to control it -- from Thomas Jefferson's surveying plan that divided the national landscape into a grid, to the transformation of animals, crops, and even water into commodities. From the Pilgrims to Disney World, Steinberg's narrative abounds with fascinating details and often disturbing insights into our interaction with the natural world. Few books truly change the way we see the past. Down to Earth is one of them: a vivid narrative that reveals the environment to be a powerful force in American life -- a force that must be examined if we are truly to understand our history."- from the book jacket

Mayo Clinic on Alzheimer's Disease - Petersen, Ronald C.

"An excellent introduction to Alzheimer’s. Prepared by a variety of Mayo Clinic experts, it covers the basics of brain function; the causes, signs, and symptoms of late-life memory loss; how it is diagnosed; the latest in available treatments; and current research on promising new remedies, as well as details about the effects of memory disorders on the ill person, families, and caregivers." – Library Journal

Hitchhiking Through Asperger Syndrome - Pyles, Lise

Written by and for parents, but containing some good information for others, as well. "A candid and thoughtful. Pyles offers practical and positive advice on topics including diagnosis and self-diagnosis; dealing with your own reactions, and those of others; types of school and homeschooling; medication; and dietary issues."

Ten Thousand Years of Pottery - Cooper, Emmanuel

Sumptuous illustrations.

Easy Transfers for Any Surface: Crafting - McRee, Livia

Learn to transfer printed images, artwork, and photos to wood, fabric, stone, clay, and other materials.

Art of Basketry - Lonning, Kari

A tisket, a tasket, want to make a basket?

Thrown Pottery Techniques Revealed: The Secrets Of Perfect Throwing Shown In Unique Cutaway Photography - Chappelhow, Mary

Potters Workshop : 20 unique ceramic projects for the small home studio - Rodwell, Jenny

"Step-by-step, illustrated instructions; a wealth of pottery styles and techniques, and practical advice from a selection of well-known ceramic artists."

What Every Artist Needs to Know about Paints & Colors - Pyle, David

Marijuana - Dudley, William

Essays on marijuana use.

Best American Science Writing (2002) - Ridley, Matt

Essays: Dr. Daedalus / Lauren Slater -- Crimson tide / Atul Gawande -- The made-to-order savior / Lisa Belkin -- A desire to duplicate / Margaret Talbot -- Medicine's race problem / Sally Satel -- The thirty years' war / Jerome Groopman -- The soft science of dietary fat / Gary Taubes -- Brothers with heart / Joseph D'Agnese -- I love my glow bunny / Christopher Dickey -- Rethinking the brain / Michael Specter -- Penninger / Mary Rogan -- Mothers and others / Sarah Blaffer Hrdy -- Of altruism, heroism and natures gifts in the face of terror / Natalie Angier -- Pirate utopia / Julian Dibbell -- Code red for the web / Carolyn Meinel -- What brings a world into being? / David Berlinski -- Quantum shmantum / Tim Folger -- Shadow science / Oliver Morton -- Can science explain everything? Anything? / Steven Weinberg -- The eco-optimist / Nichols Wade -- George Divoky's planet / Darcy Frey.

The Norton Anthology Of African American Literature - Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Organized chronologically, the massive work gathers writings from six periods of black history: slavery and freedom; Reconstruction; the Harlem Renaissance; Realism, Naturalism and Modernism; the Black Arts Movement and the period since the 1970s. The anthology is divided into seven sections, each with a separate introduction giving the sociopolitical factors that impacted on the material included therein. Featured are 120 writers, 52 of whom are women, . . . representing African American vernacular literature, poetry, drama, short stories, novels, slave narratives, blues, gospel, spirituals, jazz, rap, folktales, sermons, prayers, testimonies, speeches and autobiographies. Publishes many longer texts in their entirety--e.g., Frederick Douglass's Narrative of the Life, W.E.B. Du Bois's The Souls of Black Folk, Jean Toomer's Cane, Toni Morrison's Sula, August Wilson's Fences, and Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun.

The War And The Wall : Service, Sacrifice And Honor - Scruggs, Jan C.

Essays about the Viet Nam War Memorial.

Reader's Handbook : A Student Guide For Reading And Learning - Robb, Laura.

This guide provides the skills and strategies students need to be successful readers in many categories such as reading drama and reading graphics.

Fiction

13 Best Horror Stories of All Time - Pockell, Leslie

Contents: The tell-tale heart / Edgar Allan Poe -- Green Tea / J. Sheridan Le Fanu -- The yellow wallpaper / Charlotte Perkins Gilman -- The bottle imp / Robert Louis Stevenson -- The great god Pan / Arthur Machen -- Dracula's guest / Bram Stoker -- The monkey's paw / W.W. Jacobs -- Oh, whistle and I'll come to you, my lad / M.R. James -- The country of the blind / H.G. Wells -- The willows / Algernon Blackwood -- The beckoning fair one / Oliver Onions -- The call of Cthulhu / H.P. Lovecraft -- The lottery / Shirley Jackson.

Summer Country - Hetley, James A.

Fantasy: "For 28 years, Maureen led a fairly ordinary life, maybe a slightly tough one, growing up on the wrong side of the poverty line in Maine. But she did all right. Then she met Brian Albion, and everything changed. If she can believe him, she carries a blood legacy that goes back to the old country. Only this is the really old coutnry, the land of Mordred and Merlin, where deadly battles are still fought with magic, and a woman who carries the blood of the Old Ones is a prize to be desired--or a threat to be destroyed..." - From the book cover.

Interpreter of Maladies - Lahiri, Jhumpa

Since the release of Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri has won almost every award bestowed on a first book of fiction, including the Pulitzer Prize. The nine stories in this stunning debut collection unerringly chart the emotional journeys of characters seeking love beyond the barriers of nations and generations.

With accomplished precision and gentle eloquence, Lahiri traces the crosscurrents set in motion when immigrants, expatriates, and their children arrive, quite literally, at a cultural divide. A blackout forces a young Indian American couple to make confessions that unravel their tattered domestic peace. An Indian American girl recognizes her cultural identity during a Halloween celebration while the Pakistani civil war rages on television in the background. A latchkey kid with a single working mother finds affinity with a woman from Calcutta who, among other things, is struggling to learn to drive. In the title story, an interpreter guides an American family through the India of their ancestors and hears an astonishing confession.

Anil's Ghost - Ondaatje, Michael

With his first novel since the internationally acclaimed The English Patient, Booker Prize—winning author Michael Ondaatje gives us a work displaying all the richness of imagery and language and the piercing emotional truth that we have come to know as the hallmarks of his writing.

Anil’s Ghost transports us to Sri Lanka, a country steeped in centuries of tradition, now forced into the late twentieth century by the ravages of civil war. Into this maelstrom steps Anil Tissera, a young woman born in Sri Lanka, educated in England and America, who returns to her homeland as a forensic anthropologist sent by an international human rights group to discover the source of the organized campaigns of murder engulfing the island. What follows is a story about love, about family, about identity, about the unknown enemy, about the quest to unlock the hidden past–a story propelled by a riveting mystery. Unfolding against the deeply evocative background of Sri Lanka’s landscape and ancient civilization, Anil’s Ghost is a literary spellbinder–Michael Ondaatje’s most powerful novel yet.

Timeless Love

Sixteen-year-old Samantha is given a locket that takes her back in time to 1553 England, where she meets a teenage King Edward VI. Samantha is introduced to court life, falls in love with Irish nobleman Barnaby, and is soon trapped in court intrigue. When she returns to her own time, the present has been dramatically altered. Realizing what she had done, she must return to the past to fix the future. Ingram

The celebrated author of "The House on Mango Street" delivers an extraordinary new novel, told in language of blazing originality: a multigenerational story of a Mexican-American family whose voices create a dazzling weave of humor, passion, and poignancy--the very stuff of life. Ingram

Media

A Taste of Chanukah - 60 minute video

Broadway and film star Theodore Bikel hosts this celebration of the rich cultural and musical traditions of the Jewish feast of Chanukah. Presented under the artistic direction of Hankus Netsky, founder and director of the renowned Klezmer Conservatory Band, the program features musicians from the New England Conservatory of Music and the Boston Community Gospel Choir. The music ranges from 1940s swing to traditional versions of well-known songs and prayers, children's songs and special arrangements. A highlight of the program is the preparation of "perfect" potato latkes by 83-year-old Yiddishist Chasia Segal. Cantor Morton Shames performs classic Moishe Oysher tunes and lights the Chanukah candles.

A Taste of Passover - 60 minute video

Hosted by Theodore Bikel and featuring cantor David Levine, Yiddishist Harriet Chasia Segal and musicians from Boston's New England Conservatory. This program involves sacred, traditional, uplifting music as well as drinking songs, and silly seder songs. It also includes witty commentary, matzo balls, a klezmer band and other musicians in a festive setting.

Evolution - 4 disc DVD set

"Evolution" offers a groundbreaking and definitive view of the extraordinary impact the evolutionary process has had on our understanding of the world around us. Beginning with Darwin's revolutionary theory, this seven-part series explores all facets of evolution--the changes that spawned the tree of life, the power of sex, how evolution continues to affect us every day, and the perceived conflict between science and religion.

Contents: DISC 1: Darwin's dangerous idea -- DISC 2: Great transformations ; Extinction! -- DISC 3: The evolutionary arms race ; Why sex? -- DISC 4: The mind's big bang ; What about God? (ca. 60 min.).

Special features: Access to the Evolution Web site containing games, activities, and biographies -- Evolution library containing video & audio segments, interviews, images, source documents, Web links, & additional resources -- Online teacher course & student lessons -- Printable teacher's guide -- Evolution glossary and FAQs -- Chapter search.

Islam-Empire of Faith - DVD

Between the fall of Rome and the European voyages of discovery, no event was more significant than the rise of Islam. This three-part series tells the spectacular story of the great sweep of Islamic power and faith during its first 1,000 years -- from the birth of the prophet Muhammad to the peak of the Ottoman Empire under the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. Evocative re-enactments and a remarkable exposition of Islamic art, artifacts and architecture are combined with interviews with scholars from around the world to recount the rise and glory of early Islamic civilization. It is the epic story of a cultural empire that dominated a millennium, encompassed half the world and shaped history. Included on this DVD Version: An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of Islam: Empire of Faith, with producer's commentary, and a stunning tour of ancient Islamic architecture, with producer's commentary. – PBS

Contents: Part 1: The Messenger : Introduction [3:56]; The Ka'bah at Mecca [2:30]; The Revelation [7:19]; The Qur'an [9:11]; Medina, City of the Prophet [11:11]; A New Beginning [14:49]. Part 2: The Awakening : The Awakening [2:28]; Baghdad, City of Scholars and Science [12:20]; City of Cordoba [7:09]; The First Crusade [15:15]; Crusader Castles & Islamic Trade [1:51]; Saladin Recaptures Jerusalem [13:03]. Part 3: The Ottomans : The Ottomans [9:58]; Siege of Constantinople [16:58]; Ottoman Architecture & Lifestyle [11:19]; The Safavids [5:52]; Suleyman's Last Campaign [5:44]; Conclusion [3:00]. Special Features : The Making of Islam: Empire of Faith and Tour of Ancient Islamic Architecture.

Reference

Merck Index: An Encyclopedia Of Chemicals, Drugs, And Biologicals- Merck Publishing Group

The 13^th edition.

Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature - Serafin, Steven

This guide and companion to American literature spans from colonial times to the present and comprises 1,100 biographical and critical entries by 300 contributors. Entries range from less than half a page to seven or eight pages; each is signed and includes a bibliography. In addition to profiles and appraisals of individual authors, 70 topical articles pertaining to genre, period, ethnicity, and discipline discuss such topics as African American literature, Canada, the detective story, folklore, humor, regionalism, utopia, and war, to name but a few. - Booknews

Handbook To Literature - William Harmon, C. Hugh Holman

A familiar and beloved old standard in its eighth edition.