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New Book List
September 16, 2002
Nonfiction
Newton's Gift: How Sir Isaac Newton
Unlocked the System of the World - Berlinski,
David
Who else could have constructed the basis for
modern science out of an apple? Sir Isaac Newton,
the celebrated genius behind the Principia
Mathematica, lived inside his head--but not so
much as to make his story dull. Mathematician and
writer David Berlinski takes a new tack on the
man's biography by approaching it through his
work. Newton's Gift: How Sir Isaac Newton
Unlocked the System of the World does explore
Newton's strange childhood and eventual career
in government, but it stays largely focused on the
Cambridge years and especially on the development
of the Principia. The author's knack for
explaining tricky matters of mechanics is
awe-inspiring; he moves with ease between
captivating metaphor and precise mathematical
language.– Amazon.com
A Guide to Advanced Skywatching: The Backyard
Astronomer’s Guide to Starhopping and Exploring
the Universe - Burnham, Robert
Not just an observer’s guide, this
beautifully illustrated volume is packed with
information about stars, planets, and skywatching
tools.
Yoga: A Basic Guide - Kent, Howard
A clearly illustrated guide to yoga, including
its benefits, history, philosophy, and correct
techniques. Also includes planning a program of
yoga and yoga in daily life.
The Eleventh Draft: Craft and the Writing Life
from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop - Conroy,
Frank, ed.
Conroy solicited essays about writing from 23
fiction writers--all of them one-time Iowa
Writers' Workshop students or faculty members.
"My instructions to them," says Conroy,
"were deliberately vague.... Leaving it open
seemed to me to heighten the chances of getting the
strongest and least predictable work." Conroy
guessed right. Beyond the shared sentiment that
writing is hard work, there is, blessedly, no
common thread here. For T. Coraghessan Boyle,
writing is an addiction as powerful as
"putting a bottle to your lips or a spike in
your arm." James Hynes claims that writing
takes such a toll that "just writing this
essay is probably as bad for me as a pack of
cigarettes." And Barry Hannah describes
writers as "not always the most vital people
in the room, but often nearer ghouls sniffing at
the trough of other living blood." In the
book's most pessimistic piece, Doris Grumbach
maligns word processors for destroying the richness
of the English language, megabestsellers for the
decimation of forests, and the notion of
writer-as-celebrity (lionization, she says, does
not advance one's writing). Most of this
book's contributors aim, often by way of story,
to get at the mysterious heart of the fiction
writer's experience. Fred G. Leebron recalls
the moment he realized that the characters take the
author by the hand, and not vice versa. Elizabeth
McCracken confesses to having no inner or outer
life, but to stealing all her material from her
family. And Scott Spencer underscores the courage
needed to create fiction. "A writer who will
not risk hurting someone's feelings," he
says, "is finally no more effective than a
firefighter who will not smash in windows." -
Amazon.com
150 Years of Popular Musical Theatre -
Lamb, Andrew
Traces the development of modern musical theater
from its beginnings in Paris roughly a century and
a half ago to productions seen today on Broadway,
in New York's East Village and the West End of
London. From the earliest European operetta styles
of France and Germany to the modern musical of the
United States and Britain, Lamb covers every turn
in the development of musicals. Lamb's intent
is to provide a discussion of the composers and
their works, with special attention paid to their
place in the evolution of the genre: "Focus is
on the various creative teams in turn, rather than
necessarily on dealing with key works in
chronological order." Major performers,
producers, and directors are also discussed. This
thoroughly enjoyable read is guaranteed to provide
happy surprises for even the most avid fan. –
Library Journal
Best Friends, Worst Enemies - Thompson,
Michael
Our summer reading: " Not since Dr. Spock
or Penelope Leach has there been such a sensitive
and practical guide to raising healthy
children." - Publisher's Weekly
Taekwon-Do - Hong Hi, Choi
Technique and history.
Hard Fought Victories: Women Coaches Making a
Difference - Gogol, Sara
Although coaches often receive less media
attention than athletes, women college coaches are,
in fact, pivotal figures within the college sports
world. From the famous coaches (e.g., Tara
VanDerveer) and well-funded programs (basketball)
to those who toil in relatively obscure sports
(track, swimming) or who must coach several sports,
these profiles give us insights into how a coach
spends her day, how she juggles family and work,
and how she deals with problems with athletes,
colleagues, and administrators. We are struck with
the importance of women coaches both as role models
of women in leadership positions and as mentors for
female athletes.
Daughter of China: A True Story of Love and
Betrayal - Xu, Meihong
The true tale of a remarkable woman trained as
an elite soldier in the Chinese army, her forbidden
love for an American, and her seemingly impossible
escape–with his help–from the nation to
which she had pledged her life. An astonishing
testament to the enduring resilience of love and
the human spirit in the face of even the most
oppressive, hopeless conditions, Daughter of China
offers a compelling look at life inside the rigid
walls of Communist China, revealing in fascinating
detail Meihong Xu’s inculcation into the
system–a process so effective that she would
willingly betray a friend or family member to prove
her loyalty. Written with clear-eyed candor and
stark eloquence, Daughter of China is at once a
timeless, deeply moving story of a prohibited love
affair and a dramatic depiction of life under
Chinese Communism. – publisher’s
description
A Short History of the World - Blainey,
Geoffrey
Fire, agriculture, steam engine? Which was the
most extraordinary development in human history?
None of the above, Blainey provocatively proposes.
It was the rising sea level attendant to the end of
the Ice Age, which fragmented the land and created
isolation and proximity--one of Blainey's key
themes in this finely readable overview of the
whole of human history. Blainey discusses the
various journeys humans have taken over the last
four million years, the cultural contact that has
resulted, and the factors that might have delayed
or speeded up contact. For example, he explores the
role of the Sahara Desert in the interplay among
the various cultures surrounding that enormous
barrier and shows that groups like the Mongols
crossed huge spaces and barriers to influence
peoples far from their homeland. Blainey also
discusses the distances traveled by Islam,
Christianity, and secular capitalism and the manner
in which cultures located on different continents
were and are influenced by such forces. - Booklist
and Library Journal
Teaching What Matters Most: standards and
strategies for raising student achievement -
Silver, Harvey F.
With 10 years of research and work in 300
schools to guide them, Silver, Strong, and Perini
offer four standards: * Rigor: helping students
make sense of challenging texts and ideas. *
Thought: helping students become adept users of
powerful learning disciplines. * Diversity: helping
students understand themselves and others. *
Authenticity: helping students apply what they
learn to the real world. The authors use practical
lessons from real classrooms to demonstrate these
standards.
A Tour of the Calculus - Berlinski,
David
A Tour of the Calculus offers much to
admire. It is a popular but honest explanation of
beautiful and deep mathematics, refusing to
patronize or demoralize readers with winks to
reassure them that "getting it" does not
matter. Berlinski clearly savors the comedy of
teaching, and is consistently full of high spirits,
whether he is opinionizing, salting his text with
literary jokes, or otherwise cutting up. –
Commentary Magazine
The Research Paper: A Contemporary Approach
- Sorenson, Sharon
Preface -- Choosing a topic -- Doing the
preliminary work -- Locating the secondary
resources -- Preparing bibliography cards --
Seeking primary resources -- Taking notes --
Studying a model excerpt: the importance of good
note taking -- Writing the final outline -- Writing
the draft -- Revising the draft -- Preparing the
final manuscript -- Proofreading -- Analyzing
complete models -- Comparing other styles --
Glossary -- Index.
Writer’s Market Companion: the essential
guide to starting your project, getting it published
and getting paid
What it takes to write nonfiction periodical articles
for fun and profit.
Writer’s Market FAQs: fast answers about
getting published and the business of writing
The writer’s life: a package deal with the
Companion above.
Fiction
Mary Ann Alice - Doyle, Brian
Nominee for The Canada Council for the Art
Governor General's Literary Awards. Returning
to a familiar setting in his stories, the Gatineau
River near Ottawa, Doyle introduces young Mary Ann
Alice McCrank, who has a passionate interest in
geology. Her teacher, Patchy Drizzle, shares her
love for the rocks and fossils found under the
famous Paugan Falls. But a new dam project brings
with it both benefits and hardships to the
community.
Shoeless Joe - Kinsella, W. P.
Basis for the movie "Field of Dreams."
The First Eagle - Hillerman, Tony
Also new: some replacement and additional copies of
classics of works on various reading lists.
Far from the Maddening Crowd
Candide
Lord of
the Flies
The Outsiders
Coghill’s modern
translation of The Canterbury Tales
Reference
Encyclopedia of Drugs and Alcohol - Roza,
Greg
Plus the usual assortment of additional volumes to
sets such as Poetry for Students, Novels for
Students, and Encyclopedia of World Biography.
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