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A guide to new nonfiction titles available in the CA Library collection. Look for them in the New Books section!
Biography
Gandhi: My Life Is My Message / written by Jason Quinn, illustrated by Sachin Nagar — In graphic novel format, introduces the life and accomplishments of the Indian political and spiritual leader who led his country to freedom from British rule through his policy of nonviolent resistance. “This would serve as a fine introduction to Gandhi’s life and work, with the graphic format making it more readily accessible to a wider audience.” — Library Journal
Relish: My Life In The Kitchen / by Lucy Knisley — The daughter of a chef and a gourmet, this talented young cartoonist comes by her obsession honestly. In her forthright, thoughtful, and funny memoir, Lucy traces key episodes in her life thus far, framed by what she was eating at the time and lessons learned about food, cooking, and life. “Just about everything in this rambling memoir is handled with good cheer, which hints at the positive energy and personal fulfillment Knisley has wrought from her young life in food.” — Booklist
Leaving China: An Artist Paints His World War II Childhood / James McMullan — McMullan recounts in more than fifty short essays and evocative illustrations how his early childhood in China and wartime journeys with his mother influenced his life and career. “Fans of memoirs, students studying World War II, and aspiring artists will find much to appreciate.” — School Library Journal
Bullying Under Attack: True Stories Written By Teen Victims, Bullies + Bystanders / edited by Stephanie H. Meyer, John Meyer, Emily Sperber, and Heather Alexander — A collection of stories and poems by teenage writers that looks at the subtleties of harassment, the myriad reasons victims may be chosen, and how one day, as adults, they will be able to help.
Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out / Susan Kuklin — Shares insights into the teen transgender experience, tracing six individual’s emotional and physical journey as it was shaped by family dynamics, living situations, and the transition each teen made during the personal journey. “Kuklin’s important new book brings welcome clarity to a subject that has often been obscure and gives faces literally and metaphorically to a segment of the teen population that has too long been invisible.” — Booklist starred review
History
Martin Luther King Jr. And The 1963 March On Washington / David Aretha — Recounts King’s ascent to the proverbial “mountaintop” as well as the details of that historic event in Washington. “Aretha shows an admirable ability to present a great deal of information in a clear, straightforward manner while choosing details and quotes that make the history vivid, memorable, and occasionally moving.” — Booklist starred review
Ancient Egypt: Everyday Life In The Land Of The Nile / Bob Brier & Hoyt Hobbs — Through deep investigative research, the authors explore the social and material existence in ancient Egypt — from what people ate and drank to how they worked, lived, played, and prayed.
Ancient Greece: Everyday Life In The Birthplace Of Western Civilization / Robert Garland — Ancient Greece comes alive in this vibrant portrait of the daily lives of ordinary people–men and women, children and the elderly, slaves and foreigners, rich and poor. “Well suited for school projects that require students to go beyond their standard textbooks, and also for general readers interested in ancient Greece or pharaonic Egypt.” — Booklist starred review
Imprisoned: The Betrayal Of Japanese Americans During World War II / by Martin W. Sandler — Culling information from extensive, previously unpublished interviews and oral histories with Japanese American survivors of internment camps, Sandler gives an in-depth account of their lives before, during their imprisonment, and after their release. “Sandler expertly crafts a narrative that manages to explain the horror and incomprehensibility of locking up American citizens in prison camps simply because of their ethnic ancestry.” — School Library Journal
Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived Battle And Prison Camp In The Pacific / Mary Cronk Farrell — A tribute to the American nurses trapped in the Philippines by the attack on Pearl Harbor describes the harrowing conditions under which they treated soldiers before being captured and forced to endure starvation and disease for three years. “[Farrell] brings her subjects’ personalities and harrowing ordeal into clear focus and sheds deserved light on this chapter of WWII history.” — Publishers Weekly
The Arts
Everybody Paints!: The Lives And Art Of The Wyeth Family / by Susan Goldman Rubin — Traces three generations of the famous Wyeth art family, offering insight into the events that shaped their achievements in a volume complemented by reproductions of their most famous masterpieces. “The clearly written and engaging text, the well-integrated design elements, and the excellent reproductions of paintings and photos make this an informative, visually appealing presentation.” — Booklist starred review
Wideness and Wonder: The Life and Art of Georgia O’Keeffe / by Susan Goldman Rubin — Traces the events that shaped O’Keeffe’s art and how art influenced OKeeffe’s life in return. Colorful, accessible, and packed with the art that made O’Keeffe so renowned. “Nicely illustrated with family photos, portrait photos by Alfred Stieglitz, and many reproductions of the artist’s drawings and paintings.” — Booklist
The Story Of Music: From Babylon To The Beatles: How Music Has Shaped Civilization / Howard Goodall — In his dynamic tour through 40,000 years of music, from prehistoric instruments to modern-day pop, Goodall leads us through the story of music as it happened, idea by idea, so that each musical innovation — harmony, notation, sung theatre, the orchestra, dance music, recording — strikes us with its original force. “With playlists for each chapter, this is a masterful and illuminating whirlwind tour through thousands of years of musical history.” — Booklist starred review
Science
The Periodic Table: A Visual Guide To The Elements / Paul Parsons & Gail Dixon — The Periodic Table looks at the fascinating story and surprising uses of each of those elements, whether solid, liquid or gas. From the little-known uses of gold in medicine to the development of the hydrogen bomb, each entry is accompanied by technical data presented in easy-to-read headers, and a colour coding system that helps the reader to navigate through the different groups of elements.
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History / Elizabeth Kolbert — A major book about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes. “This solid, engaging, multidisciplinary science title should appeal to a broad range of science enthusiasts, particularly those interested in environmental conservation.” — Library Journal
Bees: A Natural History / Christopher O’Toole ; featuring photographs by Edward Ross — Written by a world-leading entomologist and specialist in bees, this book’s topics include bees as foragers, their nesting instinct, on-board computing facility, sun-compass orientation and sense of time, plus the decline of bees and honeybees, bees in human ecology, bee conservation, urban bees bee projects, and more. “The illustrations alone sell the book…the many appendixes and a large bibliography make this an informative introduction.” — Booklist
My Gentle Barn: Creating A Sanctuary Where Animals Heal And Children Learn To Hope / Ellie Laks with Nomi Isak — Ellie Laks started The Gentle Barn after adopting a sick goat from a run-down petting zoo in 1999. Some two hundred animals later (including chickens, horses, pigs, cows, rabbits, emus, and more), The Gentle Barn has become an extraordinary nonprofit that brings together a volunteer staff of community members and at-risk teens to rehabilitate abandoned and/or abused animals. “Intimate, powerful, and shocking in its revelations about the food we eat, My Gentle Barn is not easily forgotten.” — Booklist starred review
Decoding Your Dog: The Ultimate Experts Explain Common Dog Behaviors And Reveal How To Prevent Or Change Unwanted Ones / American College of Veterinary Behaviorists — Combining cutting-edge science with accessible and adaptable real-life examples, this is a must-have dog behavior guide showcasing the latest veterinary-approved positive training methods. “Libraries and dog owners may have found the holy grail with this title.” — Booklist starred review
The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story Of The New Billionaire Wildcatters / Gregory Zuckerman — The Frackers tells the dramatic tale of how a group of ambitious and headstrong wildcatters ignored the ridicule of experts and derision of colleagues to pursue massive, long-overlooked deposits. Zuckerman’s exclusive access enabled him to get close to men like George Mitchell, who developed a new way to drill for gas in shale rock; Harold Hamm, who discovered so much oil he’s now worth more than the estate of Steve Jobs; and Aubrey McClendon, who lost more than $2 billion on a misguided gambit. “[Zuckerman] shows us the beneficial side of fracking and the potentially environmentally disastrous side, and lets us find our own ground to stand on. A lively, exciting, and definitely thought-provoking book.” — Booklist
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