Here’s a look at some of the recent nonfiction books we’ve added to the library collection. Stop by today — if it’s available (click through the link to check), it will be in the New Nonfiction section. If not, we can reserve it for you!
Science
Ebola: Fears And Facts by Patricia Newman — Go behind the sensational headlines to address questions and concerns about the Ebola virus, learn about the history of the disease, its symptoms, and how it spreads, and find out how the 2014 epidemic compares to past Ebola outbreaks, as well as to outbreaks of other infectious diseases. “Breaking new ground, Newman has written a truly excellent book for students that tackles the terrifying specter of Ebola” (School Library Journal).
Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America by Susan Campbell Bartoletti — What happens when a person’s reputation has been forever damaged? With archival photographs and text among other primary sources, this riveting biography of Mary Mallon by the Sibert medalist and Newbery Honor winner Susan Bartoletti looks beyond the tabloid scandal of Mary’s controversial life. “Energetic, even charming, prose will easily engage readers. Pair this work with Gail Jarrow’s Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary” (School Library Journal).
Social Studies
Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates – Winner of the 2016 National Book Award. A bold and personal literary exploration of America’s racial history by “the single best writer on the subject of race in the United States” (New York Observer). “Powerful and passionate . . . profoundly moving . . . a searing meditation on what it means to be black in America today.” —Michiko Kakutani (New York Times).
Hillary Rodham Clinton: A Woman Living History by Karen Blumenthal — Critically acclaimed author Blumenthal has written an intimate and unflinching look at the public and personal life of Hillary Rodham Clinton. This is a must-have biography about a woman who has fascinated — and divided — the public, who continues to push boundaries, and who isn’t afraid to reach for one more goal. “Blumenthal, a longtime Wall Street Journal reporter, is part of a current wave of narrative nonfiction authors who write for teenagers with such directness and clarity that adult readers, too, may gain a deeper understanding” (New York Times).
Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton — Ever since photographer Brandon Stanton began interviewing people on the streets of NY, the dialogue he’s had with them has increasingly become as in-depth, intriguing and moving as the photos themselves. This new book presents a whole new group of humans, complete with stories that delve deeper and surprise with greater candor. “There’s no judgment, just observation and in many cases reverence, making for an inspiring reading and visual experience” (Publishers Weekly).
In the Fields and the Trenches: The Famous and the Forgotten on the Battlefields of World War I by Kerrie Logan Hollihan — Chronicles the lives of heroes, cowards, comics, and villains — some famous, some not — who participated in this life-changing event. Extensive original material, from letters sent from the front to personal journals, brings these men and women back to life. “Will hold reader interest and will be valuable for classroom use” (Booklist).
My Seneca Village by Marilyn Nelson — Newbery Honor medalist, two-time Coretta Scott King Honor medalist, and National Book Award nomineee Marilyn Nelson recreates the long lost community of Seneca Village, a multi-racial, multi-ethnic neighborhood in the center of Manhattan that thrived in the middle years of the 19th century. “This rich and diverse (a variety of poetic forms, including ones invented for certain speakers, are featured) piece of American literature belongs in every collection” (School Library Journal).
Undocumented: A Dominican Boy’s Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League by Dan-el Padilla Peralta — A classic story of the triumph of the human spirit, and the perfect cri de coeur for the debate on comprehensive immigration reform. “Part memoir, part confessional, and part coming-of-age tale, Peralta’s story holds several truths on the road through loss, sacrifice, and achievement to gaining his slice of the American dream” (Publishers Weekly).
Sports and Health
This Is Your Brain on Sports: The Science of Underdogs, the Value of Rivalry, and What We Can Learn from the T-Shirt Cannon by L. Jon Wertheim and Sam Sommers — An entertaining and thought-provoking journey into how psychology and behavioral science collide with the universe of wins-and-losses, coaching changes, underdogs, and rivalry games. “Wertheim and Sommers find a telling illustration of how sports penetrate to the deepest levels of human thought. With less-dramatic cases, the authors repeatedly show that, far from being a shallow distraction, sports offer revealing demonstrations of how humans think in all areas of life” (Booklist).
Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty by Charles Leerhsen – For this fascinating and authoritative biography of perhaps the most controversial player in baseball history, Leerhsen pushed aside the myths, traveled to Georgia and Detroit, and re-traced Cobb’s journey, from the shy son of a professor and state senator who was progressive on race for his time, to America’s first true sports celebrity. “This eminently readable biography is a fantastic piece of research and a perfect starting point for teens interested in the early years of baseball” (School Library Journal).
UnSlut: A Diary and a Memoir by Emily Lindin — When Emily Lindin was eleven years old, she was branded a “slut” by the rest of her classmates. For the next few years of her life, she was bullied incessantly at school, after school, and online. Slut/UnSlut is adapted from Emily’s much-acclaimed blog “The UnSlut Project” presenting unaltered excerpts from that diary alongside split-page commentary to provide context and perspective. “A sometimes tender, sometimes painful look at the stigmas that surround girls growing up in modern society” (Booklist).