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Library Bookwatch

Volume 13, Number 5 May 2018 Home | LBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Self-Help Shelf
Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Art Shelf
Graphic Novel Shelf Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf
Library DVD Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Anthropology Shelf
Literary Studies Shelf Sports Shelf Biography Shelf
Cookbook Shelf American History Shelf World History Shelf
Civil War Shelf Aviation Shelf Business Shelf
Technology Shelf Philosophy Shelf Military Shelf
Native American Studies Shelf Science Shelf Parenting Shelf
Money/Finance Shelf Agriculture Shelf Political Science Shelf
Holocaust Studies Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

Fighting Fake News!
Brian C. Housand
Prufrock Press
PO Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714-8813
www.prufrock.com
9781618217288, $29.95, PB, 156pp, www.amazon.com

Brian C. Housand is an Associate Professor at East Carolina University. Professor Housand earned his Ph.D at the University of Connecticut with an emphasis in gifted education and instructional technology. Professor Housand works to translate research and theory into practice while meaningfully integrating technology with a purpose. Educators have long struggled to teach students to be critical consumers of the information that they encounter. This struggle is exacerbated by the amount of information available thanks to the Internet and mobile devices. Students must learn how to determine whether or not the information they are accessing is reputable. Professor draws upon his research, expertise, and experience in "Fighting Fake News!: Teaching Critical Thinking and Media Literacy in a Digital Age" to focus on applying critical thinking skills in digital environments while also helping students, teachers, and members of the general public to avoid information overload. According to a 2016 Pew Research report, we are now living in a world where 62% of people report that they get their "news" from social media. With the lessons and activities in this instructional guide and manual, readers will be challenged to look at the media they encounter daily (including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, and more) to learn to deepen and extend their media literacy and critical thinking skills. Now more than ever, the American public require instruction in identifying and countering what has come to be known as Fake News. Professor Housand's "Fighting Fake News!" is ideal for teaching students and members of the public how to locate, evaluate, synthesize, and communicate information in this age of Fox News and Russian interference in our American democracy via a politically weaponized social media. Simply stated, a copy of "Fighting Fake News!: Teaching Critical Thinking and Media Literacy in a Digital Age" should be a part of every community, highschool, college, and university library Media Studies and Contemporary Political Science collection and supplemental studies reading list.

Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability, ninth edition
David A. Morton III, M.D.
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.nolo.com
9781413324846, $39.99, PB, 464pp, www.amazon.com

Now in a fully updated and expanded ninth edition, "Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability: Getting & Keeping Your Benefits" is a comprehensive and compassionate instructional reference and guide that covers both SSDI and SSI, showing the non-specialist general reader how to prove a disability, and explains how age, education, and work experience affect an applicant's chances. Parents will find special information about benefits available to children with a disability. "Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability" shows how to: Find the disability criteria for a medical condition; Prove the severity of a disability; Appeal if denied benefits; Work part time while keeping benefits; Prepare for a Continuing Disability Review; and so much more. Plus, this new edition of "Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability" is packed with filled-in samples of all the forms you'll need, including the SSDI and SSI disability applications. This edition also covers recent major changes, including: Updated disability listings for over 65 medical conditions; New rules concerning hearings and evidence; Changes in how Social Security considers evidence from treating doctors and other medical providers. Thoroughly and impressively 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community and academic library Social Security reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.49).

Courageous Women of the Vietnam War
Kathryn J. Atwood
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781613730744 $19.99 hc / $12.99 Kindle amazon.com

Part of the "Women of Action" biography series written to be thoroughly accessible to young adults and adults alike, Courageous Women of the Vietnam War: Medics, Journalists, Survivors, and More describes the complexities of the Vietnam War in a succession of true-life stories of brave women who were involved in it. Some lost their lives; others endured the effects of post- traumatic stress disorder from the horrors they witnessed. Courageous Women of the Vietnam war portrays women on both sides of the conflict, including Northern and Southern Vietnamese, French, Australian, and American women. Spanning the full length of conflict from Ho Chi Minh's revolution after World War II, to President Richard Nixon's "Peace" and beyond, Courageous Women of the Vietnam War is fascinating, educational, inspiring, and highly recommended for both school and public library collections.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Publishing Means Business: Australian Perspectives
Aaron Mannion, Millicent Weber, Katherine Day, editors
Monash University Publishing
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213
www.isbs.com
9781925523249, $29.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

The Australian publishing industry has transformed itself from a colonial outpost of British publishing to a central node in a truly global publishing industry. Despite challenges that included reduced government support for home-grown authors and the arts, Australian small presses thrive and the Australian general reading public have access to an unprecedented range of foreign and domestic titles. Social media, big data, print on demand, subscription, and new compensation models are subtly reshaping an industry that now also relies on more freelance labor than ever before. "Publishing Means Business: Australian Perspectives" examines the current state of this exciting and unpredictable industry, while also asking questions about the broader role of publishing within our culture. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Aaron Mannion, Millicent Weber, Katherine Day, "Publishing Means Business: Australian Perspectives" is comprised of nine erudite, insightful, informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking articles, making it unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Publishing, Media Studies, Journalism collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Self-Help Shelf

Anxiety Happens
John P. Forsyth & Georg H. Eifert
New Harbinger Press
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
9781684031108, $14.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

We live in an age of anxiety, and studies show that it's only getting worse. Anxiety forces itself into our awareness and can deplete our energy, resources, and resolve. We may confront it the moment we wake up in the morning, and it can even keep us from getting to sleep at night. In short, it can run our lives. But it doesn't have to be this way. "Anxiety Happens: 52 Ways to Find Peace of Mind" is the collaborative work of John P. Forsyth (Professor of Psychology and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program at the University at Albany, SUNY) and Georg H. Eifert Professor Emeritus of Psychology and former Associate Dean of the School of Health and Life Sciences at Chapman University in Orange, California). This quick reference guide offers fifty-two simple tools and strategies (one for each week of the year) based in proven-effective acceptance and commitment therapy to help you break free from worry, fear, and panic. In addition to "in-the-moment" tools for staying calm, you'll learn about the underlying causes of your anxiety, why avoidance just doesn't work, how to move past your negative inner voice, and how focusing on your values can help you move past anxiety and live a rich, meaningful life. While very highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Self-Help/Self-Improvement instructional reference collections, it should be noted for the non-specialist general readers that "Anxiety Happens" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.35).


The Fiction Shelf

Fugitive Lawman
Jethro Kyle
Lindford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444835236, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 248pp, www.amazon.com

Down on his luck in Chicago, young Dale Carnak ends up applying for work with the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Spotted by an old acquaintance that was part of his unit during the Civil War, he is swiftly hired, and agrees to the risky assignment of infiltrating the Fraser Gang - even to the point of participating in a train robbery. But a series of misunderstandings sees Carnak become a fugitive, on the run with the rest of the outlaws. Then the bandits begin to suspect that their newest recruit is not who he claims to be! Another deftly crafted gem of a western novel by an author with a complete mastery of the genre, Jethro Kyle's "Fugitive Lawman" is a riveting story of unexpected twists and turns right down to a thrilling climax. The large print edition from the Lindford Western Library will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections and the personal reading lists of dedicated western novel fans.

Bandit's Gold
Alex Frew
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444835205, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 296pp, www.amazon.com

When Joe Flint meets Matt Harper and Pete Brogan, he is enticed by their tales of gold and mystery. They tell of a legendary Mexican leader who funded his reign during the Civil War through a criminal network. But when Brogan attempts to compel Flint into the deal guns it doesn't go well for him. Drawn in by the promise of fortune, and in the company of a new trail companion, Ty Landis and a surly Matt Harper, he decides to make a play for the legendary fortune. But along the way, they are attacked. Flint learns too late that he has put himself in the hands of madmen. Will he find his fortune? Will he even get out alive? Another carefully crafted and original western action/adventure novel by a master of the genre, "Bandit's Gold" is especially recommended reading for dedicated western buffs who enjoy a tale of hazard, intrigue, and unexpected plot twists and turns leading to a dramatic and unexpected conclusion!

The Geraldi Trail
Max Brand
Sagebrush Large Print Westerns
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785413971, $29.99, PB, 324pp, www.amazon.com

James Geraldi thought he was finally getting his life in order -- he was square with the law and ready to settle down with his beautiful fiancee, Mary. Yet the thief who only stole from other thieves finds himself in trouble again when an old friend rides into town with a posse hot on his tail. Without hesitation, Geraldi takes off to lead the posse astray. Now wanted both by the law and the hardcases he's robbed, he must appease his distraught bride-to-be while evading a deadly trap set by his most dangerous enemy, all while finding himself running from the law once again! Another classic Max Brand action/adventure western with all manner of unexpected plot twists and turns, "The Geraldi Trail" is a riveting read from cover to cover. This large print edition of "The Geraldi Trail" is unreservedly recommended, especially to community library Western Fiction collections.

The Atomic City Girls
Janet Beard
janetbeard.com
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062666710, $15.99, PB, 384pp, www.amazon.com

In November 1944, eighteen-year-old June Walker boards an unmarked bus, destined for a city that doesn't officially exist. Oak Ridge, Tennessee has sprung up in a matter of months - a town of trailers and segregated houses, 24-hour cafeterias, and constant security checks. There, June joins hundreds of other young girls operating massive machines whose purpose is never explained. They know they are helping to win the war, but must ask no questions and reveal nothing to outsiders. The girls spend their evenings socializing and flirting with soldiers, scientists, and workmen at dances and movies, bowling alleys and canteens. June longs to know more about their top-secret assignment and begins an affair with Sam Cantor, the young Jewish physicist from New York who oversees the lab where she works and understands the end goal only too well, while her beautiful roommate Cici is on her own mission: to find a wealthy husband and escape her sharecropper roots. Across town, African-American construction worker Joe Brewer knows nothing of the government's plans, only that his new job pays enough to make it worth leaving his family behind, at least for now. But a breach in security will intertwine his fate with June's search for answers. When the bombing of Hiroshima brings the truth about Oak Ridge into devastating focus, June must confront her ideals about loyalty, patriotism, and war itself. "The Atomic City Girls" by Janet Beard is an extraordinary novel that clearly showcases the author's impressive gift for original and narrative storytelling. A compelling and unfailingly entertaining read, "The Atomic City Girls" is an unreservedly recommended addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Atomic City Girls" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99) and in a complete and unabridged audio book edition (Blackstone Audio, 9781538496879, $34.99, CD).

The Devil's Waltz
Ethan J. Hale
Five Star Books
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432837365, $25.95, HC, 263pp, www.amazon.com

Likeable but deadly outlaw Jack Posey is serving a long stretch of hard labor at Yuma Prison in Arizona. But his fortunes take a turn for the better when his older brother Dale pays him a visit. Dale is a United States Marshal and his visit isn't sociable. Dale is there to offer Jack a deal approved by the governor. Jack's old gang now led by Jack's former number two man Tom Spooner who has become the most wanted outlaws in the west. Dale is authorized by the governor to offer Jack a full pardon in exchange for helping to bring Spooner and the gang to justice. But it isn't going to be easy, safe, or certain of success! Another deftly crafted and immensely entertaining western novel by a master of the genre, Ethan Hale's "The Devil's Waltz" is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated western fans that "The Devil's Waltz" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Murder on Union Square
Victoria Thompson
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780399586606, $26.00, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Sarah and Frank Malloy are enjoying married life and looking to make their family official by adopting Catherine, the child whom Sarah rescued and has been raising as her daughter. The process seems fairly straightforward, but at the last minute, the newlyweds discover that Parnell Vaughn, Catherine's legal father, has a claim on the child, and his grasping fiancee is demanding a financial settlement to relinquish parental rights. Even though exchanging money for a child is illegal, Frank and Sarah's love for Catherine drives them to comply. When Frank returns with the money and finds Vaughn beaten to death, all evidence points to Frank as the culprit. A not-quite-famous actor with modest means, Vaughn seems an unlikely candidate for murder, particularly such a violent crime of passion. But Frank soon uncovers real-life intrigue as dramatic as any that appears on stage. Sarah and Frank enlist those closest to them to help hunt for Vaughn's killer as Frank's own life (and the future of their family) hang in the balance. Another deftly crafted 'Gaslight Mystery' from a master of the genre, Victoria Thompson's "Murder on Union Square" is very highly recommended and certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Murder on Union Square" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Elementary Murder
A. J. Wright
Magna Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9780750545457, $35.50, HC, Large Print, 372pp, www.amazon.com

The year is 1894. The place is a small town named Wigan. Miss Dorothea Gadsworth is interviewed for a teaching vacancy at George Street Elementary, but is ultimately dismissed as a candidate. The following Monday morning, her body is discovered in a locked classroom with a note by her side. DS Michael Brennan is called in to investigate what appears to be a straightforward suicide, but his instincts tell him there is more to this case than meets the eye. With the door locked from the inside, staff members with plenty to hide and a student missing from the school, DS Brennan, aided by the scowling Constable Jaggery, wrestles with one of his most intricate investigations yet. Another deftly crafted historical mystery by a master of the genre, this large print edition of A. J. Wright's "Elementary Murder" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections.


The Art Shelf

In the Fields of Empty Days
Linda Komaroff
Prestel Publishing
900 Broadway, Suite 603, New York, NY 10003
www.prestel.com
9783791357386, $60.00, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com

The past is a continuous and inescapable part of Iranian art and culture. "In the Fields of Empty Days: The Intersection of Past and Present in Iranian Art" by Linda Komaroff (Curator and Department Head of Art of the Middle East at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. ) and eight contributing artists beautifully demonstrates this notion with examples dating from the 1970s to the present -- a time of turmoil and political upheaval. Featuring a dizzying variety of works ranging from paintings and photography to political cartoons and posters, "In the Fields of Empty Days" shows how contemporary artists appropriate and recontextualize myth and history to tell powerful new stories about life in Iran. "In the Fields of Empty Days" also explores how pre-Modern artists first began to manipulate time by visually shifting the past into the present as demonstrated by Persian miniature painting, in particular illustrated versions of the Shahnama, or Book of Kings, the Iranian national epic. Statements from prominent contemporary artists consider the creative means by which they evoke the past to address present-day social and political concerns. Designed to promote fluid movement between historical and modern, "In the Fields of Empty Days" is wide-ranging and profusely illustrated volume that offers a unique and important exploration of a country with a rich and complicated heritage, making it an ideal and very highly recommended addition to personal, community and academic library Art History collections in general, and in particular, Iranian Art supplemental studies reading lists for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain
Adaptation by Crystal S. Chan
Illustrated by Kuma Chan
Udon Entertainment
www.mangaclassics.com
9781947808027 $17.99 amazon.com

Part of the Manga Classics series of black-and-white graphic novel adaptations of timeless literature, featuring manga-style art and the utmost respect for the original works, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer brings Mark Twain's novel about a silver-tongued young man in the antebellum South to life with a whole new work. This adaptation deliberately keeps the tone and word choices from the source material intact, since Mark Twain's gift for language and satire were a crucial element of his stories. Thoroughly engaging for readers of all ages, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a "must" for public and school library graphic novel collections. Also highly recommended is the Manga Classics adaptation of Mark Twain's sequel, "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (9781772940176, $17.99).

Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare
Adaptation by Crystal S. Chan
Art by Julien Choy
Udon Entertainment
www.mangaclassics.com
9781947808041 $17.99 amazon.com

Part of the Manga Classics series of black-and-white graphic novel adaptations of timeless literature, featuring manga-style art and the utmost respect for the original works, Romeo and Juliet brings to life the tragic romance of a star-crossed couple from William Shakespeare's unforgettable play. The complete, unaltered text of the original play is used, and the striking artwork makes the tangled saga of love, blood feuds, and death crystal clear to modern-day readers. Manga Classics Romeo and Juliet is a "must-have" for school and public library collections, highly recommended!

Olympians: Hermes: Tales of the Trickster
George O'Connor
First Second
175 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.firstsecondbooks.com
9781626725249, $18.99, HC, 80pp, www.amazon.com

In volume ten of his simply outstanding 'Olympians' graphic novel series, George O'Connor delves into the myth of Hermes, the trickster god. From his infancy, when he just one day old he steals a herd of 50 of Apollo's prize cattle by bewitching the animals and bending them to his will (even making them walk backwards!), to his adolescence and adulthood when he becomes father to the equally mischievous Pan, the ancient stories of Hermes assuming new wildly entertaining life as he brings a little bit of chaos to everything he touches or creates. This superbly presented and inherently entertaining is told with O'Connor's own special wit, charm, and storytelling skills. While very highly recommended, especially for community library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all graphic novel fans ages 9 to 90 -- and anyone else who is interested in Greek mythology -- that "Olympians: Hermes: Tales of the Trickster" is also available in a paperback edition (9781626725256, $10.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.80).


The Audiobook Shelf

The Secret of Our Success
Written by Joseph Henrich
Read by Jonathan Yen
Tantor Media, Inc.
6 Business Park Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
www.tantor.com
9781977303738 $49.99 amazon.com

The Secret of Our Success: How Culture is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a thoughtful nonfiction treatise about a basic conundrum - why do humans struggle to survive in the wild individually when collectively they have dominated environments all over the globe? Author Joseph Henrich (professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University) suggests that the answer lies in human culture - the ability to socially interconnect and learn from one another across generations, as well as the ability to organize and put generations of knowledge to practical use. Chapters draw connections between neuroscientific findings, the human genome, observations of chimpanzees, research into hunter-gatherers and more to reveal how collective culture has shaped human biology over thousands of years. Thoroughly accessible to lay people and scientists alike, The Secret of Our Success is fascinating and highly recommended for public and college library audiobook collections. Bonus material includes figures and tables in printable PDF format. 14 CDs, 17.5 hours.

Travel as a Political Act, revised edition
Rick Steves
Hachette Audio
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
www.HachetteAudio.com
9781549197550, $30.00, CD, www.amazon.com

Richard Steves is an American travel writer, author, activist and television personality. Since 2000, he has hosted Rick Steves' Europe, a travel series on PBS. Steves also has a public radio travel show called Travel with Rick Steves (2005 present) and has authored numerous travel guides. Part memoir, part travelog, part advocacy, in "Travel as a Political Act" Rick touches upon a myriad of travel-relevant topics ranging from Trump, Brexit, and Erdogan, to climate change, nativism, and populism. Rick believes the risks of travel are widely exaggerated, and that fear is for people who don't get out much. After years of living out of a suitcase, he still marvels at how different cultures find different truths to be self-evident. By sharing his experiences from Europe, Central America, Asia, and the Middle East, Rick shows how we can learn more about own country by viewing it from afar. With gripping stories from Rick's decades of exploration, this fully revised edition of "Travel as a Political Act" is an antidote to the current climate of xenophobia. Rick clearly and persuasively argues that when we travel thoughtfully, we bring back the most beautiful souvenir of all: a broader perspective on the world that we all call home. Very highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library audio book collections, it should be noted that all royalties from the sale of "Travel as a Political Act" are being donated to support the work of Bread for the World, a non-partisan organization working to end hunger at home and abroad.

The Accelerating Universe
Mario Livio, author
Performed by Tom Parks
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781543656206 $24.99

The Accelerating Universe: Infinite Expansion, the Cosmological Constant, and the Beauty of the Cosmos is the unabridged audiobook rendition of Mario Livio's introduction to cosmology. Livio particularly notes how the discovery that the universe's expansion is accelerating dramatically changed popular cosmology theories, and forced scientists and laypeople alike to rethink long- held notions. Thoroughly accessible to listeners of all backgrounds, The Accelerating Universe presents amazing scientific ideas in plain terms, and is especially recommended for public and college library audiobook collections. 8 CDs, 10 hours 11 min.


The Library CD Shelf

Eirlandia
Jeff Johnson and Brian Dunning
Ark Records
$14.99 CD / $7.92 MP3 amazon.com

Acclaimed contemporary Celtic music duo Jeff Johnson and Brian Dunning present Eirlandia, a music album inspired by author Stephen R. Lawhead's Celtic fantasy novel "In the Region of the Summer Stars: Book 1 of the Eirlandia Series" (9780765383440, $25.99). Jeff Johnson performs on keyboards and percussion instruments, while Brian Dunning plays flutes and penny whistles. Eirlandia blends traditional Irish musical elements with modern instrumentation, crafting a uniquely magical fantasy soundtrack that sparks the imagination and entices the spirit. Highly recommended! The tracks are "Eirlandia", "Tir na nOg", "Oran Mor", "A Wonder Voyage", "House of Llyr", "Under the Summer Stars", "Tara Hill", and "The Kingdom of All Tomorrows".

Passion Reverence Transcendence
Benito Gonzalez, Gerry Gibbs, & Essiet Okon Essiet
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos of America, Inc. (dist.)
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
$13.99 amazon.com

Passion Reverence Transcendence is an exuberant album celebrating the music of jazz pianist McCoy Tyner. Pianist Benito Gonzalez, drummer Gerry Gibbs, and bass player Essiet Okon Essiet have poured their hearts and souls into a charged, emotionally stirring rendition of Tyner's beloved classics. Passion Reverence Transcendence is a treat for connoisseurs of the genre, and highly recommended for public library music collections. The tracks are "Fly with the Wind", "Just Feelin'", "Rotunda", "Festival in Baha", "Blues on the Corner", "The Greeting", "You Taught My Heart to Sing", "Atlantis", "Inner Glimpse", "Naima", "Tyner Trane Express", "Between Friends", and "Brazilian Girls".

Melodic Voyage
Mark Dunn
markdunnmusic.net
Music For The New Age Records
$9.98 CD amazon.com

Pianist Mark Dunn presents Melodic Voyage, his latest album of beautiful, solo piano songs that transport the listener to faraway realms of dream and imagination. Rapturous and inspirational, Melodic Voyage is a wellspring of creative harmony perfect for meditation or relaxation. Highly recommended, especially for connoisseurs of the genre. The tracks are "Tegucigalpa", "The Truth", "Dunn's Dream", "Return to Peace", "Children's Waltz", "Fool's Dance", "Freedom's Debt", "Sitting", "Gafieira", "The Moon Represents My Heart", "Don't Cry Paola", and "It's You".

Home Again
Loren Evarts
www.lorenevarts.com
Otter Records
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Home Again is a beautiful, instrumental album of contemporary solo piano music by talented composer and performer Loren Evarts. Smooth, stylish, and evocative, Home Again perfectly captures the sense of returning to the beloved and familiar after a long journey. The tracks are "A Day on the Concord River", "Dugong Dance", "Far and Away", "Ktaadn", "Sunset Island", "Evensong", "Home Again", "Outermost House", "Wedding at Sunrise", "Baker Lake", "Nine Mile Bridge", and "The Good Life". Also highly recommended for connoisseurs of new age solo piano music is Jon Dahlander's "Songs for Smiler McGee" ($15.98 CD / $9.49 MP3).


The Library DVD Shelf

Acadia National Park & Historic New England
Bennet Watt HD Productions, Inc.
13021 - 244th Avenue SE, Issaquah, WA 98027
9781604902143 $24.95 www.Bennett-Watt.com

Part of the Discoveries... America National Park series of high-definition video essays, Acadia National Park & Historic New England is an amazing tour featuring Acadia National Park in Maine, a beautiful set of islands and the oldest designated U.S. park east of the Mississippi River. A wealth of other historic parks and sites in New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey, and New York are also portrayed, offering the opportunity to appreciate the genius of Thomas Edison, the dedication of American conservationists, the accomplishments of champions of women's rights, natural wonders such as Patterson Great Falls, and much more. As gorgeous as it is educational, Acadia National Park & Historic New England is a treasure for armchair travelers, and highly recommended especially for public library DVD collections. 56 min.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear
Danielle Ofri, MD
Beacon Press
24 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210
www.beacon.org
9780807062630, $24.95, HC, 248pp, www.amazon.com

Despite modern medicine's infatuation with high-tech gadgetry, the single most powerful diagnostic tool is the doctor-patient conversation, which can uncover the lion's share of illnesses. However, what patients say and what doctors hear are often two vastly different things. Patients, anxious to convey their symptoms, feel an urgency to "make their case" to their doctors. Doctors, under pressure to be efficient, multitask while patients speak and often miss the key elements. Add in stereotypes, unconscious bias, conflicting agendas, and fear of lawsuits and the risk of misdiagnosis and medical errors multiplies dangerously. Though the gulf between what patients say and what doctors hear is often wide, In "What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear" Dr. Danielle Ofri (Associate Professor of Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine) proves that it doesn't have to be. Through the powerfully resonant human stories that Dr. Ofri's writing is renowned for, she explores the high-stakes world of doctor-patient communication that we all must navigate. Reporting on the latest research studies and interviewing scholars, doctors, and patients, Dr. Ofri reveals how better communication can lead to better health for all of us. Thoroughly accessible reading for the non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, "What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear" will prove to be a valued and appreciated addition to both community and academic library Health/Medicine collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear" is also available in a paperback edition (9780807087497, $16.00), in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), as well as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781520090375, $24.99, CD).

The Cancer Survivor's Guide, updated edition
Neal De. Barnard, MD, author
Jennifer K. Reilly, RD, author
Susan M. Levin, MS, RD, author
The Book Publishing Company
PO Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483
www.BookPubCo.com
9781570673559, $19.95, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Neal Barnard is the founder of The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). Jennifer K. Reilly, R.D., a dietitian in the Washington, DC area, and developed the Food for Life: Nutrition and Cooking Class Series for Cancer Prevention and Survival while with the Cancer Project. Susan Levin, MS, RD, is director of nutritional education for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. In "The Cancer Survivor's Guide: Foods That Help You Fight Back" they collaborate to present how food choices can help prevent cancer and, when cancer has been diagnosed, how nutrition can improve survival. This updated new edition of "The Cancer Survivor's Guide" contains the latest food values, as well as breaking scientific research. Neal Barnard explains how foods influence hormones that can fuel cancer growth and how changing to a low-fat, plant-based diet can be beneficial to anyone diagnosed with cancer. Susan Levin presents the latest scientific research, including the effects of diets high in animal protein on rates of colon cancer and the relationship of soy foods to breast cancer. It also includes new information on the effects of diets high in animal protein on rates of colon cancer and the relationship of soy foods to breast cancer. Jennifer Reilly provides over 130 delicious, low-fat, plant-based recipes will be beneficial and satisfying to anyone diagnosed with cancer and their families. An absolutely, unreservedly, 'must have' recommendation for anyone having to deal with cancer, "The Cancer Survivor's Guide" is a critically important addition to community library Health/Medicine collections regarding cancer. "Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Cancer Survivor's Guide" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Anthropology Shelf

Thinking Big
Clive Gamble, Johnl Gowlett, Robin Dunbar
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500293829, $16.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

When and how did the brains of our hominin ancestors become human minds? When and why did our capacity for language, art, music and dance evolve? "Thinking Big: How the Evolution of Social Life Shaped the Human Mind" by the collaborative team of Clive Gamble (Professor of Archaeology at the University of Southampton), John Gowlett (Professor of Archaeology, Liverpool University), and Robin Dunbar ( who is the head of the Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience Research Group, University of Oxford) is path-breaking study proposing that it was the need for early humans to live in ever-larger social groups over greater distances (the ability to "think big") that drove the enlargement of the human brain and the development of the human mind. This social brain hypothesis can be tested against archaeological and fossil evidence. The conclusions, based on over seven years of research, build on the insight that modern humans live in effective social groups of about 150 (so-called "Dunbar's number"), some three times the size of those of apes and our early ancestors. We live in a world dominated by social networking. Yet our virtual contact lists, whether on Facebook or Twitter, are on average no bigger than Dunbar's number. An inherently fascinating, impressively informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking read from beginning to end, "Thinking Big" is an extraordinary and original work that is an especially recommended addition to both community and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Thinking Big" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.34).


The Literary Studies Shelf

Approaches to Teaching the Works of Charles W. Chesnutt
Susanna Ashton & Bill Hardwig, editor
Modern Language Association
26 Broadway, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10004-1789
www.mla.org
9781603293310, $40.00, HC, 193ppp, www.amazon.com

Growing up in Cleveland after the Civil War and during the brutal rollback of Reconstruction and the onset of Jim Crow, Charles W. Chesnutt could have passed as white but chose to identify himself as black. An intellectual and activist involved with the NAACP who engaged in debate with Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois, he wrote fiction and essays that addressed issues as various as segregation, class among both blacks and whites, Southern nostalgia, and the Wilmington coup d'etat of 1898. The portrayals of race, racial violence, and stereotyping in Chesnutt's works challenge teachers and students to contend with literature as both a social and an ethical practice. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Susanna Ashton (Professor of English at Clemson University) and Bill Hardwig (Associate Professor of English, University of Tennessee) "Approaches to Teaching the Works of Charles W. Chesnutt", in Part 1 of this volume, "Materials" the editors survey the critical reception of Chesnutt's works in his lifetime and after, along with the biographical, critical, and archival texts available to teachers and students. The essays in part 2, "Approaches", address such topics in teaching Chesnutt as his use of dialect, the role of intertextuality and genre in his writing, irony, and his treatment of race, economics, and social justice. An outstanding anthology of erudite and insightful articles by an impressive roster of contributors, "Approaches to Teaching the Works of Charles W. Chesnutt" is very highly recommended for both college and university library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Approaches to Teaching the Works of Charles W. Chesnutt" is also available in a paperback edition (9781603293327, $24.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.80).


The Sports Shelf

Organizational Behavior in Sport Management
Eric W. MacIntosh & Laura J. Burton
Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
PO Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61820-5076
www.HumanKinetics.com
9781492552383, $89.00, PB, 248pp, www.amazon.com

The collaborative project of Eric MacIntosh (Associate Professor of Sport Management at the University of Ottawa in Canada) and Laura J. Burton (Associate Professor of Sport Management in the Department of Educational Leadership within the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut), "Organizational Behavior in Sport Management" covers all of the key organizational behavior topics and issues in sport organization settings including: diversity, ethics, values, behavior, leadership, and much more. "Organizational Behavior in Sport Management" features: Learning objectives and discussion questions for each chapter that help students conceptualize, retain, and understand the content; Case studies with discussion questions to help students apply the concepts from each chapter; In the Boardroom sidebars that use real-life examples from organizations within the field to highlight key topics. The In the Boardroom sidebars reflect best practices for various levels of numerous sport organizations, affording readers a great range of applications in the sport management world. An ideal curriculum textbook for sports management courses, "Organizational Behavior in Sport Management" is unreservedly recommended for both college and university library Sports Management collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, sports managers, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Organizational Behavior in Sport Management" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $67.00).


The Biography Shelf

Hamilton: An American Biography
Tony Williams
Rowman & Littlefield
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781538100172, $19.95, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com

"Hamilton: An American Biography" by Tony Williams provides readers with a concise and succinct biography that traces the events and values that enabled Alexander Hamilton to rise from his youth as a dispossessed orphan to Revolutionary War hero and Founding Father, in an account of a life uniquely shaped by America and who, in turn, contributed to the creation of the American regime of liberty and self-government. Hamilton was one of key leaders in the American Revolution, a chief architect of America's constitutional order of self-government, and the key figure in Washington's administration creating the institutions that govern America to this very day. In "Hamilton: An American Biography" Williams expertly weaves together biography with historical events to place Hamilton as one of the most important founding fathers. For readers just discovering Hamilton for the first time or those with an insatiable appetite for books on the Founders and the American Founding, "Hamilton: An American Biography" will shed new light on this American icon now experiencing a remarkable second act. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library American Biography collections and Alexander Hamilton supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Hamilton: An American Biography" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.95) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781977360335, $24.99, CD).

Lewis Hine
Timothy J. Duerden
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476673349 $39.95 pbk / $19.99 Kindle amazon.com

Thoroughly accessible to historians and lay readers alike, Lewis Hine: Photographer and American Progressive is the true-life biography of Lewis Hine (1874-1940), whose intrepid photojournalism highlighted the labor grievances of his time and helped spark the reforms of the Progressive Era. In particular, his disturbing photographs of children at work in cotton mills and coal mines added momentum to the movement to end child labor, and the adoption of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. 62 of Hine's black-and-white photographs are included in this expertly researched and engagingly presented biography. Lewis Hine: Photographer and American Progressive is highly recommended especially for public and college library biography collections.

Double Agent Celery
Carolinda Witt
Pen & Sword Books
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
c/o Casemate
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781526716149 $50.00 hc / $30.00 Kindle amazon.com

Written by Walter Dicketts' granddaughter, Double Agent Celery: MI5's Crooked Hero is the amazing, true-life story of the WW II British double agent Walter Dicketts (codenamed Celery), a talented con man tasked with the daunting mission of persuading the Germans that he had turned traitor so he could obtain critical military intelligence. Although Dicketts was betrayed as an M15 plant before his initial trip to Germany, his mental agility and persuasive charisma allowed him to outwit his interrogators in Hamburg and Berlin, and successfully return to Britain. Celery successfully persuaded an Abwehr Officer to defect, and was undercover in Brazil for nine months. Dicketts' penchant for deception enveloped his private life as well as his military service; his swindles oscillated between making him wealthy and leaving him impoverished, and his family life was even more tangled. Double Agent Celery is the fascinating portrait of a man who was both hero and crook, fully capable of conning his way out of the most extraordinary situations, and highly recommended.

Paintbrush for Hire
Frederick C. Moffatt
The University of Tennessee Press
110 Conference Center UT, Knoxville, TN 37996
www.utpress.org
9781621903659, $58.00, HC, 367pp, www.amazon.com

"Paintbrush for Hire: The Travels of James and Emma Cameron, 1840 - 1900" by Frederick C. Moffatt (Emeritus Professor of Art History, School of Art, University of Tennessee) aptly chronicles the interesting lives of the nineteenth-century painter James Cameron (1817-1882) and his wife, Emma (1825-1907). James Cameron's remaining known oeuvre contains about twenty paintings, including some from the time he lived in Knoxville, Tennessee. But he and his wife traveled extensively (including to revolutionary Italy, when Cameron studied the classical and renaissance masters) as Cameron became a working artist, mainly in several places throughout the South. Based on their lives, Professor Moffatt sketches out the life of an itinerant, mainly southern painter in the middle to late decades of the nineteenth century. While Cameron was perhaps of moderate talent, the value of this work should lie in illuminating the day-to-day life of American painters, including the challenges they faced to make a living in the nineteenth century. In researching for this historical and biographical study, Professor Moffatt as considerably aided by his discovery of a large collection of Cameron papers housed at Mills College in Oakland, California. The most voluminous source material was comprised diaries written by Emma who was a keen observer of their situation and an energetic writer. An impeccable work of extraordinary scholarship, "Paintbrush for Hire" is an inherently fascinating and particularly well organized and presented biographical history that is unreservedly recommended, especially for community and academic library collections.

The Life of Mark Twain: The Early Years 1835-1871
Gary Scharnhorst
University of Missouri Press
113 Heinkel Bldg., 201 S. 7th Street, Columbia, MO 65211
www.umsystem.edu/upress
9780826221445 $36.95 hc / $24.74 amazon.com

The Life of Mark Twain: The Early Years 1835-1871 is the first volume of an immense, scholarly, in-depth biography of the famous American author Samuel Clemens, best known by his pen name of Mark Twain. Exhaustive in its scrutiny of Clemens' life from his Missouri boyhood to his work in printshops, his career as a Mississippi pilot, his trip to Europe and the Holy Land, and his move to Buffalo, New York. Extensive notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this welcome contribution to public and college library biography shelves.

Huddy
Jason Pettigrove
St. David's Press
www.st-davids-press.wales
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213
9781902719573 $39.99 www.isbs.com

Featuring sixteen pages of vintage black-and-white and color photographs, Huddy: The Official Biography of Alan Hudson is about English footballer ("soccer sports star" to Americans) Alan "Huddy" Hudson. Not all of the true-life stories are upbeat; his hard-drinking "footballer lifestyle" led to raging alcoholism, depression, and run-ins with the law. Huddy portrays the full depth of the man behind the newspaper headlines - a brusque, straight-speaker with no patience for idiocy. Some of his teammates loved him; others loathed him; all recognized his extraordinary ability. Huddy also chronicles Alan Hudson's life after retiring from professional sports. For a time, he was an up-and-coming pundit, writer, and public speaker, but in 1997 he suffered from a "hit-and-run" car accident so severe that medical professionals thought the injuries would kill him. Author Jason Pettigrove, a football journalist and friend of Alan Hudson, has crafted an exceptional, engaging, an thoroughly accessible biography of a sports legend. Highly recommended!


The Cookbook Shelf

Lunchbox Salads
Naomi Twigden & Anna Pinder
Lifelong Books / Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780738234878, $18.99, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Eating lunch at work or in school doesn't have to mean frozen burritos or pricey takeout. "Lunchbox Salads: More than 100 Fast, Fresh, Filling Salads for Every Weekday" shares easy, affordable, substantial, and vibrant salad inspiration for every workday (and for dinner and weekends, too!). "Lunchbox Salads" showcases creative recipes that use 10 or fewer easy-to-buy ingredients and take no more than 30 minutes to make; those that contain meat can be made vegetarian and always keep the focus on healthy veggie-strong eating. Each recipe yields 2 substantial portions to support energy throughout the afternoon, and everything will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge (with specific packing instructions to avoid soggy leaves at lunchtime). Each chapter focuses on a different hero vegetable (like squash, carrot, red pepper, beet, cabbage, and zucchini); the recipes are easy to customize for different dietary preferences and are suitable for vegetarians and meat-lovers alike. Beautifully illustrated throughout and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in organization and presentation, "Lunchbox Salads" is an extraordinary, unique, and highly recommended addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

Seriously Good Freezer Meals
Karrie Truman
Robert Rose Inc.
120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1E2
www.robertrose.ca
9780778805915, $24.95, PB, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled by Karrie Truman, "Seriously Good Freezer Meals: 150 Easy Recipes to Save Your Time, Money and Sanity" showcases palate pleasing and appetite satisfying recipes for dishes that will change the way moms will think about freezer cooking for their families with menu choices that range from Buttery Cinnamon French Toast Bake; Hazelnut Chicken Wild Rice Soup; Bacon Carbonara Pasta Pie; and BBQ Beef Brisket; to Lemon Dill Tilapia Tacos; Sun Dried Tomato Basil Pesto Quiche; Buffalo Ranch Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli; and Brown Butter Pecan Pie. Of special note is the section on Bases & Sauces, as well as a bulk-batch chart for ease in making large quantities of each freezer-meal recipe. "Seriously Good Freezer Meals" provides all the tools needed to become a expert at preparing a freezer-meal including: information on shopping, cooking, freezing, thawing and everything in between. Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, "Seriously Good Freezer Meals" is a pleasure to browse through and inspiring to plan menus with, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.


The American History Shelf

A Crooked River
Michael L. Collins
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9780806160085 $29.95 hc / $24.71 Kindle amazon.com

A Crooked River: Rustlers, Rangers, and Regulars on the Lower Rio Grande, 1861-1877 chronicles an era of lawless violence that engulfed the Nueces Strip and the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas. Cattle rustlers, troops, Texas Rangers, and Civil War deserters fought with Mexicans, Germans, and Indians over race, livestock, land, and national sovereignty. A Crooked River studies the era from a cross-cultural perspective, closely scrutinizing such infamous episodes as the "skinning wars", raids on El Remolino and Las Cuevas, and the attack on Nuecestown. Extensive notes and an index round out this studious, balanced, and highly recommended contribution to public and college library American History collections.

The Rise and Fall of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union in Arkansas
James D. Ross Jr.
The University of Tennessee Press
110 Conference Center UT, Knoxville, TN 37996
www.utpress.org
9781621903529, $49.00, HC, 277pp, www.amazon.com

Founded in eastern Arkansas during the Great Depression, the Southern Tenant Farmers Union has long fascinated historians, who have emphasized its biracial membership and the socialist convictions of its leaders, while attributing its demise to external factors, such as the mechanization of agriculture, the repression of wealthy planters, and the indifference of New Dealers. However, as James Ross (who is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a specialist in the interaction of race, class, and religion in twentieth-century United States history) notes in his compelling revisionist history, "The Rise and Fall of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union in Arkansas", such accounts have largely ignored the perspective of the actual sharecroppers and other tenant farmers who made up the union's rank and file. An impeccable work of seminal scholarship that is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of twenty-two pages of Notes, a ten page Bibliography, and a five page Index, "The Rise and Fall of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union in Arkansas" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library American Agricultural History collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The World History Shelf

Early Medieval Ireland 431-1169
Matthew Stout
Wordwell Books
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, 124 Byers Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
www.dufoureditions.com
9781999790905, $60.00, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Ireland looms large in European history just after the fall of the Roman Empire. "Early Medieval Ireland 431-1169" by Matthew Stout (Lecturer on Medieval History, School of History and Geography, St. Patrick's Campus, Dublin City University). provides an 'entry-level' narrative to this period in Irish history. At the same time, it contextualizes the artistic, literary, and architectural achievements of the age. The tradition in Early Medieval Irish studies has been to examine the past in thematic rather than chronological terms; the sources almost demand this. As such, existing publications neglect a holistic approach in favor of specific themes. Politics is rarely incorporated with church history; art and archaeology remain distinct; law and literature remain un-contextualized either in time or place. So especially recommended for both community and academic library collections, "Early Medieval Ireland 431-1169" offers an original and unique approach to the era and contains extracts from primary sources and illustrations that make this golden age glow for its readers. Profusely illustrated with colorful maps and photographs, deploying a historical synthesis in the spirit of the Annales School, "Early Medieval Ireland 431-1169" is an exceptionally informative and highly recommended history of Early Medieval Ireland for both students and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject.


The Civil War Shelf

"Don't Tell Father I Have Been Shot At"
George N. Bliss, author
William C. Emerson, editor
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476673912, $49.95, PB, 300pp, www.amazon.com

Captain George N. Bliss of the First Rhode Island Cavalry survived some 27 actions during the Civil War. Midway through the war, he served nine months at a conscript training camp in Connecticut, where he sat on several courts-martial. In September 1864, in a skirmish at Waynesboro, Virginia, he single-handedly charged into the 4th Virginia "Black Horse" Cavalry. Badly injured and taken prisoner, he was consigned to the notorious Libby Prison in Richmond. A colorful correspondent, Bliss detailed his experiences in letters to a close friend and sent dispatches to a Providence newspaper. His candid writings composing "Don't Tell Father I Have Been Shot At: The Civil War Letters of Captain George N. Bliss, First Rhode Island Cavalry" and edited by William C. Emerson (who is the great-grandson of George N. Bliss) with the assistance of Elizabeth C. Stevens are rich with details of the war and his own opinions. The editors describe how, following the war, Bliss sought out the Confederates who almost killed him and formed friendships with them that lasted for decades. A valued and unique addition to the growing library of American Civil War literature, "Don't Tell Father I Have Been Shot At" is an extraordinary and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover and is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library American Civil War collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Aviation Shelf

United States Marine Corps Aircraft Since 1913
E. R. Johnson, author
Lloyd S. Jones, illustrator
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476663470, $49.95, PB, 590pp, www.amazon.com

Among the world's military air arms, United States Marine Corps Aviation occupies a unique tactical niche. As the air component of a combined-arms expeditionary force, it exists primarily to support Marine combat forces on the ground in their amphibious assault mission. From the "Banana Wars" of the 1920s to the present day "War on Terror," Marine aviation has undergone a lengthy fine-tuning process not only in terms of warfare doctrines and tactics, but also in the types of aircraft needed to accomplish the mission. In "United States Marine Corps Aircraft Since 1913" E.R. Johnson (an attorney, has flown 25 different types of aircraft as a pilot-in-command and the author of seven books and more than 100 articles on aviation) and Lloyd S. Jones, (an aviation artist who researches, designs and writes for major airplane model companies and creates detailed aircraft illustrations) "United States Marine Corps Aircraft Since 1913" is comprehensive survey that provides the history, technical specifications, drawings, and photographs of every type of fixed and rotary-wing aircraft used by Marine Air from its origins in 1913 prior to America's entry into World War I up to current operations around the world. Comprehensively informative and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "United States Marine Corps Aircraft Since 1913" is an ideal and core addition to personal, community, and academic library American Aviation History collections in general, and Military Aviation supplemental studies reading lists in particular.


The Business Shelf

How to Get a Meeting with Anyone
Stu Heinecke
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, STE 400, Dallas, TX 75204
www.benbellabooks.com
9781941631782, $24.95, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Stu Heinecke is the host and author of the How To Get A Meeting with Anyone podcast and blog, and founder and president of the Contact Marketing agency, and cofounder of Cartoonists.org, a coalition of famed cartoonists dedicated to raising funds for charity, while raising the profile of the cartooning art form. In "How to Get a Meeting with Anyone: The Untapped Selling Power of Contact Marketing", Heinecke explains how you can use your own creative Contact Campaigns to get those critical conversations so necessary to corporate success. He divulges methods he's developed after years of experience and from studying the secrets of others who've had similar breakthrough results -- results that other marketers considered impossible, with response rates as high as 100 percent. Through real-life success stories, Heinecke lays out 20 categories of Contact Campaigns that anyone can research and execute. Tactics range from running a contact letter as a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal to unorthodox uses of the phone, social media, email, and snail mail to using personalized cartoons to make connections. He also packs in plenty of tips on how to determine your targets, develop pitches, and gain allies in your contact's circle of influence. "How to Get a Meeting with Anyone" is essentially a new toolkit that can be put to work right away, making the kinds of connections that are essential to success in business and in life. Exceptionally 'reader friendly' and 'real world practical', "How to Get a Meeting with Anyone" is unreservedly recommended for corporate, community, and academic library Business Management collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists that "How to Get a Meeting with Anyone" is also available in a paperback edition (9781946885135, $17.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Technology Shelf

Electric Circuits: A Primer
J. C. Olivier
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781630815493, $129.00, HC, 250pp, www.amazon.com

JC Olivier is currently a professor of engineering at the University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia. He received his B.Eng, M. Eng, and his Ph.D. in electronics engineering from University of Pretoria, RSA. In "Electric Circuits: A Primer" Professor Olivier draws upon his years of experience and expertise to create an impressively informative, comprehensive, and extraordinarily well organized basic instruction textbook that covers Static Circuits and Kirchhoff's Laws; Dynamic Sources, Energy Storage, and Transients; and AC - Sinusoidal Voltage and Current Sources. Profusely illustrated throughout with formulas and diagrams, "Electric Circuits: A Primer" is unreservedly recommended for technical college and university library Technology Collections in general, and Electric Circuit supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

MIMO Radar: Theory and Application
Jamie Bergin & Joseph R. Guerci
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781630813420, $159.00, HC, 230pp, www.amazon.com

Jamie Bergin currently a principal engineer at Information Systems Laboratories, Inc. He is the instructor of a popular tutorial on MIMO radar that has been presented many times at the IEEE Radar Conference. Joseph R. Guerci has 30 years of experience in advanced technology research and development in government, industrial, and academic settings including the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as Director of the Special Projects Office (SPO) where he led the inception, research, development, execution, and ultimately transition of next generation multidisciplinary defense technologies. In "MIMO Radar: Theory and Application" the effectively collaborate to provide a comprehensive new resource that provides in-depth and timely coverage of the underpinnings and latest advances of MIMO radar. "MIMO Radar: Theory and Application" provides a comprehensive introduction to MIMO radar and demonstrates its utility in real-world applications, then culminates with the latest advances in optimal and adaptive MIMO radar for enhanced detection and target ID in challenging environments. Signal processing prerequisites are explained, including radar signals, orthogonal waveforms, matched filtering, multi-channel beam forming, and Doppler processing. "MIMO Radar: Theory and Application" discusses MIMO radar signal model, antenna properties, system modeling and waveform alternatives. MIMO implantation challenges are covered, including computational complexity, adaptive clutter mitigation, calibration and equalization, and hardware constraints. Profusely illustrated throughly, "MIMO Radar: Theory and Application" is an ideal and comprehensive textbook that is an especially recommended addition to personal, professional, and academic library MIMO Radar instructional reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Philosophy Shelf

Evolution of Desire
Cynthia L. Haven
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road, Suite 25, East Lansing, MI 48823-5245
http://msupress.org
9781611862836, $29.95, PB, 346pp, www.amazon.com

The late Rene Girard (1923 - 2015) was one of the leading thinkers of our era. A provocative sage who bypassed prevailing orthodoxies to offer a bold, sweeping vision of human nature, human history, and human destiny. His oeuvre, offering a "mimetic theory" of cultural origins and human behavior, inspired such writers as Milan Kundera and J. M. Coetzee, and earned him a place among the forty "immortals" of the Academie Francaise. Too often, however, his work is considered only within various academic specializations. "Evolution of Desire: A Life of Rene Girard"is first-ever biographical study to take a wider view. Biographer Cynthia L. Haven traces the evolution of Girard's thought in parallel with his life and times. She recounts his formative years in France and his arrival in a country torn by racial division, and reveals his insights into the collective delusions of our technological world and the changing nature of warfare. Drawing on interviews with Girard and his colleagues, "Evolution of Desire: A Life of Rene Girard" provides an essential introduction to one of the twentieth century's most controversial and original minds. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Evolution of Desire: A Life of Rene Girard" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.03).


The Military Shelf

21st Century Power
Brent D. Ziarnick, editor
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
www.nip.org
9781682473139, $21.95, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com

"21st Century Power: Strategic Superiority for the Modern Era" by Maj. Brent D. Ziarnick, USAF, (who is an Assistant {Professor of National Security Studies at the Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama) uses the Naval Institute Press's '21st Century Foundations' series format to re-introduce to the military community the writings of General Thomas S. Power, the third Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). His unappreciated works contain many insights into military topics such as technology and the arms race, the nature of deterrence, and the military utility of space. Unifying all of these writings was Power's quest to maintain nuclear superiority over the Soviet Union. Although General Power is considered a quintessential Cold Warrior, his ideas are timely considering today's challenges of re-energizing the morale and technology of U.S. strategic forces in the wake of foreign advances, discerning what deterrence means in the "Second Nuclear Age", as well as planning the future of space and cyber power. Enhanced with an especially informative introduction (The Second Nuclear Age), "21st Century Power" is deftly organized and presented in five major sections: Deterrence and Strategic Warfare; The Ultimate Weapon versus the ICBM in Strategic Warfare; A Strategic Commander Speaks to Congress; A Strategic Commander Speaks to Citizens; The Enduing Role of Strategic Warfare. This paperback edition of "21st Century Power" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Military History & Strategy instructional reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Operation Medusa
Major General David Fraser and Brian Hanington
McClelland & Stewart
www.mcclelland.com
c/o Penguin Random House
www.penguin.com
9780771039300 $24.00 amazon.com

Written by the Candian general who was in charge of the joint military command in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan in 2006 when Operation Medusa took place, Operation Medusa: The Furious Battle That Saved Afghanistan is the extraordinary story of the military operation credited with preventing Afghanistan from falling under Taliban rule. Chapters lay bare previously classified information, including anticipated death tolls, the contribution of the Afghan police, discoveries of drugs, unreported civilian casualties, the strafing of Charles Company by an American A-10, and much more. Utterly riveting from cover to cover, Operation Medusa is a choice pick for public and college library Military History collections, highly recommended.


The Native American Studies Shelf

Report of an Inquiry into an Injustice
Peter Kulchyski
University of Manitoba Press
301 St. John's College, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3T 2M5
9780887558139 $27.95 www.uofmpress.ca

Report of an Inquiry into an Injustice: Begade Shutagot'ine and the Sahtu Treaty is the story of how a community of a few hundred people living in and around Tulita (formerly Fort Norman) on the Mackenzie River in Canada's Northwest Territories had their rights stripped by the Sahtu Treaty, a land claims agreement negotiated between the Government of Canada and the Sahtu Tribal Council. Author Peter Kulchyski documents the negotiation and implementation of the Sahtu Treaty; how the lands of the Begade Shutagot'ine were included in the treaty despite their formal objections and boycott of the agreement; and evidence that the Begade Shutagot'ine should be the rightful owners of the land by law. A handful of inset black-and-white photographs and an extensive bibliography round out this meticulous account of a two-decade long struggle for land rights. Report of an Inquiry into an Injustice is highly recommended especially for public and college library collections.

Sacred Instructions
Sherri Mitchell
North Atlantic Books
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-2607
www.northatlanticbooks.com
9781623171957, $17.95, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Sherri Mitchell was born and raised on the Penobscot Indian reservation. She received her Juris Doctorate and a Certificate in Indigenous People's Law and Policy from the University of Arizona's James E. Rogers College of Law. She is an alumna of the American Indian Ambassador program, and the Udall Native American Congressional Internship program. She is the Founding Director of the Land Peace Foundation, an organization dedicated to the global protection of indigenous rights and the preservation of the indigenous way of life. Drawing from ancestral knowledge, as well as her experience as an attorney and activist, Sherri addresses some of the most crucial issues of our day in "Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change", including environmental protection and human rights. Sharing the gifts she has received from elders around the world, Sherri urges us to decolonize our language and our stories. For those seeking change, "Sacred Instructions" offers a set of cultural values that will preserve our collective survival for future generations. Exceptionally well written, impressively thoughtful and thought-provoking, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Sacred Instructions" is an especially recommended addition to both community and academic library Native American Studies collections. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Sacred Instructions" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).


The Science Shelf

Mountains
Graham Park
Dunedin Academic Press Ltd.
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213
www.isbs.com
9781780460666, $40.00, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Most mountains on Earth occur within relatively well-defined, narrow belts separated by wide expanses of much lower-lying ground. Their distribution is not random but is caused by the now well-understood geological processes of plate tectonics. Some mountains mark the site of a former plate collision where one continental plate has ridden up over another, resulting in a zone of highly deformed and elevated rocks. Others are essentially volcanic in origin. The most obvious mountain belts today (the Himalayas, the Alps and the Andes, for example) are situated at currently active plate boundaries. Others, such as the Caledonian mountains of the British Isles and Scandinavia, are the product of a plate collision that happened far in the geological past and have no present relationship to a plate boundary. These are much lower, with a generally gentler relief, worn down through millennia of erosion. The presently active mountain belts are arranged in three separate systems: the Alpine-Himalayan ranges, the circum-Pacific belt and the mid-ocean ridges. Much of the Alpine-Himalayan belt is relatively well known, but large parts of the circum-Pacific and ocean-ridge systems are not nearly as familiar, but contain equally impressive mountain ranges despite large parts being partly or wholly submerged. "Mountains: The Origins of the Earth's Mountain Systems" by Graham Park (Emeritus Professor of Tectonic Geology, University of Keele, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England) takes the reader along the active mountain systems, explaining how plate tectonic processes have shaped them before looking more briefly at some of the older mountain systems whose tectonic origins are more obscure. "Mountains: The Origins of the Earth's Mountain Systems" is an ideal introduction to the geological processes that create mountains and very highly recommended for both community and academic library Earth Science, Natural Sciences, Natural History, and Geology collections.


The Parenting Shelf

Not So Fast
Tim Hollister & Pam Shadel Fischer
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781613748725, $12.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Most driving literature for parents of adolescent children focuses on how to teach a teen to drive, without explaining why teen driving is so dangerous in the first place or giving parents a plan to preempt the hazards teens face. By contrast, "Not So Fast: Parenting Your Teen Through the Dangers of Driving" by the collaborative team of Tim Hollister (who became a national authority and spokesperson for safer teen driving after losing his 17-year-old son Reid in a car crash in 2006) and Pam Shadel Fischer (who is the executive director for National Organizations for Youth Safety, a coalition of national organizations that promote youth empowerment and leadership and work to build partnerships that save lives, prevent injuries, and enhance safe and healthy lifestyles among all youth) empowers and guides parents to understand the causes and situations that most often lead to teen crashes and to take specific, proactive steps both before and each time a teen driver gets behind the wheel in order to counteract them. an authoritative and practical guide that tackles hot button issues such as texting and distracted driving, parenting attitudes (conscious and unconscious), and teen impairment and fatigue, "Not So Fast" also includes a combination of topics not found in other teen driving guides, such as: How brain development affects driving; Why driver's ed does not produce safe drivers; How and why to prepare a "flight plan" for each drive before handing over the keys; How and when to say no. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Not So Fast" is unreservedly recommended for personal and community library Effective Parenting collections and supplemental studies reading lists for anyone with a teenager who wants to drive.

Little Walks, Big Adventures
Erin Buhr, MEd
Gryphon House, Inc.
PO Box 10, 6848 Leon's Way, Lewisville, NC 27023
www.gryphonhouse.com
9780876597576, $19.95, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

While most activity books for raising toddlers encourage indoor explorations, there are countless adventures and learning opportunities outside the house or apartment! Going for a walk or exploring the local community with your toddler can bring about much more than just exercise. "Little Walks, Big Adventures: 50+ Ideas for Exploring With Toddlers" by Early Childhood Educator Erin Buhr will help a parent teach their toddler about his/her surroundings through fun and adventurous local explorations, outdoor games and activities that promote and enhance learning. Parents and caregivers will help their toddlers enhance their: Vocabulary; Language skills; Cognitive skills; Motor Skills; and so much more! Profusely illustrated, 'real world practical', thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Little Walks, Big Adventures " is unhesitatingly and unreservedly recommended for both family and community library Parenting instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Little Walks, Big Adventures" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Money/Finance Shelf

You Don't Have To Drive an Uber in Retirement
Marc Lichtenfeld
Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
wileyfinance.com
9781119347149 $29.95 hc / $11.99 Kindle amazon.com

You Don't Have To Drive an Uber in Retirement: How to Maintain Your Lifestyle without Getting a Job or Cutting Corners lives up to its title as a thoroughly "reader-friendly" guide to financial planning for retirement. Chapters discuss the value of investing in "Perpetual Dividend Raisers", or stocks that raise their dividends every year; how one can use peer-to-peer lending sites to "be the bank" and lend money that earns interest; how to "become the IRS" by investing in tax lien certificates; how to benefit from Health Savings Accounts ("the 401k you've never heard of"), how to get the most out of Social Security; how to reduce the cost for medical expenses or investment expenses (do you really need to pay a financial advisor thousands of dollars to rebalance your portfolio once a year?) and much more. Of particular note are the warnings against financial strategies that are often a terrible idea. Annuities, most forms of life insurance, and reverse mortgages carry high costs and are usually a bad choice for the vast majority of people, although they can be useful to a few individuals in specific situations. For example, a reverse mortgage carries high fees and can leave one without the equity to get into a good nursing home; reverse mortgages should generally be avoided unless one is absolutely desperate for immediate cash, with no other available resources. Candid, sensible, and engaging, You Don't Have To Drive an Uber in Retirement is a "must-read", highly recommended for both personal and public library Money/Finance collections.


The Agriculture Shelf

How to Feed the World
Edited by Jessica Eise and Ken Foster
Island Press
2000 M St NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036
www.islandpress.org
9781610918848 $30.00 amazon.com

How to Feed the World is an anthology of essays by multidisciplinary experts concerning a pivotal problem: how can humanity effectively obtain global food security, when the total human population is expected to grow to ten billion by 2050? Individual essays discuss population, water resources, land conservation, climate change, technology, food systems, food waste and loss, social buy-in, the enormous obstacles to achieving equal access to food, and much more. How to Feed the World is absolutely invaluable, and highly recommended especially for public and college library agriculture and social issues shelves.


The Political Science Shelf

LBJ's 1968
Kyle Longley
Cambridge University Press
One Liberty Plaza, Fl. 20, New York, NY 10006
www.cambridge.org
9781107193031, $29.99, HC, 374pp, www.amazon.com

1968 was an unprecedented year in terms of upheaval on numerous scales: political, military, economic, social, cultural. In the United States, perhaps no one was more undone by the events of 1968 than President Lyndon Baines Johnson. In "LBJ's 1968: Power, Politics, and the Presidency in America's Year of Upheaval", Kyle Longley (Snell Vamily Dean's Distinguished Professor of History and Political Science, Arizona State university) leads his readers on a behind-the-scenes tour of what President Johnson characterized as the 'year of a continuous nightmare'. Professor Longley also explores how LBJ perceived the most significant events of 1968, including the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr and Robert Kennedy, and the violent Democratic National Convention in Chicago. His responses to the crises were sometimes effective but often tragic, and LBJ's refusal to seek re-election underscores his recognition of the challenges facing the country in 1968. As much a biography of a single year as it is of an American president in a year of crisis, "LBJ's 1968" vividly captures the tumult that dominated the headlines on a local and global level. Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "LBJ's 1968" is an impressively informative work of outstanding scholarship and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library 20th Century American History and Political Science collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "LBJ's 1968" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.60).


The Holocaust Studies Shelf

Baptists, Jews, and the Holocaust
Lee B. Spitzer
Judson Press
PO Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851
www.judsonpress.com
9780817017828, $38.99, PB, 482pp, www.amazon.com

"Baptists, Jews, and the Holocaust: The Hand of Sincere Friendship" by Lee B. Spitzer, (who is General Secretary of American Baptist Churches USA) offers a thorough narrative history exploring the previously unknown work of Baptists in the United States during the Second World War. How did US Baptists respond to Jews at home and abroad, especially as anti-Semitism grew and reports of the genocide overseas reached our shores? Rich with primary source material and covering the history of Northern (American) Baptists, Southern Baptists, and African American Baptists alike, this ground-breaking volume is a especially and unreservedly recommended to the attention of church historians, Holocaust scholars, Baptist history buffs, and anyone interested in interfaith relations. While very highly recommended for church, community, and academic library Christian Studies collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Baptists, Jews, and the Holocaust" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $38.99).

Journey through Genocide
Raffy Boudjikanian
The Dundurn Group
3 Church Street, Suite 500, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5E 1M2
9781459740754 $19.99 pbk / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Author Raffy Boudjikanian examines the depths of man's inhumanity to man in Journey through Genocide: Stories of Survivors and the Dead, a nonfiction accounting drawn from travels to and interviews with communities that have suffered mass extermination. In Chad, there are families who fled the massacres in the Darfur region of Sudan; in Rwanda, the road to justice and reconciliation is long and difficult; and in Turkey, the Armenian Genocide of 1915 - a mass slaughter that claimed the author's own ancestors - continues to inspire fear over a century later. Thought-provoking and candid, Journey through Genocide is a dark yet necessary contribution to public and college library World History and Holocaust Studies collections. Highly recommended.


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