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Nations rise and nations fall, but why do some seem to recover more easily than others? Jared Diamond, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Guns, Germs and Steel, has a thesis. He proposes that key principles of personal crisis therapy can be applied to understand the recovery process of nations in upheaval. Diamond takes us on a journey through major upheavals in seven countries and explains how six of them recovered. These crises include insular Japan being forced opened by the U.S. fleet of Commodore Perry; the Soviet invasion of Finland; the coups in Chile and Indonesia; and the reinvention of Australia and Germany after World War II. The countries recovered by using some of the same processes as those recovering from personal crisis. They acknowledged that they had a problem; they took responsibility for it; they identified core values to keep and bad habits to drop; and they sought help from other countries who had dealt with similar difficulties. The author also grapples with the current situations in the United States and Japan and the crises facing the world at large. Can we cope by looking to the past for resolutions? Diamond is a polymath who has a gift for making complex issues understandable. He has a deep knowledge of the countries examined having either lived, worked or visited at length in all. Although trained as a physiologist, the author is currently a professor of geography and has extensive knowledge of history and anthropology blended into his writings. This is a compelling read where you will learn history you never knew. 502 pages 303.484 DIA
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Mrs. Braithwaite, village busy-body and self-proclaimed leader of the local Women’s Voluntary Service in WWII, has been unceremoniously dumped from the organization to which she has dedicated her life and unexpectedly abandoned by her husband who has filed a divorce petition. Now at age 50, she finds herself unmoored. Mrs. B. sets out for London to reconnect with her only child, her bright and savvy daughter Betty, who she had neglected over the years when village business took precedence over family. When she arrives at Betty’s lodging place, Mr. Norris, the proprietor, informs Mrs. Braithwaite that Betty has not returned for several days. With the Blitz and Nazi bombers every night, many are missing. Mrs. B. rather forcefully engages the meek Mr. Norris to join her in a search and rescue mission to find Betty and bring her to back to safety. Amidst chaos and danger, all brave incredible odds to piece together the mystery of Betty’s life to find her. As Mrs. B. thinks of her own past life, she begins to question her values and what is really important. She ponders, “How do you measure the success of your life?” Written with wonderful characters and great warmth, this book is sure to please. Jennifer Ryan is author of the best-selling debut novel, “The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir”. 355 pages M FIC RYA
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From 1870 to 1905 during the Gilded Age, American daughters from many wealthy families crossed the pond to England to find suitable marriage matches within the British aristocracy. Many of these young women were from families of the nouveau riche who could not get a toe-hold into New York’s high-end society where Mrs. Astor ruled. Mrs. Caroline Schermerhorn Astor was the arbiter of society and led The Four Hundred, families of old-money and blue-blood lineage. Without the right connections for entry into the privileged Four Hundred, these young, rich, educated and cultured daughters of industrialists were excluded from balls, dinners, and other social opportunities where they could meet eligible bachelors. The only avenue for inclusion was to have a titled marriage to an aristocrat. The American invasion of Britain began. In Great Britain, power and privilege laid in the hands of titled nobles who acquired wealth from their lands. However, eight years of poor harvests diminished their worth by half. As estates began to crumble, cash-strapped peers sought alternative sources of income. These dukes, marquis and earls were enchanted with the vivacious young American women whom they found to be better educated and more cultured than British girls – and extremely rich. Matches were made - “cash for coronets”. Jennie Jerome, future mother of Winston Churchill, was one of the first to become a “dollar princess” and a duchess by marrying Lord Randolph Churchill. Consuelo Vanderbilt became Duchess of Marlborough. Once they had their titles, The Four Hundred received them with open arms. This is a fascinating exploration of the mores of the Gilded Age and the lives of the wealthy privileged. 307 pages 305.48 DEC
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This is a delightfully charming and quirky novel, so don’t let the title put you off. Andrew works for the public health department in one of the most wretched jobs. He tracks down the next of kin to those who die alone. Though the working environment can be quite unpleasant, Andrew perseveres because he really needs the job. But Andrew has a secret. Through a misunderstanding, his office mates think Andrew goes home each night to a beautiful house where his adoring lawyer wife and two children await his homecoming. This is not true. Andrew lives in a drab apartment alone. And he is miserable. A new employee arrives and shakes up Andrew’s life. Peggy brings sunshine and laughter. Andrew basks in her presence and feels full of hope and life. But how can their relationship progress unless he tells her the truth? If Andrew reveals his secret, he may lose everything. Is he truly ready to open his heart, a heart that has been buried for twenty years? It’s quite a dilemma. Stay stuck or start anew? Is it too late to start living? 324 pages FIC ROP
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