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Nature and Science February 2023 |
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| Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains by Bethany BrookshireThe takeaway: "Pest is all about perspective," explains science journalist and podcaster Bethany Brookshire (Science for the People) in this thought-provoking examination of why we demonize certain animals.
You'll learn: how the rise of cheap supermarket chicken led to flocks of feral urban pigeons; why rats are pests but cats (the leading cause of animal extinction) are pets.
For fans of: Mary Roach's Fuzz, Hal Herzog's Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat, or Rob Dunn's Never Home Alone. |
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Cobalt Red : How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives
by Siddharth Kara
What it is: An unflinching investigation reveals the human rights abuses behind the Congo's cobalt mining operation and the moral implications that affect us all.
Who it's for: Anyone who uses a smartphone, an electric vehicle, or anything else powered by rechargeable batteries.
Reviewers say: "Riveting, eye-opening, and terribly important." (Adam Hochschild)
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| Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency by Andy GreenbergFollow the money: Journalist Andy Greenberg (Sandworm) profiles the federal officials, cryptographers, and security experts who trace cryptocurrency transactions to shut down darkweb markets.
You might also like: the thriller-like blend of true crime and technology reporting found in Renee Dudley and Daniel Golden's The Ransomware Hunting Team, or Nick Bilton's American Kingpin. |
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| Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America by Leila PhilipWhat it's about: The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) and its outsized impact on the history, culture, and physical landscape of what is now called the United States.
Why you might like it: Guggenheim fellow and Boston Globe columnist Leila Philip draws on a range of sources, from Algonquian legends to scientific studies, to illuminate the importance of beavers.
Further reading: Ben Goldfarb's Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter and Frances Backhouse's Once They Were Hats: In Search of the Mighty Beaver. |
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| Butts: A Backstory by Heather RadkeWhat it's about: Reporter and RadioLab contributing editor Heather Radke gets to the bottom of...well, the bottom in this "winning, cheeky, and illuminating" (Washington Post) cultural history.
Why you might like it: This wide-ranging, well-researched book contains a wealth of information, both lighthearted (Victorian "fart parlors," the many musical tributes to the female posterior) and serious (scientific racism, diet culture).
Did you know...? Humans are the only animal with buttocks, and research suggests that it played a key role in our species' evolution. |
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| Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics by Adam RutherfordWhat it's about: Geneticist Adam Rutherford explores the history of eugenics, "a political ideology that was shackled to genetics," from its Victorian origins to its present-day manifestations.
About the author: Rutherford has tackled genetics-influenced pseudoscience before in How to Talk to a Racist: What Our Genes Do (and Don't) Say About Human Difference. |
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Click HERE for the full list of this month's new books
Grand Forks & District Public Library
7342 5th Street
Box 1539
Grand Forks, British Columbia V0H1H0
250-442-3944
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