Publisher: Beacon Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/16/2013
ISBN-13: 9780807001004
ISBN-10: 0807001007

Unlike Thoreau, who "went to the woods in order to live deliberately," author Christine Byl ended up there by accident, after graduating from college and realizing she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. In this memoir, she recounts her experiences as a "traildog" -- one of the many seasonal workers who maintain hiking trails in national parks -- first in Montana's Glacier National Park and later in Alaska's Denali National Park. In this fascinating account of a little-known subculture of dirt, sweat, and unparalleled natural beauty, Byl describes how she spent her traildog days clearing brush, creating paths, digging trenches, building bridges, and completing countless other tasks that go largely unnoticed by park visitors, yet are essential for their recreation.

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Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/30/2013
ISBN-13: 9780547636450
ISBN-10: 0547636458

In 1950, a doctor diagnosed three-year-old Temple Grandin with brain damage (having first ruled out epilepsy and deafness). Still, Grandin considers herself lucky: had she been born a decade later, she likely would have been institutionalized. Instead, thanks to early intervention, she learned to navigate the often baffling world of "neurotypicals" and went on to have a successful career as a specialist in animal behavior and a spokesperson for people with autism. Since her initial diagnosis, Grandin's actual condition -- Asperger's syndrome -- is more widely known, though still not completely understood. Here, Grandin describes the autistic brain, discussing both the advantages and the challenges of being differently wired.

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Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/14/2013
ISBN-13: 9780385504072
ISBN-10: 0385504071

"I need physics more than friends," theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer once told his brother. Often called "the father of the atomic bomb," Oppenheimer's role in the Manhattan project led to his postwar position as chief advisor to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission -- although his political affiliations and reluctance to work on the development of the hydrogen bomb later made him an outcast. Although this biography focuses more on Oppenheimer's scientific contributions than American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, both books should appeal to readers interested in Oppenheimer's complicated life, career, and legacy.

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/01/2013
ISBN-13: 9780393081572
ISBN-10: 0393081575

Can your stomach really burst? And why doesn't it digest itself? As she's proven in previous books, including Stiff and Bonk, science writer Mary Roach isn't squeamish when it comes to the physiology or functions of the human body. In addition to exploring the science of the digestive system, she also debunks myths and misconceptions including flammable farts and the possibility of surviving being swallowed by a whale. And as a bonus, you'll be able to impress your friends with all kinds of trivia ranging from literally explosive colonoscopies (France, 1977) to slang terms describing the act of concealing contraband in one's rectum ("keistering," "hooped," and "prison wallet" are but a few examples).

Publisher: Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/16/2013
ISBN-13: 9780374135065
ISBN-10: 0374135061

It's not that the Brontosaurus no longer exists, but that it never existed -- its true name is Apatosaurus and, despite its discovery in 1877, most museums didn't get around to attaching the correct skulls to their specimens until more than a century later. Moreover, they weren't slow-witted, lumbering swamp-dwellers but rather agile, all-terrain animals that, in adolescence, could walk on their hind legs. While Brian Switek's eye-opening, myth-busting examination of the "thunder lizards" we thought we knew focuses on the beloved (alas, imaginary) Brontosaurus, this anedcote-rich, fact-filled book serves as a useful general survey of the ever-evolving field of paleontology. Fortunately, there's no need to mourn the demise of the dinosaurs: though most were wiped out in a mass extinction 65 million years ago, many have survived to this day in the form of birds.

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Publisher: Walker & Company
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/24/2012
ISBN-13: 9780802779663
ISBN-10: 0802779662

It's difficult to make generalizations about bird behavior -- and even more difficult to understand it. Unlike humans, birds can see ultraviolet light, echolocate, and sense the earth's magnetic field. So what is it really like to be a bird? In addition to defining the five "traditional" senses -- sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch -- and comparing ours to those of birds, ornithologist and behavioral ecologist T.R. Birkhead discusses "magnetic sense," which birds use to navigate, and avian "emotions," a nascent field of inquiry. In this thought-provoking introduction to the sensory biology of birds, Birkhead examines the unique ways in which birds perceive their environment as well their equally singular responses to it.

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Publisher: Free Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/05/2012
ISBN-13: 9781439198735
ISBN-10: 143919873X

Corvidae -- members of the family that includes crows, ravens, magpies, rooks, jackdaws, and jays -- are smart. They can fashion tools out of found materials such as pieces of wire. They can plan and implement multi-step strategies to obtain food or, if someone provides them with sustenance, reciprocate with a small gift. They can remember individual human faces and, in some cases, convincingly imitate human speech. (They can even guzzle human beverages, such as beer and coffee, with no ill effects.) Will readers continue to underestimate their feathered neighbors? Nevermore! (At least, provided they read this book first).

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Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/08/2012
ISBN-13: 9780547451251
ISBN-10: 0547451253

Birds know everything about their environment, claims veteran bird-watcher and naturalist Jon Young. And, by reading What the Robin Knows, so can you! The author suggests finding a quiet spot to sit and, by returning to the same spot day after day, honing one's powers of observation. By immersing oneself in "deep bird language," it's possible to use bird-based clues to predict weather patterns, locate food sources, and pointpoint the position of predators. Though your survival may not depend on these skills (nor will you acquire a Dr. Dolittle-esque ability to talk to the animals), you will come away with greater awareness of your surroundings and an increased appreciation for the wonders of the natural world.

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Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/20/2012
ISBN-13: 9780547003092
ISBN-10: 0547003099

Obsessed with ornithology since childhood, author and illustrator Julie Zickefoose has spent her entire life observing and studying all things avian. As a longtime wildlife rehabilitator, she has interacted with all kinds of birds, ranging from a quartet of bean-sized baby hummingbirds (they require feeding every 20 minutes) to Mr. Troyer, the rescued bluebird who despite a permanently injured wing goes on to father 53 offspring over the next seven years. Divided into four sections, one for each season of the year, The Bluebird Effect looks at 25 common bird species in unexpected and deeply personal ways.

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