|
|
History and Current Events May 2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
All in Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us About Women's Bodies and Why It Matters Today
by Elizabeth Comen
What It's About: A doctor who has dedicated her medical career to saving the lives of women presents a groundbreaking medical history that exposes how much of conventional wisdom about women's bodies and health came from men.
Reviewers Say: “Meticulously researched and conveyed in lucid prose, this fascinates and outrages in equal measure.” (Publishers Weekly (Starred Review))
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
|
|
|
|
Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World
by Theresa MacPhail
What It's About: A medical anthropologist makes a holistic examination of the increasing amount of allergies in our modern world, from the first medical description in 1819 to the latest biologics and immunotherapies and discusses the impact created by pollution and climate change.
Reviewers Say: “While the culprits responsible for the increases in allergic sufferers are debatable moving targets, MacPhail skillfully narrows down the possibilities and some of the solutions...An exhaustive and accessible report.” (Kirkus Reviews)
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction Book.
|
|
|
|
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
by Jonathan Haidt
What It's About: Psychologist Jonathan Haidt describes the recent worsening of youth mental health problems, considering factors that contribute to healthy youth development, addressing aspects of modern life that may contribute to the problem, and ultimately providing advice on how we might better support the health of young people.
Reviewers Say: “All the suggestions sound sensible. Some even sound fun...Deals seriously with counter-arguments and gaps in the evidence.” (The Economist)
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book, an eBook, and an eAudiobook.
|
|
|
|
Baking Yesteryear: The Best Recipes from the 1900s to the 1980s
by B. Dylan Hollis
What It's About: A popular social media baker who shares treats made from antique cookbooks helps readers create baking recipes from the last century in a delicious decade-by-decade tour from Chocolate Potato Cake from the 1910s to Avocado Pie from the 1960s.
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
|
|
|
|
An Emancipation of the Mind: Radical Philosophy, the War Over Slavery, and the Refounding of America
by Matthew Stewart
What It's About: Philosopher and historian Matthew Stewart investigates the philosophical ideas that bolstered both the American Revolution and later antislavery efforts, contrasting these schools of thought with the ideologies of those who supported slavery and considering what light this conflict can shed on the present day.
Reviewers Say: "A sweeping, penetrating historical narrative." (Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review))
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
|
|
|
|
Illiberal America: A History
by Steven Hahn
What It's About: Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Steven Hahn explores how both liberal and illiberal ideologies have fought for influence over the entire course of American history, illuminating how this historical foundation still impacts present-day America.
Reviewers Say: "[Hahn’s] book makes an important case for vigilance in the face of extremism and warns against telling the history of the United States as one of inevitable progress." (David Leonhardt, New York Times Book Review)
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
|
|
|
|
Lessons From the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth: How To Live With Care and Purpose in an Endangered World
by Kate Schapira
What It's About: Taking our collective concerns about climate change head on, the creator of the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth channels all she's learned in an accessible, understandable and aware guide for processing climate anxiety and connecting with others to carry out real change in your life and community.
Reviewers Say: “Brimming with practical strategies...this book is a roll-up-your-sleeves resource for finding purpose, community, and even joy in uncertain times.” (Sarah Jaquette Ray, Chair of the Environmental Studies Department at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt)
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
|
|
|
|
Medgar & Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America
by Joy-Ann Reid
What It's About: Tracing the extraordinary lives and legacy of two civil rights icons, this gripping account of Medgar and Myrlie Evers is told through their relationship and the work that went into winning basic rights for black Americans, and the repercussions that still resonate today.
Reviewers Say: "Buoyed by first-person interviews with Myrlie herself as well as vibrant research...Reid’s spotlight shines brightest on the commitment the Everses made to the movement and to each other...Reid’s double portrait soars." (Booklist (Starred Review))
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book, an eBook, and an eAudiobook.
|
|
|
|
Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism
by Stephen G. Breyer
What It's About: A recently retired Supreme Court justice deconstructs the textualist philosophy of the current Supreme Court's supermajority and makes the case for a better way to interpret the Constitution.
Reviewers Say: “Breyer offers a cogent explanation of judicial reasoning, focusing particularly on the difference between textualism—now dominating the current Court—and pragmatism...A deeply informed analysis of judicial history.” (Kirkus Reviews)
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book and an eBook.
|
|
|
|
The Rest Is History: History's Most Curious Questions Answered
by Tom Holland
What It's About: From modern to ancient and every time in between, this entertaining companion to the popular podcast of the same name brilliantly distills major moments in human history, offering readers a fun, new, and wide-ranging tour of humanity's essential - and essentially weird - moments.
Reviewers Say: “Laughter and chuckles abound, making this a jolly, informative read for the history fan and neophyte alike.” (Shelf Awareness)
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
|
|
|
|
Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Machines
by Joy Buolamwini
What It's About: Dr. Joy Buolamwini tells the remarkable story of how her research at MIT uncovered what she calls "the coded gaze" - evidence of racial and gender bias in tech - and how she galvanized the movement to prevent AI harms by founding the Algorithmic Justice League.
Reviewers Say: “[A] trenchant debut...Buolamwini proves that she’s among the sharpest critics of AI, and her list of principles for achieving ‘algorithmic justice'...charts a path forward. Urgent and incisive, this is a vital examination of AI’s pitfalls.” (Publishers Weekly)
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
|
|
|
|
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
by Hampton Sides
What It's About: Part high-seas adventure, part examination of the Age of Exploration, this account of Captain James Cook's last voyage in 1776 charts how his overt and covert missions came to a head on the island of Hawaii and left behind a complex and controversial legacy still debated to this day.
Reviewers Say: “Sides draws on numerous contemporaneous sources to create a fascinating, immersive adventure story featuring just the right amount of historical context.” (Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review))
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book and an eBook.
|
|
|
|
Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials
by Marion Gibson
What It's About: Taking readers across Europe, Africa and the Americas, this dramatic journey through 13 witch trials, some famous, some lesser-known, empowers the people who were and are victimized and marginalized, giving a voice to those who were silenced by history.
Reviewers Say: "An empathetic survey of witch trials spanning seven centuries and three continents...this vividly drawn and often surprising account succeeds in its aim to provide an expansive vision of the witch trial that extends far beyond Salem." (Publishers Weekly)
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|