2007

December

170.44 CUR
How We Behave at the Feast: Reflections on Living in an Age of Plenty by Dwight Currie
Currie celebrates the theme that life’s bounty is all around us, if only we come to the table.  With style and wit, he reminds readers that the “feast of existence” needs no invitation, but it does require good manners, generosity of spirit, and grace.  How we behave at this feast of life is far more important than who else is invited or what is served.  Currie’s graceful, honest essays are a perfect antidote to our often self-absorbed holiday spirit.  Enjoy it in small bites throughout the holiday season, and reopen it at any time – it will never go stale. 

523.8 CAL
The Stargazing Year: A Backyard Astronomer's Journey Through the Seasons of the Night Sky by Charles Laird Calia
This story of one man’s love affair with the stars is a lyrical romp across the night sky.  Rekindling his dormant zeal for astronomy after years of living a middle class family life, Calia becomes determined to build a small observatory in his backyard.  The misadventures of his construction project balanced by his wondrous narrative tours of the constellations and their lore will be enjoyed by anyone who has ever fallen under the spell of a clear night sky.

Biography CARROLL, J.
An American Requiem: God, My Father, and the War That Came Between Us by James Carroll
James Carroll’s life revolved around his father, an Irish Catholic from Chicago tapped by J. Edgar Hoover to help lead the FBI as the United States entered the Cold War.  This bittersweet memoir of the Carroll family and James’ own search for identity as a novice priest during the unfolding of Vietnam is a complex and emotional story of politics, faith, and family ties.  Memoir readers looking for something extra will find it in this rich, multi-layered story.

November

269.2 GIB
The Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham in the White House by Nancy Reid Gibbs    
Of the last eleven presidents, dating back to Harry Truman, Billy Graham has known ten, and counts at least seven as close friends.  Gibbs’ book, co-authored with fellow Time correspondent Michael Duffy, brings to life these relationships and offers an unparalleled portrait of the occupants of the White House over the last fifty-plus years.  We see their fears and faith, their questions and strengths, their personalities, goals, and ambitions.  And, although the book was written with the full cooperation of Graham, it also provides a balanced and captivating look at the preacher, showing his struggles as well as his triumphs.  The authors advocate for a necessary separation of church and state (as does Graham himself), but at the same time acknowledge and explore the undeniable religious consciousness that underlies much of American political thought.  A remarkable piece of Presidential history, this book will also appeal to anyone interested in politics, religion, or the relationship between the two.

304.28 WEI
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
If the human species were to suddenly disappear from planet Earth, how quickly would our “urban jungles” return to real jungles?  Which aspects of our legacy would survive into the distant future, and which would quickly disappear?  Which animals and plants would thrive in our absence, and would any miss us?  These and other related questions are explored in this fascinating thought experiment by Alan Weisman.  Unlike other environmental books, this one does not come with dire warnings or calls to action.  Rather, it presents a broad look at the pervasive, but in some ways surprisingly fleeting, human imprint on our world.  Weisman’s conclusions, backed by the opinions of experts in a variety of fields, are intriguing, unsettling, and thought-provoking.

599.643 ROS
A Buffalo in the House: The True Story of a Man, an Animal, and the American West by Richard Dean Rosen
The focus of this human-animal story is not on a mischievous dog or beloved cat, but rather on a one ton buffalo named Charlie.  Charlie was adopted as a week-old orphan by Roger Brooks and Veryl Goodnight, and took up residence at their Santa Fe home.  Goodnight is a descendant of activists who helped save buffalo from extinction in the 19^th century, and this fact leads to discussions of both Western history and current day conservation and preservation issues.  But the main focus—and the real strength—of this charming book is the relationship between the wild animal and his human family, a relationship that is touching, revelatory, and at times sad.  Readers of animal books will appreciate the unique twist that this book offers, and lovers of American lore will welcome this real life glimpse into our collective past.

October

362.1968  MOF
Ice Cream in the Cupboard:  A True Story of Early Onset Alzheimer’s  by Pat Moffett
While still in her early fifties, Carmen Moffett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  Her husband Pat has written a personal account of their experiences in dealing with this devastating disease.  Ice Cream in the Cupboard deals with the emotional and psychological aspects of their journey.  The author chronicles Carmen’s strange behavior which included verbal and physical outbursts.  Carmen’s increasing loss of memory was particularly difficult for both the author and Carmen herself.

362.734 GAM
China Ghosts: My Daughter’s Journey to America, My Passage to Fatherhood  by Jeff Gammage
Following two years of adoption procedures, the author and his wife Christine travel to China to meet their new daughter Jin Yu.  Written as a memoir, Gammage’s story reveals the couple’s journey to become a family.  The author describes their experiences in China, including an unusual visit to the orphanage where Jin Yu lived for the first twenty-four months of her life.  The story continues with their return to the Philadelphia area and the adoption of another daughter from China.

Biography Gill, M.G.
How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else by Michael Gates Gill
As an advertising executive, Gill had been living an envious lifestyle with a large salary and a large home. When the author was downsized from his job at age 53, he began an unsuccessful consulting business. Within ten years, Gill was divorced and nearly bankrupt. While visiting a Starbucks in Manhattan, he was unexpectedly offered a job.  Even though mastering all of the job skills was difficult, Gill soon loved his new job and appreciated his coworkers.

September

273.6 GOL
Out of the Flames: The Remarkable Story of a Fearless Scholar, a Fatal Heresy, and One of the Rarest Books in the World by Lawrence Goldstone
This lively account chronicles the story of Michael Servetus, 16^th century physician and freethinking theologian.  His heretical work of biblical scholarship Christianismi Restituto (Christianity Restored) was detested by Catholics and Protestants for its views on the Trinity and Predestination. With the help of John Calvin, Servetus was eventually captured, tried and burned at the stake by the church. Despite great efforts to destroy them, three copies of Restituto survived due largely to the development of the printing press and the proliferation of books in Renaissance Europe.  Goldstone, a book collector, traces the journey of the remaining works through subsequent centuries and examines Servetus’s legacy and influence over later thinkers that shared his spirit such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Jefferson and Clarence Darrow. This is a fine history not only of a lesser known revolutionary figure, but of an era of upheaval and intellectual ferment.  Anyone interested in theology, Renaissance history or book collecting would enjoy this book.

590.73 ANT
Babylon’s Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo by Lawrence Anthony
A South African conservationist, Anthony details how, through a series of complex maneuvers, he entered Iraq after the American invasion and led the fight to save what was left of the Baghdad Zoo.  Most of the animals were killed and those that survived were starving and living in filth.  Anthony describes how he and a few dedicated Iraqi zoo staff members risked their lives daily to keep these animals alive and restore the zoo.  Along the way, he recounts hair-raising efforts to save a pride of lions abandoned at Uday Hussein’s palace, close another deplorable black-market zoo, and rescue Saddam Hussein’s Arabian horses from a hidden stable in Abu Ghraib.  This is an inspiring story of how a conservationist, soldiers and civilians put aside their differences and worked together for the sake of the wild animals of Baghdad.

781.62 WEB
Duende: A Journey into the Heart of Flamenco by Jason Webster
Anxious for a break from his staid life in academia and eager for adventure, twenty- something Jason Webster took off for Spain, the country that had long captured his imagination.  He became obsessed with learning the intricacies of flamenco guitar and understanding duende, the elusive yet passionate feeling which is the essence of flamenco.  In the coastal city of Alicante, he studied guitar with a master and had a doomed affair with Lola, a flamenco dancer and older married woman.  In Madrid he traveled with a gypsy flamenco band and became immersed their world of music, dance and criminal activities.  When the band was torn apart by the tragic death of one member, Webster moved on to Granada and became a full-time guitarist at a flamenco dance school. A light read, the book is more a personal story of a foreigner attempting to break into the world of flamenco than a serious study of the flamenco art form.  An earnest search for the authentic flamenco life, encounters with colorful local people, and cultural observations are entertainingly and engagingly told.

August

248.4 KID
Firstlight by Sue Monk Kidd
Author of the bestselling novel The Secret Life of Bees, Kidd has also written inspirational pieces for magazines such as Guideposts. Firstlight is a collection of her early writings from these publications. Each chapter features a short meditation on ideas such as “compassion” or “letting go.” The author uses recollections from her life as well as illustrations from nature to provide a quiet, leisurely look at how each of us develops into the person we were meant to be. For those who like to read inspirational works.

636.0887 TER
Fowl Weather by Bob Tarte
In this hilarious follow-up to Enslaved by Ducks, author Bob Tarte continues his story of living in a rural western Michigan home with his wife and numerous pets--at last count there were three parrots, eighteen ducks, six geese, two parakeets, one cockatiel, two doves, three cats, nine hens and one turkey! Things have become even more chaotic in the household, as Tarte deals not only with caring for 45 animals (many of which are interesting characters in their own right), but also with his elderly mother's decline into dementia and the demands of uninvited guests and weird acquaintances. Readers who enjoy animal stories or memoirs will enjoy this book.

940.5318 SON
This Has Happened: An Italian Family in Auschwitz by Piera Sonnino
In 1960, Piera Sonnino wrote a description of the events of her life for her daughters, not intending it for publication. But this brief, stark version of her early life and the destruction of her family during the war was so striking that it has found its way to print, first in Italian and now in English. This Has Happened describes the personal story of  an Italian Jewish family’s experience with the Holocaust. While at first their lives were affected only by an erosion of freedoms and dignity, when the Nazis took over governing the country in 1944 after Mussolini’s fall, the “final solution” came to Italy. The Sonninos are deported to Auschwitz; Piera is the only one of her family to survive the camp. This is a short, intense, unforgettable look at the horrors of the Holocaust.

July

362.196 WIS
One in Three: A Son’s Journey into the History and Science of Cancer by Adam Wishart
When his father was diagnosed with cancer, Adam Wishart’s emotions ranged from hope to despair as he watched his once-invincible parent battle the disease. This book is a heartfelt memoir of his experience coupled with an informative and easy-to-read history of cancer and the drive to find a cure for the disease, which will affect one in three people today. One in Three will strike a chord with any whose lives have been touched by cancer as well as those interested in the history of medical research.

364.1523 STA
The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder by Daniel Stashower
In nineteenth-century New York City, the mysterious murder of a beautiful young woman captivated thousands, including the struggling poet and editor, Edgar Allan Poe. Daniel Stashower entwines the lives of Poe and the unfortunate cigar girl, Mary Rogers, and describes how the writer crafted a story surrounding the grisly events. Admirers of Edgar Allen Poe and those looking for a good mystery will enjoy this work.

Biography DOYLE, J.
A Great Feast of Light: Growing Up Irish in the Television Age by John Doyle
In this humorous memoir, John Doyle recalls how the introduction of television to Ireland in the 1960s affected his childhood and adolescence. In a repressed, conservative society, television programs from abroad, such as Monty Python and I Love Lucy, brought great wonder and a breath of fresh air into the lives of Doyle and those around him. Fans of coming-of-age tales, and in particular Irish memoirs, will find this an enjoyable read.


June

791.45 JEN
Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings
Anyone who turned on his television during the daytime in 2004 likely came across Ken Jennings, the nerdy software engineer who won an unprecedented 2.5 million dollars during his 74-game run on Jeopardy!  Jennings has penned more than an engaging recap of his experiences on the show.  With self-deprecating humor and a genuine interest in his subject, Jennings also takes a stroll through the trivia subculture that includes college bowl quiz teams, barroom competitions, and the invention of the board game Trivial Pursuit®.  One chapter introduces the trivia mania that takes over the entire town of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, for 54 hours every April.  Jennings ponders the difference between intelligence and the accumulation of trivial knowledge, convincing the reader that, since knowledge is power, they both matter. There are fun trivia challenges woven into Jennings’ stories, with answers at the end of each chapter.

796.357 HOO
Perfect, Once Removed: When Baseball Was All the World to Me by Phillip M. Hoose
Our national pastime has a magical pull for eight-year-old boys -- even uncoordinated benchwarmers who struggle to get in the game.  In 1956, while Phil Hoose was learning baseball basics and trying to fit in with the other boys in his new hometown of Speedway, Indiana, he was surprised to learn that his father’s cousin was New York Yankee pitcher Don Larsen.  With his Dad’s blessing he began a correspondence with Larsen.  He even got to attend a game and meet the players when the Yankees played the Chicago White Sox.  This was a heady time for a baseball-obsessed kid, but he could not have anticipated the thrill that awaited him on October 8, 1956, when Larsen astounded sports fans by pitching an unprecedented perfect game in the World Series.  Hoose’s warm account of his third-grade brush with greatness is a good summer read and a baseball story with heart.

Biography Nguyen, B.M.
Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir by Bich Minh Nguyen
On the eve of the fall of Saigon the author escaped Viet Nam with her father, sister, and grandmother. They relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan, a white-bread city of blonde, mostly Christian conservatives. Nguyen’s story of assimilation is a pop-culture tour of the 1980s, with special emphasis on her obsession with American food.  In her household, her grandmother Noi did the cooking and honored a small statue of Buddha by leaving him the choicest morsels she had to offer.  Bich, meanwhile, coveted Pringle’s potato chips, Betty Crocker bundt cakes and the other foods that “real people” ate.  Her feelings of not fitting in were amplified because she was introverted and bookish and couldn’t compete with her stylish sister and stepsister.  Family relationships are also explored through stories about her Mexican-American stepmother Rosa, and the reappearance of her mysterious birth mother.  Cleverly crafted and told with humor, this is a multicultural coming-of-age story by a first-time author worth watching.

May

577 STU
Chasing Spring:  An American Journey Through a Changing Season by Bruce Stutz
While recovering from major surgery, the author envisioned a journey that would track the emergence of spring across the North American continent.  His experience as a travel writer and editor of natural history magazines led him to locations as diverse as Duke University’s experimental forest in North Carolina; the Sonoran Desert; the Rocky Mountains near Boulder, Colorado; and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  His detailed observations in each location heighten the reader’s awareness of current environmental issues in climate change and the complex connections that exist in the natural world.  He concludes with the words:  “See spring for yourself.  See spring now because it is changing.  All things are changing beneath the sun.  See it now.”  You will want to do just that.

 629.45 MUL
Riding Rockets:  The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut by R. Mike Mullane
Air Force Colonel Mike Mullane was a member of the first class of space shuttle astronauts, introduced to the world in 1978.  This book is an honest, straightforward memoir of his career with NASA during which he completed three space missions in the years surrounding the Challenger tragedy.  He describes many facets of the program from toilet concerns in a weightless environment to the personality conflicts between academics and pilots, never omitting the black humor that maintained their morale in the darkest of times.  He writes with candor, criticizing the program and NASA for their reaction to political pressure that endangered astronauts’ lives.  Whether you agree with the author or not, you will find this book lively, often humorous, and intensely personal.

 909 DAV
The Human Story:  Our History, from the Stone Age to Today by James C. Davis
When you consider the volumes that have been written about history, it is hard to imagine a book that encompasses the whole of human history in just 440 pages.  Yet the author, a college professor, manages to make the story very engaging, by including just enough detail and explaining complicated events in a clear, easy-to-understand manner. The author’s love of history, his writing skill, and his humor permeate the factual information and draw the reader into the story. With chapter titles such as “We fill the earth,” “We found the worldwide faiths,” and “We wage a war to end war,” he leaves the reader with a sympathetic and hopeful view of humankind.  His concise treatment of each time period and civilization will appeal to readers whose study of history has left them with some gaps.

April

305.244 DAV
Leap!: What Will We Do with the Rest of Our Lives? by Sara Davidson
Over the years, Sara Davidson has chronicled the impact of the Baby Boom generation on the cultural landscape. She came upon a fallow period in her personal life when she couldn’t get a job, her children were leaving home and her life partner suddenly chose to leave. She knew she couldn’t go back and seemed incapable of moving forward. Typical of her generation, Davidson is given to introspection and asking the big questions. In her quest to find “the purpose of my years ahead” she catches up with friends and acquaintances, noting how they are dealing with their “master years.” She takes us on a tour of possibilities for later life choices. Follow along as she contemplates novel living arrangements in Puerto Rico, takes a volunteer vacation in India, and interviews many of the movers and shakers of her generation. These are very bright, high-achieving individuals who offer thoughtful riffs on their later years. She reports on the changing fortunes of Carly Simon, Tom Hayden and others, concluding that “The country ahead, from the extensive scouting I’ve done, is not arid but rich and unpredictable.” A thought-provoking must read for most.

393.9 CUL
Remember Me: A Lively Tour of the New American Way of Death by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen
This is an entertaining but respectful look at the ways members of the Baby Boom generation are reinventing the last stage of life. The author takes us on a tour of current practices in the death industry, such as personalized funerals that have given rise to funeral event planners. The new afterlife choices are many and diverse. Folks may have their ashes compressed into a diamond or mixed into cement to form a new coral reef. There are green burials, FAVSs (fabulous afterlife vehicles), multipurpose caskets, plasticination and more. Throughout, the author provides vignettes of people who have died and chosen one of the newer funeral practices. These very brief life stories use telling details to involve the reader and make each person’s final plans understood and appreciated.

Biography HEPBURN, K.
Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn by William J. Mann 
This is a thoughtful and astute reexamination of the life of an American icon. Noting that there was no objective biography of the film star, Mann decided to take on the project. He felt that friends and associates might be more willing to speak candidly since Hepburn was no longer alive to exert her considerable will over them. The author has done extensive research and interviewed many who had not spoken for the record before. The result is a fair reporting and analysis of someone who preferred to control her own legend. We follow her various incarnations from young “Kathy,” to “Jimmy,” to “Kath,” and to the public “Kate,” and observe how her family and early experiences molded her character. We watch as she pursues fame with an all-consuming passion. The author reveals the true nature of her relationship with Spencer Tracy, and his account of her later years is especially illuminating. Mann concludes that much of what is written and accepted about her life is “legend on top of myth on top of romance.” This is a full and complete account of Hepburn’s life and is likely to be the definitive biography.


March

779 BOU
Margaret Bourke-White: Photographer by Margaret Bourke-White
This restrospective of the famed photographer includes photos from the 1920s through the 1950s with accompanying text by Sean Callahan that illuminates Bourke-White’s life and passion.  Margaret Bourke-White’s photojournalism for Life magazine brought the glory, the struggles, and the enormity of the human condition to viewers throughout the world.  The photographs included in this large, stunning collection reflect her spirit to go wherever stories needed to be told, from laborers throughout Depression Era America to the European devastation of World War II to starving communities in India and South Africa.  Her photos of world leaders, unemployed citizens, industrial machinery, and desperate communities leave viewers amazed and moved.

940.54 HAM
Women of Valor: The Rochambelles on the WWII Front by Ellen Hampton
From the lost annals of war history comes this story of the only all-female unit to serve on the front lines of Europe during World War II.  The Rochambeau group, later dubbed “the Rochambelles,” was a corps of women ambulance drivers organized by an energetic and wealthy New Yorker, Florence Conrad.  This stalwart group of women, ranging from French society ladies to farm girls, shipped out from Morocco to the shores of Normandy shortly after the D-Day invasion.  Under General Philippe Leclerc, the Rochambelles transported soldiers to hospitals and shelters through bombings, raging bullet fire and mine-strewn fields.  Sometimes crossing battle lines into occupied villages, they had to use their wits and guts to talk their way past the enemy.  Each woman had her own story, but as a group they earned the respect and admiration of the men at the front.  This engrossing book of their exploits honors the Rochambelles alongside the men of World War II.

979.777 KRI
White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's Deadliest Avalanche by Gary Krist
In the winter of 1910, two trains were trapped along a snowy stretch of the Great Northern Railroad line near the tiny town of Wellington, Washington.  As the worst snowstorm in years raged day after day, passengers stuck on the tracks worried about avalanches and rail workers struggled to clear the way out of danger.  On March 1, during a freak winter thunderstorm, the mountain above Wellington let go tons of sliding snow in an avalanche that engulfed the trains and the lives aboard.  This history that reads like a gripping novel brings together newspaper accounts, diary entries and letters to tell the story of this disaster.  The growth of the American railroad, the men who worked feverishly to keep the trains moving, and the lives of common folk caught up in a tragic moment in history all play leading roles alongside Mother Nature in this dramatic story.

February

235.2 MAR
My Life with the Saints by James Martin, S.J.
A quick read that can also be savored, this book is part spiritual memoir, part biography, and part reflection on past, present and future religious life.  Martin, a Jesuit priest, shares—in an interesting, light-hearted, conversational way—the impact that various saints and holy people have had on his life.  Along the way he discusses not only fascinating highlights from the saints’ lives, but also his own spiritual journey.  This book will appeal to any reader interested in religion or spirituality, as well as those inspired by the work, struggles, and triumphs of holy men and women.

737.4973 FRA
Double Eagle: The Epic Story of the World’s Most Valuable Coin by Alison Frankel
From the time of its design and creation, the $20 Double Eagle gold coin has sparked passion, jealousy and greed.  When the United States stopped coining gold in 1933, the story took an abrupt turn into the world of crime, espionage, and international intrigue.  Frankel combines all of the twists and turns into a captivating page turner with a broad appeal.

759.4 KIN
The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism by Ross King
When most Americans think of the year 1863, they think of the Civil War.  But in France, a much different battle was underway, one that pitted two very different artistic, cultural, and historical sensibilities.  King explores this conflict by profiling Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier, noted for his realistic historical portraits and regarded as the most famous painter of his day, and Edouard Manet, whose work was reviled in 1863.  Many other artists enter the story, which King masterfully places in the volatile political context of the time.  The events leading up to the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874 will intrigue anyone interested in art, history, or the vagaries of human taste.

January

362.196 GAR
Don’t Leave Me This Way: Or When I Get Back on My Feet You’ll Be Sorry by Julia Fox Garrison
At the age of thirty seven, Julia Garrison suffered a massive brain hemorrhage. After her stroke, the left side of her body was immobile. Don’t Leave Me This Way is her inspirational account of triumph over adversity. Written with humor, Garrison recounts her stages of recovery with much help from her family and friends. Although she still deals with the effects of her stroke on a daily basis, Garrison’s positive attitude shows her deep love for all that life has to offer.

Biography PERRY, M.
Truck: A Love Story by Michael Perry
Fans of Perry’s Population—485 will enjoy his new story about life in New Auburn, Wisconsin. Taking place in 2003 to 2004, Truck focuses on two major events in Perry’s life. The first is fixing up a 1951 International Harvester pickup truck, which would seem beyond repair to a more sensible person. The second story features his developing romance with a local woman, Anneliese. If you enjoy reading about life in a small town and the changes human beings go through as we age, Perry’s Truck will be a good choice.

649.1 COO
Crawling: A Father’s First Year by Elisha Cooper
Even though he wrote and illustrated children’s books, Cooper did not consider himself “father material.” That all changed, however, when his wife Elise gave birth to their first daughter Zoe. Cooper looks past all the new pink clothes and toys in his home and begins to bond with his daughter. After overcoming his fear of taking care of a baby, Cooper soon finds himself looking forward to the time he spends alone with Zoe. Both touching and funny, Crawling should be enjoyed by new and not-so-new parents alike.