Author: Hare, Brian, 1976- author. Woods, Vanessa, 1977- author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: 155.7 HARE
Format: Books
Summary: "For most of the approximately 200,000 years that our species has existed, we shared the planet with at least four other types of humans. They were smart, they were strong, and they were inventive. Neanderthals even had the capacity for spoken language. But, one by one, our hominid relatives went extinct. Why did we thrive? In delightfully conversational prose and based on years of his own original research, Brian Hare, professor in the department of evolutionary anthropology and the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University, and his wife Vanessa Woods, a research scientist and award-winning journalist, offer a powerful, elegant new theory called "self-domestication" which suggests that we have succeeded not because we were the smartest or strongest but because we are the friendliest. This explanation flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Since Charles Darwin wrote about "evolutionary fitness," scientists have confused fitness with strength, tactical brilliance, and aggression. But what helped us innovate where other primates did not is our knack for coordinating with and listening to others. We can find common cause and identity with both neighbors and strangers if we see them as "one of us." This ability makes us geniuses at cooperation and innovation and is responsible for all the glories of culture and technology in human history. But this gift for friendliness comes at cost. If we perceive that someone is not "one of us," we are capable of unplugging them from our mental network. Where there would have been empathy and compassion, there is nothing, making us both the most tolerant and the most merciless species on the planet. To counteract the rise of tribalism in all aspects of modern life, Hare and Woods argue, we need to expand our empathy and friendliness to include people who aren't obviously like ourselves. Brian Hare's groundbreaking research was developed in close collaboration with Richard Wrangham and Michael Tomasello, giants in the field of cognitive evolution. Survival of the Friendliest explains both our evolutionary success and our potential for cruelty in one stroke and sheds new light onto everything from genocide and structural inequality to art and innovation"--
Author: Dallek, Robert, author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: 352.23
Format: Books
Summary: The struggle to preserve the Republic has never been easy or without perils. The rise of conflicting political parties, which the founders opposed, and President John Adams' Alien and Sedition Acts repressing First Amendment rights made Franklin's observation at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention--"a republic, if you can keep it"--seem prescient. In the twentieth century, America endured numerous struggles: economic depression, World War II, McCarthyism, the Vietnam War, Watergate, the Iran-contra scandal, the war in Iraq--all of which gave rise to demagogues, as did the growth and reach of mass media. But this wasn't the Founding Fathers' vision for our leadership. The resistance to putting a demagogue in the White House survived the anti-Communist agitation of the 1950s and the Vietnam War in the 1960s. But the latter opened the way for Richard Nixon's election in 1968 and Watergate, which again tested our democratic institutions and the rule of law. Nixon's resignation in August 1974 moved Vice President Gerald Ford, his successor, to declare, "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over." But was it? Donald Trump's 2016 election has presented a new challenge. How did past politics and presidential administrations pave the way for this current assault on American democracy? Our nation's history provides reassurance that we will restore our better angels to government. Yet it must be considered that earlier administrations and public outlook facilitated the rise of such an un-presidential character as Trump in the first place. In How Did We Get Here?, Robert Dallek considers a century of modern administrations, from Teddy Roosevelt to today, shining a light on the personalities behind the politics and the voters who elected each. His cautionary tale reminds us that the only constant in history is change, but whether for good or ill the choice is Americans' to make -- provided by publisher.
Author: Fodor, Eugene, 1905-1991.
Published: 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
Call Number: 917.4 33RD ED.
Format: Continuing Resources
Author: Kaufman, Charlie, 1958- author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: F KAUFMAN
Format: Books
Summary: "B. Rosenberger Rosenberg, neurotic and underappreciated film critic (failed academic, filmmaker, paramour, shoe salesman who sleeps in a sock drawer), stumbles upon a hitherto unseen film by an enigmatic outsider--a film he's convinced will change his career trajectory and rock the world of cinema to its core. His hands on what is possibly the greatest movie ever made, a three-month-long stop-motion masterpiece that took its reclusive auteur ninety years to complete, B. knows that it is his mission to show it to the rest of humanity. The only problem: The film is destroyed, leaving him the sole witness to its inadvertently ephemeral genius. All that's left of this work of art is a single frame from which B. must somehow attempt to recall the film that just might be the last great hope of civilization. Thus begins a mind-boggling journey through the hilarious nightmarescape of a psyche as lushly Kafkaesque as it is atrophied by the relentless spew of Twitter. Desperate to impose order on an increasingly nonsensical existence, trapped in a self-imposed prison of aspirational victimhood and degeneratively inclusive language, B. scrambles to re-create the lost masterwork while attempting to keep pace with an ever-fracturing culture of "likes" and arbitrary denunciations that are simultaneously his bête noire and his raison d'être."--
Author: Hubbard, Charlotte, 1953- author.
Published: 2020 2019
Call Number: LP F HUBBARD
Format: Large print
Summary: "Recently widowed after twenty years of marriage, Frances Lehman is only just tasting the freedom and opportunity that her Promise Lodge friends enjoy. So she's not about to be pressured into marriage by her widowed brother-in-law, even if she and her daughter have no real means of support. Much more promising is her new friendship with Preacher Marlin Kurtz, though their respective families don't see their relationship as proper . . . When Frances suffers a serious injury, she's determined to prove she can recover--and remain independent--without burdening Marlin. Now, with his steadfast belief in real love tested, Marlin's hope is that Promise Lodge's irrepressible residents can help him restore Frances's joy--and that faith will show them a way to turn their fragile second chance into a blessed and abiding future together . "--
Author: Wiseman, Beth, 1962- author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: LP F WISEMAN
Format: Large print
Summary: Lydia can't believe she is Mrs. Samuel Bontrager, or that she has a six month old daughter at the age of 16. As baby Mattie grows fussy by the day, Lydia wonders how she will survive a lifetime of marriage to a man she doesn't love, at least not in the way she wants. Samuel knows that he and Lydia did the right thing by marrying when Lydia became pregnant. He has even grown to love Lydia, though he never seems able to say the words out loud. What if she doesn't love him back? After all, she pushes him away whenever he tries to draw closer.
Author: Glenconner, Anne, 1932- author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: B GLENCONN
Format: Books
Summary: "Anne Glenconner has been at the center of the royal circle from childhood, when she met and befriended the future Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, the Princess Margaret. Though the firstborn child of the 5th Earl of Leicester, who controlled one of the largest estates in England, as a daughter she was deemed 'the greatest disappointment' and unable to inherit. Since then she has needed all her resilience to survive court life with her sense of humor intact. A unique witness to landmark moments in royal history, Maid of Honor at Queen Elizabeth's coronation, and a lady in waiting to Princess Margaret until her death in 2002, Anne's life has encompassed extraordinary drama and tragedy. In Lady in Waiting, she will share many intimate royal stories from her time as Princess Margaret's closest confidante as well as her own battle for survival: her broken-off first engagement on the basis of her "mad blood"; her 54-year marriage to the volatile, unfaithful Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, who left his fortune to a former servant; the death in adulthood of two of her sons; a third son she nursed back from a six-month coma following a horrific motorcycle accident. Through it all, Anne has carried on, traveling the world with the royal family, including visiting the White House, and developing the Caribbean island of Mustique as a safe harbor for the rich and famous--hosting Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Raquel Welch, and many other politicians, aristocrats, and celebrities."--Publisher's description.
Author: Waxman, Abbi, author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: F WAXMAN
Format: Books
Summary: "Stuck in a bus full of strangers, mother-and-daughter duo Jessica and Emily Burnstein watch their carefully mapped-out college tour devolve into something they never expected... Jessica and Emily have very different ideas of how this college tour should go. For Emily, it's a last-ditch effort to get excited about her future, because every day in the present feels like such a slog. Can't she just skip straight to the adulting part? It looks so much easier - at least on social media. For Jessica, it's a chance to bond with the daughter she seems to have lost. They used to be so close, but then Goldfish crackers and Play-Doh were no longer enough of a draw. She isn't even sure if Emily likes her anymore. To be honest, Jessica isn't entirely sure she likes herself. Together with a dozen strangers - and two familiar enemies - Jessica and Emily travel the East Coast, visiting one prospective college after another, meeting up with family and old friends along the way. Surprises and secrets test their relationship and, in the end, change it forever"--Provided by publisher.
Author: Flower, Amanda, author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: LP F FLOWER
Format: Large print
Summary: "When widowed Millie Fisher moves back to her childhood home of Harvest, Ohio, she notices one thing right away-the young Amish are bungling their courtships and marrying the wrong people! A quiltmaker by trade, Millie has nevertheless stitched together a few lives in her time, with truly romantic results. Her first mission? Her own niece, widowed gardener Edith Hochstetler, recently engaged to rude, greedy Zeke Miller. Anyone can see he's not right for such a gentle young woman-except Edith herself. Pleased when she convinces the bride-to-be to leave her betrothed before the wedding, Millie is later panicked to find Zeke in Edith's greenhouse - as dead as a tulip in the middle of winter. To keep her niece out of prison-and to protect her own reputation - Millie will have to piece together a patchwork of clues to find a killer, before she becomes the next name on his list."--Provided by publisher.
Author: Patterson, James, 1947- author. Charbonnet, Gabrielle, author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: Y PATTERSO
Format: Books
Summary: Maximum Ride's seventeen-year-old daughter, Hawk, is living under the radar in post-apocalyptic New York City until a destiny that is perilously close to her mother's forces her to take flight. Ten years ago a girl with wings fought to save the world. Then she disappeared-- and now is just a fading legend, remembered only in stories. Hawk doesn't know her real name. She doesn't know who her family was, or where they went. The only thing she remembers is that she was told to wait on a specific street corner, at a specific time, until her parents came back for her. Someone is coming for her-- but it's not a rescue mission. -- adapted from jacket
Author: Marie-Chantal, Princess of Greece, author. Burch, Tory, writer of foreword. Klass, Perri, 1958- writer of introduction. Starkey, Lydia, illustrator.
Published: 2020
Call Number: 395.12
Format: Books
Summary: "The founder of a successful children's clothing line, author of an influential parenting blog, and mother of five children, Marie-Chantal of Greece is constantly asked how she manages to do it all--raise her kids and run her business while leading an active social life. So many of these queries--about proper etiquette for children in our fast-paced, technology-centered world--led her to recognize the need for a modern handbook on children's manners. Manners Begin at Breakfast addresses rules of etiquette, including basic table manners, social media, fashion dos and don'ts, and party conversation. Covering children from infants to teens, Manners Begin at Breakfast is an essential guide for all parents concerned about raising self-assured, well-adjusted children who are equipped to thrive in society and develop into confident, successful adults. Illustrated with charming, specially commissioned watercolors and written in a lively, conversational style, it is certain to become a perennial and parental must-have resource."--Amazon.com
Author: Tremblay, Paul, author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: F TREMBLAY
Format: Books
Summary: "In a matter of weeks, Massachusetts has been overrun by an insidious rabies-like virus that is spread by saliva. But unlike rabies, the disease has a terrifyingly short incubation period of an hour or less. Those infected quickly lose their minds and are driven to bite and infect as many others as they can before they inevitably succumb. Hospitals are inundated with the sick and dying, and hysteria has taken hold. To try to limit its spread, the commonwealth is under quarantine and curfew. But society is breaking down and the government's emergency protocols are faltering. Dr. Ramola "Rams" Sherman, a soft-spoken pediatrician in her mid-thirties, receives a frantic phone call from Natalie, a friend who is eight months pregnant. Natalie's husband has been killed--viciously attacked by an infected neighbor--and in a failed attempt to save him, Natalie, too, was bitten. Natalie's only chance of survival is to get to a hospital as quickly as possible to receive a rabies vaccine. The clock is ticking for her and for her unborn child. Natalie's fight for life becomes a desperate odyssey as she and Rams make their way through a hostile landscape filled with dangers beyond their worst nightmares--terrifying, strange, and sometimes deadly challenges that push them to the brink."--Amazon.
Author: Rosenfelt, David, author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: F ROSENFEL
Format: Books
Summary: "Andy Carpenter is a lawyer who would rather not practice law. He'd rather spend his time working with the Tara Foundation, his dog rescue organization, and being with his family and his two dogs, Tara and Sebastian. But when a friend asks him for a favor that involves both dogs and his lawyerly expertise, he can't say no.Andy's friend Beth has found a stray that seems to have belonged to a murder victim - in fact, the man and two of his colleagues died in an explosion a few weeks ago. But when the murdered man contacts Beth, asking for his dog back, Andy knows there must be more to the story. The man claims his life is in danger, and that's why he disappeared. As much as Andy doesn't want to get involved--anything to avoid a new case--he can't help but come to the rescue of a man who'd risk everything, even his life, to reunite with his dog."--Provided by publisher.
Author: Birbiglia, Mike, author. Stein, J. Hope (Jen Hope), author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: B BIRBIGLI
Format: Books
Summary: "Mike Birbiglia never wanted to be a father. In fact, there are seven very specific reasons he never wanted a kid, including his aversion to sticky surfaces and his less-than-ideal genes: he's had Lyme Disease, a bladder tumor, diabetes, and dangerous sleepwalking, to name a few. Not to mention the fact that Mike generally doesn't think people (including himself) are really all that great. Then Mike's wife, poet Jen Hope Stein, becomes infected with the contagion 'baby fever' and convinces him she'll do all of the parenting and that their lives don't have to change because of future baby Oona. Yes, he bought that line. In a hilarious memoir about the trials and tribulations of parenting, Mike Birbiglia shares anecdotes all parents can relate to, including laugh-out-loud observations on the lead up to being a parent, the birth of the baby, and the very messy aftermath of bringing this new one home...for a forever stay! Borne out of and based on his Broadway show The New One, and entirely expanded upon with at least 50% new material for this book, new dad Birbiglia will have you crying from laughter and smiling with joy as he falls in love with baby Oona, despite how smelly she is! Mike's candid thoughts on his reluctance about becoming a dad, what he describes as being the 'pudgy milkless vice president of his family,' laced with Stein's poetry combine to form a heartfelt and hilarious book"--
Author: Dugdale, Lydia S., 1977- author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: 155.937
Format: Books
Summary: "A Yale physician's fascinating and wise exploration of why so many people die poorly and how a medieval bestseller on the art of dying well holds important lessons for today"-- As a specialist in both medical ethics and the treatment of older patients, Dr. L. S. Dugdale knows a great deal about the end of life. Far too many of us die poorly, she argues. Our culture has overly medicalized death: dying is often institutional and sterile, prolonged by unnecessary resuscitations and other intrusive interventions. We are not going gently into that good night--our reliance on modern medicine can actually prolong suffering and strip us of our dignity. Yet our lives do not have to end this way. Centuries ago, in the wake of the Black Plague, a text was published offering advice to help the living prepare for a good death. Written during the late Middle Ages, ars moriendi--The Art of Dying--made clear that to die well, one first had to live well and described what practices best help us prepare. When Dugdale discovered this Medieval book, it was a revelation. Inspired by its holistic approach to the final stage we must all one day face, she draws from this forgotten work, combining its wisdom with the knowledge she has gleaned from her long medical career. The Lost Art of Dying is a twenty-first century ars moriendi, filled with much-needed insight and thoughtful guidance that will change our perceptions. By recovering our sense of finitude, confronting our fears, accepting how our bodies age, developing meaningful rituals, and involving our communities in end-of-life care, we can discover what it means to both live and die well. And like the original ars moriendi, The Lost Art of Dying includes nine black-and-white drawings from artist Michael W. Dugger.
Author: Beanland, Rachel, author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: F BEANLAND
Format: Books
Summary: "Atlantic City, 1934. Every summer, Esther and Joseph Adler rent their house out to vacationers escaping to "America's Playground" and move into the apartment above their bakery. The apartment is where they raised their two daughters, Fannie and Florence, and, despite the cramped quarters, it still feels like home. Now Florence has returned from college, determined to spend the summer training to swim the English Channel, and Fannie, pregnant again after recently losing a baby, is on bedrest, leaving her young daughter Gussie in Esther's care. After Joseph insists they take in a mysterious young woman whom he recently helped emigrate from Nazi Germany, the apartment is bursting at the seams. Esther wants nothing more than to keep her daughters close and safe but some matters are beyond her control: there's Fannie's risky pregnancy-not to mention her always-scheming husband, Isaac-and the fact that Stuart Williams, the heir of a hotel notorious for its anti-Semitic policies, seems to be in love with Florence. When tragedy strikes during one of Florence's practice swims, Esther makes the shocking decision to keep the truth about Florence's death from Fannie-at least until the baby is born. She pulls the rest of the family into an elaborate web of secret-keeping and lies, forcing to the surface long-buried tensions that show us just how quickly the act of protecting those we love can turn into betrayal. Told with humor and tenderness and based on a true story, Beanland's debut is a breathtaking meditation on the lengths we go to in order to keep our families together. At its heart, it is an uplifting portrayal of how the human spirit can endure-and even thrive-after tragedy"--
Author: Green, Jocelyn, author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: LP F GREEN
Format: Large print
Summary: "In 1871, as Chicago's Great Fire destroys their bookshop, Meg and Sylvie Townsend make a harrowing escape with the help of reporter Nate Pierce. But when their father is committed to an asylum after being accused of murder, they must prove his innocence before the asylum truly drives him mad"--Provided by publisher. "Chicago, 1871. Meg and Sylvie Townsend manage the family bookshop. Their father, Stephen is a veteran still suffering in mind and spirit from his time as a POW during the Civil War. When the Great Fire sweeps through Chicago's business district, the sisters become separated from their father. Stephen is charged with a murder committed during the fire, and is committed to the Cook County Insane Asylum. Can Meg prove his innocence before the asylum truly drives him mad?"--Adapted from back cover.
Author: Somaiya, Ravi, author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: 341.2309
Format: Books
Summary: "A true story of spies and intrigue surrounding one of the most enduring unsolved mysteries of the 20th century, investigative reporter Ravi Somaiya uncovers the story behind the death of renowned diplomat and UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld"--
Author: Hur, June, author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: Y HUR
Format: Books
Summary: In Joseon Dynasty-era Korea, sixteen-year-old Seol, an indentured servant within the police bureau, becomes entangled in a politically-charged investigation into the murder of a noblewoman. 1800, Joseon (Korea). Homesick and orphaned, Seol is indentured to the police bureau. She has been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman. The two form an unlikely bond of friendship as they delve into the dead woman's secrets. But when he becomes the prime suspect, Seol may be the only one capable of discovering what truly happened on the night of the murder. In a land where silence and obedience are valued above all else, curiosity can be deadly. -- adapted from jacket
Author: Trump, Mary L., author.
Published: 2020
Call Number: B TRUMP
Format: Books
Summary: "In this revelatory, authoritative portrait of Donald J. Trump and the toxic family that made him, Mary L. Trump, a trained clinical psychologist and Donald's only niece, shines a bright light on the dark history of their family in order to explain how her uncle became the man who now threatens the world's health, economic security, and social fabric." -- amazon.com
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