OCPL Home > Services & Collections > Reader's Advisory > Non-Fiction January 2007
Reader's Advisory:
New & Noteworthy Non-Fiction
January 2007
January’s new non-fiction included books about war, gems, and living car-free among other subjects.
All are available for free loan. Check the catalog online or call or visit your local library or call Telephone Reference Service at Central Library (315-435-1900) to reserve library materials.
Jewels—A Secret History
by Victoria Finlay
Stories about gems—amber,
opals, peridot, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, pearls and others—are
the focus of the author’s travels to
Sri Lanka, Burma, Japan, Antwerp and other sites. She points out that
the book is written “in praise of small things”—gem is
Old French for “little joys”. Treasure Maps of Europe,
Asia and Australia precede the text.
Watching
the World Change: The Stories Behind the Images of 9/11
by David
Friend
“Millions of moments (of the 9/11 atrocity) were committed to
film and video by tens of thousands of New Yorkers” as a means of “witnessing” the
gravity of sudden death in great magnitude. The book chronicles seven
days of photographs, starting with Tuesday, September 11, 2001 and demonstrates
how “photographs have helped shape our understanding of that week’s
events and have helped us mourn, connect, communicate and respond.”
The
Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban
by
Sarah Chayes
Sarah Chayes reported from Afghanistan on NPR in
2002, then quit to work for Afghans for Civil Society, founded by
the brother of now-president Hamid Karzai. During that time she witnessed
the return to power of the same (and corrupt) tribal leaders who had been
displaced by the Taliban and the reinfiltration of Afghanistan by
bands of Taliban supported by Pakistan—all under the watch of U.S.
officials. Both of these
occurrences have brought renewed corruption and violence to the long-suffering
Afghanis. Ms. Chayes provides a gripping account of the last days of the
war in 2002 and its aftermath.
How
to Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More
Mileage Out of Life
by Chris Balish
Mr. Balish provides step by step guidance
to moving to a life free of car ownership. Chapters outlining the true
financial, quality of life, and environmental costs of owning cars persuade
the reader of the wisdom of this change in one’s lifestyle and succeeding
chapters outline how to go about it, from using mass transit, to carpooling
and ridesharing, to walking, bicycling and moving closer to work!
“Excuse
Me, But I Was Next…” :
How To Handle the Top 100 Manners Dilemmas
by Peggy Post
Getting
into trouble manners-wise is incredibly easy even when intentions are good.
Peggy Post provides answers to frequently-asked questions (of The Emily
Post Institute and members of the Post family). The questions
reflect traditional and contemporary quandaries. As Ms. Post
says, they provide a “script” to perplexing situations and “solutions
to awkward moments”.
Historic
New York: Architectural Journeys in the Empire State
by
Andy Olenick and Richard O. Reisem
From Montauk to Niagara Falls,
structures, gardens, interior and exterior decoration are beautifully presented
in this publication of the Landmark Society of Western New York, Inc. Each
entry offers one or more photographs and a brief essay on the builders,
owners, history and other interesting facts about the sites.
100
Knitting Projects
by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss
The 100 patterns
work for just-beyond-beginner knitters and for those with higher skill levels
and feature designs for baby, toddler, youth and adult clothing. The
instructions are clearly worded and, better yet, in clear large type. A
general directions section lists standard abbreviations, symbols and terms
and provides instruction in working with gauge.
From
Midnight to Dawn: The Last Tracks of the Underground Railroad
by Jacqueline
L. Tobin
“Midnight” was the code word for Detroit and “Dawn” the
name of one of the settlements where African-Americans, former slaves, could
live freely in Canada. These settlements came to be when the British
offered freedom to any slaves who fought on the Loyalist side in the War
of Independence. Going to Canada was a feasible option for the freed
slaves and by 1783 more than three thousand had moved to Nova Scotia alone.
By the end of the War of 1812, it became known among slaves that freedom
and viable communities lay north and many traveled by the Underground Railroad
to get to Canada—Detroit was often the last stop before crossing the
river. The book describes the people, places, and events of brave and
arduous flights to freedom.
The
Elegant Solution: Toyota’s Formula for Mastering Innovation
by Matthew E. May
A senior advisor at the University of Toyota, Mr. May explains
why and how Toyota has excelled in many aspects of business success—customer
loyalty, profit, quality, output volume, innovation, sustainability. The
company’s
drive for innovation includes encouraging creative ideas and solutions from
its employees—in one year alone, the company “instigated more
than eight thousand improvement ideas from people on the line—and innovation
is considered a “core company process”.
The
Somme: Then and Now—A Visual History
by Ducan Youel
and David Edgell
The 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme (July
1, 1916-November 18, 1916) occurred in 2006. This book provides a photographic
history of the events leading to the Great War, the conduct of the war, and
the aftermath of this battle which came to epitomize the futility and waste
of war. The
quotes accompanying accounts of different phases of the battle make
this a moving tribute to those who fought and died here.
Last updated: October 20, 2009