Library Spotlight
New acquisitions at KML – Notes from KML's Cataloger, Lucy Fields
I know, I know, it’s been a long time! But, your friendly neighborhood library cataloger is back with more new book/media highlights to dazzle your summer reading/viewing list. I’ve compiled a hefty list of 12 titles, 10 books and 2 DVDs, that have caught my eye during this school year. Please enjoy, and remember…new books are displayed on the first floor of the library, just around the corner from the elevator. Most of the following titles have since moved on to be shelved, however, so please make note of the call numbers (in bold).
Enjoy! Lucy
New landscapes of inequality: neo-liberalism and the erosion of democracy in America / edited by Jane L. Collins, Brett Williams and Micaela di Leonardo – 320.51 N49 2008
The ongoing American economic struggles are ever present in the news and a hot button topic in this upcoming election. Here’s what the publisher has to say about this very informative title: “The twenty-first century opened with a rapidly growing array of markers of human misery: endemic warfare, natural disasters, global epidemics, climate change. Behind the dismal headlines are a series of closely connected, long-term political-economic processes, often glossed as the rise of neoliberal capitalism. This phenomenon rests on the presumption that capitalist trade "liberalization" will lead inevitably to market growth and optimal social ends. But so far the results have not been positive. Focusing on the United States, the contributors to this volume analyze how the globalization of newly untrammeled capitalism has exacerbated preexisting inequalities, how the retreat of the benevolent state and the rise of the punitive, imperial state are related, how poorly privatized welfare institutions provide services, how neoliberal and neoconservative ideologies are melding, and how recurrent moral panics misrepresent class, race, gendered, and sexual realities on the ground.”
 Library of dust / by David Maisel – FOLIO 779.092 M35L 2008
When I first viewed the cover of this title, I thought it was a work about sculpture. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Read the publisher’s description of this fascinating photography collection: “Esteemed photographer David Maisel has created a somber and beautiful series of images depicting canisters containing the cremated remains of the unclaimed dead from an Oregon psychiatric hospital. Dating back as far as the nineteenth century, these canisters have undergone chemical reactions, causing extravagant blooms of brilliant white, green, and blue corrosion, revealing unexpected beauty in the most unlikely of places. This stately volume is both a quietly astonishing body of fine art from a preeminent contemporary photographer, and an exceptionally poignant monument to the unknown deceased.”
 How many friends does one person need? Dunbar’s number and other evolutionary quirks /
by Robin Dunbar –
599.938 D86h 2010
The question posed by this title often enters my mind when I see the incredible numbers of “friends” some people have on Facebook, or how many thousands of followers people have on Twitter. Evolution, my dear Watson, evolution! “Why do men talk and women gossip, and which is better for you? Why is monogamy a drain on the brain? And why should you be suspicious of someone who has more than 150 friends on Facebook? We are the product of our evolutionary history, and this history colors our everyday lives—from why we joke to the depth of our religious beliefs. In How Many Friends Does One Person Need? Robin Dunbar uses groundbreaking experiments that have forever changed the way evolutionary biologists explain how the distant past underpins our current behavior. We know so much more now than Darwin ever did, but the core of modern evolutionary theory lies firmly in Darwin’s elegantly simple idea: organisms behave in ways that enhance the frequency with which genes are passed on to future generations. This idea is at the heart of Dunbar’s book, which seeks to explain why humans behave as they do. Stimulating, provocative, and immensely enjoyable, his book invites you to explore the number of friends you have, whether you have your father’s brain or your mother’s, whether morning sickness might actually be good for you, why Barack Obama’s 2008 victory was a foregone conclusion, what Gaelic has to do with frankincense, and why we laugh. In the process, Dunbar examines the role of religion in human evolution, the fact that most of us have unexpectedly famous ancestors, and why men and women never seem able to see eye to eye on color.” – Publisher’s description.
 Good idea, now what? How to move ideas to execution / by Charles T. Lee – 658.4094 L44g 2012
This book is cataloged with the managerial business titles, but it can be used and applied by anyone in any situation that warrants seeing a good idea through. The publisher says, “We all have ideas—things we want to do or create—but only some of us will do what it takes to see those ideas come to pass. In Good Idea. Now What? readers will discover some of the essential values and principles that guide successful idea-makers, including the leveraging of mixed environments for creativity, working through resistance and setbacks, developing a practical plan for implementation that works, navigating collaborative opportunities, and communicating your idea to make it truly remarkable. Whether you're just a creative type, or the leader of an organization, you must figure out a creative process and develop an infrastructure for implementing your ideas. Good Idea. Now What? offers systematic advice for moving your ideas to execution. It will show you: The fundamental elements of a good idea, tangible pathways to follow after initial inspiration, the importance of branding and its impact on ideas, and practical advice for developing a loyal tribe of supporters who will take your idea to a whole new level. It's not enough to be inspired. Learn how to follow through on your ideas and discover how great an impact you can have!”
 If stones could speak: unlocking the secrets of Stonehenge / Marc Aronson – JUV 936.2319 A76i 2010
Yes, this title is juvenile nonfiction, but it is extremely informative and fascinating to readers of any age. I thought I knew things about Stonehenge, I was misinformed. “What are the secrets of the ancient stone circle? Were the carefully placed stones a burial site, an ancient calendar, a place of Druid worship...or even a site of sacrifice? World-renowned archaeologist Mike Parker-Pearson has spent the last seven years on a quest to answer these and many other questions. In If Stones Could Speak, award-winning author Marc Aronson joins the research crew and records their efforts to crack Stonehenge’s secrets. National Geographic helped sponsor the Riverside Archeological Team’s mission, and now young readers can journey behind the scenes to experience this groundbreaking story first-hand, through the eyes of the experts.
Mike and his team have revolutionized our understanding of Stonehenge by exploring the surrounding landscape for clues about the stones – an idea first suggested by a visitor from Madagascar. The results have been breathtaking: The team recently unearthed the largest Neolithic village ever found in England. Marc Aronson had total access to the site, the team, and their work over two seasons of digging and brings the inspirational story of the discoveries taking place at this World Historical Site to young readers. The informative and drama-driven text includes tales of dead bodies, cremations, feasting, and ancient rituals, as well as insights into the science of uncovering the ancient past. The expert text, stunning photography, and explanatory maps and illustrations will all help young readers see this ancient monument in totally new ways, and inspire future generations of archaeological explorers.” – Publisher’s description.
 Unnatural selection: choosing boys over girls and the consequences of a world full of men / by Mara Hvistendahl – 304.66 H85u 2011
What happens in Eastern nations affects us all. This book illustrates through historical evidence and careful thought what may become our future. “Lianyungang, a booming port city, has China's most extreme gender ratio for children under four: 163 boys for every 100 girls. These numbers don't seem terribly grim, but in ten years, the skewed sex ratio will pose a colossal challenge. By the time those children reach adulthood, their generation will have twenty-four million more men than women. The prognosis for China's neighbors is no less bleak: Asia now has 163 million females "missing" from its population. Gender imbalance reaches far beyond Asia, affecting Georgia, Eastern Europe, and cities in the U.S. where there are significant immigrant populations. The world, therefore, is becoming increasingly male, and this mismatch is likely to create profound social upheaval. Historically, eras in which there have been an excess of men have produced periods of violent conflict and instability. Mara Hvistendahl has written a stunning, impeccably-researched book that does not flinch from examining not only the consequences of the misbegotten policies of sex selection but Western complicity with them. “ – Publisher’s description
 The Heimat Trilogy – DVD 734, 735, and 736
Do you have 54 hours to kill this summer? Tired of the English social life of Downton Abbey? Want to see one of Stanley Kubrick’s favorite film series and #59 in Empire magazine’s “The 100 best films of world cinema?” I give you, Heimat, I, II and III. “Heimat is the overall title of three series of films in 30 episodes written and directed by Edgar Reitz which view life in Germany between 1919 and 2000 through the eyes of a family from the Hunsrück area of the Rhineland. Personal and domestic life is set against glimpses of wider social and political events. The combined length of the 30 films is 53 hours and 25 minutes, making it one of the longest series of feature-length films in cinema history. The title Heimat is a German word meaning "homeland". Its use is partly an ironic reference to the film genre known as Heimatfilm which was popular in Germany in the 1950s. Heimatfilms were noted for their rural settings, sentimental tone and simplistic morality. Aesthetically, all three series are notable for their artful switching between color and black-and-white film to convey different emotional states.” – Wikipedia
 How the Beatles destroyed rock-n-roll: an alternative history of American popular music / by Elijah Wald – 781.64 W35h 2011
“Blasphemy!” you cry. Read on, I say. “Overthrowing the conventional pieties of mainstream jazz and rock history, Elijah Wald traces the evolution of popular music through developing tastes, trends and technologies--including the role of records, radio, jukeboxes and television--to give a fuller, more balanced account of the broad variety of music that captivated listeners over the course of the twentieth century.
Wald revisits original sources--recordings, period articles, memoirs, and interviews--to highlight how music was actually heard and experienced over the years. In a refreshing departure from more typical histories, he focuses on the world of working musicians and ordinary listeners rather than stars and specialists. He looks at the evolution of jazz as dance music, and rock 'n' roll through the eyes of the screaming, twisting teenage girls who made up the bulk of its early audience. Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and the Beatles are all here, but Wald also discusses less familiar names like Paul Whiteman, Guy Lombardo, Mitch Miller, Jo Stafford, Frankie Avalon, and the Shirelles, who in some cases were far more popular than those bright stars we all know today, and who more accurately represent the mainstream of their times.” – Publisher’s description
 Spirituality in nursing: standing on holy ground / by Mary Elizabeth O’Brien – 610.7301 O27sp 2011
In these times of “servant leadership” in our communities, this book speaks to the nursing profession and “explores the relationship between spirituality and the practice of nursing, providing students and professionals with invaluable insights from a variety of perspectives. Topics include nursing assessment of patients' spiritual needs, the nurse's role in the provision of spiritual care, the spiritual nature of the nurse-patient relationship, the spiritual history of the nursing profession, and contemporary interest in spirituality within the nursing profession. Completely updated and revised, this Fourth Edition now includes a chapter on servant leadership.” – Publisher’s description
What Would Jesus Buy? – DVD 695
You can agree or disagree with the message this film puts forth, but it makes you think and you gotta love the title! “What Would Jesus Buy? is a 2007 documentary film produced by Morgan Spurlock and directed by Rob Van Alkemade. The title is a play on the phrase "What would Jesus do?" The film debuted on the festival circuit on March 11, 2007, at the South By Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas. It went into general US release on November 16, 2007. The film focuses on the issues of the commercialization of Christmas, materialism, the over-consumption in American culture, globalization, and the business practices of large corporations, as well as their economic and cultural effects on American society, as seen through the prism of activist/performance artist Bill Talen, who goes by the alias of "Reverend Billy", and his troupe of activists, whose street theater performances take the form of a church choir called "The Church of Stop Shopping," that sings anti-shopping and anti-corporate songs. The film follows Billy and his choir as they take a cross-country trip in the month prior to Christmas 2005, and spread their message against what they perceive as the evils of patronizing the retail outlets of several different large corporate chains.” – Wikipedia
 Drifting on alien winds: exploring the skies and weather of other worlds / by Michael Carroll – 551.509992 C37d 2011
We’ve had some crazy weather so far this year, 80 degree days in March, 4 foot drifts of hail in Texas…but how crazy is the weather on Mars? This book tells us how to find out. “Ever since the Montgolfier's hot air balloon carried a chicken, a goat, and a duck into the Parisian skies, scientists have dreamed of contraptions to explore the atmosphere. With the advent of the space age, new airborne inventions were needed. From the Soviet Venus balloons to the advanced studies of blimps and airplanes for the atmospheres of Mars and Titan, Drifting on Alien Winds surveys the many creative and often wacky ideas for exploring alien skies. Through historical photographs and stunning original paintings by the author, readers also explore the weather on planets and moons, from the simmering acid-laden winds of Venus to liquid methane-soaked skies of Titan.” – Publisher’s description
 Daughters of the declaration: how women social entrepreneurs built the American dream / by Claire Gaudiani and David Graham Burnett – 361.765082 G38d 2011
You go, girl! “America’s founding fathers established an idealistic framework for a bold experiment in democratic governance. The new nation would be built on the belief that “all men are created equal, and are endowed...with a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The challenge of turning these ideals into reality for all citizens was taken up by a set of exceptional American women. Distinguished scholar and civic leader Claire Gaudiani calls these women “social entrepreneurs,” arguing that they brought the same drive and strategic intent to their pursuit of “the greater good” that their male counterparts applied to building the nation's capital markets throughout the nineteenth century. Gaudiani tells the stories of these patriotic women, and their creation of America's unique not-for-profit, or “social profit” sector. She concludes that the idealism and optimism inherent in this work provided an important asset to the increasing prosperity of the nation from its founding to the Second World War. Social entrepreneurs have defined a system of governance “by the people,” and they remain our best hope for continued moral leadership in the world.” – Publisher’s description.
|
