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Martian summer: robot arms, cowboy spacemen, and my 90 days with the Phoenix Mars Mission
By Andrew Kessler. 2011
Author recounts spending the summer of 2008 in mission control of the Phoenix Mars expedition with one hundred thirty scientists…
and engineers. Describes the team's discovery of ice on Mars, discusses the possibility of life on the planet, and addresses conspiracy stories about the mission's findings. 2011
Sex on the moon: the amazing story behind the most audacious heist in history
By Ben Mezrich. 2011
Detailed account of college intern Thad Roberts's theft of moon rocks from NASA in 2002 and the FBI sting that…
snared him. Describes Roberts's sheltered upbringing, his estrangement from his parents, and his romance with a coworker that motivated the heist. Some strong language. 2011
The Central Park Five: a chronicle of a city wilding
By Sarah Burns. 2011
Examines the trial of five black and Latino teenagers convicted of raping and beating New York banker Trisha Meili in…
1989 and exonerated in 2002. Describes the social milieu and racial tensions of 1980s New York and their effect on what became known as "the Central Park Jogger" case. 2011
Imperfect justice: prosecuting Casey Anthony
By Jeff Ashton. 2011
Retired Florida attorney details the three years he spent prosecuting Casey Anthony for the death of her two-year-old daughter Caylee.…
Recounts the evidence against Casey, her ever-changing story, unusual behavior during Caylee's absence, and history of fabrications. Expresses his astonishment at her 2011 acquittal. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2011
Incognito: the secret lives of the brain
By David Eagleman. 2011
Neuroscientist, who asserts that most mental activity is not under a person's conscious control, explores the depths of the subconscious.…
Discusses visual illusions, brain damage, artificial intelligence, the effects of various drugs, and the causes of phenomena such as synesthesia. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2011
So you want to be president?: revised edition
By David Small, Judith St. George. 2012
Revised edition offers unusual and interesting facts about the forty-three men who served as presidents of the United States. Points…
out the variety of personalities, backgrounds, and interests of these individuals, as well as their similarities. For grades 3-6 and older readers. Caldecott Medal. 2012
Theoretical physicist and author of From Eternity to Here (DB 71474) explains the research involved in and the potential impact…
of the 2012 discovery of the Higgs boson, also known as the God particle, that gives particles their mass. Details the role of engineers, theorists, and experimentalists. 2012
Giant in the shadows: the life of Robert T. Lincoln
By Jason Emerson. 2012
Biography of Robert T. Lincoln (1843-1926), the only son of Abraham Lincoln to reach adulthood. Discusses the political career of…
the Harvard-educated Chicago lawyer and businessman as a diplomat and U.S. secretary of war. Analyzes his relationship with his mother and covers the management of his father's legacy. 2012
Journalist explains the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act--coined Obamacare--and its effect on various groups, including the insured, the…
uninsured, senior citizens, illegal aliens, and others. Discusses the rollout and details changes in health insurance, long-term care, Medicaid, and Medicare. Offers suggestions to control personal costs. Bestseller. 2013
The scientific Sherlock Holmes: cracking the case with science and forensics
By James O'Brien, James F O'Brien. 2013
Chemistry professor and Sherlock Holmes scholar O'Brien analyzes the ways the fictional detective relied on forensic science to solve crimes.…
Details Holmes's use of handwriting analysis, cryptology, and--two years before police did--fingerprinting. Traces the development of these techniques and their application in actual cases. 2013
A grand complication: the race to build the world's most legendary watch
By Stacy Perman. 2013
Journalist explores the rivalry between financier Henry Graves Jr. and automobile magnate James Ward Packard to build and own the…
most remarkable watch in history. Graves and Packard spurred Swiss watchmaker Patek Phillipe to manufacture the Graves Supercomplication--the most complex mechanical watch ever created. Details early-twentieth-century watchmaking techniques. 2013
Beating Obamacare: your handbook for surviving the new health care law
By Betsy McCaughey Ross. 2013
Patient advocate and former lieutenant governor of New York presents a guide to understanding the federal Patient Protection and Affordable…
Care Act, which becomes law in January 2014. Discusses health-insurance exchanges, individual mandates, Medicare, Medicaid, and more. Contains a time line. Bestseller. 2013
Kids for cash: two judges, thousands of children, and a $2.8 million kickback scheme
By William Ecenbarger. 2012
Award-winning reporter recounts the scheme of two Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, judges who received kickbacks for sending several thousand juveniles to…
for-profit detention centers between 2003 and 2008. Portrays the youth and their families and examines the consequences of widespread political corruption. 2012
A universe from nothing: why there is something rather than nothing
By Lawrence M. Krauss, Lawrence Maxwell Krauss. 2012
Arizona State University cosmologist challenges belief in a divine creator and describes modern research in quantum mechanics that suggests the…
universe originated out of nothing--and could eventually return to that. Includes afterword by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, author of The Greatest Show on Earth (DB 70102). 2012
Privacy (Big ideas/small books)
By Garret Keizer. 2012
Author draws a connection between the widening gap of wealth and the shrinking of personal privacy. Defines privacy, discusses its…
worth, and describes the difference between alienation and the preference for a private life. 2012
A disability history of the United States (ReVisioning American history #2)
By Kim E. Nielsen. 2012
Professor and author of The Radical Lives of Helen Keller (DB 57987) chronicles the role of people with disabilities in…
America. Discusses the concept of dependency, Native American beliefs, disabled war veterans, institutionalization, and civil rights activism. 2012
The oath: the Obama White House and the Supreme Court
By Jeffrey Toobin. 2012
Legal analyst and author of The Nine (DB 64971) assesses the ideological differences between Chief Justice John Roberts and President…
Barack Obama. Details the politics and procedural strategies behind court decisions--including the 2012 ruling that narrowly upheld the Affordable Care Act--and their implications. Some strong language. 2012
Clinical bioethicist offers a caregivers' guide to making health-care choices for patients who are unable to do so. Draws on…
case studies, anecdotes, and frameworks for decision-making. Discusses quality-of-life issues, medical concerns, care facilities, and other considerations. 2010
Out of order: stories from the history of the Supreme Court
By Sandra Day O'Connor. 2013
The Supreme Court's first female justice traces the history and evolution of the institution from its first sessions in 1790…
to the twenty-first century. Discusses landmark cases and presents portraits of justices who shaped U.S. law. Includes the text of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Bestseller. 2013
Paradox: the nine greatest enigmas in physics
By Jim Al-Khalili. 2012
Physicist and author of The House of Wisdom (DB 75023) discusses nine theories and ideas that seem to defy common…
sense, including the Paradox of the Twins and Achilles and the Tortoise. Explains the science and math required to understand these brainteasers. 2012