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In the company of crows and ravens
By John M Marzluff. 2020
From the cave walls at Lascaux to the last painting by Van Gogh, from the works of Shakespeare to those…
of Mark Twain, there is clear evidence that crows and ravens influence human culture. Yet this influence is not unidirectional, say the authors of this fascinating book: people profoundly influence crow culture, ecology, and evolution as well. John Marzluff and Tony Angell examine the often surprising ways that crows and humans interact. The authors contend that those interactions reflect a process of "cultural coevolution." They offer a challenging new view of the human-crow dynamic-a view that may change our thinking not only about crows but also about ourselves. In the Company of Crows and Ravens takes a close look at the influences people have had on the lives of crows throughout history and at the significant ways crows have altered human lives. This book illuminates the entwined histories of crows and people and concludes with an intriguing discussion of the crow-human relationship and how our attitudes toward crows may affect our cultural trajectory
American serengeti: The last big animals of the great plains
By Dan Flores. 2017
America's Great Plains once possessed one of the grandest wildlife spectacles of the world, equaled only by such places as…
the Serengeti, the Masai Mara, or the veld of South Africa. Pronghorn antelope, gray wolves, bison, coyotes, wild horses, and grizzly bears: less than two hundred years ago these creatures existed in such abundance that John James Audubon was moved to write, "it is impossible to describe or even conceive the vast multitudes of these animals." In a work that is at once a lyrical evocation of that lost splendor and a detailed natural history of these charismatic species of the historic Great Plains, veteran naturalist and outdoorsman Dan Flores draws a vivid portrait of each of these animals in their glory-and tells the harrowing story of what happened to them at the hands of market hunters and ranchers, and ultimately, a federal killing program in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
Toms River: a story of science and salvation
By Dan Fagin. 2013
Pulitzer Prize-winning author recounts the decades-long saga of the New Jersey seaside town plagued by childhood cancers caused by air…
and water pollution that resulted from the indiscriminate dumping of toxic chemicals. The case culminated in 2001 with one of the largest legal settlements in the annals of toxic dumping. 2013
Around the world in 80 books
By David Damrosch. 2021
A transporting and illuminating voyage around the globe, through classic and modern literary works that are in conversation with one…
another and with the world around them *Featured in the Chicago Tribune' s Great 2021 Fall Book Preview* Inspired by Jules Verne&’s hero Phileas Fogg, David Damrosch, chair of Harvard University&’s department of comparative literature and founder of Harvard&’s Institute for World Literature, set out to counter a pandemic&’s restrictions on travel by exploring eighty exceptional books from around the globe. Following a literary itinerary from London to Venice, Tehran and points beyond, and via authors from Woolf and Dante to Nobel Prize–winners Orhan Pamuk, Wole Soyinka, Mo Yan, and Olga Tokarczuk, he explores how these works have shaped our idea of the world, and the ways in which the world bleeds into literature. To chart the expansive landscape of world literature today, Damrosch explores how writers live in two very different worlds: the world of their personal experience and the world of books that have enabled great writers to give shape and meaning to their lives. In his literary cartography, Damrosch includes compelling contemporary works as well as perennial classics, hard-bitten crime fiction as well as haunting works of fantasy, and the formative tales that introduce us as children to the world we&’re entering. Taken together, these eighty titles offer us fresh perspective on enduring problems, from the social consequences of epidemics to the rising inequality that Thomas More designed Utopia to combat, as well as the patriarchal structures within and against which many of these books&’ heroines have to struggle—from the work of Murasaki Shikibu a millennium ago to Margaret Atwood today. Around the World in 80 Books is a global invitation to look beyond ourselves and our surroundings, and to see our world and its literature in new ways
Warmth: Coming of age at the end of our world
By Daniel Sherrell. 2021
&“ [ Warmth ] is lyrical and erudite, engaging with science, activism, and philosophy . . . [Sherrell] captures the…
complicated correspondence between hope and doubt, faith and despair—the pendulum of emotional states that defines our attitude toward the future. &” — The New Yorker &“Beautifully rendered and bracingly honest.&” —Jenny Odell, author of How to Do Nothing From a millennial climate activist, an exploration of how young people live in the shadow of catastrophe Warmth is a new kind of book about climate change: not what it is or how we solve it, but how it feels to imagine a future—and a family—under its weight. In a fiercely personal account written from inside the climate movement, Sherrell lays bare how the crisis is transforming our relationships to time, to hope, and to each other. At once a memoir, a love letter, and an electric work of criticism, Warmth goes to the heart of the defining question of our time: how do we go on in a world that may not?
Ocean! Waves for all (Our Universe #4)
By Stacy McAnulty. 2020
From writer Stacy McAnulty and illustrator David Litchfield, Ocean! Waves for All is a light-hearted nonfiction audiobook about the formation…
and history of the ocean, told from the perspective of the ocean itself. Dude. Ocean is incredible. Atlantic, Pacific, Artic, Indian, Southern—it's all excellent Ocean! Not part of any nation, his waves are for all. And under those waves, man, he holds so many secrets. With characteristic humor and charm, Stacy McAnulty channels the voice of Ocean in this next "autobiography" in the Our Universe series. A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company.
Hemingway's boat: everything he loved in life, and lost, 1934-1961
By Paul Hendrickson. 2011
Explores the last twenty-seven years of the life of writer Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) and describes the solace that he found…
aboard his fishing boat Pilar, which he obtained in 1934. Discusses both Hemingway's literary career and his family, including his cross-dressing youngest son Gregory. Some strong language. 2011
The quest: energy, security and the remaking of the modern world
By Daniel Yergin. 2011
The author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power (DB 32424) examines…
the worldwide energy crisis. Investigates increasing energy demands, environmental concerns, and the development of alternative and renewable resources. Bestseller. 2011
The book in the Renaissance
By Andrew Pettegree. 2010
Chronicles the first one hundred fifty years of the printed word. Details the origins and evolution of print, culminating in…
Gutenberg's innovation and its momentous consequences for humankind. Examines the religious, economic, and cultural concerns that influenced the production of books. 2010
The sea wolves: living wild in the Great Bear Rainforest
By Nicholas Read, Ian McAllister. 2010
Discusses the wolves of Canada's Pacific Coast, who are smaller than their inland cousins and can swim and catch salmon.…
Explains their social behavior, seasonal habits, and coexistence with First Nations people. Companion to The Salmon Bears (DB 71788). For grades 4-7. 2010
Anne Frank: the book, the life, the afterlife
By Francine Prose. 2009
Analyzes The Diary of a Young Girl (DB 57022) as a literary work, a Holocaust narrative, and a cultural artifact.…
Examines the evidence that Anne rewrote her memoir to increase its appeal. Discusses the published book's use in classroom instruction and its adaptation for stage and film. 2009
Role models
By John Waters. 2010
Baltimore director of cult films Pink Flamingos and Hairspray pens essays about the people he admires, including singers Johnny Mathis…
and Little Richard, writer Tennessee Williams, former Charles Manson groupie Leslie Van Houten, gay pornographers, and bar owners. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2010
The Grimm legacy (Grimm Legacy Ser.)
By Polly Shulman. 2010
Elizabeth gets an after-school job as a page at the New York Circulating Material Repository, which houses magical objects from…
the Grimm brothers' fairy tales. When items disappear Elizabeth and the other pages are drawn into frightening adventures involving mythical creatures and stolen goods. For grades 6-9. 2010
Why Orwell matters
By Christopher Hitchens. 2002
Essayist explores the life and work of George Orwell (1903-1950), best known as the author of 1984 and Animal Farm.…
Discusses Orwell's political beliefs and the ways they were shaped by the times in which he lived. Challenges Orwell's critics and argues that his ideas remain relevant. 2002
The big thirst: the secret life and turbulent future of water
By Charles Fishman. 2011
Author discusses human dependence on water and explains Americans' carefree use of the resource in the twentieth century. Describes the…
new era of water scarcity in places like Atlanta, Georgia; Melbourne, Australia; and Barcelona, Spain. Relates the effects of the shortage on the ways people live, work, and relax. 2011
Environmental issues, global perspectives: Wetlands ; Forests ; Mountains ; Oceans ; Freshwater
By James Fargo Balliett. 2010
Five-volume series explores the predominantly negative impact of human behavior and population growth on natural areas. Examines modern society's response…
to these changes through increased education, conservation efforts, and environmental management. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 2010
The forest unseen: a year's watch in nature
By David George Haskell. 2012
Biology professor recounts what he learned when--guided by the metaphor of the mandala, the contemplation of a small part of…
something to understand the whole--he studied a one-meter circle of old-growth Tennessee woodlands for a year. Details the changing seasons' effects on the forest's plants and animals. 2012
The way of the panda: the curious history of China's political animal
By Henry Nicholls. 2011
British science writer chronicles the natural history and symbolic and political clout of this endangered species. Traces the growth of…
Western obsession with pandas between 1869 and 2010. Discusses China's appropriation of the bear's image for its national identity and covers modern research on breeding in captivity for conservation. 2011
The Sookie Stackhouse companion (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood)
By Charlaine Harris. 2011
Features the novella Small-Town Wedding, in which Sookie and her boss Sam, a shape-shifter, attend nuptials in Sam's Texas hometown.…
Includes trivia and fan questions, recipes, and a guide to Sookie's world of vampires, werewolves, and fairies. 2011
Volcano: the eruption and healing of Mount St. Helens
By Patricia Lauber. 1993
Recounts the transformation of Mount St. Helens from a forested mountain to a desolate blast zone after its explosion on…
March 27, 1980. Discusses the earthquakes and mud flows that occurred and the gradual return of plants, insects, and animals. For grades 4-7. Newbery Honor Book. 1986