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Journalist examines the life of Sally Ride (1951-2012), the first American woman astronaut to go to space. Details Ride's childhood…
and early life in California, her selection as an astronaut, and post-mission endeavors to encourage girls' interest in science fields. Discusses Ride's private life and relationships. 2014
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
&“ [ 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?
Riveting and dramatic, The Tenth Nerve offers a rare window into the world of a pre-eminent neurosurgeon and the seven…
exceptional patients that made him a better person." The scalpel can only go so deep, and technical skill can only take one so far." In this absorbing narrative, Dr. Chris Honey, an accomplished neurosurgeon at Vancouver General Hospital, weaves his personal journey together with case studies that reflect the thrill of scientific discovery and the limitations of medicine. Operating on a terminally ill child amid an Ebola outbreak in Liberia, he questions his preconceptions about what it means to "win" against a disease. Reflecting on his own path into neurosurgery, he brings to life a relatively new, high stakes field of medicine—one that historically demanded emotional detachment and often attracts extreme personalities. With a compassionate eye, he traces the courage and determination of several patients suffering from mysterious, unrecognized illnesses, two of whom led Dr. Honey and his team to discover an entirely new disease and its cure. In clear, engaging prose, he invites us into the operating room to witness this extraordinary discovery—involving the tenth cranial nerve—alongside him. And, outside the OR, an unusual friendship with a former patient alters his perspective on clinical detachment, and what "quality of life" really means. Combining a humane perspective, lively anecdotes, and a deep curiosity about the uncharted territories of the human brain, The Tenth Nerve is a richly fascinating memoir that will fill you with wonder.
CBS news correspondent Barry Petersen describes his and his beloved wife Jan's experiences after she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's…
disease in 2005, when she was fifty-five years old. E-mails and friends' observations help detail the changes that led to Jan's move to a long-term-care facility. 2010
Author examines science during the mid-seventeenth century and the group of individuals who created the Royal Society. Discusses Newton's theory…
of gravity, the debate over whether Newton or Leibniz invented calculus first, and other pivotal moments. Explores the importance of religion to scientific thinkers of that era. 2011
Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post journalist details the December 30, 2009, gathering in Khost, Afghanistan, of CIA and U.S. military officials…
and Pakistani and Afghani operatives to meet Jordanian pediatrician and spy Humam Khalil al-Balawi. Relates Balawi's subsequent suicide bombing, which killed himself and seven CIA personnel. 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
Arizona congresswoman Giffords and her husband, astronaut Kelly, describe their lives before and after the near-fatal shooting of Giffords in…
January 2011. They discuss their anguish over the other victims, Kelly's support during Giffords's recovery, and Giffords's determination to return to work. Some violence and some strong language. Bestseller. 2011
Chronicles the life of James A. Garfield (1831-1881), the twentieth American president. Highlights Garfield's rise from poverty to the Oval…
Office. Details the attack by deranged office-seeker Charles Guiteau and the medical care that killed Garfield despite the efforts of Alexander Graham Bell. Bestseller. 2011
Fulbright scholar examines the origins of the Philosophical Breakfast Club, a group of four Cambridge University students--William Whewell, Charles Babbage,…
John Herschel, and Richard Jones--who from 1812 to 1813 met Sunday mornings to discuss science. Discusses the men's efforts to professionalize their field. 2011
New York Post reporter's account of the mysterious disease that mimicked mental illness and almost killed her in 2009, when…
she was twenty-four years old. Describes her eventual diagnosis--NMDA-receptor autoimmune encephalitis, a rare brain infection that causes seizures and paranoia--and her successful treatment and recovery. Some strong language. 2012
Technology historian examines the creation of one of the first computers: the Universal Machine proposed by Alan Turing in 1936.…
Chronicles the 1945 gathering of scientists, led by mathematician John von Neumann, who constructed the theoretical machine that would later assist early weather modeling and nuclear weapons development. 2012
Details scientist Randy Lewis's study of the golden orb weaver spider's silk and its possible uses. Discusses his research with…
transgenic goats--which he injected with spider genes--and provides a basic introduction to DNA and gene theory. For grades 5-8 and older readers. 2013
Discusses wild horses that reside on Assateague Island National Seashore, a barrier island between Virginia and Maryland. Details their diet,…
physical characteristics, life cycles, and behavior, including their interactions with humans. Explains the steps taken to control overpopulation. Contains a glossary and resources. For grades 5-8 and older readers. 2012
Mathematics professor details the life and work of Dorothy Wrinch (1894-1976), a trained mathematician who helped decode the structure of…
proteins. Analyzes Wrinch's contributions to various scientific fields and her professional feud with chemist Linus Pauling. 2013
Choosing Hope captures the psychological, physical, and emotional trauma of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Written as a series of…
anecdotes based on entries from a blog the author started shortly after her first diagnosis--when her focus was simply on surviving--it tells an inspirational story about resilience, courage, and hope in the face of overwhelming odds.
Chronicles the 1940s collaboration of Vienna-born movie star Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000) and avant-garde composer George Antheil to invent spread-spectrum radio,…
the technology behind wireless phones, GPS devices, Bluetooth networks, and many other communication systems. Relates Lamarr's early life, marriage to a Nazi-sympathizing Austrian munitions manufacturer, and career in Hollywood. 2011
Recounts the life and career of the late founder of Apple, Steve Jobs (1955-2011). Covers his adoption and childhood, his…
friendship with Steve Wozniak, and his dynamic relationship with Apple--as chairman, head of the Mac department, advisor, and CEO--until his death. For junior and senior high and older readers. 2012
Journalist with exclusive access to imprisoned former nurse Charles Cullen describes Cullen's path to becoming possibly the most prolific serial…
killer in history. Details the ease with which Cullen gave fatal drug overdoses to hospitalized patients and, despite suspicions, kept getting jobs until his arrest in 2003. 2013