For Forbes, she named her best ten books on Haiti.Avengers of the New World, by Laurent Dubois, (2004, Harvard University Press, $ 15.12)Read about another book on the list.
Explains the Haitian revolution of 1791, why it happened and who its major protagonists were.
Dicks, on Kaleigh's proudest moment:About four years ago we discovered that Kaleigh suffers from a degenerative spinal condition that required surgery. It was expensive and life-threatening, and if she survived, we were told that Kaleigh would only have a 50/50 chance of ever walking again. As Kaleigh went under the knife, my wife and I began investigating doggy wheelchairs and envisioning a lifetime of catheterizing our dog. Kaleigh survived the surgery, remained in the hospital for about a week, and was finally ready to come home. She had yet to walk when we left the hospital, but about fifteen minutes after arriving home, she struggled to her feet and ambled across the dining floor, bringing...[read on]
Matthew Dicks is the author of the novels Something Missing and the forthcoming Unexpectedly, Milo. An elementary school teacher, he was named West Hartford’s Teacher of the Year in 2005 and was a finalist for Connecticut’s Teacher of the Year.
About the book, from the publisher:In the struggle to ensure that schools receive their fair share of financial and educational resources, reformers translate policy goals into legal claims in a number of different ways. This enlightening new work uncovers the options reformers have in framing legal challenges and how the choices they make affect politics and policy beyond the courtroom.Read more about Framing Equal Opportunity at the Stanford University Press website.
Focusing on two of the most controversial and far-reaching court decisions in the nation in school finance and education reform, Framing Equal Opportunity follows lawyers and activists in New Jersey and Kentucky as they negotiate the complicated political terrain of educational change in their respective states. Unlike other books on law and reform, this work emphasizes the importance of legal translation—the process through which reformers transform their visions and goals into plausible legal claims. As it reveals, the kinds of arguments lawyers choose to make matter not only to their success in the courtroom, but also to the nature of the political fights they face in the community at large.
His entry begins:Helen Thomas and Craig Crawford, Listen Up, Mr. President: Everything You Always Wanted Your President to Know and Do. I picked this book up at a book fair and got both authors to sign it. Helen Thomas is the dean of the White House press corps, having served as a reporter there since the Kennedy administration. It's an easy read and well-written, serving as a civics lesson and history guide to presidential behavior (both good and bad). They take an especially harsh view of George W. Bush, calling him the worst president of the post-World War II era, a judgment that I personally agree with. At times, the book strays into direct advice for the president himself, such as to work on...[read on]Garrett Peck is a freelance journalist who has written mostly within the alcohol industry trade circles. Based in Washington, D.C., he also regularly conducts tours of historic sites that hold a significant place in the temperance movement in and around the district.
"The culture of prohibition promotes irresponsible drinking, putting health and even life at greater risk. Kudos to Garrett Peck for advancing this unpleasant yet unassailable truth with a convincing combination of fact and verve. Impeccably researched and written in a most engaging style, The Prohibition Hangover brings usVisit Garrett Peck's website.face-to-face with those who would have us continue down the path of righteousness, and shows us how, far too often, that path can lead to treacherous results."
--John M. McCardell, Jr., President Emeritus, Middlebury College, founder and president of Choose Responsibility
"The Prohibition Hangover is an excellent book in every way: it is well researched, thoughtful, and entertaining to read. From discussions of policies since Prohibition to Americans' tastes for drinks throughout the decades, this book will be of interest to anyone interested in alcohol."
--Edward Stringham, Trinity College, and author of "No Booze? You May Lose"
"Garrett Peck effectively captures the essence of America's love/hate relationship with alcoholic beverages. While some of his conclusions are controversial, his book is well-written and comprehensive."
--Dan Tearno, industry executive
One book on the list:Eco Barons: The Dreamers, Schemers, and Millionaires Who Are Saving Our Planet by Edward HumesRead about another book on the list.
With all the focus on fat cat bankers lately, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward Humes’ portrayal of financial titans who are measured not by their bank accounts, but by their impact on the environment is a refreshing reminder that there are still people out there willing to put their money (and lots of it) toward combating climate change. Profiles of fascinating environmental warriors such as Burt’s Bees founder Roxanne Quimby and media mogul Ted Turner will keep readers excitedly turning the pages until the very end.
An inventive and richly visual novel about young lovers on a quest to find a cure for a magical ailment, perfect for readers of Alice HoffmanLearn more about the book and author at Ali Shaw's website and blog.
Strange things are happening on the remote and snowbound archipelago of St. Hauda’s Land. Unusual winged creatures flit around the icy bogland, albino animals hide themselves in the snow-glazed woods, and Ida Maclaird is slowly turning into glass. Ida is an outsider in these parts, a mainlander who has visited the islands only once before. Yet during that one fateful visit the glass transformation began to take hold, and now she has returned in search of a cure.
Midas Crook is a young loner who has lived on the islands his entire life. When he meets Ida, something about her sad, defiant spirit pierces his emotional defenses. As Midas helps Ida come to terms with her affliction, she gradually unpicks the knots of his heart. Love must be paid in precious hours and, as the glass encroaches, time is slipping away fast. Will they find a way to stave off the spread of the glass?
The Girl with Glass Feet is a dazzlingly imaginative and magical first novel, a love story to treasure.
About the book, from the publisher:A gripping account of the environmental crusade to save the world’s most endangered species and landscapes—the last best hope for preserving our natural homeLearn more about the book and author at the Rewilding the World website and blog.
Scientists worldwide are warning of the looming extinction of thousands of species, from tigers and polar bears to rare flowers, birds, and insects. If the destruction continues, a third of all plants and animals could disappear by 2050—and with them earth’s life-support ecosystems that provide our food, water, medicine, and natural defenses against climate change.
Now Caroline Fraser offers the first definitive account of a visionary campaign to confront this crisis: rewilding. Breathtaking in scope and ambition, rewilding aims to save species by restoring habitats, reviving migration corridors, and brokering peace between people and predators. Traveling with wildlife biologists and conservationists, Fraser reports on the vast projects that are turning Europe’s former Iron Curtain into a greenbelt, creating trans-frontier Peace Parks to renew elephant routes throughout Africa, and linking protected areas from the Yukon to Mexico and beyond.
An inspiring story of scientific discovery and grassroots action, Rewilding the World offers hope for a richer, wilder future.
McGee on Food and Cooking: An Encyclopedia of Kitchen Science, History and Culture by Harold McGeeRead about another book on the list.
A greatly expanded edition of his earlier On Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Fuchsia Dunlop picked On Food and Cooking out as "one of the essential books in any cook's library. Useful as a reference book, and fascinating to dip into." Tom Jaine points out that "though molecular gastronomy may never have much impact on home cooking, this book has permanently affected how we look at food and cookery," and Richard Ehrlich says the book "secures McGee's position as one of the pre-eminent writers on food. It helps to have some scientific knowledge, but even without that On Food and Cooking illuminates and stimulates on every single page. A great book, and not just for reference but for casual or sustained reading." Matthew Fort has it that it is "science as it should be written - practical, clear, elegantly presented, with an astounding range of non-scientific reference." Bob Granleese agreed it explains in full "what really happens when you chill, freeze or apply heat to food. All the answers are in here."
Brazier, on how he and Brodie were united ... and where Brodie's name came from:I don’t know the details of Brodie’s first family but she was dropped off at Pets on Lex right after 9/11. Our west conference room overlooks the World Trade Center site.... The woman who found Brodie at the pet store languishing away in a cage for four months was calling her Sweet Pea. I wanted something with a little more edge and a Scottish connection. Lady Macbeth seemed a little too dark and something we might regret. A theatrical director suggested Brodie, as in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. It fit although now I call her all sorts of shorter versions: booby, Miss B., ...[read on]Read--Coffee with a Canine: Tim Brazier & Miss Jean Brodie.
About the book, from the publisher:During a deadly Chicago heat wave that’s claiming hundreds of lives, Robert, who’s stuck in his apartment alone, fears he’s going to be the next victim. In the apartment above him lives a shell-shocked Vietnam veteran who talks obsessively about the corpses of his war experience while alternately listening to Die Meistersinger and Madama Butterfly.Listen to an audio reading and discussion of Beautiful Piece on Myspace.
One day, Robert ventures forth into the searing heat to gas up his car. Immediately he encounters enigmatic Lucy who is trying to escape her brutal fiancé, Matthew Gliss. On a whim, Lucy invites Robert to her apartment where she shows him her mysterious tattoo and tells him of her dangerous life with Matthew Gliss. She warns Robert that if Matthew ever catches them together he should run, not walk, because Matthew won’t think twice of killing him.
So begins the risky, short-lived relationship that leads to a chilling climax. Each of Robert’s increasingly hallucinatory recollections of what happened during the heat wave leads him to profoundly question his own culpability.
One book on his list:Foucault's PendulumRead about another book on Hamm's list.
by Umberto Eco
Foucault's Pendulum isn't an easy read, but it's a super-satisfying one. It's an incredibly complicated mystery about art and religion. The story is told in an interesting style of two twisting narratives (one about the main character and the other about the people following him). I read The Da Vinci Code in three days; this novel took a few weeks, because it works on a deeper level and Eco creates this dense web of intrigue. His style is self-referential—he is a big fan of the writer Jorge Luis Borges and has a lot of his sensibilities, where things reflect upon themselves and you have to really pay attention. Those are the kinds of books I like.
About the book, from the publisher: The Great American Mission traces how America's global modernization efforts during the twentieth century were a means to remake the world in its own image. David Ekbladh shows that the emerging concept of modernization combined existing development ideas from the Depression. He describes how ambitious New Deal programs like the Tennessee Valley Authority became symbols of American liberalism's ability to marshal the social sciences, state planning, civil society, and technology to produce extensive social and economic change. For proponents, it became a valuable weapon to check the influence of menacing ideologies such as Fascism and Communism.Read an excerpt from The Great American Mission, and learn more about the book at the Princeton University Press website.
Modernization took on profound geopolitical importance as the United States grappled with these threats. After World War II, modernization remained a means to contain the growing influence of the Soviet Union. Ekbladh demonstrates how U.S.-led nation-building efforts in global hot spots, enlisting an array of nongovernmental groups and international organizations, were a basic part of American strategy in the Cold War.
However, a close connection to the Vietnam War and the upheavals of the 1960s would discredit modernization. The end of the Cold War further obscured modernization's mission, but many of its assumptions regained prominence after September 11 as the United States moved to contain new threats. Using new sources and perspectives, The Great American Mission offers new and challenging interpretations of America's ideological motivations and humanitarian responsibilities abroad.
Her entry begins:I read a ton of ebooks because my iPhone is with me all the time. (As an author, I know all the arguments for and against digital publishing but I do find myself grinding my teeth when a book I want to read isn’t available in that format.) At any rate, more and more of my “light” reading is done this way simply because it’s hugely convenient. I normally have about forty ebooks on my iPhone at any one time, with another five hundred or so stored on my computer.
I’m always reading at least one novel, usually a pure romance or romantic suspense this way. I just finished Remember Summer by Elizabeth Lowell, which was previously published as Summer Games in 1984. Elizabeth Lowell is a favorite author of mine; I own all her books and I’ve dissected more than one. Nobody writes better romantic suspense and her Tell Me No Lies made Romance Writers of America’s Top 100 Best Romance List. Remember Summer is set during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Today’s world is more cynical about terrorism and I know exactly...[read on]
In addition to the Donovan family saga, Whiteside's books include the Texas vampires’ trilogy, which began with The Hunter’s Prey.
Ghastly Glass is the second book in our Renaissance Faire Mystery series (Wicked Weaves is the first). The stories revolve around an associate history professor from South Carolina whose passion is visiting the Ren Faire in Myrtle Beach (no, there isn’t really one at the old Air Force base). She happens upon murder mysteries while indulging her passion and working on her doctorate in Renaissance crafts.View the Ghastly Glass trailer, and learn more about the authors and their work at Joyce and Jim Lavene's website.
We have to admit that, yes; we do see Jessie Morton, our Renaissance Faire sleuth, as a younger Meg Ryan. She’s got that flyaway hair and can be a little useless though she always ends up doing the right thing in the end. She’s pretty and smart though she can be a little thick sometimes. We see her as a normal type person who gets caught up in weird things that happen.
Really, He-Man (cartoon, not Dolph Lundgren) would be the perfect...[read on]
I, Claudius by Robert GravesRead about another literary poisoning on the list.
Top poisoner among many in this fictional memoir of the Roman emperor is Livia, the narrator's grandmother and wife of the emperor Augustus. Augustus will eat only figs he has himself picked from the tree, but he dies mysteriously anyway – the poison probably having been administered while the fruit were on the branch.
Besides her cute, wrinkly face? She is great with people of all ages. My little niece takes Laney's leash and drags her all around the house, and Laney is a trooper. I've also taken her to a nursing home several time and she is great with the elderly as well. At the dog park, she'd much rather sit up on the bench and get attention from the human owners, rather than get down and play with the other dogs![read on]"SciFiChick" is an active reader and reviewer of SciFi books: see what she read in 2009.
About the book, from the publisher:In Infectious Ideas, Jennifer Brier convincingly argues that the AIDS epidemic had a profound effect on the American political landscape. Viewing contemporary history from the perspective of the AIDS crisis, she provides rich, new understandings of the complex social and political trends of the post-1960s era.Read more about Infectious Ideas at the publisher's website.
Brier describes how AIDS workers--in groups as disparate as the gay and lesbian press, AIDS service organizations, private philanthropies, and the State Department--influenced American politics, especially on issues such as gay and lesbian rights, reproductive health, racial justice, and health care policy, even in the face of the expansion of the New Right. Indeed, the book shows that efforts to deal with AIDS produced significant fissures in the conservative movement during this period, especially when the State Department and USAID adopted AIDS as a centerpiece of its diplomatic strategy, including the distribution of millions of condoms overseas.
Infectious Ideas places recent social, cultural, and political events in a new light, making an important contribution to our understanding of the United States at the end of the twentieth century.
When politically incorrect, hot-shot detective Andreas Kaldis is promoted out of Athens to serve as police chief for Mykonos, he's certain his homicide days are over. Murders shouldn't happen in tourist heaven, but soon he is staring at the remains of a young woman found ritually bound and buried on a pile of human bones inside a remote mountain church. Teamed with the canny, nearly-retired local homicide chief, Andreas tries to find the killer before the media destroys the island's fabled reputation with a barrage of world-wide attention. Just when it seems things can't get any worse, another young woman disappears. With the investigation now a rescue operation, Andreas plunges into ancient myths and forgotten places, racing against a killer intent on claiming a new victim who is herself determined to outstep him.Learn more about the book and author at Jeffrey Siger's website.
Rankin named his six best books for the Daily Express. One title on the list:The Prime of Miss Jean BrodieRead about another book on Rankin's list.
by Muriel Spark
I read this at university and have probably re-read it a dozen times since. For a short book it packs a powerful punch. It’s both funny and moving and, in Miss Brodie, Spark created one of the great monsters of literature.
Her entry begins:Many people recommended The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, in which several narrators use dialect. I don’t even like to look at a page of written-out dialect, because for me, the necessary incorrect spelling and grammar is like music played out of tune. I didn’t want to read it. But since I have to drive a lot, I listen to a lot of recorded books. I just finished...[read on]Caroline B. Cooney's novels have sold over 15,000,000 copies and are published in several languages. The Face on the Milk Carton has sold over 3,000,000 copies and was made into a
television movie. Among her recent titles, Cooney is proudest of Diamonds in the Shadow, which won a Christopher Award, A Friend at Midnight, which won the Church and Synagogue Library Association Award, Hit the Road, which was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults, and Code Orange, which received a National Science Teachers award.
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