001.9 GLA    Glad you asked : intriguing names, facts, and ideas for the curious-minded.

• By Michael Feldman, the host of the weekly public radio program, “Whad’ya Know?” and Encyclopedia Britannica; this little book is just the thing for trivia contests and random conversation-starters.

070.4 LEF    Buried by the Times : the Holocaust and America’s most important newspaper.

• Examines how the New York Times failed in its coverage of the Holocaust from 1939 to 1945, exploring how the decisions of the people in charge of the newspaper resulted in the minimizing and misunderstanding of the Holocaust and its impact on European Jews.

133.10222 WIL    Ghosts caught on film : photographs of the paranormal.

• “Photographic” evidence of ghosts!

153 HAL    Why we make mistakes : how we look without seeing, forget things in seconds, and are all pretty sure we are way above average.

• A lively exploration of human error — how we think, see, remember, and forget, and how this sets us up for wholly irresistible mistakes.

153.44 GLA    Blink : the power of thinking without thinking.

• Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading, translating research into splendid storytelling. He builds his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage, speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars, and military maneuvers and persuades readers to think small and focus on the meaning of “thin slices” of behavior.

155.5 SAV    The secret lives of boys : inside the raw emotional world of male teen.

• Author Malina Saval introduces us to ten very different teenage boys and makes a compelling case for the so-called problem with adolescent males being not the boys, but an overreliance on statistics and norms to tell their stories.

170 WEI    Is it still cheating if I don’t get caught?

• A guide to help you make good decisions in many situations both in school and in the ‘real world’.

302 GLA    Outliers: the story of success.

• Why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Challenging our cherished belief of the “self-made man,” Malcolm Gladwell here makes the democratic assertion that superstars don’t arise out of nowhere, propelled by genius and talent: “they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.”

320.6096 MAA    The challenge for Africa.

• Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and founder of the Green Belt Movement, offers a refreshingly unique perspective on the challenges facing Africa, even as she calls for a moral revolution among Africans themselves, who, she argues, are culturally deracinated, adrift between worlds.

320.973 HEN    The United States Constitution : a graphic adaptation.

• An entertaining and memorable introduction to America’s founding document that brings its important elements to life in a comic book format.

324.973 THO    A long time coming : the inspiring, combative 2008 campaign and the historic election of Barack Obama.

• Chronicles the long siege between Obama and Hillary Clinton, the wild ride of John McCain, and the explosive arrival of Sarah Palin. Finally, it shows how Obama overcame times of vexation and self-doubt to transform himself from the consummate outsider to the confident leader of an unstoppable political movement—one that brought hope and the possibility of redemption to the United States.

325.73 BAU    Denied, detained, deported : stories from the dark side of American immigration.

• Discusses the part that immigrants took in the history of the United States including racism, prejudice, political concerns, and fear which shows that they were not always welcomed.

330.9 EPP    The 21st century economy : a beginner’s guide : with 101 easy-to-learn tools for surviving and thriving in the new global market place.

• Uses compelling narratives and insightful analogies to clearly and concisely explain the rapidly changing way business is don in the 21st century, all without a single chart or graph.

338.951 STR    China in the 21st century : a new world power.

• A brief study of the history, economic, and technological growth of China in the twenty-first century and its status as a new world power.

347.732634 SCH    Secret lives of the Supreme Court : what your teachers never told you about America’s legendary Justices.

• An irreverent look at the lives, personalities, and history of this exclusive club, with profiles of everyone from John Jay and William Howard Taft to Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and John Roberts.

394.1209 STA    An edible history of humanity.

• Throughout history, food has acted as a catalyst of social change, political organization, geopolitical competition, industrial development, military conflict, and economic expansion. An Edible History of Humanity is a pithy, entertaining account of how a series of changes — caused, enabled, or influenced by food — has helped to shape and transform societies around the world.

510 BAR    100 essential things you didn’t know you didn’t know : math explains your world.

• Author John Barrow comprehensively explodes the myths that mathematics is limited to what we learn at school and that none of it is useful in the real world. This dip-in-anywhere book shows you the hidden mathematics behind diamond cutting, high finance, even standing in line. Essential reading for anyone who wants to know why we need mathematics.

510 TAT    Geekspeak : how life + mathematics = happiness.

• In this friendly primer, UK “freelance engineer” Graham Tattersall guides readers through 26 “problems” meant to demonstrate how anyone can benefit from some armchair arithmetic.

519.2 BRU    Conned again, Watson! : cautionary tales of logic, math, and probability

• Presents twelve Sherlock Holmes stories that use mathematics to show the fallibility of common sense.

539.764 SEI    Sun in a bottle : the strange history of fusion and the science of wishful thinking.

• The quest for fusion energy has been a failure ever since the discovery of its power. This book explores the history of this futile effort, introducing the reader to an amazing cast of heroes and villains along the way.

551.6 SCH    Climate change : picturing the science.

• Seeks to advance public education about human-induced climate change in a combination of arresting images and lucid explanations of the science of global warming and the pursuit of global cooperation in adopting new, sustainable ways of living.

551.63 DIC    Man vs. weather : how to be your own weatherman.

• A humorous and practical romp through the history and science of understanding weather, offering up the tricks that will beat weather at its own game.

576.8 EVO    Evolution : the first four billion years.

• A collection of essays that deal with the history and philosophy of evolutionary biology, the major theoretical and empirical questions in the science, and the social and political significance of evolutionary biology today.

576.839 SHO    Confessions of an alien hunter : a scientist’s search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

• Written by an astronomer with the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project, this book reveals the true story of our search for life beyond our planet and discloses what we may soon discover.

577.22 BAR    Heatstroke : nature in an age of global warming.

• Author Anthony Barnosky claims that we’re not just heating up the planet; we are changing its basic character.

590 CON    Swimming with piranhas at feeding time : my life doing dumb stuff with animals.

• Field journalist Richard Conniff examines the lives of two-, four-, six-, and eight-legged creatures from around the globe, providing adventure-packed accounts of his many ill advised forays into the animal kingdom. He pulls a 90-pound snapping turtle out of a Louisiana bayou, tracks leopards with !Kung San hunters in the Namibian desert, and travels through the Himalayas in pursuit of tigers and the mythical migur, and more!

597.8097 ELL    The frogs and toads of North America : a comprehensive guide to their identification, behavior, and calls.

• Includes a CD with frog calls!

599.7764 HAM    Arctic fox : life at the top of the world.

• Beautiful photographs accompany this fascinating story of the life and natural history of the Arctic fox, a true survivor of the north.

612 MAC    The way we work : getting to know the amazing human body.

• David Macauley uses his wonderfully precise and lively drawing techniques to explain the human body and how it works.

612 WAL    Dr. Frankenstein’s human body book : the monstrous truth about how your body works.

• Dr. Frankenstein presents an anatomical look at the human body, its parts and functions.

623.441 BOO    Swords : an artist’s devotion.

• A comprehensive history and appreciation of this most basic and effective weapon.

629.45 NEL    Rocket men : the epic story of the first men on the moon.

• Using interviews, NASA oral histories, and declassified CIA material, Craig Nelson has produced a magnificent, very readable account of the steps that led to the success of Apollo 11.

636.8 MYR    Dewey : the small-town library cat who touched the world.

• One frigid Midwestern winter night in 1988, a ginger kitten was shoved into the after-hours book-return slot at the public library in Spencer, Iowa. And in this tender story, Myron, the library director, tells of the impact the cat, named DeweyReadmore Books, had on the library and its patrons, including Myron herself.

641.3 MEN    What the world eats.

• A photographic collection exploring what the world eats featuring portraits of twenty-five families from twenty-one countries surrounded by a week’s worth of food.

741.51 BAR    What it is.

• In this indescribable book Lynda Barry, the writer and graphic novelist, explores the creative process and her own development as an artist.

796.323 DAV    When March went mad : the game that transformed basketball.

• Recounts the dramatic story of the season leading up to the final game of the 1979 NCAA tournament, as “Magic” Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans and Larry Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores overcame long odds and great doubts that their unheralded teams could compete at the highest level. Though they played each other only once, that meeting launched an epic rivalry, transformed the NCAA tournament into the multibillion-dollar event it is today, and laid the groundwork for the resurgence of the NBA.

796.34 WER    Strokes of genius : Federer, Nadal, and the greatest match ever played.

• “Like the singular match that inspired it, this account of the 2008 Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is compelling from the get-go.” (Booklist) A must-read for any tennis fan or player.

796.3573 WEB    As they see ’em : a fan’s travels in the land of umpires.

• An entertaining account of the author’s experience as he enrolls in umpire training school and researches in baseball parks across the country as well as a lively exploration of what amounts to an eccentric secret society, with its own customs, its own rituals,  and its own colorful vocabulary.

808.81 ESS    Essential pleasures : a new anthology of poems to read aloud.

• Compiled by Robert Pinsky, America’s Poet Laureate from 1997 to 2000; this anthology includes a CD of the editor reading many of his selections.

818.34 THO    The Thoreau you don’t know : what the prophet of environmentalism really meant.

• In this slyly philosophical inquiry, author Robert Sullivan aims to free Henry David Thoreau from his calcified reputation as a cantankerous hermit and nature worshipper. Sounding like your favorite teacher who manages to make history fun and relevant, Sullivan vibrantly portrays the sage of Walden as a geeky, curious, compassionate fellow of high intelligence and deep feelings who loved company, music, and long walks.

822.33 SHA    Julius Caesar.

• The original language of Shakespeare brought to life in a comic-book format.

909.81 EVE    Events that changed the world in the nineteenth century.

• Describes and evaluates the global impact of ten of the nineteenth century’s most important events.

909.826 KAU    1968.

• Explores the events of 1968, a seminal year around the world; from the protests in New York and Paris to the war in Vietnam, from the heights of the Civil Rights movement to the first flights of the Apollo moon mission.

910.45 SEK    Terror on the seas : true tales of modern-day pirates.

• Recent headlines attest that piracy hasn’t gone the way of the great sailing ships of past centuries. Here, Daniel Sekulich takes readers on an eye-opening voyage into today’s world of high seas piracy, a multinational, multibillion-dollar enterprise controlled by organized crime syndicates and local warlords.

915.104 CHI    China.
A region-by-region travel guide to China that covers the country’s history, culture, and landscapes and provides color photos, cutaway illustrations of architecture, maps, practical information, and details on sights to see, things to do, lodgings, and restaurants.

940.53 WIE    After the darkness : reflections on the Holocaust

• Elie Wiesel chronicles the events of the Holocaust from the rise of Hitler to the liberation, presenting photos from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and including commentary by a child of a survivor on the importance of bearing witness into the twenty-first century.

940.5317 SAI    The Jewish women of Ravensbrück Concentration Camp

• Draws on more than sixty narratives and interviews to chronicle the experiences of Jewish women held at Ravensbruck, the only major Nazi concentration camp for women, during World War II.

940.5318 GOL    Hitler’s willing executioners : ordinary Germans and the Holocaust

• A study of how and why the Holocaust occurred, presenting the author’s conclusions about the perpetrators of the Holocaust, German antisemitism, and the nature of German society during the Nazi period, arguing that the German people were willing participants in the brutalization and murder of Jews.

940.5318 HOS    Death dealer : The memoirs of the SS Kommandant at Auschitz.

• This first complete English translation of a senior Nazi officer’s account of the Final Solution describes in cold, stomach-churning detail the program of genocide as an administrative procedure.

940.5318 NEU    The society of terror : inside the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps

• Paul Neurath chronicles the experiences he had as a Jewish political prisoner in the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps from April 1, 1938 to May 27, 1939.

940.531821 ABZ    America views the Holocaust, 1933-1945 : a brief documentary history

• Sixty primary sources, including news clippings, speeches, letters, and magazine articles, trace the resurgence of anti-Semitic practices in the United States from 1933 to 1945.

943.086 NEL    Red Orchestra : the story of the Berlin underground and the circle of friends who resisted Hitler.

• A story of domestic resistance to the Nazi regime; the Red Orchestra was a group of German artists, intellectuals, and bureaucrats, who risked their lives to subvert and uncover the brutal secrets of their fascist employers and oppressors.

943.086 RAM    Reinhard Heydrich : hangman of the Third Reich.

• Chronicles the life of Reinhard Heydrich, who led the Nazi police organization, the Gestapo, and commanded the death camps, describing his activities in the Third Reich and his assassination in 1942 and providing historical context on Germany, a time line, a glossary, and lists of related resources.

943.0864 EVA    The Third Reich at war.

• The final book of Richard J. Evans’s 3-volume history of the Third Reich, tracing the rise and demise of its military machine and the mobilization of the entire nation in the service of a war of conquest, racial subjugation and genocide.

943.84 BEY    Emmanuel Ringelblum : historian of the Warsaw ghetto.

• Chronicles the life of Emmanuel Ringelblum, a Jewish historian who kept a documented history of life in the Warsaw Ghetto; covers his life from his childhood to his execution in 1944.

943.84 CAL    Mordechai Anielewicz : hero of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

• Examines the life of Mordechai Anielewicz, an activist in Poland’s Jewish community who organized and led the Warsaw ghetto uprising against the Nazis during World War II as commander of the Jewish Combat Organization.

944.813 DRA    Pastor André Trocmé : spiritual leader of the French village Le Chambon

• Provides a brief introduction to the life and work of French spiritual leader Pastor André Trocmé.

950 DIL    A brief political and geographic history of Asia : where are — Saigon, Kampuchea, and Burma.

• Explores the cities of Saigon, Kampuchea, and Burma; discusses how they changed into Ho Chi Minh City, Cambodia, and Myanmar; and looks at the political and geographic histories of the Qin and Mughal Empires, the empires of the Great Kahn and Japan, and Tibet.

951.505 TIB    Tibet : Opposing viewpoints

• A collection of essays that provide varying perspectives on issues facing Tibet, debating who should rule the country, if its cultural and ethnic diversity will survive Chinese rule, the benefits of Chinese central government, and major threats to the natural environment.

951.505 ROB    Freeing Tibet : 50 years of struggle, resilience, and hope

• Recounts the first fifty years of Tibet’s struggle against occupation by China, covering secret CIA propaganda campaigns and the abandonment of freedom fighters in the Himalayas that resulted in the adoption of the cause by the counterculture of the 1960s, including many musicians, artists, celebrities, students, and world leaders.

951.506 SMI    China’s Tibet? : autonomy or assimilation.

• Examines the efforts and methods used by China to assimilate Tibet in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and discusses Tibetan ethnic origins and national identity, Tibetan Buddhist culture, the Sino-Tibetan dialogue, and other related topics.

954.02 MAN    Taj Mahal.

• In picture book format, this beautiful book recounts the history of the Mughal Empire and its peak creation: the Taj Mahal.

956.70443 ELL    Children of war : voices of Iraqi refugees

• Discusses the children of Iraq and how they have survived in a war in which they played no part.

956.94 ARO    Unsettled : the problem of loving Israel.

• Explores the history of Israel from its beginnings.

958.1045 GUI    The photographer: into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders.

• Employs a comic-book format and hundreds of photos taken in the field to reveal the heroic, important work done in the midst of war by the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders.

973 PAN    Keys to American history : understanding our most important historic documents

• Lucid discussions of the nation’s most important documents.