Category Archives: Featured Materials

CultureGrams Updates

CultureGrams has released its Fall 2011 update of all editions. On top of statistical and general updates to every text, there are new photos, slideshows, and a few key mentions:

* WORLD TEXTS. Antarctica, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands have been added since last Fall. Turns out Antarctica has 40 different permanent research stations!
* MAPS. Check out the new GeoAtlas physical and political maps, conveniently located in a drop-down box on each country home page!
* EXPANSIONS. Explore some of the 50+expanded CultureGrams texts, where our unique culturally-focused content has been increased by 50 percent. Many, many more are in development.
* KIDS TEXTS. Find 10 new and 17 expanded Kids texts! Great for English Language Learners of all ages.
* INTERVIEWS. Of kids and adults–more than 217 from 96 countries.

Hunger : the biology and politics of starvation / John R. Butterly, Jack Shepherd

Call number: HC79.F3 B88 2010

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, recognizes the individual’s right “to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care.” More than 60 years later, despite the rapid advancement of science and technology and the proliferation of humanitarian efforts, inadequate nutrition remains a major health and social problem worldwide. Food insecurity–chronic malnutrition, persistent hunger, even starvation–still afflicts more than one in seven of the world’s people.

As Butterly and Shepherd show, hunger is not the result of inadequate resources and technologies; rather, its cause is a lack of political will to ensure that all people have access to the food to which they are entitled–food distributed safely, fairly, and equitably.

Using a cross-disciplinary approach rooted in both medicine and social science to address this crucial issue, the authors provide in-depth coverage of the biology of human nutrition; malnutrition and associated health-related factors; political theories of inadequate nutrition and famine; historical-political behaviors that have led to famine in the past; and the current political behaviors that cause hunger and malnutrition to remain a major health problem today.  (From Google Books)

Pacific air : how fearless flyboys, peerless aircraft, and fast flattops conquered a vast ocean’s wartime skies / David Sears

Call number: D773 .S43 2011

In a grand sweeping narrative, Pacific Air tells the inspiring story of how, despite initial disastrous defeats, a generation of young naval aviators challenged and ultimately vanquished a superior Japanese air force and fleet in the Pacific. The instruments of the United States aviators’ triumphs were the elegantly designed F4F Wildcat, F6F Hellcat, as well as the lethal TBF Avenger torpedo bomber. With superbly trained U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators at their controls, these planes became the most successful aerial weapons in naval history.
A majestic portrait of a proud era from dual perspectives–the inventive minds of young aeronautical engineers and the deadly artistry of even younger combat pilots–Pacific Air brings this important yet underappreciated chapter of World War II vividly to life. (From Google Books)

Roll, Jordan, roll : the world the slaves made / Eugene D. Genovese

Call number: E443 .G46 1976

A profound, learned and detailed analysis of Negro slavery. It covers an incredible range of topics and offers fresh insights on nearly every page… the author’s great gift is his ability to penetrate the minds of bothslaves and masters, revealing not only how they viewed themselves and each other, but also how they contradictory perceptions interacted. (From Google Books)

All in / Jerry Yang; with Mark Tabb

Call number: B YAN

In this intimate profile of an unlikely poker champion, the life story of Jerry Yang is laid out-from his difficult Hmong childhood to his success as a professional poker player. Born in the mountains of northern Laos, Jerry spent four and a half years in a Thai refugee camp after his family escaped the Communist forces. He endured horrific living conditions there and watched his family members die at gunpoint, but miraculously escaped and immigrated to the United States. From his first chance encounter with poker to winning the 2007 World Series of Poker, his struggles and achievements are chronicled here. It details Jerry’s domination in the sport and how he uses his winnings to give back to the organizations that fed and clothed him during his childhood at the refugee camp. This autobiography is truly inspirational and is a reminder that the American dream is attainable for those with the courage and tenacity to pursue it. (From Google Books)

Between two worlds : my life and captivity in Iran / Roxana Saberi

Call number: B SAB

On the morning of January 31, 2009, Roxana Saberi, an Iranian-American journalist working in Iran, was forced from her home by four men and secretly detained in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison. The intelligence agents who captured her accused her of espionage—a charge she denied. For several days, Saberi was held in solitary confinement, ruthlessly interrogated, and cut off from the outside world. For weeks, neither her family nor her friends knew her whereabouts.

After a sham trial that made headlines around the world, the thirty-one-year-old reporter was sentenced to eight years in prison. But following international pressure by family, friends, colleagues, various governments, and total strangers, she was released on appeal on May 11, 2009. Now Saberi breaks her silence to share the full account of her ordeal, describing in vivid detail the methods that Iranian hard-liners are using to try to intimidate and control many of the country’s people.
In this gripping and inspirational true story, Saberi writes movingly of her imprisonment, her trial, her eventual release, and the faith that helped her through it all. Her recollections are interwoven with insights into Iranian society, the Islamic regime, and U.S.-Iran relations, as well as stories of her fellow prisoners—many of whom were jailed for their pursuit of human rights, including freedom of speech, association, and religion. Saberi gains strength and wisdom from her cellmates who support her throughout a grueling hunger strike and remind her of the humanity that remains, even when they are denied the most basic rights.
Between Two Worlds is also a deeply revealing account of this tumultuous country and the ongoing struggle for freedom that is being fought inside Evin Prison and on the streets of Iran. From her heartfelt perspective, Saberi offers a rich, dramatic, and illuminating portrait of Iran as it undergoes a striking, historic transformation.(From Google Books)

Who says bullies rule? : common sense tips to help your kids cope / Catherine DePino

Call number: LB3013.3 .D456 2011

Who Says Bullies Rule?: Common Sense Tips to Help Your Kids Cope gives parents practical bully prevention tips for their elementary and middle school children. It helps parents empower their children to stop bullying before it veers out of control and teaches parents to navigate their school systems’ channels to stop bullies from bothering their children. Additionally, the book arms parents with workable suggestions they can offer their children for dealing with different types of bullies, such as teasers, excluders, intimidators, and cyber bullies. The most important feature of Who Says Bullies Rule?, and what sets it apart from other books, is that it underscores the importance of having children use their common sense to anticipate and deal with bullies’ actions. No child should ever have to tolerate physical or mental abuse at the hands of a bully. Parents are the first line of defense against bullying. Using a conversational tone with myriad examples, Who Says Bullies Rule? shows parents what they need to do to help keep their children safe. (From Google Books)

College success guaranteed : 5 rules to make it happen / Malcolm Gauld

Call number: LB2343.3 .G39 2011

 As a lifelong teacher, Malcolm Gauld has watched thousands of kids go off to college. Some return to visit after their first year exuding the vibe of conquering heroes. Others look, well, pretty bummed out. In this book, Gauld offers a plan to help the new college student complete year number 1 as a member of the first group. With anecdotes from current college students and recent graduates, Gauld presents five simple rules for college success. It is a short, non-preachy, fun, and slightly irreverent primer that can help you get off to a strong start toward the “best four years of your life. (From Barnes & Nobles)

Elizabeth and Hazel : two women of Little Rock/ David Margolick

Call Number: F419.L7 M37 2011

The names Elizabeth Eckford and Hazel Bryan Massery may not be well known, but the image of them from September 1957 surely is: a black high school girl, dressed in white, walking stoically in front of Little Rock Central High School, and a white girl standing directly behind her, face twisted in hate, screaming racial epithets. This famous photograph captures the full anguish of desegregation — in Little Rock and throughout the South — and an epic moment in the civil rights movement. In this gripping book, David Margolick tells the remarkable story of two separate lives unexpectedly braided together. He explores how the haunting picture of Elizabeth and Hazel came to be taken, its significance in the wider world, and why, for the next half-century, neither woman has ever escaped from its long shadow. He recounts Elizabeth’s struggle to overcome the trauma of her hate-filled school experience, and Hazel’s long efforts to atone for a fateful, horrible mistake. The book follows the painful journey of the two as they progress from apology to forgiveness to reconciliation and, amazingly, to friendship. This friendship foundered, then collapsed — perhaps inevitably — over the same fissures and misunderstandings that continue to permeate American race relations more than half a century after the unforgettable photograph at Little Rock. And yet, as Margolick explains, a bond between Elizabeth and Hazel, silent but complex, endures–Provided by publisher.

It’s a jungle out there! : 52 nature adventures for city kids / Jennifer Ward

Call number: GV191.63 .W36 2011

Just because you live in the city doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy nature. This compact guide offers 52 nature-focused explorations, adventures, observations, and games that can help you and your child connect to nature while living in the city. While it may be hard to see nature through the traffic, buildings, and busyness of the city, there is still much of the natural world to explore when you turn your gaze to the cracks in the sidewalk, the trees on the street, or the green spaces that your city offers. Become an urban birder, make your own man vs. wild observations, and discover the not-so-hidden pockets of nature in your neighborhood. For children ages 4 to 8.(From Amazon)