Nonfiction
The white ladder : triumph and tragedy at the dawn of mountaineering
Light, Daniel (Mountain climber), author.
796.522 /Light
Nonfiction, History, Sports
"A sweeping history of mountaineering before Everest, and the epic human quest to reach the highest places on Earth"--
From these roots : my fight with Harvard to reclaim my legacy
Lanier, Tamara, 1962- author.
342.730873 /Lanier
Black History, Nonfiction, Biographies, History
"Tamara Lanier grew up listening to her mother's stories about her ancestors. As Black Americans descended from enslaved people brought to America, they knew all too well how fragile the tapestry of a lineage could be. As her mother's health declined, she pushed her daughter to dig into those stories. "Tell them about Papa Renty," she would say. It was her mother's last wish. Thus begins one woman's remarkable commitment to document that story. Her discovery of an eighteenth-century daguerreotype, one of the first-ever photos of enslaved people from Africa, reveals a dark-skinned man with short-cropped silver hair and chiseled cheekbones. The information read "Renty, Congo." All at once, Lanier knew she was staring at the ancestor her mother told her so much about-Papa Renty. In a compelling story covering more than a decade of her own research, Lanier takes us on her quest to prove her genealogical bloodline to Papa Renty's that pits her in a legal battle against one of the most powerful institutions in the country, Harvard University. The question is, who has claim to the stories, artifacts, and remnants of America's stained history-the institutions who acquired and housed them for generations, or the descendants who have survived? From These Roots is not only a historical record of one woman's lineage but a call to justice that fights for all those demanding to reclaim, honor, and lay to rest the remains of mishandled lives and memories"--
This is a fascinating story that melds historical acts of racism and exploitation with present-day conversations about who owns what, who gets to tell the story, and what people are owed. -Candice
The Paris girl : the young woman who outwitted the Nazis and became a WWII hero
White, Francelle Bradford, author.
940.5344 /White
Nonfiction, Biographies, History
Written by her own daughter, this biography chronicles the astonishing courage Andrée Griotteray, a teenage girl in Nazi-occupied Paris who would become a hero of the French Resistance through her harrowing work as an underground intelligence courier.
There have been several fiction books published recently that focus on women performing acts of derring-do in WWII, and this here is the real thing. -Candice
The waiting game : the untold story of the women who served the Tudor queens
Clark, Nicola (Associate lecturer in history), author.
942.05 /Clark
Nonfiction, History
Every Tudor Queen had ladies-in-waiting. They were her confidantes and her chaperones. Only the Queen's ladies had the right to enter her most private chambers, spending hours helping her to get dressed and undressed, caring for her clothes and jewels, listening to her secrets. But they also held a unique power. A quiet word behind the scenes, an appropriately timed gift, a well-negotiated marriage alliance were all forms of political agency wielded. The Waiting Game explores the daily lives of ladies-in-waiting, revealing the secrets of recruitment, costume, what they ate, where (and with whom) they slept. --
For the reader who might be more intrigued with what was going on in the lives of those who were on the edges of the royal spotlight. -Candice
A history of Ancient Rome in twelve coins
Harney, Gareth, author.
937.06 /Harney
Nonfiction, History
This accessible historical account traces ancient Rome's rise to power through the stories of twelve remarkable coins, revealing how Romans used currency to immortalize their gods, emperors and conquests, connecting modern readers with the empire's epic past.
I'm always a fan of books about Roman history! This one looks less dense and more readable than some others I've attempted. -Candice
Everything must go : the stories we tell about the end of the world
Lynskey, Dorian, author.
001.9 /Lynskey
Nonfiction
A rich, captivating, and darkly humorous look into the evolution of apocalyptic thought, exploring how film and literature interact with developments in science, politics, and culture, and what factors drive our perennial obsession with the end of the world. As Dorian Lynskey writes, "People have been contemplating the end of the world for millennia." In this immersive and compelling cultural history, Lynskey reveals how religious prophecies of the apocalypse were secularized in the early 19th century by Lord Byron and Mary Shelley in a time of dramatic social upheaval and temporary climate change, inciting a long tradition of visions of the end without gods. With a discerning eye and acerbic wit, Lynskey examines how various doomsday tropes and predictions in literature, art, music, and film have arisen from contemporary anxieties, whether they be comets, pandemics, world wars, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Y2K, or the climate emergency. Far from being grim, Lynskey guides readers through a rich array of fascinating stories and surprising facts, allowing us to keep company with celebrated works of art and the people who made them, from H.G. Wells, Jack London, W.B. Yeats and J.G. Ballard to The Twilight Zone, Dr. Strangelove, Mad Max and The Terminator. Prescient and original, Everything Must Go is a brilliant, sweeping work of history that provides many astute insights for our times and speaks to our urgent concerns for the future-- Provided by publisher.
End-of-the world scenarios aren't just for eschatologists anymore. -Candice
Innsaei : heal, revive, and reset with the icelandic art of intuition.
GUNNSTEINSDOTTIR, HRUND.
RECEIVED
Nonfiction, Self Help
In the past years, there have been a spate of books that introduce readers to meaningful ways of life that are prominent in other cultures--think hygge, döstädning (Swedish death cleaning), ikegai). Here's another one to add to that list! -Candice
A matter of complexion : the life and fictions of Charles W. Chesnutt
Chakkalakal, Tess, author.
ON ORDER BOOK
Black History, Nonfiction, Biographies, History
"A biography of Charles Chesnutt, one of the first Black authors to write for both Black and white readers. In A Matter of Complexion, Tess Chakkalakal gives readers the first comprehensive biography of Charles W. Chesnutt. A complex and talented man, Chesnutt was born in 1858 in Cleveland to parents who were considered "mixed race." He spent his early life in North Carolina after the Civil War. Though light-skinned, Chesnutt remained a member of the black community throughout his life. He studied among students at the State Colored Normal School who were formerly enslaved. He became a teacher in rural North Carolina during Reconstruction. His life in the South of those years, the issue of race, and how he himself identified as Black informed much of his later writing. He went on to become the first Black writer whose stories appeared in The Atlantic Monthly and whose books were published by Houghton Mifflin. Through his literary work, as a writer, critic, and speaker, Chesnutt transformed the publishing world by crossing racial barriers that divided black writers from white and seamlessly including both Black and white characters in his writing. In A Matter of Complexion Chakkalakal pens the biography of a poor teacher raised in rural North Carolina during Reconstruction who became the first professional African American writer to break into the all-white literary establishment and win admirers as diverse as William Dean Howells, Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells, and Lorraine Hansberry"--
This is a person I wasn't familiar with until reading the reviews for the book, and his story is so intriguing. A man who could have passed as white during a time when that would have opened many doors, but instead chose to remain in his Black community as a teacher and then writer, his story deserves to be told. -Candice
Mornings without Mii
Inaba, Mayumi, 1950-2014, author.
ON ORDER BOOK
Nonfiction, Animals, Literary Nonfiction, Memoir
"A beloved Japanese modern classic that chronicles the author's twenty-year bond with her cat, meditating on solitude, independence, and the writing life"--
One review states that this book is a "striking evocation of the way we meld our lives and hearts with a beloved creature" while another says that it's "a must-read for pet lovers with sturdy hearts." You've been warned. -Candice
We leap together
Christopher Silas Neal
jE Neal
Kids, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Nature
"An awe-inspiring nonfiction picture book, perfect for animal lovers, that reveals how a mama whale and a mama person care for their young in remarkably similar ways, from the illustrator of Over and Under the Snow. A little boy and his mother set off on a day trip, meanwhile, a mama whale and her calf swim towards the bay. On the way, both sing, blow bubbles, get lost--and found! Through it all, mama always stays close. The human pair board a sightseeing boat, and as the whales reach the harbor, they all converge in one spectacular scene! With lyrical text and absolutely magnificent art, here's a book that celebrates our connection to animals, and to each other"--
Beautiful illustrations and minimal text make for perfect storytime sharing! Curious readers will find backmatter that sheds more light on the comparison Neal draws between humans and whales. -Casey
I have absolutely no interest in climbing mountains, but ever since I read Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" when it came out, I've been obsessed with reading about it. I think this book will be best enjoyed from the comfort of a beach towel, with nary a hill in sight. -Candice