June Nonfiction Titles at KDL
May 8th, 2008How many of you out there skip right past the Fiction stacks and head directly to Nonfiction when you’re looking for a new book? Or are you a diehard Fiction fan, but are looking for something different to read? Here’s a list of some of the new nonfiction books being published in June that will be available from Kent District Library.
Biography & Memoir
Undiscovered by Debra Winger
A lyrical assessment of the creative life by the Oscar-nominated actress describes the personal, artistic, and spiritual transformations she experienced by living among people who inspired her existence outside of performance arenas.
All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-down House by David Giffels
Traces the author’s attempts to renovate a crumbling Gilded Age mansion into a functional home for his growing family, an effort challenged by such factors as a lack of plumbing and electricity and a motley band of two- and four-legged squatters.
American Son by Oscar De La Hoya with Steve Springer
A poignant and inspirational memoir by one of America’s greatest boxers describes his hard-won journey to the top of the sports world, from his early struggle as the son of Mexican-born parents, the work ethic that brought him success, his boxing career, and the pitfalls of celebrity.
Doris Day: the Untold Story of the Girl Next Door by David Kaufman
At last, Kaufman has written the long-awaited, definitive biography of Doris Day. Kaufman reveals Day’s fascinating story and tell the reader why she was in many ways the opposite of “the girl next door.”
Humor
Me of Little Faith by Lewis Black
A biting assessment of modern religion by the “Daily Show” comic describes his haphazard Hebrew school education, witness to the link between faith and drugs throughout his 1960s college days, and perspective on the hypocrisy of faith-toting politicians.
The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death: Reflections on Revenge, Germophobia, and Laser Hair Removal by Laurie Notaro
A compilation of essays shares the author’s humorous reflections on turning forty, laser hair removal, how her cat broke her nose, and the discovery of how her image as a badass suffered from driving a Prius.
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
A collection of essays celebrates the foibles of the author’s everyday life in France and America, from an attempt to make coffee with water from a flower vase to a drug purchase in a North Carolina mobile home.
Politics
The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder by Vincent Bugliosi
Bugliosi presents a tight, meticulously researched legal case that puts George W. Bush on trial for the murder of nearly 4,000 American soldiers. The author delivers a searing indictment of the President and his administration.
War Journal: My Five Years in Iraq by Richard Engel
A long-serving Nightly News television journalist in Iraq presents a detailed account of the war on the front lines that addresses such topics as the hiding place of Saddam Hussein, the political process of ayatollahs within Shiite seminaries, and life within al-Qaeda safe houses.
Your Government Failed You: Breaking the Cycle of National Security Disasters by Richard A. Clarke
An analysis of America’s national security policies by a White House-appointed national coordinator for security and counter-terrorism evaluates the U.S. government’s mistakes and why they have occurred, in a report that poses alternative solutions.
Current Events
Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs by Elissa Wall with Lisa Pulitzer
Elissa Wall tells the incredible and inspirational story of how she emerged from the confines of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and helped bring one of America’s most notorious criminals to justice.
This Land Is Their Land: Reports from a Divided Nation by Barbara Ehrenreich
The social commentator and author of Nickel and Dimed presents a satirical critique that denounces the twenty-first-century’s first political decade as the cruelest in memory, in a report that analyzes such modern challenges as political and corporate corruption, the widening economic gap, and a rise in extreme conservatism.
Psychology & Science
Simplexity : Why Simple Things Become Complex (and How Complex Things Can Be Made Simple) by Jeffrey Kluger
Draws on cutting-edge theories to describe the basic workings of everyday objects and principles in accessible language, covering a wide variety of topics from cell phones and viruses to economics and parenting.
The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes, and How We Can Do Better by Amanda Ripley
Offers a glimpse at disasters and their aftermath, describing the three stages of disaster response, how we react — or do not react — in moments of catastrophe, and how we can train ourselves and other victims to survive in the event of a disaster.
Spirituality & Religion
End of Days: Predictions and Prophecies About the End of the World by Sylvia Browne
Addresses the most daunting and difficult predictions about the human race, commenting on all the End of Days prophecies and offering insight into what can be done to prevent a catastrophe of biblical proportions.
Why Is God Laughing?: The Path to Joy and Spiritual Optimism by Deepak Chopra
A proponent of a holistic mind, body, and spirit approach to life and the best-selling author of Life After Death and The Third Jesus shares his inspirational guidelines for those seeking the path to spiritual enlightenment and true joy.
Check back soon for more new books in Adult Nonfiction, and highlights of some great new books and DVDs that you might have missed. Have I listed any books that you are looking forward to reading? Please post your comments.
On April 7, the Kent District Library welcomed Heidi Nagel as KDL’s new Training Manager. Heidi will be overseeing the training of new and existing KDL employees in areas like technology and customer service. She will also be monitoring library trends in order to ensure that KDL staff continue to provide cutting-edge and exceptional information services to the public.
