Tag Archive for 'united states'

New Stuff Tuesday – February 2

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kyle
on February 2, 2010
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The Big Burn

The Big Burn:
Teddy Roosevelt & the Fire That Saved America
by Timothy Egan
E757 .E325 2009
New Book Island, 2nd floor

Usually when you hear of a fire, big or small, you think of complete devastation, right? This week’s featured title required a second look because of its claim about a fire that ’saved’ America.

Egan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, takes a notable and destructive event from United States history and provides the context for its irrationally positive outcome. He explores the great forest fires just after the turn of the last century, the Big Burn of 1910, in which the national forests of Montana, Idaho and Washington were lost. The author gives voices and life to the rangers and firefighters that valiantly fought to contain the flames, as well as Theodore Roosevelt, known for his staunch support for conservation. Fans of either the great outdoors, Teddy or American history should a take a look at this book.

New Stuff Tuesday – July 28

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kyle
on July 28, 2009
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Al' America

Al’ America:
Travels Through America’s Arab and Islamic Roots
By Jonathan Curiel
E169.1 .C853 2008
New Book Island, 2nd floor

They don’t call the America the “melting pot” for nothing. As the land of opportunity, we have traditionally been a place of refuge from those struggling in their homeland, whether that may have been. Therefore, in wake of all of the turmoil with the “outsiders” and closing the borders, this week’s featured title reminds us about all of the different heritagess that have been woven into this country’s fabric.

Curiel, writer for the San Francisco Chronicle recognized for his reporting of Arab and Muslim culture, takes a trip through the United States and examines the influences that the Arabs have had on our society. Some are to be expected – for instance, words in English with Arabic roots (did you know that giraffe originated from Arabic? I didn’t!). Others are less obvious and/or well-known, such as the Muslim roots in American blues music. The author writes in an easy-going tone, making this a quick and enjoyable read for a sometimes tense and sensitive topic.

New Stuff Tuesday – August 12

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kyle
on August 12, 2008
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Whatever Happened to Thrift?

Whatever Happened to Thrift?:
Why Americans Don’t Save and What to Do About It
HC110 .S3 W54 2008
New Book Island, 2nd floor

You hear about it all the time – make sure you’re saving money, make sure you put enough money away for retirement. It turns out that we as a country aren’t doing a very good job about it.

Wilcox, professor at the University of Virginia, actually thinks that we’re downright awful at it. Dr. Wilcox contends that although personal savings may only seem to affect you as an individual, it also has effects on society and the economy. The author takes a hard look at saving habits (of lack thereof) of Americans and their financial literacy, painting a grim picture of the future. Of course, he doesn’t just tell us we have a problem and end it there. Wilcox offers solutions from the top down, starting with government policies and coming down to personal practices. Overall, the book provides real, hard-hitting insight to a real issue.

New Stuff Tuesday – September 11

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kyle
on September 11, 2007
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'Americans: 1940-2006

Americans:
[1940-2006]
Edited by Kunsthalle Wien, Peter Weiermair, & Gerald Matt
Oversize TR644 .A48 2006
New Book Island, 2nd floor

Studying recent history is fun, but it’s even better when there are pictures. Today’s featured item is a collection of photographs from some of America’s most provocative and influential photographers. As the curator of the exhibition on which the book is based, Peter Weiermar writes that [the exhibition] “is about America, its social problems, its outsiders, its conflicts and processes in a half century from the mid 20th century until today.” The artists have captured daily life in the United States – not the glitz and glamor that you see on TV – kids playings in New York in the 1940s, the beat generation in the 1960s, and up to life in New Hampshire today. I find this collection to be interesting because it has been assembled by Europeans, people that have a perspective of the US different than our own.

New Stuff Tuesday – April 17

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kyle
on April 17, 2007
in around the library and new stuff tuesdays
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Just like music being released on Tuesday, this weekly column will highlight some of the Library’s latest acquisitions on, you guessed it, Tuesday.

Now, for the first New Book Tuesday:

who can say it, who shouldn't and why

The N Word: Who Can Say It,
Who Shouldn’t, and Why
Jabari Asim
E185 .A85 2007
New Book Island, 2nd floor

Jabari Asim, deputy editor of the Washington Post Book World, takes the reader on a journey through four hundred years of history of the n word, from its origins in an essay by Thomas Jefferson to its current usage by hip hop artists. Asim states in his introduction that the subject of the book is “how whites from all levels of society worked to keep us there — through a combination of custom, law, myth, and racial insult.” With chapters such as “N*ggerology” (Parts 1 & 2), “To Slur with Love” and “N*gger versus N*gga,” the author illustrates how the epithet continues to “keeps blacks at the bottom of America’s socioeconomic ladder.”

So who can say it and who shouldn’t? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

how revolutionary was the digital revolution?

How Revolutionary Was the Digital Revolution?
Edited by John Zysman & Abraham Newman
HC79 .I55 H686 2006
New Book Island, 2nd floor

This volume, edited by professors from UC-Berkeley and Georgetown University, examines the new era, one in which borders no longer translate into barriers. The book focuses on technological change and its effects on governments, corporations, markets, and individuals from around the world. Topics include offshoring, copyright in the digital context, and mobile technology as a new case for the analysis of market evolution. Anyone curious as to how much (or little) technology has transformed our world will find this work intriguing, as it covers a lot of ground.