Non-Fiction of Choice
Baird, Lori (editor). Cut the Clutter & Stow the Stuff. Rodale, 2002. As an expert on clutter--I’ve been an expert accumulator for years--I was drawn to this book in search of a solution for my chronic ailment. The reader begins with a Clutter Type quiz to determine whether he falls into the collector, concealer, tosser, etc. category of clatterer or any of a combination of these types. The Q.U.I.C.K. organizing system follows so that the reader, who has identified his type, can conquer the clutter beast. The organizing pros then offer the reader nearly 1,000 ways to declutter every room in your house. First, the reader must be willing to continue to follow this Q.U.I.C.K. system if he/she truly wants to be organized. Good information is presented in a logical manner. The only question is, "Does the reader truly want to be organized?" If the answer is "Yes", then this book will work for you.
Browne, Sylvia. Sylvia Browne’s Book of Dreams. Dutton, 2002. Sylvia Browne's Book of Dreams offers a window into our souls and a doorway to The Other Side. Illustrating her findings with the research and inspiring real-life stories that are her trademark, Browne shows how our dreams influence everything from our memories to our health and well-being to our relationships. We can make positive changes by heeding the messages contained in our dreams. And we can reconnect with our departed loved ones through the phenomenon of these altered states of being. From recurring dreams to daydreams, from dreams that comfort to dreams that force us to confront our deepest fears, Sylvia Browne's Book of Dreams illuminates the path between our conscious and unconscious minds and shows why our dreams are among the most important and misunderstood connections we have with portals to The Other Side.
Chang, Jung. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China. Simon & Schuster, 1991. Through the lives of three generations of Chinese women--the author, her mother and her grandmother--the book depicts the effects of changing governing regimes on Chinese society and culture. The book spans the waning years of the Manchu Empire in the late 19th century through the Kuomintang under Chiang Kai-shek and the Communists under Chairman Mao until his death in 1977 and the author's departure for Britain in 1978.
Coulter, Ann. Slander: Liberal Lies about the American Right Crown Publishers, 2002. The most I can say is decide for yourself. Here is the first paragraph of the first chapter entitled Liberals Unhinged. "Political 'debate' in this country is insufferable. Whether conducted in Congress, on the political talk shows, or played out at dinners and cocktail parties, politics is a nasty sport. At the risk of giving away the ending: It's all liberals' fault." Now read the first two paragraphs of the conclusion. "Part of the reason liberals prefer invective to engagement is that - as Richard Nixon said of Alger Hiss - if Americans knew what they really believed, the public would boil them in oil." "Liberals have been wrong about everything in the last century." The following are excerpts from editorial reviews. - Amazon.com "The bulk of Slander, in fact, is a well-documented brief dedicated to the proposition that most of the media despises anybody whose political opinions lie an inch to the right of the New York Times editorial page. -Rush Limbaugh "Ann Coulter is a pundit extraordinaire." -Geraldo Rivera "There's nothing artificial about Ann. She has a vision of the Constitution and the government's rightful role in our lives that is much different from mine, but she represents a significant constituency." -Booklist "For those who don't know Ann Coulter, she is one of those blond, right-wing, talking heads who pop up on cable--the most outspoken one." It is an interesting read that I disagree with but you might like it. Check it out from the library before you buy it.
Connelly, Douglas. Bible Prophecy for Blockheads: A User-Friendly Look at the End Times Zondervan, 2002. If one can simply get past the title, this is an excellent source to study and learn about Bible prophecy. Prophecy is future events (history) recorded or told in the present. Many preachers, pastors and teachers today are weary to approach the book of Revelation, Daniel and Ezekiel concerning prophecy. Bible prophecy is a naturally intimidating subject in itself, and at first glance it seems like a confusing mix of signs, symbols, visions and horrible creatures. It appears much too intimidating for most to even approach. This book will help readers know what to take literally and symbolically concerning bible prophecy. It covers subjects such as the Rapture of the Church, the rise of the Antichrist, the seven year Tribulation period, the thousand year Millennial reign of Christ and a brief preview of Heaven. A light-hearted approach to a very serious subject, this book is a winner!
Ellis, Joseph J. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. Alfred A. Knopf, 2000. An illuminating study of the intertwined lives of the founders of the American republic--John Adams, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington. During the 1790s, which Ellis calls the most decisive decade in our nation's history, the greatest statesmen of their generation--and perhaps any--came together to define the new republic and direct its course for the coming centuries. Ellis focuses on six discrete moments that exemplify the most crucial issues facing the fragile new nation: Burr and Hamilton's deadly duel, and what may have really happened; Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison's secret dinner, during which the seat of the permanent capital was determined in exchange for passage of Hamilton's financial plan; Franklin's petition to end the "peculiar institution" of slavery--his last public act--and Madison's efforts to quash it; Washington's precedent-setting Farewell Address, announcing his retirement from public office and offering his country some final advice; Adams's difficult term as Washington's successor and his alleged scheme to pass the presidency on to his son; and finally, Adams and Jefferson's renewed correspondence at the end of their lives, in which they compared their different views of the Revolution and its legacy. In a lively and engaging narrative, Ellis recounts the sometimes collaborative, sometimes archly antagonistic interactions between these men, and shows us the private characters behind the public personas: Adams, the ever-combative iconoclast, whose closest political collaborator was his wife, Abigail; Burr, crafty, smooth, and one of the most despised public figures of his time; Hamilton, whose audacious manner and deep economic savvy masked his humble origins; Jefferson, renowned for his eloquence, but so reclusive and taciturn that he rarely spoke more than a few sentences in public; Madison, small, sickly, and paralyzing shy, yet one of the most effective debaters of his generation; and the stiffly formal Washington, the ultimate realist, larger-than-life, and America's only truly indispensable figure. Revisiting the old-fashioned idea that character matters, Founding Brothers informs our understanding of American politics--then and now--and gives us a new perspective on the unpredictable forces that shape history.
Epstein, Joseph. Snobbery: the American Version. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Man-of-letters Epstein does precisely what a reader hopes for with a topic as prickly yet slippery as snobbery: he grasps it firmly, holds it under a bright light, and merrily dissects it. Believing that snobbery didn't come into its own until the advent of democracy and an insecure, in-flux society, Epstein traces the evolution of American snobbery with the help of various novelists, "our keenest sociologists," and entertaining confessions of his own snobbishness. He wittily defines downward-and upward-snobbery, reverse snobbery, "with-it" snobbery, and the fuzzy alignment of taste and social class; analyzes the fall of the WASP aristocracy; and observes the way children have become the favorite game pieces in the perpetual tournament for bragging rights. Epstein also takes on the snobbery of intellectuals" and political snobbery, coining the word virtucrats for those who believe that their views are not only correct but also morally superior. Every bracing page is a mirror in which readers can't help but recognize themselves, and each offers a quotable quip--"Snobbery, like bacteria, is everywhere"--and much to think about. (The author is a noted essayist and former American Scholar.) Epstein shares his own snobbish tendencies and biases at the outset. From childhood, he writes, his snob radar was fully operational, and by his senior year in high school he was already "an impressively cunning statistician." Epstein goes on to deal with a range of past and present pretensions relating to class, work, democracy, possessions, parenting, college, clubs and intellectualism. This book is observant, funny and entertaining.
Eyewitness Travel Guides. Portrait of Britain: Landscapes, Treasures, Traditions. DK Publishing, 2001. Don't even think about trying to slip this into your suitcase when you travel! Portrait of Britain is a travel guide deluxe, a coffee-table book filled with the beautiful color pictures for which DK books are justly famous. But if you want to travel to England, Wales, and Scotland, this book will be helpful in planning your trip as well as providing a visual feast that will bring out the armchair traveler in everyone. Portrait discusses major at-tractions (as well as quite a few that are off the beaten path) and practically every page contains helpful inserts, guides, easy-to-read maps, and tips for both new and experienced travelers. If you've never been to the UK, this book will have you planning to go as soon as possible--and if you have been, you'll be saving up for the return trip.
Freed, Jeffrey and Laurie Parsons. Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World : Unlocking the Potential of Your ADD Child. Simon and Schuster, 1997. Being the mother of a right-brained child, this title caught my attention. Parsons is the mother of a child who began having trouble early in school--a child she knew was actually quite bright. Freed is an educational psychologist who works with ADD children. The first chapters of the book are a discussion of ADD and right-brain characteristics. They also address why children who are right-brained often have problems in school. There are several chapters giving advice for parents to use in working with their ADD children on specific school subjects. (As my child was older when I discovered the book, I haven't tested these.) There are also ideas for finding a school compatible with your child's learning style and some discussion of treatments (as the book is several years old, treatments may have changed somewhat). For parents with right-brained and/or ADD children this book helps them better understand the situation and gives suggestions for improving it.
Gourley, Elizabeth & Ellen Talbott. Quick & Easy Beaded Jewelry. Krause Productions, 2002. This is an excellent beading craft book for the beginner who wishes to have a guide for getting started in this hobby. Whether you’re interested in earrings, necklaces, or anklets, there is useful information to be found. The author provides a list of tools, potential projects, and types of beads available. Each project begins with a list of tools required and materials needed to complete the project. A list of sources, as well as a detailed index, make this an "Everything You Need to Know Guide" for the beginning beader.
Harris, Warren G. Clark Gable: A Biography. Harmony Book, 2002. There really was a Hollywood, a place of fashionable men and gorgeous women and the all-powerful studio system that allowed them to defy the conventions that governed the rest of the country. Clark Gable arrived there after a rough-and-tumble youth, and his breezy, big-boned, everyman persona quickly made him the town’s "King." He was a gambler among gamblers, a heavy drinker in the days when everyone drank seemingly all the time, and a lover to legions of the most attractive women in the most glamorous business in the world. In this well-researched and revealing biography, Warren G. Harris gives us an exceptionally acute portrait of one of the most memorable actors in the history of motion pictures, as well as a sure sense of the milieu and the times of mid-century Hollywood. More than anything else, one is struck by the romance of the era—the glamour and the excess, the playfulness and the lust. The people who were Gable’s intimates are legends in their own right: Loretta Young, Marion Davies, David O. Selznick, Jean Harlow, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Spencer Tracy, Grace Kelly, Carole Lomard and the list goes on and on. Clark Gable: A Biography reveals newly uncovered information about Gable’s illegitimate daughter, his relationship with Joan Crawford, and his great love for Carole Lombard, his third wife.
Hillenbrand, Laura. SeaBiscuit: An American Legend. Random House, 2001. Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail. Three men changed Seabiscuit's fortunes: Charles Howard was a onetime bicycle repairman who introduced the automobile to the western United States and became an overnight millionaire. When he needed a trainer for his new racehorses, he hired Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from the Colorado plains. Smith urged Howard to buy Seabiscuit for a bargain-basement price, then hired as his jockey Red Pollard, a failed boxer who was blind in one eye, half-crippled, and prone to quoting passages from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Over four years, these unlikely partners survived a phenomenal run of bad fortune, conspiracy, and severe injury to transform Seabiscuit from a neurotic, pathologically indolent also-ran into an American sports icon. Author Laura Hillenbrand brilliantly re-creates a universal underdog story, one that proves life is a horse race. Hillenbrand's detailed and dramatic re-creation of Seabiscuit's life and times is a remarkable testament to what four years of meticulous research and a writer's gift for storytelling can accomplish. And it's mighty good reading, even if you're not a racing fan.
Howard, Philip K. The Lost Art of Drawing the Line : How Fairness Went Too Far. Random House, 2001. If you would like to find out what one man thinks of everyone suing everyone else, I suggest you read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and applaud his willingness to say it. The author of the best-seller The Death of Common Sense (1995) turns to the evolution of the U.S. from being a nation defined by risk taking to one that is cautious to the point of inertia. An explosion of litigation has prompted Americans to avoid legal risks of any kind; hence, municipality removes a slide from a playground, and a hospital refuses to treat a wounded man just outside its doors. Howard traces trends in commerce, education, and government--from appeals for organization and efficiency to mistrust of authority and the nation's condition--that have led to institutional reluctance to take responsibility. Americans have lost a sense of the ability to effect change and the freedom to innovate or even deliver more than minimal service. Reciting a litany of everyday irritants that have been litigated, Howard calls for the revival of the American ideals of freedom and sense of the common good but cautions that change probably won't come from Washington and other seats of authority unless individual citizens press for it.
Keller, Phillip. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. World Wide Publications, 1970. Phillip Keller gives the reader new perspective on a familiar passage of Scripture. Reading this I gained understanding of words and concepts from a shepherd's life and responsibilities. The 23rd Psalm is more than a beautiful poem after reading this book. Now I understand what it means from the viewpoint of he who cares for the sheep.
Keen, Bonnie. God Loves Messy People. Harvest House, 2002. Unless the reader is aware of the subtitle, "Finding Hope When Things Go Wrong," he/she may believe this is a "how to organize" the physical clutter in your life book. Indeed, you would be correct if you’re discussing emotional distress and spiritual clutter classified in the 248 section. Bonnie Keen, the author, explores, in each chapter, the many crises of life, from divorce to death. Her underlying message is always one of hope, no matter what disaster befalls a person. She draws on both experiences of her own and those of friends in relating those crises. If the reader is a person who is willing to follow a religious path in search of a solution, then Ms. Keen offers a message of hope for the solution to every dilemma. I would encourage anyone who is trying to deal with the emotional impact of life’s disasters to read this book and draw inspiration from the positive messages found in it, that it is possible for the reader to achieve a positive result from a negative experience.
Miller, Elaine Hobson. Myths, Mysteries & Legends of Alabama. Seacoast Publications, 1995. Some of these stories are true, some-who knows? And some don't really have an ending or explanations of why they happened. Or how. Could Bill really change his being? Why did Hazel get so mad? Why didn't she decompose like most?
Norris, Kathleen. Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith. Riverhead Books, 1998.This book is more than a dictionary of words or theological terms. Norris shares with us her understanding of faith and how these ideas and terms have changed her life's journey. She causes the reader to pause and consider how these ideas may relate to them.
Turck, Mary. Food and Emotions. LifeMatters, 2000. This book is written for teens and is helpful to adults as well. . It explains in helpful and understandable terms carbs, sugars, neurotransmitters, hormones, emotions, comfort foods and other food related concerns. It helps us realize why the foods we choose to eat really do make a difference in our health and attitudes.
Webb, Samuel L. and Margaret Armbrester, Eds. Alabama Governors : A Political History of the State. University of Alabama Press, 2001. This is a book that no Alabama library, whether grade school, college, or public, should be without. It provides one concise, readable source for interesting facts about each Alabama governor from Winthrop Sargent to Don Siegelman. Bob Riley is the only one missing and that's because he had not been elected prior to the book's publication by the University of Alabama Press in 2001. Each governor's biographical entry is accompanied by a picture which is most likely an artist's official oil portrait of the governor.
October 9, 2002
