Washington Centerville Public Library: New Nonfiction September 2026

New and Recently Released

Feed Them Well: A Guide to Raising Healthy, Confident Eaters for Life
by Jennifer Anderson

From Jennifer Anderson--registered dietitian and founder of Kids Eat in Color, trusted by over two million parents--comes the evidence-based guide to feeding children from baby's first foods through the teen years. When you became a parent, you probably thought feeding your child would be the easy part. You swore you'd never bribe your kid with dessert, never make a separate meal because it was easier than a standoff, never hear yourself say, just try it, in a voice that didn't sound like your own. Or maybe feeding was easy for years--until your child came home one day and said, My friend says bread makes you fat, and you froze. Maybe your tween started picking at their plate after a pediatrician visit. Maybe your toddler who ate everything suddenly won't touch anything green. Now what? Every parent wants to feed their kids well--but between picky eating, battles with sugar, confusing nutrition headlines, and the fear of saying the wrong thing about food or bodies, it's hard to feel confident about any of it. Now, in Feed Them Well, Anderson gives you the exact words, scripts, and tools you need to navigate it all--without judgment, guilt, or perfection required. You'll learn how to talk about food without planting the seeds of diet culture. How to handle sugar, snacks, treats, and dessert in a way that actually works--at home, at birthday parties, at Grandma's house. What to do when your child refuses vegetables or gags on textures. How to navigate weight conversations when doctors, family, or other kids bring it up. And how to cut through nutrition confusion to figure out what truly matters for your family. This isn't another recipe book. This is the book that teaches you how to think about feeding your kids, so every decision feels less like a guess and more like a plan.

The Ballad of the Fugitive William Parker: A True Tale of Love, Murder, Treason, and Ordinary Folks Who Saved America
by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz

The year, 1851. The place, a Quaker farming community turned Underground Railroad stronghold, where a Maryland enslaver had journeyed in pursuit of four men who'd fled his plantation years before. In a few hours, he'd be dead...and twenty-seven men from the village of Christiana would be rounded up and put on trial. Not for his murder, but for treason--for waging war against the United States, at a time when it was a crime against the government to obstruct an enslaver looking to reclaim his property. This is story of what happened in Christiana that September morning--and in the ensuing trial of the century, which saw the president himself advise the prosecution on strategy and a sitting congressman serve as lead attorney for the defense. But The Ballad of the Fugitive William Parker is also a much larger tale, one spanning decades, following a whole startlingly diverse community of abolitionists in their fight to convince their fellow Americans of the subversive idea that now found itself on trial: that the nation ought to live up the ideals it was founded on, and respect all men as equals. It's a story that whisks readers from the quiet farmlands of Lancaster County--where a self-emancipated man named William Parker, whom legend had it bullets could not kill, rallied his neighbors to ride out each night to battle the slavecatchers who stalked their countryside--to Philadelphia's genteel Society Hill, where socialite Harriet Forten Purvis had the ear of the mayor (and a cellar filled with fugitives). It's stylish, propulsive, intimately human tale of bravery, ingenuity, and hope--and of ordinary people with little in common who came together to stand against injustice...and won.

Plot Twist: Life, Craft, and the Messy First Draft: A Memoir on Writing
by Harlan Coben

#1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben offers a look behind the curtain at his own writing process in an inspiring, candid memoir filled with indispensable insights and techniques. With 100 million books in print world-wide and over twenty blockbuster television and film adaptations of his work, Harlan Coben has much to teach us about the creative process. Part deeply personal memoir, part masterclass in storytelling, Plot Twist is a refreshingly honest look at the life of a writer whose stories have thrilled us for decades. Plumbing memories from his suburban childhood and his early years trying to break into publishing, Coben tells his own story for the first time, revealing the real-world inspirations for some of his most beloved characters as well as the innovative plots that drive his propulsive novels. Filled with useful tips and techniques on the creative process, Coben does away with the traditional categories of writing--characters, plot, setting, etc--and looks at the process holistically. Plot Twist is a masterclass on the act of being a writer, and everything that comes with it: the self-doubt, the hubris, the contradictions, the passion and dedication. At the end of the day, his calculus is a simple one: If it helps me produce pages, good. If it doesn't, bad. This book will help every aspiring writer produce pages. Honest, funny, insightful, and at times deeply moving, this is both a captivating memoir and an essential guide for anyone looking to master the art of storytelling from one of our most beloved authors.

You Are the Parent: Move from Overparenting to Balanced Parenting and Become the Leader Your Child Needs
by Siggie Cohen

Dr. Siggie Cohen, beloved parenting expert and influencer behind the viral @dr.siggie, shares a profound framework that will empower a new generation of parents to lead with confidence and enjoy less chaotic, more harmonious, happier homes. Do you feel like you're stuck in a power struggle with your little one and he might be winning? If so, you're not alone. Modern parenting has become a quagmire of good intentions gone wrong--too many of us are over-accommodating, over-explaining, over-negotiating, over-emphasizing, and over-fixing. This trend of over-parenting is leaving our children without strong coping skills and trapping us in never-ending tug-of-wars for control. It's time for a more balanced approach. It's time for parents to trust themselves again. Bringing decades of experience in early childhood education and developmental psychology--with millions of social media fans who swear by her advice--Dr. Siggie Cohen is here to cut through the noise and reassure you that parenting doesn't have to be this hard or this complicated. You can become the calm, confident leader your family needs, while still parenting with empathy and prioritizing essential connection. Dr. Siggie's Emotional/Behavioral Proficiency (EBP) method offers a simple, yet groundbreaking framework to understand the root cause of your child's behavior, so you can effectively manage common challenges while raising a more resilient and confident kid. Through relatable, real-life examples and actionable strategies, you will learn to see past the problem behaviors to the unmet needs beneath. You Are the Parent provides helpful scripts and tools to set firm, loving boundaries while teaching your child the emotional skills they need to navigate their world and build a foundation of self-regulation. You Are the Parent is more than just a parenting manual; it's a judgement-free roadmap to transforming your family dynamics.

A Shadow Over the World: Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Rise of Fascism, and the Making of America's World War II
by William I. Hitchcock

From New York Times bestselling author William I. Hitchcock, a riveting, revelatory portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the lead-up to World War II, tracing his--and America's--awakening to the threat of fascism. How did FDR and the American public respond to the rise of dictators across Europe and Asia on the eve of World War II? The familiar narrative is that they reacted with indifference and embraced isolationism. Only with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor were Americans reluctantly drawn into the global conflict. But distinguished historian William I. Hitchcock reveals a far more complex and surprising story. From the time Mussolini came to power in 1922 to America's entry into the war in 1941, Americans engaged in a fraught national debate over the rising threat--and for some, the lure--of fascism. At the center of this debate was Roosevelt himself. When he took office in 1933, Roosevelt was determined to avoid foreign entanglements that would harm his ambitious domestic agenda of the New Deal. But over the course of his first two terms, a network of journalists, activists, advisers, and diplomats gradually awakened him to the global dangers of fascism. Roosevelt's transformation was part of a larger national reckoning with authoritarianism around the world. A Shadow Over the World shines a light on a time when a coalition of courageous humanists gathered around a visionary leader to forge a new purpose for America: to protect democracy, oppose imperialism, support human rights, and lead a global fight for freedom. Their successful struggle against the dark forces of fascism holds powerful lessons for our own perilous times.

The Power of No: A Celebration
by Anna Holmes

When was the last time you said no? Not, I don't think so, or maybe, or let me think about it; but a full-throated NO? And how often do you agree to do things you don't want to do? Most of us--especially those who don't wield traditional modes of power, or, at least, not as much relative to others--often find ourselves navigating around no and landing on okay or sure instead. The Power of No releases us from our white-knuckled grip on agreeability. In this eclectic yet empowering book, Atlantic contributing writer Anna Holmes explores why it's difficult for many of us to utter that two-letter word on its own, through an idiosyncratic mix of searing analysis, expert-led research, and stirring insights from the likes of Charlotte Bronte to Shonda Rhimes. From the linguistic, to the societal, to the psychological--from our impressionable childhood to the revelations of middle age--to sex, desire, and bodily autonomy, Holmes playfully traces how no shapes our lives and, if exercised properly, can radically change the way we carry ourselves and move about the world. Equal parts heartfelt meditation and fiery manifesto, The Power of No is a call to embrace the invigorating truth that no is a complete sentence.

Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation After the Christian Turn Against Democracy
by Robert P. Jones

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy, a clear-eyed reckoning with the moral collapse of white Christianity and a call to protect American democracy. What happens when the church trades faith for power, and democracy for dominion? In this searing book, Robert P. Jones names our moment for what it is: a great Backslide. White Christianity's devotion to Donald Trump and Christian nationalism is not only a regression into authoritarian politics but a profound act of apostasy--a betrayal of the best of the Christian tradition. Through reflections on history, his upbringing in the white evangelical South, and decades of social science research, Jones lays bare the roots of this collapse and the dangers it poses for our future. He takes us inside a faith tradition marked by an impoverished relationship to the Bible, a rejection of a genuine search for truth, and an upside-down world where empathy is considered a vice. Yet amid the wreckage, Jones finds signs of hope in efforts to remake our national holiday rituals and recover a Christianity that remains committed to democracy. Timely and unflinching, Backslide is essential reading for anyone unwilling to surrender the soul of faith or the promise of democracy. A prophetic summons to moral responsibility, it reminds us that time is short for deciding which Christianity, and which America, will prevail.

I Choose My Beginning: A Story of Courage and Activism
by Nadia Murad

In a lyrical and profoundly moving memoir, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Girl and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad reclaims her extraordinary journey from ISIS captivity to becoming a global human rights activist, from the embers of devastation to a fight for freedom--and for what comes next when a young girl's flame cannot be extinguished. In 2014, Nadia Murad was living in northern Iraq when her world was shattered. Fighters from the so-called Islamic State attacked her village, massacring hundreds--including her mother and six of her brothers--and forcing her, along with thousands of Yazidi women and girls, into ISIS's system of sexual slavery. Her life since then has been split in two. In one she is a global symbol of courage --a survivor and activist who has stood before world leaders to demand justice. In the other, she is a woman learning how to be a friend, a student, a wife; a woman rediscovering ordinary joy. In I Choose My Beginning, Nadia brings these two selves together. With honesty and grace, she transforms the pain of her past into a life defined not by what was done to her, but by strength, perseverance, and the freedom to choose happiness. From reshaping international law to building a life filled with friendship and love, Nadia carries the memory of those she lost and those who survived. Their presence reminds her--and all of us--that she has always been more than a victim. Powerful and deeply inspiring, I Choose My Beginning is the story of an extraordinary woman reclaiming her humanity--and showing that survival is not the end of the story. It is the beginning.

American Caesar: How Theocrats and Tech Lords Are Turning America Into a Monarchy
by Bradley B. Onishi

A chilling and urgently needed expos on the forces pushing American politics and religion toward a post-constitutional autocracy From Silicon Valley boardrooms to rural pulpits, from Catholic monasteries to Beltway think tanks and Project 2025, a convergence is underway. Reactionary Catholics dream of a new Christendom. Protestant pastors invoke divine right over democratic rule. Tech billionaires, led by the likes of Peter Thiel, argue that freedom and democracy are incompatible. Their solution? A singular ruler to bring order out of what they see as liberal chaos. With a theologian's sensibility, a journalist's touch, and a historian's eye for how movements evolve and adapt, Dr. Bradley B. Onishi traces the strange alliance between spiritual warfare and Silicon Valley libertarianism. At the center of it all is the desire for an unbound executive--one man, beyond checks, beyond balance, beyond democracy. This isn't nostalgia for the 1950s. It's an organized attempt to abandon the American experiment altogether. A former insider turned academic expert, Onishi brings unmatched depth to this investigation--tracing his own path from evangelical pastor to co-host of Straight White American Jesus, the nation's leading religion and politics podcast. As the 2024 election fades into history and a new political order takes shape, American Caesar is not just a warning. It's a map of how we got here--and a call to act before the Republic as we know it becomes just another chapter in a forgotten history book.

Profiles in Cowardice: A Study of Collaboration in the Trump Era
by Jacob Weisberg

A devastating reckoning with the people and institutions whose failure to stand up to Trump's brazen grab for authoritarian power has been particularly shocking and consequential. It may be scant solace, but history will be particularly harsh to a subset of Trump enablers with a few key things in common: They have money and power. They represent intuitions that are central in determining whether America remains a free, functioning democracy or not. And they absolutely know better. History starts now. In Profiles in Cowardice, Jacob Weisberg has written one of the first defining books of the Trump Era--how this pitch-black political moment happened, why so few resisted, and what it reveals about the character of American leadership. Jeff Bezos, Amazon, and Big Tech. Stephen Schwarzman, Blackstone, and Wall Street. Brad Karp, Paul, Weiss, and Big Law. Mitch McConnell and the United States Senate. Eight individuals in all, together forming an entwined network of power in America, and a new way to understand how authoritarianism can take root in an open society--not by overthrowing institutions, but by bending and bullying them into submission. The book is a masterful study of the ways people create rationalizations to justify basic human instincts such as greed, vanity and fear--above all fear. Fear is the great enemy of democracy, and the book illuminates how it operates, how it disguises itself, and how it spreads. The book is timeless: its profiles are case studies, but they are also mirrors. They ask readers to examine their own instincts, their own silences, their own thresholds for action. This is not a morality tale with easy villains. It is an attempt to describe the moral mechanics of democratic failure. By studying that failure up close, we may better understand what courage truly requires--and why it is so rarely summoned when it matters most.