|
Notable Non-fiction April 2017
|
|
|
|
New and Recently Released
|
|
|
Why Wall Street Matters by William D CohanWilliam D. Cohan is no knee-jerk advocate for Wall Street and the big banks. He’s one of America’s most respected financial journalists and the progressive bestselling author of House of Cards. He has long been critical of the bad behavior that plagued much of Wall Street in the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, and because he spent seventeen years as an investment banker on Wall Street, he is an expert on its inner workings as well. But in recent years he’s become alarmed by the cheap shots and ceaseless vitriol directed at Wall Street’s bankers, traders, and executives—the people whose job it is to provide capital to those who need it, the grease that keeps our economy humming. In this brisk, no-nonsense narrative, Cohan reminds us of the good these institutions do—and the dire consequences for us all if the essential role they play in making our lives better is carelessly curtailed.
|
|
|
The Great Equalizer : How Main Street Capitalism Can Create an Economy For Everyone by David M SmickSmick, a financial market consultant, calls for a wave of small business start-ups and bottom-up innovation to help the middle class reclaim the American Dream from corporate capitalism. Ultimately, Smick argues, economies are more than statistical measurements of supply and demand, economic output, and rates of return. Economies are people-their hopes, fears, dreams, and expectations. The Great Equalizer is a call for a set of new paradigms that inspire and empower average American people to reimagine and reboot their economy. It is a manifesto asserting that, with a new kind of economic policy, America's best days lie ahead.
|
|
|
Reality Is Not What It Seems : The Journey To Quantum Gravity by Carlo RovelliWhat are the elementary ingredients of the world? Do time and space exist? And what exactly is reality? Theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli has spent his life exploring these questions. He tells us how our understanding of reality has changed over the centuries and how physicists think about the structure of the universe today. This book culminates in a lucid overview of quantum gravity, the field of research that explores the quantum nature of space and time, seeking to unify quantum mechanics and general relativity. Rovelli invites us to imagine a marvelous world where space breaks up into tiny grains, time disappears at the smallest scales, and black holes are waiting to explode—a vast universe still largely undiscovered.
|
|
|
Furry Logic : The Physics of Animal Life by Matin Durrani The principles of physics lie behind many of the ways animals go about their daily lives. Scientists have discovered that the way cats and dogs lap up liquids can be explained by the laws of surface tension, how ants navigate is due to polarized light, and why pistol shrimps can generate enough force to destroy aquarium glass using their ”elbows!” Each of Furry Logic's six chapters tackles a separate branch of physics and, through more than 30 animal case studies, examines each creature's key features before describing the ways physics is at play in its life, how the connection between physics and animal behavior was discovered, and what remains to be found out. Science journalists Matin Durrani and Liz Kalaugher make the incredible interdisciplinary world of animals accessible to all, in an enthralling and entertaining read.
|
|
|
The Case Against Sugar by Gary TaubesAmong Americans, diabetes is more prevalent today than ever; obesity is at epidemic proportions; nearly 10% of children are thought to have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. And sugar is at the root of these, and other, critical society-wide, health-related problems. With his signature command of both science and straight talk, Gary Taubes delves into Americans' history with sugar: its uses as a preservative, as an additive in cigarettes, the contemporary overuse of high-fructose corn syrup. He explains what research has shown about our addiction to sweets. He clarifies the arguments against sugar, corrects misconceptions about the relationship between sugar and weight loss; and provides the perspective necessary to make informed decisions about sugar as individuals and as a society.
|
|
|
Homo Deus : A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval N Harari Over the past century humankind has managed to do the impossible and rein in famine, plague, and war. This may seem hard to accept, but, as Harari explains in his trademark style—thorough, yet riveting—famine, plague and war have been transformed from incomprehensible and uncontrollable forces of nature into manageable challenges. What then will replace famine, plague, and war at the top of the human agenda? As the self-made gods of planet earth, what destinies will we set ourselves, and which quests will we undertake? Homo Deus explores the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the twenty-first century—from overcoming death to creating artificial life. It asks the fundamental questions: Where do we go from here? And how will we protect this fragile world from our own destructive powers? This is the next stage of evolution. This is Homo Deus.
|
|
|
The Book Thieves : The Nazi Looting of Europe's Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance by Anders RydellWhile the Nazi party was being condemned by much of the world for burning books, they were already hard at work perpetrating an even greater literary crime. When the Nazi soldiers ransacked Europe’s libraries and bookshops, large and small, the books they stole were not burned. Instead, the Nazis began to compile a library of their own that they could use to wage an intellectual war on literature and history. In this secret war, the libraries of Jews, Communists, Liberal politicians, LGBT activists, Catholics, Freemasons, and many other opposition groups were appropriated for Nazi research, and used as an intellectual weapon against their owners. But when the war was over, most of the books were never returned. Instead many found their way into the public library system, where they remain to this day. Rydell also recounts the heroic efforts of librarians working today to return the books to their owners.
|
|
|
Hillbilly Elegy : A Memoir of a Family and Culture In Crisis by J. D. Vance The Vance family story begins hopefully in postwar America. J. D.’s grandparents were “dirt poor and in love,” and moved north from Kentucky’s Appalachia region to Ohio in the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. They raised a middle-class family, and eventually their grandchild (the author) would graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of their success in achieving generational upward mobility. But as the family saga of Hillbilly Elegy plays out, we learn that this is only the short, superficial version. Vance’s grandparents, aunt, uncle, sister, and, most of all, his mother, struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life, and were never able to fully escape the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part of America. Vance piercingly shows how he himself still carries around the demons of their chaotic family history.
|
|
Friday, April 27 Foods and Flavors of Thailand 6:30 p.m. Local resident and food professional Jennifer Diamond will demonstrate cooking with the spices and flavors of Thailand. A special tasting will be part of the event. Friday, April 28 Additions and Alterations to Historic Homes 7:00 p.m. Architect Eric Holterman discusses renovations to older homes. Saturday, April 29 Stamp Roadshow 10:30 a.m. The Hamilton Township Philatelic Society will be on hand to evaluate the worth of your stamp collection! They'll also give pointers to the novice collector. Saturday, May 6 Used Book Collection 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Donate your gently used books.
|
Saturday, May 6 Ask the Real Estate Lady 10:00 a.m. Susan Patterson leads a conversation with buyers and sellers about the contract process. Thursday, May 11 Using the Cloud 1:00 p.m. What is the Cloud and what does it have to do with me? We'll teach you ways to upload files, documents, and photos to the Cloud so you can access them from any device. Friday, May 12 On a Roll: Sushi Making with Sofia Milner 7:00 p.m. Come learn the basics of sushi making. Saturday, May 20 Healthy Habits for a Healthy You 10:30 p.m. Learn techniques to prevent Alzheimer's disease. Friday, June 2 The Vinyl Dialogues with Mike Morsch 6:30 p.m.
|
|
Cranbury Public Library
23 North Main Street ~
Cranbury, NJ 08512 ~ Phone: 609-655-0555 ~ Contact Us
|
|
|