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Nature and Science August 2026 |
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Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research by Melanie D.G. KaplanWhat it's about: Kaplan was curious about her beloved rescue beagle Alexander Hamilton -- a.k.a. Hammy -- and his past as a test subject in an animal research lab. In the course of exploring Hammy’s history and the ways animals are used in biomedical research, product testing, and veterinary training, Kaplan poses thorny questions about ethics and animal rights in her moving debut.
Why you might like it: A poignant story about the bond between humans and animals, and the emotional toll on both the animals and the people involved in research.
For readers of: Martha Nussbaum's "Justice for Animals," Clive Wynne's "Dog is Love," and Jen Golbeck's "The Purest Bond."
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Evergreen: The Trees That Shaped Americaby Trent PreszlerWhat's inside: A captivating story of humanity’s deeply rooted relationship with evergreens, revealing how the trees shaped economies, launched cultural movements, and propelled America’s rise to global prominence.
About the author: Trent Preszler is a professor at Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. A former winemaker and wooden boatbuilder, his life was profiled in a documentary that won a New York Emmy Award in 2018. He serves as director of the Henry David Thoreau Foundation’s Planetary Solutions Initiative.
Similar reads: "The Hidden Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben, "The Nature of Oaks" by Douglas W. Tallamy, and "The Oak and the Larch" by Sophie Pinkham.
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Dinosaurus: A Prehistoric Dictionary by Rhys CharlesWhat it is: This delightful prehistoric dictionary defines more than 100 words and phrases alongside informative entries, phonetic spellings to help pronounce the names of prehistoric creatures, and detailed anatomical illustrations.
You'll learn: About the many prehistoric beasts who coexisted with dinosaurs, Mesozoic geography and contemporary locations where fossils have been discovered, and much more.
You may also like: Armin Schmitt's "The Lost World of the Dinosaurs," Stephen Brusatte's "The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs," and Michael Taylor's "Impossible Monsters."
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Undammed: Freeing Rivers and Bringing Communities to Lifeby Tara LohanContains: Lohan chronicles the United States waterways and the growing movement to remove dams blocking their courses. Incorporating the perspective of Indigenous tribespeople whom she met while chronicling the health of rivers in the Pacific Northwest, Lohan clearly explains the benefits, both environmental and communal, of undamming our rivers in her hopeful, inspiring book.
Line from the book: "..nearly a decade after dam demolition has finished to listen to the howl of a free river and what it can tech us. I'm about to find out the first lesson: Reclamation is reconnection." - Tara Lohan
Try these next: "Lakes" by John Saylor, "Still Water" by Curt Stager, and "Fen, Bog, and Swamp" by Annie Proulx.
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Tigers Between Empires: The Improbable Return of Great Cats to the Forests of Russia and China by Jonathan C. SlaghtWhat it's about: A coordinated effort between Russian and American scientists to rescue the wild tigers of the Amur River basin -- a forested area straddling Russia and China -- from unchecked hunting and habitat loss. After decades of work, the population of these magnificent predators is robust and growing.
Did you know?: In the 1940s, Siberian tigers (also called Amur tigers) were on the brink of extinction with fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the wild. Today there are between 265 and 486 wild Siberian tigers due to the efforts of conservationists.
Read-alikes: Barbara Allen's "Lost Animals, Disappearing Worlds," James Campbell's "Heart of the Jaguar," and James Raffan's "Ice Walker."
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Super Body: A 3-Week Program to Harness the New Science of Body Composition and Restore Your Youthful Contoursby Dr. William Davis, MDWhat it is: Dr. William Davis reveals how we might restore our health and youthful contours by returning to ancestral nutrition practices, restoring beneficial microbes, and taking synergistic supplements. Complete with a three-week program to help kick-start your journey, and including easy-to-make recipes to enhance your efforts.
Read it because: Readers will find that Dr. Davis' other books may result in substantial weight loss, correction of cholesterol abnormalities, relief from inflammatory diseases, better mood, and reduced blood sugar, and type 2 diabetics could be freed of insulin and other drugs.
Other books by this author: "Undoctored," "Super Gut," and "Wheat Belly."
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The Beauty Molecule: Introducing Neuroceuticals, the Breakthrough for Ageless Beauty by Nicholas PerriconeContains: The inside story on neuroceuticals, the "breakthrough for ageless beauty" by Dr. Nicholas Perricone. The book introduces acetylcholine (AcH) as a key "beauty molecule" that connects the brain and body to reverse cellular aging, improve skin, and boost vitality through a program of neuroceuticals, anti-inflammatory nutrition, and lifestyle changes.
About the Author: Vogue magazine has named Dr. Perricone one of the top four dermatologists in the U.S. He holds dozens of U.S. and international patents for the treatment of skin and systemic disease, and for the use of topical anti-inflammatories.
Further reading: Michael Greger's "How Not to Age," Steven Gundr's "The Longevity Paradox," and Sophie Perry's "The Natural Facelift."
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The Parkinson's Plan: A New Path to Prevention and Treatmentby Ray DorseyWhat's inside: Two doctors on the cutting edge of Parkinson's research show readers how to prevent the disease through the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the lifestyles we live. They interview 25 of the world's top scientists, clinicians, and thought leaders in the Parkinson's field to build a plan for prevention and treatment.
What reviews say: “Parkinson's is a devastating, heartbreaking disease. This book brings clarity to the link between environmental toxins and brain health and sets an urgent, moral imperative: we must stop every preventable case of Parkinson's.” - Senator Cory Booker
Similar reads: "Heal Your Gut, Save Your Brain" by Partha Nandi, "The 36-hour Day" by Nancy Mace, and "Ending Parkinson's Disease" by E. Ray Dorsey and other authors.
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Body-First Healing: Get Unstuck and Recover from Trauma with Somatic Healing by Brittany PiperWhat it's about: A guide to somatic trauma recovery, teaching readers to use body-based techniques to regulate their nervous system and process trauma, rather than just talking about it.
You'll learn: How to identify your core wounds and trauma responses, create feelings of safety and regulation, fully experience and move through uncomfortable emotions, and become your own healer by connecting with your body's wisdom.
Try these next: Natalie Gutiérrez's "The Pain We Carry," Nicole Sachs' "Mind Your Body," and Lissa Rankin's "Sacred Medicine."
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The Body Alone: A Lyrical Articulation of Chronic Painby Nina LohmanWhat's inside: A personal hybrid account incorporating research, scholarship, and memoir to examine chronic pain through the multi-lens of medicine, theology, and philosophy. In both form and content, "The Body Alone" represents boundary-pressing work that subverts the traditional narrative by putting pressure on the medical, cultural, and political systems that impact women's access to fair and equal healthcare.
Line from the book: "Already it's been four months since the headache began. No one - not the doctors, not the shaman in the mountains, not the chiropractor, not even my own mother - knows what to do." - Nina Lohman
You may also like: "An Anatomy of Pain" by Abdul-Ghaaliq Lalkhen, "Healing" by Theresa Brown, and "Invisible illness" by Emily Mendenhall.
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Forsyth County Public Library
660 W. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-703-2665forsythlibrary.org |
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