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New Nonfiction October 2025 |
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Between two rivers : ancient Mesopotamia and the birth of history
by Moudhy N. Al-Rashid
Thousands of years ago, in a part of the world we now call ancient Mesopotamia, people began writing things down for the very first time. What they left behind, in a vast region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, preserves leaps in human ingenuity, like the earliest depiction of a wheel and the first approximation of pi.... the world's first cities, the first writing system, early seeds of agriculture, and groundbreaking developments in medicine and astronomy.
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Submersed : wonder, obsession, and murder in the world of amateur submarines
by Matthew Gavin Frank
Matthew Gavin Frank explores the origins of the human compulsion to sink to depth, from the diving bells of Aristotle and Alexander the Great to the Confederate H. L. Hunley, which became the first submersible to sink an enemy warship before itself being sunk during the Civil War. The deeper he plunges, however, the more the obsession seems to dovetail with more threatening traits. Following the grisly murder of journalist Kim Wall at the hands of eccentric entrepreneur Peter Madsen aboard his DIY midget submarine, Frank finds himself reckoning with obsession's darkest extremes. Weaving together elements of true crime, the strange history of the submarine, the mythology of the deep sea, and the physical and mental side effects of sinking to great depth, Frank attempts to get to the bottom of this niche compulsion to chase the extreme in our planet's bodies of water and in our own bodies. What he comes to discover, and interrogate, are the odd and unexpected overlaps between the unquenchable human desire to descend into deep water, and a penchant for unspeakable violence.
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Black Moses : a saga of ambition and the fight for a Black state
by Caleb Gayle
A powerful account of Edward McCabe's bold attempt to establish a Black-governed state in Oklahoma, exploring how racism, political resistance and white greed ultimately derailed his vision of self-determination and opportunity for Black Americans after Reconstruction.
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The new book : poems, letters, blurbs, and things
by Nikki Giovanni
Combines poetry, short letters, and prose to confront cultural and political divisions, reflect on thewidespread reckoning with racial injustice of 2020, and celebrate resilience, joy and legacy, reaffirming the author's role as a prominent radical voice and cultural critic in American literature.
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The Fort Bragg cartel : drug trafficking and murder in the Special Forces
by Seth Harp
Examines a double murder at Fort Bragg, uncovering a web of drug trafficking, corruption, and cover-ups within elite U.S. Special Forces units, revealing how addiction, criminal networks, and the fallout of endless war have destabilized the military's most secretive operations.
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Awake : A Memoir
by Jen Hatmaker
A candid, humorous, and emotionally raw memoir of personal upheaval, charting the collapse of a long marriage, the unraveling of identity and belief systems and the painful but empowering journey toward healing, self-reliance and unexpected renewal.
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Backstage : stories of a writing life
by Donna Leon
Blending deep research and vivid memories, this memoir from the celebrated author of the bestselling Guido Brunetti series explores the inspirations behind her craft, love for Venice and opera and eclectic teaching experiences from New Jersey to Iran and Switzerland.
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Intraterrestrials : discovering the strangest life on Earth
by Karen G. Lloyd
Life thrives in the deepest, darkest recesses of Earth's crust--from methane seeps in the ocean floor to the highest reaches of Arctic permafrost--and it is unlike anything seen on the surface. Intraterrestrials shares what scientists are learning about these strange types of microbial life--and how research expeditions to some of the most extreme locales on the planet are broadening our understanding of what life is and how its earliest forms may have evolved. Drawing on her experiences and those of her fellow scientists working in challenging and often dangerous conditions, Karen Lloyd takes readers on an adventure from the bottom of the ocean through the jungles of Central America to the high-altitude volcanoes of the Andes.
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How to save the Amazon : a journalist's fatal quest for answers
by Dom Phillips
Taking place largely during the term of right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, the book sets out to discover what solutions are available for protecting the Amazon from its destruction, and if those solutions are viable. It is a time of increased violence in the region due to Bolsonaro's anti-environment platform of condoning illegal ranching and mining, creating conflicts between the perpetrators and their supporters and the Indigenous inhabitants and their advocates, with the crescendo of course being the brutal murder of the author himself. Dom Phillips was able to write 3.5 chapters of this book before he was killed, and the book is divided by his death- his original work followed with chapters written by friends and Amazon experts, informed by his notes and fieldwork. In addition to the telling of Dom's own story, the chapters dive deeply into the regional politics and global policies that impact the Amazon, considering the benefits and flaws of each. Chapters investigate urbanization, agroforestry, tourist economies, carbon taxes, government oversight, and more. Deforestation is presented as a complex problem with many partial solutions, most of which are relevant to other global environmental issues as well. The book concludes that to protect the Amazon, we must turn to the Indigenous tribes who know it best and have been caring for it (and planting it) for generations. That passing along their knowledge and educating people about the importance of the Amazon, of its value for its services to humans but also of its value for its own sake and not just as a resource, will be integral to its preservation. In some ways, the conclusions Dom came to and that this book ends with, are radical ideas about reorienting our relationship with "value" and "productivity" away from an extractive, capitalist model and towards a reciprocal relationship with the Earth.
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Lin-Manuel Miranda : the education of an artist
by Daniel Pollack-pelzner
Traces Miranda's path from a friendly but isolated child to the winner of multiple Tonys and Grammys for Broadway hits Hamilton and In the Heights, a global chart-topping sensation for songs in Disney's Moana and Encanto, and the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur Genius Grant.
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Softly, as I leave you : life after Elvis-a memoir
by Priscilla Presley
Recounts the author's journey from life inside Elvis's inner circle to finding independence after their divorce, navigating grief, single motherhood, and personal reinvention as she built a life beyond fame, ultimately transforming tragedy and loss into strength and purpose.
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Mother Mary comes to me
by Arundhati Roy
The memoir from the legendary author of The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness traces the complex relationship with her mother, Mary Roy, a fierce and formidable force who shaped her life both as a woman and a writer.
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The stronger sex : what science tells us about the power of the female body
by Starre Vartan
For decades, Starre Vartan--like most women--was told that having a woman's body meant being weaker than men. Like many women, she mostly believed it. Not anymore. Following a half decade of research into the newest science, Vartan shows in The Stronger Sex that women's bodies are incredibly powerful, flexible, and resilient in ways men's bodies aren't. Tossing aside the narrow notion of a fully ripped man as the measure of strength, Vartan reveals the ways that women surpass men in endurance, flexibility, immunity, pain tolerance, and the ultimate test of any human body: longevity. Vartan--a deadeye shot since her grandmother showed her how to aim a .22--debunks myth after myth like so many tin cans at two hundred yards and reveals why, if anyone wins in a battle of the sexes, it's women. In interviews with dozens of researchers from biology, anthropology, physiology, and sports science, plus in-depth conversations with runners, swimmers, wrestlers, woodchoppers, thru-hikers, firefighters, and more, The Stronger Sex squashes outdated ideas about women's bodies. It's a celebration of female strength that doesn't argue 'down with men' but 'up with us all.
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Sister wife : a memoir of faith, family, and finding freedom
by Christine Brown Woolley
Traces the "Sister Wives" star's life from her polygamist upbringing in Utah to becoming Kody Brown's third wife and a reality TV personality, revealing both the ideals and struggles of plural marriage and her eventual decision to leave the lifestyle behind.
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Morton Grove Public Library
6140 Lincoln Ave
Morton Grove, Illinois 60053
(847) 965-4220www.mgpl.org |
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