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Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise February 2021
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| The Cancer Code: A Revolutionary New Understanding of a Medical Mystery by Jason FungWhat it's about: recent research about the causes, treatment, and prevention of cancer, with a focus on metabolic disorders as a contributing factor.
About the author: Dr. Jason Fung is a physician whose previous work includes bestsellers The Diabetes Code and The Obesity Code.
Read it for: recommendations on how to manage your individual cancer risk; the authoritative yet accessible tone. |
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| Social Chemistry: Decoding the Patterns of Human Connection by Marissa KingWhat it's about: science-based strategies for improving your social communication skills and building stronger, more rewarding professional connections.
Topics include: different approaches to network building and real world examples of each, from Vogue editor Anna Wintour (a "convenor") to cellist Yo-Yo Ma (a "broker") to Mad Money host Jim Cramer (an "expansionist").
Read it for: the approachable tone, thorough research, and robust annotations that include plenty of recommendations for further reading. |
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Breath : the new science of a lost art
by James Nestor
"No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how resilient your genes are, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you're not breathing properly. There is nothing more essential to our health and wellbeing than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat 25,000 times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences. Science journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong with our breathing and how to fix it. Why are we the only animals with chronically crooked teeth? Why didn't our ancestors snore? Nestor seeks out answers in muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Hetracks down men and women exploring the science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo and teams up with pulmonary tinkerers to scientifically test long-held beliefs about how we breathe. Modern research is showing us that changing the ways in which we breathe can jump-start athletic performance, halt snoring, rejuvenate internal organs, mute allergies and asthma, blunt autoimmune disease, and straighten scoliotic spines. None of this should be possible, and yet it is. Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head. You will never breathe the same again"
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| Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine MayWhat it's about: the importance of retreat and reflection during trying times and the healing to be found in periods of "hibernation."
Why you might like it: Katherine May pulls thoughtful observations from a wide variety of sources like mythology and the natural world which could provide solace during periods of isolation and upheaval.
Want a taste? "When everything is broken, everything is also up for grabs. That’s the gift of winter: it’s irresistible. Change will happen in its wake, whether we like it or not." |
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| Good Morning, Destroyer of Men's Souls: A Memoir of Women, Addiction, and Love by Nina Renata AronWhat it is: the compelling, heartwrenching memoir of the author's tumultuous affair with an addict.
Read it for: the candid writing; the examination of how codependency and enabling behavior are often heavily gendered.
Reviewers say: Good Morning is a "gorgeously narrated memoir of destructive codependency" that will "captivate" readers (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Ordinary Girls: A Memoir by Jaquira DíazWhat it's about: Jaquira Díaz's experiences growing up in an environment of neglect, mental illness, and omnipresent drug abuse.
Why you should read it: Despite the heavy topics, this moving story is narrated from a place of empowerment and self-assuredness.
For fans of: other well-rendered memoirs about the adverse experiences of women of color like Roxane Gay's Hunger or When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago. |
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| Strung Out: One Last Hit and Other Lies That Nearly Killed Me by Erin KharWhat it is: a candid and reflective memoir of childhood trauma, heroin addiction, and rebuilding from both.
Read it for: the author's moving description of how becoming a mother helped her find the strength to get sober.
Reviewers say: "This heartbreaking yet heartwarming memoir puts a human face on the drug crisis and the factors that lead to addiction" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| The Anatomy of Addiction: What Science and Research Tell us About the True Causes... by Akikur Mohammad, MDWhat it's about: evidence-based approaches to substance abuse and recovery, which looks at addiction holistically.
What makes it unique: the discussion of ways that mental illness and addiction can affect each other; the special attention paid to helping teenagers in recovery.
Don't miss: the introduction to Suboxone, a medication the author argues will revolutionize the detox and recovery process. |
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| Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction by Maia SzalavitzWhat it is: a thought-provoking argument in favor of radically reframing our understanding of substance abuse as a disorder with developmental underpinnings.
Is it for you? Maia Szalavitz has potentially polarizing criticisms of common recovery strategies like 12-step programs that may not be for everyone.
Want a taste? "About here's where I'm supposed to tell you that I'm different, that I wasn't your 'typical addict.' The American media repeatedly assures us that such an addict certainly isn't white, female, educated, or middle class. But I'm not going to do that." |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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