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Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise February 2021 Some of these books are available in alternate formats! * denotes an electronic version (audio or ebook) is available. Contact the library or visit our catalog to place a hold on any of these alternatives!
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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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| Do Right By Me: Learning to Raise Black Children in White Spaces by Valerie I. Harrison and Kathryn Peach D'AngeloWhat it is: a compelling and candid conversation for white parents of Black adopted children and how best to raise them with a strong, healthy relationship with their own identities.
Reviewers say: Do Right By Me is a "timely examination of discrimination and privilege" that is "packed with insight" (Publishers Weekly).
Try this next: In Their Voices by Rhonda Roorda, which centers the experiences and observations of transracial adoptees. |
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| Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding *by Daniel E. LiebermanWhat it is: a comprehensive yet accessible study of exercise through a social lens, which looks at the changing role of physical activity as part of the human experience.
Why you might like it: the engaging writing; the author's ability to condense and simplify complex scientific concept and studies.
Don't miss: the non-judgmental exploration of the social and evolutionary obstacles to prioritizing exercise in modern life. |
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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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What it is: a collection of essays, poems, and interviews that explore COVID-19 from the perspective of over 90 influential and vibrant literary voices. Read it for: comfort, connection, and reflections on how this age of isolation and uncertainty holds possibilities for individual and social change. Reviewers say: "For anyone who feels powerless right now, these writings offer comfort and even escape into the abstract, allowing for meditation on deeper issues....A testament to the power of story in times of hardship and crisis." (Library Journal)
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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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| by Jaquira Díaz
What 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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| by Akikur Mohammad, MD
What 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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Heavy : An American Memoir *by Kiese LaymonWhat it is: an essayist and novelist explores what the weight of a lifetime of secrets, lies, and deception does to a Black body, a Black family, and a nation teetering on the brink of moral collapse. Read it for: examines the intersection of health, race, and social injustice through the toll of intergenerational trauma. Laymon addresses his own eating disorder and gambling addiction, among other personal and familial issues Reviewers say: "...full of devotion and betrayal, euphoria and anguish, tender embraces and rough abuse…the liberation on offer doesn’t feel light and unburdened; it feels heavy like the title, and heavy like the truth…" (New York Times)
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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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