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Armchair Travel April 2017
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Voyager: Travel Writings
by Russell Banks
A revelatory collection of travel essays by the Pulitzer Prize-nominated author of Cloudsplitter includes pieces on his interview with Fidel Castro in Cuba, his hippie reunion with college friends in Chapel Hill and his Edinburgh elopement with his fourth wife. 25,000 first printing.
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| The Not-Quite States of America: Dispatches from the Territories and Other Far-Flung... by Doug MackWhen people think about what makes up the United States, they probably think of the 50 states -- but there are other places that are often forgotten (if people know about them at all). Tracing the author's visits to some far-flung U.S. territories, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands, this informative, amusing book provides a fascinating look at each place, its role in history, the people who live there, and their ideas about statehood. If you think you know the United States but can't locate the territories on a map, pick this up -- after all, they are part of the country, too! |
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| The Alps: A Human History from Hannibal to Heidi and Beyond by Stephen O'SheaThough he's afraid of heights, Stephen O'Shea decided to take a road trip across the Alps, visiting parts of France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Slovenia. Driving a souped-up muscle car, he traveled around hairpin turns, through quaint villages, and up and down (and up and down) steep mountain roads. While lightheartedly describing his adventure, he shares information about the people and places he encountered along the way and comments on the rugged area's appearances in history and fiction (covering everyone from Hannibal and Hitler to Mary Shelley, Sherlock Holmes, and Heidi). The Alps should pique the interest of those who enjoy reading fun travelogues full of cool information (Bill Bryson fans, we're talking to you!). |
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Seeking Something More From Life
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Zeitoun
by Dave Eggers
Documents the story of a long-time New Orleans resident who was forced to stay behind during Hurricane Katrina while the rest of his family evacuated, describing how he spent days after the storm traveling by canoe to feed abandoned animals before he was inexplicably arrested. Reprint.
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| Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl StrayedIn this "unsentimental memoir" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), recently divorced 26-year-old Cheryl Strayed sets out on the 1,100-mile Pacific Coast Trail (PCT), walking solo from California, through Oregon, and on to Washington State. Strayed, a completely inexperienced hiker, had plenty of baggage with her, and we're not just talking about her too-heavy backpack. Though the book is centered around her time on the trail and her dealings with snakes, bears, and blisters, sections of Wild discuss the troubles that sent Strayed (back)packing, including her mother's death, the end of her marriage, and her own reckless behaviors. |
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| The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric WeinerWant more happiness in your life? Maybe you don't need a better job or to lose ten pounds -- maybe you just need a change of scenery. National Public Radio correspondent Eric Weiner traveled the globe, investigating not what happiness is, but where it is. His first stop was Rotterdam, where he consulted scientist Ruut Veenhoven, compiler of the World Database of Happiness, which ranks countries' happiness levels. From there, Weiner, a self-professed grump, visited such "happy" places as Iceland, India, Qatar, Great Britain, and America. The result? "A charming, funny and illuminating travelogue" (The Washington Post). |
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Walk in Their Shoes: Can One Person Change the World?
by Jim Ziolkowski and James S. Hirsch
Jim Ziolkowski had a fast-track corporate finance job at the age of 24 -- but, moved by the extreme poverty he'd seen while traveling in India, Thailand, and Nepal, he quit in order to start a non-profit service-oriented program, buildOn, addressing global illiteracy and the problems of inner-city American youth. Even though Ziolkowski had no professional experience in education or fundraising, he had faith, and buildOn became a life-changing success, with over 550 schools built 20 years later. But it wasn't easy: Ziolkowski has had guns pointed at him in South Africa and Harlem, been bitten by poisonous snakes in Africa and South America, and suffered from malaria and dysentery (on four different continents!).
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Michigan City Public Library 100 E. 4th Street Michigan City, Indiana 46360 219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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