“Wilson concedes from the beginning that little is known about Brady’s personal life but the author compensates with a thorough tracking and assessment of the professional career… A useful introduction to the man who established photographs as both works of art and important historical documents.” 

— Kirkus Reviews

“Those with an interest in photography and the Civil War (and especially fans of Timothy Egan’s Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher) will savor this telling glimpse into the America first captured on film, and the man who made it happen.” 

—Publisher’s Weekly

Attesting to the power of correspondence (and book lending) Brockmole incorporates two wars, two generations, and many envelopes.

Fans of 84 Charing Cross Road and The Guernsey Literary…Society will love the story’s revelation solely via letters.

A book by Elspeth, a reclusive (also married) Scottish poet, loaned by a friend to David, a brash American college student, prompts Elspeth’s first fan letter. Romance ensues…

For me, the story’s charm lies not in the love story (which I found lacking in real chemistry) but rather in the couple’s sincerity and the authors’ rendering of history’s role in creating their private dilemmas.

“Tyler explodes numerous myths... Controversial but well-grounded in data and fact. Anyone with an interest in economic policy ought to have a look .“

— Kirkus Reviews

“[Tyler] provokes outrage with his impassioned portrait of an America where job security is a relic of the past .”

— Publishers Weekly

"Tyler’s timely and convincing book confirms what Americans feel in their bones: the economy is rigged against them and something is definitely wrong .“

— Library Journal

This American Life contributor David Rakoff died shortly after finishing this edgy, impressive novel presented completely in verse.

The intensely entertaining style of this story practically demands that it be read aloud; the content dictates that the listeners be grownups.

Packaged within lines of razor-sharp wordplay are interconnected vignettes of, among other themes, poverty, child abuse, dementia, same-sex relationships, AIDs, betrayal. 

Unforgettable characters, incisive humor, and cheeky style set this book apart.

Schlosser explores the history of America's attempts to make its nuclear weapons available for the purposes of deterrence while still safely storing them. The record, according to Schlosser, is very mixed, with thousands of minor to major accidents over the past 60 years.

He recounts the major accident involving an armed nuclear missile silo in Damascus, AR, in September 1980, to show how complicated systems involving human actors inevitably fail and can easily result in catastrophe.

While Americans found intentional nuclear war a frightening prospect during the Cold War, accidental nuclear disasters were an unrecognized danger .

–Library Journal

The stuff you own winds up owning you. I don’t know exactly who said that, but I heard it from Edward Norton in Fight Club. This book is not at all like Fight Club , but it is about taking your life back from the clutter of too much stuff.

The author offers philosophical and practical tips on simplifying ones life from the burden of ownership. True to its title, it focuses on the joy of removing the unnecessary from our homes and from our lives.

Decluttering can be fun!

Sanderson argues that American dependence on oil impacts the country’s architecture, economy, housing, land use, urban planning and transportation. Ultimately, this dependence is not sustainable and will continue to lead us down the path of further recessions, wars, and diminished possibilities.

What separates Sanderson’s work from many others is his use of charts and graphics to drive home his points.   Readers will have a profound and new understanding of the interrelationships between seemingly unrelated topics.

Highly readable and illustrated, this is a timely and much needed contribution to the discussion of the future.

CS