To find these selections and many other new titles, see the NMC library catalog.
NON-FICTION
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet
by John Green
The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet – from the QWERTY keyboard and Staphylococcus aureus to the Taco Bell breakfast menu – on a five-star scale. Green’s gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection that includes both beloved essays and all-new pieces exclusive to the book.
Blockchain, Big Data and Machine Learning: Trends and Applications edited by Neeraj Kumar, N. Gayathri, Md. Arafatur Rahman and B. Balamurugan
This timely book covers new paradigms in blockchain, big data and machine learning concepts including applications and case studies. It explains dead fusion in realizing the privacy and security of blockchain based data analytic environments. Recent research on security has been explained through work by practitioners and researchers, including their technical evaluation and comparison with existing technologies.
Buying America From the Indians: Johnson v. McIntosh and the History of Native Land Rights
by Blake A. Watson
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Johnson v. McIntosh established the basic principles that govern American Indian property rights to this day. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Marshall declared that the ‘discovery’ of America had given exclusive title to European colonizers. Taught to first-year law students as the root of title for real property in the United States, the case has also been condemned by the United Nations and others as a Eurocentric justification for the subjugation of the Indians. Watson argues that the United States should formally repudiate the discovery doctrine set forth in Johnson v. McIntosh.
We Are What We Eat: A Slow Food Manifesto by Alice Waters with Bob Carrau and Cristina Mueller
Over years of working with regional farmers, Waters and her partners learned how geography and seasonal fluctuations affect the ingredients on the menu, as well as the dangers of pesticides, the plight of fieldworkers, and the social, economic, and environmental threats posed by industrial farming and food distribution. Many of the problems we face —from illness, to social unrest, to economic disparity, and environmental degradation—are connected to food. Waters argues that by eating in a “slow food way,” each of us can nurture a culture that champions biodiversity, seasonality, stewardship and pleasure in work.
Drone: Remote Control Warfare
by Hugh Gusterson
Drones are changing the conduct of war. They can be used in war zones or to kill people in countries where the U.S. is not officially at war. Advocates say that drones are more precise than conventional bombers, allowing warfare with minimal civilian deaths while keeping American pilots out of harm’s way. Critics say that drones are cowardly and often kill innocent civilians while terrorizing entire villages on the ground. Gusterson explores drone warfare drawing on accounts by drone operators, victims, activists, international lawyers, journalists, military thinkers, and academic experts.
Anne Brigman: A Visionary in Modern Photography
by Ann M. Wolfe
A much-anticipated look at one of the first feminist artists, best known for her iconic landscape photographs made in the early 1900s depicting female nudes outdoors in rugged Northern California. The book rediscovers and celebrates the work of Anne Brigman, whose photography was considered radical for its time. Brigman’s significance spanned both coasts: in Northern California, where she lived, she was known as a poet, a critic, and a member of the Pictorialist photography movement and on the East Coast where her work was promoted by Alfred Stieglitz, who elected her as a fellow of the prestigious Photo-Secession.
FICTION
Ragnarok: The End of the Gods
by A.S. Byatt
As the bombs of the Blitz rain down on Britain, a young girl is evacuated to the countryside. She struggles to make sense of her new life, where dark, war-ravaged days feel removed from the peace and love being preached in church and at school. Then she is given a copy of Asgard and the Gods – a book of ancient Norse myths – and her inner and outer worlds are transformed. War, natural disaster, reckless gods, and the recognition of impermanence in the world are just some of the threads that Byatt weaves in this book. Linguistically stunning and imaginatively abundant, Ragnarok is a landmark piece of storytelling.
Calling For a Blanket Dance
by Oscar Hokeah
Hokeah’s debut takes us into the life of Ever Geimausaddle, whose family—part Mexican, part Native American—is determined to hold onto their community despite obstacles everywhere they turn. Ever’s relatives all have ideas about who he is and who he should be. His Cherokee grandmother urges the family to move across Oklahoma to be near her, while his grandfather tries to reunite Ever with his heritage through traditional gourd dances. Every relative wants the same: to remind Ever of the rich and supportive communities that surround him.
Lion’s Honey
by David Grossman
Israel’s most lauded contemporary writer retells the myth of Samson, one of the most tempestuous, charismatic, and colorful characters in the Hebrew Bible. There are few other Bible stories with so much drama and action, narrative fireworks and raw emotion, as we find in the tale of Samson: the battle with the lion; the three hundred burning foxes; the women he bedded and the one woman that he loved; his betrayal by all the women in his life, from his mother to Delilah; and, in the end, his murderous suicide, when he brought the house down on himself and three thousand Philistines.
Dream Angus: The Celtic God of Dreams
by Alexander McCall Smith
The Canongate Myths series brings together some of the world’s finest writers, each of whom retells a myth in a contemporary and memorable way. Dream Angus comes to you at night and bestows dreams. Just the sight of him may be enough to make you lose your heart, for he is also the god of love, youth and beauty. In this mesmerizing retelling of the Celtic myth, Alexander McCall Smith unites dream and reality, leaving us to wonder: what is life but the pursuit of dreams?
The Mermaid of Black Conch
by Monique Roffey
Near the island of Black Conch, a fisherman sings to himself while waiting for a catch. But David attracts a sea-dweller that he never expected – Aycayia, an innocent young woman cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid. When American tourists capture Aycayia, David rescues her and vows to win her trust. Slowly, painfully, she transforms into a woman again. Yet as their love grows, they discover that the world around them is changing – and they cannot escape the curse forever.
Unraveller
by Frances Hardinge
Fifteen-year-old Kellen’s unique ability to unravel curses unfortunately does not protect him from becoming cursed, and unless he and his best friend and ally Nettle can remove his hex, Kellen is in danger of unraveling everything–and everyone–around him. [Young Adult]
Summaries and images adapted from publishers.