New books at the NMC library

A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds
by Scott Weidensaul
Bird migration entails almost unfathomable endurance, like a sparrow-sized sandpiper that will fly nonstop from Canada to Venezuela–the equivalent of running 126 consecutive marathons without food, water, or rest–avoiding dehydration by “drinking” moisture from its own muscles and organs, while orienting itself using the earth’s magnetic field through a form of quantum entanglement that made Einstein queasy. This breathtaking work of nature writing from Pulitzer Prize finalist Scott Weidensaul introduces readers to scientists, researchers, and bird lovers trying to preserve global migratory patterns in the face of climate change and other environmental challenges.

I Saw Ramallah
by Mourid Barghouti ; translated by Ahdaf Soueif ; with a foreword by Edward W. Said
Barred from his homeland after 1967’s Six-Day War, the poet Mourid Barghouti spent thirty years in exile, shuttling among the world’s cities, yet secure in none of them. As he returns home for the first time since the Israeli occupation, Barghouti is unable to recognize the city of his youth. Sifting through memories of the old Palestine as they come up against what he now encounters in this mere “idea of Palestine”, he discovers what it means to be deprived not only of a homeland but of “the habitual place and status of a person.” A tour de force of memory and reflection, lamentation and resilience, I saw Ramallah is a deeply humane book, essential to any balanced understanding of today’s Middle East.

The Unreasonable Virtue of Fly Fishing
by Mark Kurlansky
Fly fishing, historian Mark Kurlansky has found, is a battle of wits; fly fisher vs. fish–and the fly fisher does not always (or often) win. The targets–salmon, trout, and char–are highly intelligent, wily, strong, and athletic animals. The allure is that fly fishing makes catching a fish as difficult as possible. There is an art, too, in the crafting of flies. Beautiful and intricate, some are made with more than two dozen pieces of feather and fur from exotic animals. The cast as well is a matter of grace and rhythm, with different casts and rods yielding varying results. A lifelong love of the sport has led him around the world to many countries, coasts, and rivers–from the wilds of Alaska to Basque country, from the Catskills in New York to Oregon’s Columbia River, from Ireland and Norway to Russia and Japan.

The Case for Good Jobs: How Great Companies Bring Dignity, Pay & Meaning to Everyone’s Work
by Zeynep Ton
Imagine you are a leader in a large company, and you volunteer at a local soup kitchen, helping the needy who can’t afford warm meals. On your way out, the director stops you and says, “I just need you to know that many of the people visiting our services are actually your employees.” This really happened. The leader was shocked. He assumed that because the company paid market rate, the company was doing right by its employees. Zeynep Ton is here to show why good jobs combined with strong operations always lead to good outcomes for the business.

The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins and the Fight for Women in Science
by Kate Zernike
In 1999, Nancy Hopkins, a noted molecular geneticist and cancer researcher at MIT, found herself underpaid and denied the credit and resources given to men of lesser rank. Galvanized by the flagrant favoritism, Hopkins led a group of sixteen women on the faculty in a campaign that prompted MIT to make the historic admission that it had long discriminated against female scientists. Highlighting the inequity they observed would set off a national reckoning with the pervasive sexism in science that continues to this day. Written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who broke the story, The Exceptions is the unforgettable story of Nancy Hopkins–a surprisingly reluctant feminist who became a hero to two generations of women in science.

Kingdom of Play: What Ball-bouncing Octopuses, Belly-flopping Monkeys, and Mud-sliding Elephants Reveal About Life Itself
by David Toomey
In Kingdom of Play, critically acclaimed science writer David Toomey takes us on an entertaining tour of playful animals and the scientists who study them.Monkeys belly-flop, dolphins tail-walk, elephants mud-slide, crows dive-bomb, and octopuses bounce balls. These activities are various, but all are play. A globe-spanning journey and a scientific detective story filled with lively animal anecdotes, Kingdom of Play is an illuminating – and yes, playful- – look at a little-known aspect of the animal kingdom.

Women in Science Now: Stories and Strategies for Achieving Equity
by Lisa M.P. Munoz
Women working in the sciences face obstacles at virtually every step along their career paths. From subtle slights to blatant biases, deep systemic problems block women from advancing or push them out of science and technology entirely. Through a combined focus on personal experiences and social-science research, this timely book provides both a path toward greater gender equity and an inspiring vision of science and scientists.
[Silver Medal in the Social Change and Social Justice Category, 2024 Nautilus Book Awards]

 North Woods
by Daniel Mason
When a pair of young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become the home of an extraordinary succession of human and nonhuman characters alike. An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to apples. A pair of spinster twins navigate war and famine, envy and desire. A crime reporter, a lovelorn painter, a sinister conman, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle: As each inhabitant confronts the wonder and mystery around them, they begin to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive. It is not just an unforgettable novel about secrets and destinies, but a way of looking at the world that asks the timeless question: How do we live on, even after we’re gone?
[The New York Times Book Review Top Ten Book of the Year; Washington Post Top Ten Book of the Year; Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award]

Eagle Drums
by Nasug̊raq Rainey Hopson
As his family prepares for winter, a young, skilled hunter must travel up the mountain to collect obsidian for knapping—the same mountain where his two older brothers died. When he reaches the mountaintop, he is immediately confronted by a terrifying eagle god named Savik. Savik gives the boy a choice: follow me or die like your brothers. What comes next is a harrowing journey to the home of the eagle gods and unexpected lessons on the natural world, the past that shapes us, and the community that binds us. Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson is part cultural folklore, part origin myth about the Messenger’s Feast – which is still celebrated in times of bounty among the Iñupiaq. It’s the story of how Iñupiaq people were given the gift of music, song, dance, community, and everlasting tradition.
[American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award Honor (2024), Newbery Honor Book (2024), NPR Best Book of the Year]

Gather
by Kenneth M. Cadow
BIan Gray isn’t supposed to have a dog, but a lot of things that shouldn’t happen end up happening anyway. And Gather, Ian’s adopted pup, is good company now that Ian has to quit the basketball team, find a job, and take care of his mom as she tries to overcome her opioid addiction. Despite the obstacles thrown their way, Ian is determined to keep his family afloat. And for a little while, things are looking up: Ian makes friends, and his fondness for the outdoors and for fixing things lands him work helping neighbors. But an unforeseen tragedy results in Ian and his dog taking off on the run.
[Finalist for National Book Award for Literature for Youth (2023), Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature Honor (2024)]

Starter Villain
by John Scalzi
Charlie’s life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn’t all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they’re coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital. It’s up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyper-intelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.