The library has recently purchased many new books. You can view a handful of them here along with descriptions or go to the library catalog to see the full listing.
Sapiens: A Graphic History. Vol. 1, The Birth of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
In this first volume of the full-color illustrated adaptation of his groundbreaking book, renowned historian Yuval Harari tells the story of humankind’s creation and evolution, exploring the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be ‘human’. Sapiens challenges us to reconsider accepted beliefs, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and view specific events within the context of larger ideas. [Graphic Novel]
Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band by Christian Staebler & Sonia Paoloni
Brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas were talented Native American rock musicians that took the 1960s Sunset Strip by storm. They influenced The Doors and jammed with Jimmy Hendrix before he was ‘Jimi’. Determined to control their creative vision and maintain their cultural identity, they eventually signed a deal with Epic Records in 1969. Created in cooperation with the Vegas family, authors and artist Thibault Balahy take painstaking steps to ensure the historical accuracy of this important and often overlooked story of America’s past. [Graphic Novel]
From Farms to Incubators: Women Innovators Revolutionizing How Our Food Is Grown by Amy Wu
An exciting look at how women entrepreneurs are transforming agriculture through high technology. From Farms to Incubators presents inspiring stories and practical case studies of how women entrepreneurs from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds are leading the agtech revolution. Wu offers role models for young women, a glimpse into the future of food production, and a fascinating investigation of how women leaders are profitably disrupting the world’s oldest industry.
Autopsy of a Crime Lab: Exposing the Flaws in Forensics by Brandon L. Garrett
Garrett catalogs the sources of error and the faulty science behind a range of well-known forensic evidence, from fingerprints and firearms to forensic algorithms. Noted legal expert, Garrett takes us into the lives of the wrongfully convicted or nearly convicted, into crime labs rocked by scandal, and onto the front lines of promising reform efforts driven by professionals and researchers. Autopsy of a Crime Lab illustrates the persistence and perniciousness of shaky science and its well-meaning practitioners.
Nobody’s Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness by Roy Richard Grinker
For centuries, scientists and society cast moral judgments on anyone deemed mentally ill, confining many to asylums. Grinker chronicles the progress and setbacks in the struggle against mental-illness stigma-from the eighteenth century, through America’s major wars, and into today’s high-tech economy. Drawing on cutting-edge science, historical archives, and cross-cultural research in Africa and Asia, Nobody’s Normal explains how we are transforming mental illness and offers a path to end the shadow of stigma.
Food Fix: How to Save Our Health, Our Economy, Our Communities, and Our Planet – One Bite at a Time by Mark Hyman, MD.
Food is our most powerful tool to reverse the global epidemic of chronic disease, heal the environment, reform politics, and revive economies. What we eat has tremendous implications not just for our waistlines, but also for the planet, society, and the global economy. Pairing the latest developments in nutritional and environmental science with an unflinching look at the dark realities of the global food system and the policies that make it possible.
A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib
Revealing all modes and methods of black performance, in this moment when black performers are coming to terms with their value, reception, and immense impact on America. Abdurraqib uncovers questions and tensions that help to reveal how black performance pervades all areas of American society. A Little Devil in America considers, critiques, and praises performance in music, sports, writing, comedy, grief, games, and love.
The Heroine With 1,001 Faces by Maria Tatar
World-renowned folklorist Tatar reveals an astonishing but long buried history of heroines, exploring how heroines, rarely wielding a sword and deprived of a pen, have flown beneath the radar. Using domestic arts and storytelling skills, they have displayed audacity, curiosity, and care as they struggled to survive and change the reigning culture.
Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the Toilet by Chelsea Wald
Less than half of the world’s population can access a toilet that safely manages body waste, including many right here in the United States. Profiling the growing army of sewage-savvy scientists, engineers, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and activists worldwide who are focusing their formidable skills on making toilets accessible and healthier for all. This potential revolution in sanitation has many benefits, including reducing inequalities, mitigating climate change and water scarcity, improving agriculture, and optimizing health.
Beyond Books: Stories of Traverse Area Libraries, 1860-2020 by Heather Shumaker
A history of Grand Traverse County libraries, beginning with an early Traverse Township Library and a Ladies’ Library Association established in 1869. The book highlights the community’s support of its libraries over 140 years and how libraries continued to engage the public and remain an integral part of the community, including reinventing themselves to provide services during the pandemic. Additional feature essay, “The Living Library,” by Hank Bailey, a tribal member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
Summaries adapted from publishers.