Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable Newer Books

The "Upper Gallery" at the Crawfordsville Library offers interesting viewing, to the left as you leave the elevator. Right now staff member Emily Griffin is displaying a colorful array of pictures and artifacts about native Stephen Crane (1916-1985) known best for his marriage to movie star Lana Turner. As a graduate of Crawfordsville High School (1933) and Wabash College (1937) he appeared in 3 Hollywood movies and then ran Polynesian-themed restaurants. About her research, Emily's says, "He really lived the American dream"; Emily still welcomes any information local residents might remember about him. You'll enjoy this local history project.

The U. S. Department of Justice has released "The FBI: A Centennial History, 1908-2008". "Desert Dogs: The Marines of Operation Iraqi Freedom" has poignant text by Amy Strebe and photography by Russ Bryant. "Wake-Up Call" is Kristen Breitweiser's story about her political education as a 9/11 widow. Ron Suskind's treatise "The One Percent Doctrine" documents America's pursuit of its enemies since 9/11. "Breach of Faith" gives Jed Horne's account of Hurricane Katrina and the near death of the great American city, New Orleans.

New kitchen guides are "Tapas, a Taste of Spain in America" by Jose Andres, "Martha Stewart's Cooking School", the Cleveland Clinic's "Healthy Heart Lifestyle Guide and Cookbook", and "Great Cakes" by Carole Walter.

Family help is tackled in a group of new books. "Smart but Scattered" by Peg Dawson aims to boost any child's abilities to reach his or her potential. "Grandparents' Rights" comes from attorney-at-law Traci Truly and applies to all U. S. States. "Stepparenting" ("that works!") comes from Jeannette Lofas. "The Path to Love" is Deepak Chopra's set of spiritual strategies for healing.

Two humorous looks at life are found in Annie Choi's "Happy Birthday or Whatever" and Larry the Cable Guy's "Git-r-done". Marc Lemezma teaches the nine basic effects that make up thousands of tricks in "Every Magic Secret in the World Revealed".

"Jazz" preserves the history of America's music by Geoffrey Ward and Ken Burns. "By the Time We Got to Woodstock" is Bruce Pollock's story of the Great Rock 'n' Roll Revolution of 1969. "The Life of a Geisha" by Eleanor Underwood presents a beautiful combination of text, design, and Japanese art.

The architecture book "Bridges" by David Brown shows and describes examples of 3000 years of defying nature all over the world. Elizabeth Catlett's "In the Image of the People" is a small book of lovely linoleum cuts celebrating African American heroines with text by Melanie Herzog. "Remodeling for Easy Access Living" by Rick Peters shows how to adapt a home to a changing lifestyle for practical enjoyment. Reader's Digest has a manual of "Storage and Shelving Solutions" full of ideas and projects for all budgets, spaces, and lifestyles. Information and design concepts for "Barns, Sheds & Outbuildings" is from John Wagner and Clayton DeKorne.

A DVD is included in Les Krantz' "Reel Baseball" showing movie newsreels of the sport's golden era. "Ringside" is Scott Beekman's history of professional wrestling in America. Realizing the sport gets little respect, his book is the first work to attempt to alter the common perception by examining its history in the U. S.

Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News an Notable Newer Books

Library Shelves New Books about Local and World History - The Crawfordsville Library collects books about Indiana. The Brown County naturalist, food producer, and teacher "Otto Ping" was also a photographer, and now the Indiana Historical Society's Douglas Hartley has issued a book of Ping's pictures made between 1900 and 1940 in south central Indiana, with essays by Anne Peterson and Stephen Fletcher.

New books about the world-at-large begin with one by Peter Greenberg, travel editor for NBC's Today show. He offers "The Complete Travel Detective Bible" the consummate help about what you need to know in an increasingly complex world covering every aspect of going around our planet." The Complete Pompeii" by Joanne Berry, published by Thames & Hudson, is a series of stories of its history, architecture, life style, excavation and research since it was unearthed in 1748. "The Great Wall: From Beginning to End", a huge and gorgeous volume, shows photography and text by Michael Yamashita. In "Inside the Jihad: My Life with Al Qaeda" Omar Nasiri (pen name) shares his experience as a spy in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s. "Nothing available publicly approaches the level of detail that Nasiri gives here". "The Storyteller's Daughter" tells of Saira Shah's return to her lost homeland, Afghanistan, as creator of the film "Beneath the Veil".

War history continues to be popular. "Warman's World War II Collectibles" by John Graf identifies and prices uniforms, footwear, headgear, accouterments, medals, firearms, and personal items. "War Posters; Weapons of Mass Communication" by James Aulich pictures examples from the Imperial War Museum of London collection, which covers many wars and many countries, with a wide view of graphic design and history. "Blood, Tears and Folly" is Len Deighton's objective look at World War II. "The Great Depression and World War II, 1929 to 1949, Volume VII" is the ninth Handbook to Life in America edited by Rodney Carlisle with essays about social and cultural life during that crucial period. "D-Day: The Battle for Normandy" by Antony Beevor is the first major account in more than twenty years covering June 6 to August 25, 1944 drawn from 30 archives in six countries.

Marcus Rediker's "The Slave Ship: A Human History" "shines a light into the darkest corners of the British and American slave ships of the 18th century". "Terror on the Seas" by Daniel Sekulich offers true tales of modern-day pirates while $25 billion a year is spent on ocean security because the dangers risk environmental disaster, economic chaos, and holy war for the world. "Buccaneers of the Caribbean" by Jon Latimer tells of privateers' piracy that forged new empires.

The library keeps current on health books. A few new ones are "No Speed Limit" by Frank Owen and "Tweak" by Nic Sheff about methamphetamines, Liza Mundy's "Everything Conceivable" about assisted reproduction, "Happy Accidents" by Morton Meyers about modern medical breakthroughs, "Mis-Understanding ADHD" by Sami Timimi, and "The Gift of ADHD Activity Book" with 101 ways to turn your child's problems into strengths by Lara Honos-Webb.

"A Life is More Than a Moment" is Will Counts' text and photos about the desegregation of Little Rock's Central High School. "The Better Brain Book" by David Perlmutter explains the best tools for improving memory and sharpness and preventing aging of the brain. "Ivy Briefs" holds Martha Kimes' true tales of a neurotic law student. "Three Little Words" is Ashley Rhodes-Courter's memoir as a foster child in 14 different homes, learning the courage to succeed.

Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable Newer Books

Youth Department Issues Invitation for Next Tuesday. Here' an upcoming treat. The Crawfordsville Library Youth Service staff announces its "Incredible Dinosaur Show" Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 6:45 p.m. in the Donnelley Rooms on the lower level of the library. The FamilyTimeEntertainment 45-minute program educates preschoolers through 4th graders, and offers amusement with lots of children participating in the magic and silly stories. Registration is not necessary.

New library books can furnish enormous encouragement about specific problems. Chronic fatigue syndrome and related illnesses often not understood are presented to help sufferers in "Encounters with the Invisible" by Dorothy Wall. The "troubled teen industry" is analyzed for better treatment by Maia Szalavitz in "Help at Any Cost". Laurie LeComer's "A Parent's Guide to Developmental Delays" is designed to recognize and cope with delays in speech, movement, and learning.

In her memoir "The Fortune Teller's Kiss" Brenda Serotte's bout with polio becomes a combination of heartbreak and hilarity about growing up a Sephardic Jew among Ashkenazi neighbors in the Bronx. "Guinea Pig Scientists" by Leslie Dendy recalls bold self-experimenters in science and medicine. "Win the War Within" by Floyd Chilton is about an eating plan that's clinically proven to fight inflammation, the hidden cause of weight gain and chronic disease. Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma", 400 pages of considerations, also makes us think about what we should eat. "Another Day in the Frontal Lobe" is Katrina Firlik's commentary about her days as a brain surgeon. On the first page of "Please Understand Me II" David Keirsey writes "The point of this second book is that people differ from each other, and that no amount of getting after them is going to change them." It studies temperament, character, and intelligence, in other words - personality.

Stories of ten goddesses in different countries fill "Changing Woman and Her Sisters" retold by Katrin Tchana and illustrated by Trina Hyman. "Honor: A History" studies cultural honor, east and west, its decline 1914-1975, and the post-honor society, as James Bowman shows it inseparable from the story of mankind. "Solidarity for Sale" by Robert Fitch analyzes the American labor movement's failures but shows that they are not our national destiny. "Flavor of the Month" by Joel Best explains why smart people fall for fads and identifies the features of our culture that foster them. "Doc Holliday" by Gary Roberts tells the life of the paradoxical gunfighter of the Old West, (gunslinger as dentist, hero and gambling alcoholic) an enigma of life on the late 19th century frontier.

"John Paul Jones" by Evan Thomas is a penetrating biography of the sailor/hero Father of the American Navy. "It's Your Ship" is Naval Commander Michael Abrashoff's offer of top-down change for anyone trying to navigate today's uncertain business seas. The Department of the Army has issued the "U.S. Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Handbook" designed for the military buff or even the active serviceman.

"They Called Me Mayer July" is Mayer and Barbara Kirshenblatt's colorful painted memories of a Jewish childhood in Poland before the Holocaust. Jawson Elliot's "Mirrors of the Unseen" reviews his journeys in Iran through fabled cities and remote corners, a "different" Iran.

Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

Time for a neighborhood adventure! Beginning at 9 a.m. today, January 9, 2010, the monthly "Second Saturday Book Sale" will be open on the lower level of the Crawfordsville District Public Library. You'll never find better bargains. Make that short trip. The Friends of the Library will welcome you.

John Battelle's " Worlds to Explore" holds 54 classic tales of travel and adventure from National Geographic during the times of tramp steamers, clipper ships, and camel caravans. Famous names include Theodore Roosevelt, Thor Heyerdahl, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and Jacque-Yves Cousteau, as well as less heralded travelers with equally-riveting experiences.

"Mexican Days" contains Tony Cohan's experiences in our changing world in the mountains, coastal towns, ruins, markets, and galleries, encountering artists, expatriates, and figures from his past. "The Mexican Wars for Independence" by Timothy Henderson reviews the series of civil wars and failed social revolutions to separate Mexico from Spain. Then, "Midnight on the Line" is the secret life on the U.S.-Mexico border told by Tim Gaynor. "French Country" by Barbara Buchholz is a charming look at residential scenes that belong to both the northern and southern portions of Europe.

In "Enough", Juan Williams issues a clarion call to do the right thing about raising the bar of opportunity for all races, advocating self-help, strong families, belief in God, and a plan for overcoming the obstacles that now stand in the way of African Americans' participation in the nation's freedom and prosperity. John Dean's critical work is called "Conservatives Without Conscience".

"The Way to Win" by Mark Halperin tells how the Bush and Clinton families' strategies won elections. "Slam Dunks and No-Brainers" by Leslie Savan discusses the use of language in business, politics, the media, and personal events, exploring the idiosyncrasies of today's language idioms. "Right, Wrong, and Risky" is Mark Davidson's dictionary of American English usage, tracing its history with clever anecdotes and wit. He discusses word choice, spelling, grammar, and punctuation in his reference book that took ten years to compile. Glenn Stout's "Nine Months at Ground Zero" is the story of the brotherhood of workers, each with a short biography, who took on a job like no other in New York.

"Courthouse Research for Family Historians" is a guide to genealogical treasures by Christine Rose. Step by step the book guides us to use and interpret records within courthouses throughout the country. "501 Ways for Adult Students to Pay for College" by Gen and Kelly Tanabe is about going back to school without going broke.
Henri Nouwen's "Life of the Beloved" is an explanation of spiritual life without theological or technical language. "Lyrical Ballads" edited by Michael Mason reviews and quotes William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poetic movement away from the highly formal to a more democratic era of poetry. Kent Glowinski's "Narcissistic Personality Disorder" is a book of clever poems classified as pathology, symptoms, case studies, and treatments.

"When I Lay My Isaac Down" by Carol Kent based on Genesis chapter 22, is about her unshakable faith in unthinkable circumstances, enabling her to survive a terrible personal tragedy. Peter Gomes' "The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus" tells what's so good about the good news, and the answer is hope.