Popular Non-Fiction Recent Picks

October 2008

The title-underlined links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

The diving-bell and the butterfly, Jean-Dominique Bauby ; translated by Jeremy Leggatt.
"The diary of Jean-Dominique Bauby who, with his left eyelid (the only surviving muscle after a massive stroke) dictated a remarkable book about his experiences locked inside his body. A masterpiece and a bestseller in France, it is now a major motion picture directed by Julian Schnabel. On 8 December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a massive stroke and slipped into a coma. When he regained consciousness three weeks later, the only muscle left functioning was in his left eyelid although his mind remained as active and alert as it had ever been. He spent most of 1996 writing this book, letter by letter, blinking as an alphabet was repeatedly read out to him. 'The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly' was published in France on Thursday 6th March 1997. It was immediately hailed as a masterpiece. And then, three days later, he died. 'The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly', which records Bauby's lonely existence, is probably the most remarkable book about the triumph of the human spirit, the ability to invent a life for oneself in the most appalling of circumstances, that you will ever read.It has now been made into a captivating film, directed by Julian Schnabel and starring Mathieu Amalric, which was the winner of the award for Best Director at Cannes and nominated for the Palm d'Or." (Amazon)

Carbon detox : your step-by-step guide to getting real about climate change, by George Marshall. (2007)
"Reduce your carbon footprint from day 1 - "Carbon Detox" explains the changes each of us can make at home, at work and in every aspect of our lives. From summer heat waves to rising sea levels, climate change affects us all. The main cause is carbon dioxide and our carbon emissions are growing year by year at a frightening rate. However, there is hope. The changes we make now can slow the effects of climate change and preserve the planet for future generations. George Marshall shows you how to carbon audit your life and start reducing your impact today. He also explains how to overcome psychological blocks such as scepticism, fear and feelings of insignificance. This book includes advice on low carbon transport options and holidays and how to create an energy-efficient home. With the help of "Carbon Detox" you will be able to make real differences from day 1.... This is the first book to show how the ordinary 'non-greenie' can make realistic and meaningful changes. It is written by an expert author who lives in a low carbon home. It features carbon calculators for the home, transport and food." (Amazon)

The atomic bazaar : the rise of the nuclear poor, by William Langewiesche.
"In his shocking and revelatory new work, the celebrated journalist William Langewiesche investigates the burgeoning global threat of nuclear weapons production. This is the story of the inexorable drift of nuclear weapons technology from the hands of the rich into the hands of the poor. As more unstable and undeveloped nations find ways of acquiring the ultimate arms, the stakes of state-sponsored nuclear activity have soared to frightening heights. Even more disturbing is the likelihood of such weapons being manufactured and deployed by guerrilla non-state terrorists. Langewiesche also recounts the recent history of Abdul Qadeer Khan, the scientist at the forefront of nuclear development and trade in the Middle East who masterminded the theft and sale of centrifuge designs that helped to build Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, and who single-handedly peddled nuclear plans to North Korea, Iran, and other potentially hostile countries. He then examines in dramatic and tangible detail the chances for nuclear terrorism. From Hiroshima to the present day, Langewiesche describes a reality of urgent consequence to us all. This searing, provocative, and timely report is a triumph of investigative journalism, and a masterful laying out of the most critical political problem the world now faces." (Amazon)

The everything green living book : easy ways to conserve energy, protect your family's health, and help save the environment, by Diane Gow McDilda. (2007)
"What an excellent resource this book is for anyone who is seeking ways to make a positive impact on the environment. The media today is saturated with doomsday news, which often leaves me feeling like there's nothing I can do as an individual. It's great to have a resource that provides so many ideas and so much information about positive things we can ALL do to help protect our environment.
I bought one copy for myself and ordered a second to send in to my child's middle school science class!" (Amazon reviewer)

(Not) keeping up with our parents : the decline of the professional middle class by Nan Mooney. (2008)
"The first book to exclusively target the struggles of the professional middle class - educated individuals who purposely choose humanistic, intellectual, or creative pursuits - Nan Mooney's (Not) Keeping Up with Our Parents is a simultaneously sobering and proactive work that captures a diversity of voices. Drawing on more than a hundred interviews with people all across America, (Not) Keeping Up with Our Parents explores how stagnant wages, debt, and escalating costs for tuition, health care, and home ownership are jeopardizing today's educated middle class. Teachers, counselors, nonprofit employees, environmentalists, journalists, and the author speak candidly about their sense of economic - and hence emotional - security, and their plans and fears about what's to come. With up-to-date and accessible research, including a short history of the middle class, Mooney explains what it has meant historically to be middle class and how these definitions have changed so dramatically over the decades. She shows that social programs once aided the growth of this class but shifts in policies and labor practices - and increases in fixed costs, such as health care, housing, education, childcare, and household debt - are making it increasingly difficult for families to retain their middle-class status." (Amazon)

The great philosophers : the lives and ideas of history's greatest thinkers. by Stephen Law. (2007)
"Spanning over 2500 years of humanity's quest for understanding, The Great Philosophers explores the fundamental ideas that have changed our view of the world. Moving from the Buddha, Confucius and the celebrated thinkers of ancient Greece to latter-day geniuses such as Nietzsche, Wittgenstein and Sartre, Stephen Law condenses and deciphers the key thoughts of 50 of history's greatest minds. Whether illuminating Socrates's methods and Machiavelli's lessons on how to rule, or clarifying the aims behind Descartes's famous "I think, therefore I am" and Kant's "moral law within", the emphasis is on clear and concise explanation. Avoiding the technical jargon and complex logic associated with most books on philosophy, here are straightforward descriptions of Plato and Locke on reality, Augustine and Sartre on freedom, Hobbes and Rousseau on government, Hegel and Marx on progress, Berkeley and Hume on God, Nietzsche and Mill on morality, Wittgenstein and Russell on meaning, and many others." (Amazon)

The rise of the unelected : democracy and the new separation of powers, by Frank Vibert. (2007)
"Unelected bodies, such as independent central banks, economic regulators, risk managers and auditors, have become a worldwide phenomenon. Democracies are increasingly turning to them to demarcate boundaries between the market and the state, to resolve conflicts of interest and to allocate resources, even in sensitive ethical areas such as those involving privacy or biotechnology. This book examines the challenge that unelected bodies present to democracy and argues that, taken together, such bodies should be viewed as a new branch of government with their own sources of legitimacy and held to account through a new separation of powers. Vibert suggests that such bodies help promote a more informed citizenry because they provide a more trustworthy and reliable source of information for decisions." (Amazon)

The economic state of the nation, by Roger J. Bowden. (2008)
"The Economic State of the Nation takes stock of the bipolar economy, exchange rates, burogobble, carbon, energy, education, health, crime, foreign ownership and the other pressure points of the New Zealand economy." (Book jacket)

Day of empire : how hyperpowers rise to global dominance--and why they fall, by Amy Chua.

Enough : breaking free from the world of more, by John Naish.
"Ever get the feeling that you've had enough? For millions of years, humankind has used a brilliantly successful survival strategy. If we like something we chase after more of it..... But now, thanks to technology, we've suddenly got more of everything than we can ever use, enjoy or afford...." (Book jacket)

The autobiography of the British soldier : from Agincourt to Basra, in his words, by John Lewis-Stempel.

Does foreign aid really work?, by Roger C. Riddell.
"In this first-ever attempt to provide an overall assessment of aid, Roger Riddell presents a rigorous but highly readable account of aid, warts and all." (Book jacket)

Deep economy : the wealth of communities and the durable future, by Bill McKibben.
"Deep economy makes the compelling case for moving beyond "growth" as the paramount economic ideal...." (Book jacket)

Read the latest magazine issues online for free!

Here is a link to an article from Commentary - from the EBSCO database, part of mygateway.info. The link will take you to the full-text of the article, once you have entered your library card details.

Discover: Oct2008, Vol. 29 Issue 10, p42-45, 4p THESE LEGS ARE MADE FOR DRIVING..

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