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Popular Non-Fiction Recent Picks

February 2011

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When oil peaked / Kenneth S. Deffeyes.
"Despite the ensuing global recession and the extreme volatility in oil prices associated with it, geologist Deffeyes concludes that world oil production will continue to follow a bell-shaped curve, with the smoothed-out peak somewhere in the middle of the first decade of this millennium." (Syndetics summary)
"In two earlier books, Hubbert’s Peak (2001) and Beyond Oil (2005), the geologist Kenneth S. Deffeyes laid out his rationale for concluding that world oil production would continue to follow a bell-shaped curve, with the smoothed-out peak somewhere in the middle of the first decade of this millennium—in keeping with the projections of his former colleague, the pioneering petroleum geologist M. King Hubbert. ...(and) the continued depletion of existing oil fields, compounded by shortsighted cutbacks in many exploration-and-development projects, virtually assures that the mid-decade peak in global oil production will never be surpassed." (Amazon)

Syndetics book cover The accidental billionaires : the founding of Facebook, a tale of sex, money, genius and betrayal / Ben Mezrich.
"The bestselling author of "Bringing Down the House" pens the incredible true story of the accidental creation of Facebook, and the even more amazing tale of what happened afterward--a real-life adventure filled with unimaginable wealth, sex, exotic locales, six-foot-five identical-twin Olympic rowers, and betrayal." (Syndetics summary)

Syndetics book cover Liar's poker : rising through the wreckage on Wall Street / Michael Lewis.
"Michael Lewis was fresh out of Princeton and the London School of Economics when he landed a job at Salomon Brothers, one of Wall Street's premier investment firms. During the next three years, Lewis rose from callow trainee to New York– and London-based bond salesman, raking in millions for the firm and cashing in on a modern-day gold rush. Liar's Poker is the culmination of those heady, frenzied years—a behind-the-scenes look at a unique and turbulent time in American business. From the frat-boy camaraderie of the forty-first-floor trading room to the killer instinct that made ambitious young men gamble everything on a high-stakes game of bluffing and deception, here is Michael Lewis's knowing and hilarious insider's account of an unprecendented era of greed, gluttony, and outrageous fortune. Book jacket." (Syndetics summary)

Syndetics book cover The Obama syndrome : surrender at home, war abroad / Tariq Ali.
"The author mercilessly dissects Obama's overseas escalation and domestic retreat." (Syndetics summary)
"What has really changed since Bush left the White House? Very little, argues Tariq Ali, apart from the mood music. The hopes aroused during Obama’s election campaign have rapidly receded—the honeymoon has been short. Following the financial crisis, the “reform” president bailed out Wall Street without getting anything in return. With Democratic Party leaders and representatives mired in the corrupt lobbying system, the plans for reforming the healthcare system lie wrecked on the Senate floor. Abroad, the “war on terror” continues: torture on a daily basis in the horror chamber that is Bagram, Iraq occupied indefinitely, Israel permanently appeased, and more troops to Afghanistan and more drone attacks in Pakistan than under Bush. The fact that Obama has proved incapable of shifting the political terrain even a few inches in a reformist direction will pave the way for a Republican surge and triumph in the not too distant future." (Amazon)

Syndetics book cover Half the sky : turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide / Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.
"Two Pulitzer Prize winners issue a call to arms against our era's most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women in the developing world." (Syndetics summary)
"Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting team, husband and wife Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, take us on a journey through Africa and Asia to meet an extraordinary array of exceptional women struggling against terrible circumstances. More girls have been killed in the last fifty years, precisely because they are girls, than men were killed in all the wars of the twentieth century combined. More girls are killed in this routine 'gendercide' in any one decade than people were slaughtered in all the genocides of the twentieth century. In the nineteenth century, the central moral challenge was slavery. In the twentieth, it was totalitarianism. In the twenty-first, Kristof and WuDunn demonstrate, it will be the struggle for gender equality in the developing world. Fierce, moral, pragmatic, full of amazing stories of courage and inspiration, HALF THE SKY is essential reading for every global citizen." (Amazon)

Syndetics book cover A secret gift : how one man's kindness--and a trove of letters--revealed the hidden history of the Great Depression / Ted Gup.
"An inspiring account of America at its worst--and Americans at their best--woven from the stories of Depression-era families who were helped by gifts from the author's generous and secretive grandfather." (Syndetics summary)

Syndetics book cover Museums to visit in New Zealand : over 150 outstanding collections open to the public / Alison Dench.
" A growing awareness of our rich historical past, and the trend to research family history, has seen an increasing number of fascinating museums springing up around the country. In addition to the major city museums, local enthusiasts in smaller regional museums have established remarkable collections. Based in small towns and often run by volunteers, these museums are well worth a visit..... This is the first guidebook written for travellers and visitors to the country. Quick and easy to consult, the book gives an overview of each museum and text boxes highlight unusual or special exhibits on display. Each entry provides address and contact details, opening times, charges and facilities, family history archives, local refreshments and tourist attractions. " (Global books in print)