Author: Gore, Al, 1948- Published: 2013 Call Number: 303.4 Format: Books Summary: "The consequential age we are living in will be remembered as one of the great turning points in civilization. Once we turn, though, where will we be? That is the compelling question Al Gore sets out to answer by examining the drivers of global change, connecting the dots among the social, economic, and political forces shaping our present and future. A rising global consciousness is forcing people around the world, but especially Americans, to rethink their basic assumptions about how the world works, and, even more fundamentally, how it should and can work. Borders matter less than ever. Technology is constantly reordering the way we live, think, work, learn, love, pray, and play"--
Author: Freeberg, Ernest. Published: 2013 Call Number: 303.483 Format: Books Summary: "The late nineteenth century was a period of explosive technological creativity, but arguably the most important invention of all was Thomas Edison's incandescent lightbulb. Unveiled in his Menlo Park, New Jersey, laboratory in 1879, the lightbulb overwhelmed the American public with the sense of the birth of a new age. More than any other invention, the electric light marked the arrival of modernity. The lightbulb became a catalyst for the nation's transformation from a rural to an urban-dominated culture. City streetlights defined zones between rich and poor, and the electrical grid sharpened the line between town and country. "Bright lights" meant "big city." Like moths to a flame, millions of Americans migrated to urban centers in these decades, leaving behind the shadow of candle and kerosene lamp in favor of the exciting brilliance of the urban streetscape. The Age of Edison places the story of Edison's invention in the context of a technological revolution that transformed America and Europe in these decades. Edison and his fellow inventors emerged from a culture shaped by broad public education, a lively popular press that took an interest in science and technology, and an American patent system that encouraged innovation and democratized the benefits of invention. And in the end, as Freeberg shows, Edison's greatest invention was not any single technology, but rather his reinvention of the process itself. At Menlo Park he gathered the combination of capital, scientific training, and engineering skill that would evolve into the modern research and development laboratory. His revolutionary electrical grid not only broke the stronghold of gas companies, but also ushered in an era when strong, clear light could become accessible to everyone. In The Age of Edison, Freeberg weaves a narrative that reaches from Coney Island and Broadway to the tiniest towns of rural America, tracing the progress of electric light through the reactions of everyone who saw it. It is a quintessentially American story of ingenuity, ambition, and possibility, in which the greater forces of progress and change are made visible by one of our most humble and ubiquitous objects. "--
Author: Carville, James author. Matalin, Mary, author. Published: 2013 Call Number: 324 Format: Books Summary: "For twenty years, James Carville and Mary Matalin have held the mantle of the nation's most politically opposed, ideologically mismatched, and intensely opinionated couple. In this follow-up to their groundbreaking All's Fair : Love, War, and Running for President, Carville and Matalin take a look at how they--and America--have changed in the last two decades. If nothing else, this new collaboration proves that after twenty years of marriage they can still manage to agree on a few things. Love & War traces, in their two distinct voices, James and Mary's story from the end of the 1992 presidential campaign--where he managed Bill Clinton's electoral triumph while she suffered defeat as George H.W. Bush's key strategist--till now. Mary focuses on issues of family, faith, and foreign enemies and offers insights from her kitchen table as well as the White House Cabinet Room, while James's concentration is politics and love--the triumphant and troubled Clinton era, George W. Bush's complicated presidency, the election of Barack Obama, the rise of the corrosive partisanship that dominates political life in Washington today, and the overriding abiding romance he holds for his native Louisiana and his wife and children. Together, the Carville-Matalins reflect on raising two daughters in the pressure cooker of the nation's capital, and their momentous 2008 decision to leave D.C. and move their family to New Orleans. Post-Katrina, James and Mary's efforts to rebuild and promote that city have become a central part of their lives--and a poignant metaphor for moving the nation forward. A fascinating look at the last two decades in American politics and an intimate, quick-witted primer on grown-up relationships and values, Love & War provides unprecedented insight into one of our nation's most intriguing and powerful couples. With their natural charm and sharp intelligence, Carville and Matalin have written undoubtedly the most spirited memoir of the year"--
Author: Schwartz, John, 1957- Published: 2012 Call Number: 306.766 Format: Books Summary: A heartfelt memoir by the father of a gay teen, and an eye-opening guide for families who hope to bring up well-adjusted gay adults. Three years ago, John Schwartz, a national correspondent at The New York Times, got the call that every parent hopes never to receive: his thirteen-year-old son, Joe, was in the hospital following a suicide attempt. Mustering the courage to come out to his classmates, Joe's disclosure--delivered in a tirade about homophobic attitudes--was greeted with unease and confusion by his fellow students. Hours later, he took an overdose of pills. In the aftermath, John and his wife, Jeanne, determined to help Joe feel more comfortable in his own skin, launched a search for services and groups that could help Joe understand that he wasn't alone. This book is Schwartz's very personal attempt to address his family's struggles within a culture that is changing fast, but not fast enough to help gay kids like Joe.--From publisher description.
Author: Diamond, Jared M. Published: 2012 Call Number: 305.89912 Format: Books Summary: Diamond reveals how tribal societies offer an extraordinary window into how our ancestors lived for millions of years -- until virtually yesterday, in evolutionary terms -- and provide unique, often overlooked insights into human nature.
Author: Dyson, George, 1953- Published: 2012 Call Number: 004.09 DYSON Format: Books Summary: "Legendary historian and philosopher of science George Dyson vividly re-creates the scenes of focused experimentation, incredible mathematical insight, and pure creative genius that gave us computers, digital television, modern genetics, models of stellar evolution--in other words, computer code. In the 1940s and '50s, a group of eccentric geniuses--led by John von Neumann--gathered at the newly created Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Their joint project was the realization of the theoretical universal machine, an idea that had been put forth by mathematician Alan Turing. This group of brilliant engineers worked in isolation, almost entirely independent from industry and the traditional academic community. But because they relied exclusively on government funding, the government wanted its share of the results: the computer that they built also led directly to the hydrogen bomb. George Dyson has uncovered a wealth of new material about this project, and in bringing the story of these men and women and their ideas to life, he shows how the crucial advancements that dominated twentieth-century technology emerged from one computer in one laboratory, where the digital universe as we know it was born"-- "Legendary historian and philosopher of science George Dyson vividly re-creates the scenes of focused experimentation, incredible mathematical insight, and pure creative genius that gave us computers, digital television, modern genetics, models of stellar evolution--in other words, computer code"--
Author: Treuer, David. Published: 2012 Call Number: 323.1197 Format: Books Summary: Celebrated novelist David Treuer examines Native American reservation life--past and present--illuminating misunderstood contemporary issues of sovereignty, treaty rights, and natural-resource conservation while also exploring crime and poverty, casinos and wealth, and the preservation of native language and culture.
Author: Alterman, Eric. Mattson, Kevin, 1966- Published: 2012 Call Number: 320.513 ALTERMAN Format: Books Summary: A history of American liberalism since the Great Depression traces the pivotal roles of leading contributors, describing how their ambitions, flaws, and successes have shaped the nation's government, media, and culture.
Author: Carville, James. Greenberg, Stanley B., 1945- Published: 2012 Call Number: 320.51 Format: Books Summary: Destined to make waves during the presidential campaign, political guru Carville and pollster extraordinaire Greenberg argue that America's voters are not as dumb as elected officials think they are.
Author: McGonigal, Jane. Published: 2011 Call Number: 306.487 Format: Books Summary: Visionary game designer Jane McGonigal shows how we can harness the power of computer games to solve real-world problems and boost global happiness, since her research suggests that gamers are expert problem solvers and collaborators because they regularly cooperate with other players to overcome daunting virtual challenges.
Author: Wright, Robin B., 1948- Published: 2011 Call Number: 322.40917 Format: Books Summary: Written by a veteran reporter, this is an up close portrait of the fierce struggle between moderates and extremists taking place within the Islamic world today. Why don't Muslims challenge the violent extremists among them? Well, they do. Here she cites the clerics, comedians, and rappers who challenge al Qaeda violence; the women who are launching liberation movements; and the former jihadists who openly reject violence. These Muslims all want to build a better Islam, on their own, not Western, terms.
Author: Covey, Stephen R. England, Breck, 1952- Published: 2011 Call Number: 158 Format: Books Summary: Outlines a breakthrough approach to conflict resolution and creative problem solving that draws on the techniques of thinkers from a broad range of disciplines to explain how to incorporate diverse viewpoints for win-win solutions.
Author: Kaku, Michio. Published: 2011 Call Number: 303.48 Format: Books Summary: The New York Times bestselling author of "Physics of the Impossible" offers a stunning and provocative vision of the future and explains how science will shape human destiny and everyone's daily life by the year 2100.
Author: Orenstein, Peggy. Published: 2011 Call Number: 305.23082 Format: Books Summary: The author explores her own conflicting feelings as a mother as she protects her offspring and probes the roots and tendrils of the girlie-girl movement and concludes that parents who think through their values early on and set reasonable limits, encourage dialogue and skepticism, and are canny about the consumer culture can combat the 24/7 "media machine" aimed at girls and hold off the focus on beauty, materialism, and the color pink somewhat.
Author: Dutton, Kevin. Published: 2011 2010 Call Number: 153.852 Format: Books Summary: A respected psychologist presents an anecdotal analysis of the role of coercion in modern culture while introducing the tactics of leading persuasion experts, from magicians and religious leaders to advertisers and con men.
Author: Rosenberg, Tina. Published: 2011 Call Number: 303.484 Format: Books Summary: In "Join the Club," Rosenberg identifies a brewing social revolution that is changing the way people live, based on harnessing the positive force of peer pressure, and shows how peer pressure has reduced teen smoking in the United States, made villages in India healthier and more prosperous, helped minority students get top grades in college calculus, and even led to the fall of Slobodan Milosevic.
