New Reads – Straight to Your Inbox

New Reads – Straight to Your Inbox

Looking for the newest library titles in your preferred genres or by your favorite authors? Get lists of titles added to the Allegheny County Library collections straight to your inbox with Select Reads!

Sign up for receive free monthly email notifications so you never miss another great pick. Choose from a variety of topics like Fiction, Non-Fiction, Entertainment, Graphic Novels, Home & Garden, Large Print, Romance, Teen, Age groups (4-8 & 9-12) and so many more.

Wth Select Reads, you can be up-to-date with the latest titles and authors that are available in the library catalog.

Find this resource on the county’s eLibrary page at elibrary.einetwork.net.

Page to Screen

Page to Screen

There are a ton of books that have been recently turned into films or TV series. Check out the titles & where you can watch them below!


Now Showing

Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus

Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) stars in and executive produces the series adaptation of Bonnie Garmus’ bestselling historical fiction novel about a chemist who becomes the unwitting star of a popular cooking show in early 1960s California.

Where to watch: New episodes of Lessons in Chemistry stream weekly on Apple TV+.

 

 

Killers of the Flower Moon : the Osage murders and the birth of the FBI
by David Grann

Presents a true account of the early twentieth-century murders of dozens of wealthy Osage and law-enforcement officials, citing the contributions and missteps of a fledgling FBI that eventually uncovered one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history

Where to watch: In Theaters Now

 

 

Pain Hustlers: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup
by Evan Hughes

Chris Evans (Captain America) and Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer) lead the film adaptation of journalist Evan Hughes’ true crime book about controversial pharmaceutical company Insys Therapeutics.

Where to watch: Catch Pain Hustlers on Netflix.

 

 

Fellow Travelers
by Thomas Mallon

Matt Bomer (The Boys in the Band) and Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton) star as a pair of lovers navigating a decades-long romance in mid-20th century Washington, D.C. in the miniseries adaptation of Thomas Mellon’s political thriller.

Where to watch: Catch new episodes of Fellow Travelers weekly on Showtime.

 

 

 

The Fall of the House of Usher: And Other Stories That Inspired the Netflix Series
by Edgar Allan Poe

Filmmaker Mike Flanagan is back with another miniseries adaptation of classic horror tales — this time, Edgar Allan Poe’s 1839 titular short story and other works.

Where to watch: The Fall of the House of Usher is streaming on Netflix.

 

 

 

Black Cake
by Charmaine Wilkerson

An ensemble cast stars in the series adaptation of Charmaine Wilkerson’s bestselling saga about a Caribbean American family caught up in a murder mystery. Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films co-produced the series.

Where to watch: Black Cake is streaming on Hulu.

 

 

 


Coming Soon

The Marsh King’s Daughter
by Karen Dionne

Daisy Ridley stars as a woman confronting her troubled past after her father escapes from prison in the thriller film adaptation of Karen Dionne’s international bestseller.

Where to watch: The Marsh King’s Daughter hits theaters on November 3rd.

 

 

 

Elvis and Me
by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley

Academy Award-winning director Sofia Coppola helms Priscilla, the film adaptation of Priscilla Presley’s memoir chronicling her tumultuous marriage to Elvis Presley.

Where to watch: Priscilla hits theaters on November 3rd.

 

 

 

 

The Complete The Killer
by Matz; illustrated by Luc Jacamon

Michael Fassbender stars as titular assassin The Killer in David Fincher’s film adaptation of the French neo-noir graphic novel series.

Where to watch: Following a limited theatrical release, The Killer premieres on Netflix on November 10th.

 

 

 

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
by Ibram X. Kendi

The documentary adaptation of Ibram X. Kendi’s National Book Award-winning history features appearances from Brittney Cooper, Angela Davis, Imani Perry, and more.

Where to watch: Premieres in theaters on November 10th.

 

 

 

 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence returns to direct the film adaptation of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the prequel to Suzanne Collins’ dystopian Hunger Games trilogy starring a teenage Coriolanus Snow, the future president of Panem.

Where to watch: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes premieres in theaters on November 17th.

For Fans of the Movie Oppenheimer

Learn more about the history of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project.

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird

The inspiration for the major motion picture Oppenheimer, this is the definitive biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb for his country in a time of war and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of scientific progress.

Get it NOW with NO WAIT on hoopla!

 

Brotherhood of the Bomb: the Tangled Lives and Loyalties of Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence, and Edward Teller by Gregg Herken

The story of these three men, builders of the bombs, is fundamentally about loyalty-to country, to science, and to each other-and about the wrenching choices that had to be made when these allegiances came into conflict. Gregg Herken gives us the behind-the-scenes account based upon a decade of research, interviews, and newly released Freedom of Information Act and Russian documents.

 

Trinity: a Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

Trinity , the debut graphic book by the gifted illustrator Jonathan Fetter-Vorm, depicts in vivid detail the dramatic history of the race to build and the decision to drop the first atomic bomb. This sweeping historical narrative traces the spark of invention from the laboratories of nineteenth-century Europe to the massive industrial and scientific efforts of the Manhattan Project.

 

Bomb: the Race to Build– and Steal– the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

Recounts the scientific discoveries that enabled atom splitting, the military intelligence operations that occurred in rival countries, and the work of brilliant scientists hidden at Los Alamos.

 

The First War of Physics: the Secret History of the Atom Bomb, 1939-1949 by J. E. Baggott

The First War of Physics is a grand and frightening story of scientific ambition, intrigue, and genius: a tale barely believable as fiction, which just happens to be historical fact. Rich in personality, action, confrontation, and deception, The First War of Physics is the first fully realized popular account of the race to build humankind’s most destructive weapon.

 

Fallout: the Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the Worldby Lesley M. M. Blume

New York Times bestselling author Lesley M.M. Blume reveals how one courageous American reporter uncovered one of the deadliest cover-ups of the 20th century–the true effects of the atom bomb–potentially saving millions of lives. Fallout is an engrossing detective story, as well as an important piece of hidden history that shows how one heroic scoop saved–and can still save–the world.

 

The Manhattan Project by Daniel Cohen

Discusses the personalities and events involved in the research, development and detonation of the atomic bombs built by the United States in the 1940s.

 

 

: the Secret Story of America’s Unknown Atomic Spy Conspiracy by Joseph

In a book that will force the revision of fifty years of scholarship and reporting on the Cold War, award-winning journalists Joseph Albright and Marcia Kunstel reveal for the first time a devastatingly effective Soviet spy network that infiltrated the Manhattan Project and ferried America’s top atomic secrets to Stalin.  At the heart of the network was Ted Hall, who was so secret an operative that even Klaus Fuchs, his fellow Manhattan Project scientist and Soviet agent, had no idea they were comrades. For forty years only a few Russians knew what Ted Hall really did.  Now Joseph Albright and Marcia Kunstel reveal the astonishing true story of the atomic spies who got away.  Bombshell is history at its most explosive.

If You are Waiting for the Fourth Wing…

If You are Waiting for the Fourth Wing…

Try out some of these other fantasy titles while you wait for a copy of Fourth Wing.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.

 


The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

Human or vampire, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always – always – guard your heart.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.


King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

In order to end a years-long war between vampires and mortals, Isolde must wed vampire king Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev. But surviving the vampire court doesn’t prove to be nearly as difficult as resisting the intense attraction between her and Adrian.

St. Clair (When Stars Come Out) breathes new life into an old trope as a princess and a vampire king wed to end a years long war in this outstanding series opener. – Publisher’s Weekly


A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand

New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn, Claire Legrand, makes her stunning adult debut with A Crown of Ivy and Glass, a lush, sweeping, steamy fantasy romance series starter that’s perfect for fans of Bridgerton and A Court of Thorns and Roses.


by Jennifer Armentrout

Captivating and action-packed, From Blood and Ash is a sexy, addictive, and unexpected fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Laura Thalassa.

 


One Dark Window by Rachel Gilig

For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a dark, lushly gothic fantasy about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom–but the monster in her head isn’t the only threat lurking.

 


A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin — one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world. As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin and his world, forever.


A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

The story of a school for the magically gifted when failure means certain death–until one girl begins to unlock its many secrets.

 

Novels Set in Western PA

Novels Set in Western PA

Pittsburgh Novels interactive map example

Example of the interactive map feature

We are excited to announce that the Penn State University Libraries’ Open Publishing program has launched “The Pittsburgh Novel: Western Pennsylvania in Fiction and Drama, 1792–2022.” This online annotated bibliography compiled by Peter Oresick and Jake Oresick includes all known fiction with a significant geographical setting in any of Pennsylvania’s 26 westernmost counties published between 1792 and 2022 – more than 1,500 works.

The searchable bibliography organizes content using keywords, genres and place settings and includes abstracts and notes for each entry. Places are nested in each entry by county, municipality, neighborhood, sub-neighborhood and landmark. A unique feature of the bibliography is the interactive map. Clicking on a region in the map provides a list of titles associated with that region or zone with links to that title in the bibliography.

The bibliography includes national bestsellers, award-winning films and screenplays of popular motion pictures, children’s and young adult works, scripts of plays and television series, and obscure and self-published titles.

Read more about this project here:  Penn State University Libraries launches online bibliography of western Pa. fiction (PSU News – January 31, 2023)

Search the database here.

New Holiday DVDS

New Holiday DVDS

Whether it’s a holiday classic or one of these new titles, you are sure to find something festive to enjoy this holiday season.


Cover ImageA Mrs. Miracle Christmas. When a family faces loneliness and loss of faith, Mrs. Miracle swoops in to renew their Christmas Spirit, and they experience a holiday of heavenly proportions. Based on the book “A Mrs. Miracle Christmas” by author Debbie Macomber.

 


Cover Image

Dear Santa. As thousands of letters to Santa Claus flood post offices during the holiday season, it’s up to the US Postal Service’s 107-year-old Operation Santa to deliver them to Kris Kringle himself.

 


Cover ImageChristmas in Harmony. Harmony is tricked into auditioning for the Holiday Chorus – directed by an ex-boyfriend. By Christmas Eve, they could be harmonizing in the key of love. Starring Ashleigh Murray, Luke James, Basil Wallace, Michelle Williams, and Loretta Devine.

 


Cover ImageA Dickens of a Holiday. Boyfriends of Christmas Past. A Hallmark 2-movie collection. A Dickens of a Holiday!: To make the 100th anniversary of her hometown’s Victorian festival a success, Cassie invites action movie star and former high school classmate Jake to play Scrooge in ‘A Christmas Carol.’Boyfriends of Christmas Past: Leading up to Christmas, marketing executive, Lauren, is visited by the ghosts of four ex-boyfriends. She must learn to open her heart or risk losing her best friend, Nate.


Cover ImageThe Mistletoe Promise. A chance meeting between two strangers who share a disdain for Christmas results in The Mistletoe Promise, a pact to help them navigate their holiday complications together. But as they spend more time with each other and experience the magic of Christmas the phony couple discovers there may be more to their contract than business.


Cover ImageChristmas on the Square. An embittered scrooge of a woman plans to sell her small town, regardless of the consequences to the people who live there. However, a kindhearted angel arrives and shows her what would happen before she mends her ways and redeems herself. Starring Dolly Parton, Jenifer Lewis, Josh Segarra, Jeanine Mason, Mary Lane Haskell, Treat Williams, Christine Baranski.


Cover ImageEight Gifts of Hanukkah. An anonymous suitor sends optometrist Sara a gift for each night of Hanukkah. On her journey to find her secret admirer, she learns her one true love might be someone she never expected. Starring Inbar Lavi, Jake Epstein, Sheila Tyson, Barry Levy, David Kaye, Natalie Malaika, Doron Bell.

 


Cover ImageChristmas in Paradise. Joanna’s holiday is shattered when her sisters tell her that their dad has been dumped by his fiancée, he isn’t responding to any calls and disappeared to a Caribbean island. The sisters decide to go to save their father and bring him home for Christmas. Starring Kelsey Grammer, Elizabeth Hurley, Billy Ray Cyrus, Nathalie Cox, Naomi Frederick, Ray Fearon, Victoria Ekanoye.


Cover ImageThe Christmas Promise ; Christmas for Keeps. In “The Christmas Promise,” a woman learns to deal with grief with the help of her grandfather and a carpenter named Joe, who she hires to renovate the home she was to share with her fiancé. And in “Christmas for Keeps,” close-knit childhood friends return home for Christmas after 10 years to take part in a celebration of life for their beloved high school teacher.

 

Haunting Tales: Selections for Your Halloween Reading

Haunting Tales: Selections for Your Halloween Reading

From mysteries to supernatural stories, folklore to the macabre – we’ve got titles old & new to spark your spooky-bone this Halloween season!


Cover Image Marple: Twelve New Mysteries by Agatha Christie

Legendary sleuth Jane Marple returns to solve twelve baffling cases in this brand-new collection, penned by a host of acclaimed authors skilled in the fine art of mystery and murder.

 

 

Cover Image Devil House by John Darnielle

True crime writer Gague Chandler, the protagonist of Darnielle’s Devil House, jumps at the opportunity to live at the “Devil House” a building where two gruesome, possibly satanic murders took place in 1986. At once a magnetic thriller and an intriguing look at the true crime genre, Darnielle’s novel is filled with rich themes, including the slippery nature of crime reporting and the demands of the artistic process.

 

 

Cover ImageThistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

This tale explores Slavic folklore and magical realism through the lives of estranged siblings Bellatine and Isaac Yaga who couldn’t be more different in their personalities and their mysterious abilities. When they reunite to collect a family inheritance, it’s to discover their great-great-grandmother, Baba Yaga, has left them Thistlefoot, a sentient cottage with chicken legs. This story explores the folktales surround Baba Yaga – a magical crone, hidden deep in the forests of Eastern Europe, who -depending on her mood – can be friend or foe.

 

Cover ImageJackal by Erin A. Adams

A young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her white rust belt town. But she’s not the first-and she may not be the last. . .  Adams transcends the typical hometown mystery with an effective blend of social and supernatural terrors. The author skillfully presents changing theories about the possible humans involved as characters struggle with who to trust and navigate dreamscapes that seem increasingly real. The first-person narration draws readers in as they sympathize with the character’s plight.

 

 

Cover ImageA Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782 , deep in Oxford’s Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont. Harkness has created a universe to rival those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a scholar’s depth to this riveting tale of magic and suspense. The story continues in the All Souls Series.

 

 

Cover ImageNettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

Nettle & Bone is the kind of book that immediately feels like an old friend. Fairytale mythic resonance meets homey pragmatism in this utterly delightful story. It’s creepy, funny, heartfelt, and full of fantastic characters.

 

 

 

Cover ImageAll the Living and the Dead: from Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life’s Work by Haley Campbell

A deeply compelling exploration of the death industry and the people–morticians, detectives, crime scene cleaners, embalmers, executioners–who work in it and what led them there. A dazzling work of cultural criticism, All the Living and the Dead weaves together reportage with memoir, history, and philosophy, to offer readers a fascinating look into the psychology of Western death.

 

 

Cover ImageOver My Dead Body : Unearthing the Hidden History of America’s Cemeteries by Greg Melville

Melville’s Over My Dead Body is a lively (pun intended) and wide-ranging history of cemeteries, places that have mirrored the passing eras in history but have also shaped it. Cemeteries have given birth to landscape architecture and famous parks, as well as influenced architectural styles. They’ve inspired and motivated some of our greatest poets and authors–Emerson, Whitman, Dickinson. They’ve been used as political tools to shift the country’s discourse and as important symbols of the United States’ ambition and reach. Over My Dead Body explores everything–history, sustainability, land use, and more–and what it really means to memorialize.

 

Remembering Her Majesty The Queen

Remembering Her Majesty The Queen

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (April 21, 1926 – September 8, 2022) was the longest-reigning Monarch in British history. Discover more about her life, family, and impact on the world with these titles.


Biographies & Non-Fiction

Cover ImageThe last queen : Elizabeth II’s seventy year battle to save the House of Windsor
by Clive Irving

B ELIZABETH II 2021

 

 

Cover Image Queen of our times : the life of Queen Elizabeth II
by Robert Hardman

B ELIZABETH II 2022

 

 

Cover Image Our rainbow queen : a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and her colorful wardrobe
by Sali Hughes

746.92 HUG 2019

 

 

Cover ImageQueen of the world
by Robert Hardman

B ELIZABETH II 2019

 

 

Cover ImageYoung Elizabeth : the making of the Queen
by Kate Williams

B ELIZABETH II 2015

 

 

Cover ImageMonarch : the life and reign of Elizabeth II
by Robert Lacey

B ELIZABETH II 2002

 

 

Cover ImagePhilip & Elizabeth : portrait of a royal marriage
by Gyles Daubeney Brandreth

923.1 BRA 2005

 

 

Cover ImageGame of crowns : Elizabeth, Camilla, Kate, and the throne
by Christopher P. Andersen

941.085 AND 2016

 

 

Cover ImageThe crown : the official companion
by Robert Lacey

941.085 LAC 2017 v.1

 

 


Documentary DVDs

Cover Image Queen Elizabeth II

DVD B ELIZABETH II 2015

 

 

Cover ImageThe Queen’s palaces

DVD 728.82 QUE 2012

 

 

 


Fiction

Cover ImageThe royal governess : a novel of Queen Elizabeth II’s childhood
by Wendy Holden

F HOL

 

 

Cover ImageThe queen’s secret : a novel of England’s World War II queen
by Karen Harper

F HAR

 

 

Cover ImageThe gown : a novel of the royal wedding
by Jennifer Robson

F ROB

 

 

Cover ImageThe crown. The complete first season

DVD CRO SEA.1

Movies Filmed Locally

Movies Filmed Locally

You may have heard that Pittsburgh has been a choice locale lately for the filming industry. But did you know that Sewickley is the backdrop of many feature films and TV shows, as well?

Movies/TV Shows Filmed in Sewickley

 

Amazon.com: Foxcatcher [DVD] [2015] : Movies & TVFoxcatcher (2014) – U.S. Olympic wrestling champions and brothers Mark Schultz and Dave Schultz join “Team Foxcatcher”, led by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont, as they train for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, but John’s self-destructive behavior threatens to consume them all.  Filmed in Fall 2012 and starring Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum. The filming includes scenes shot at Wilpen Hall in Sewickley Heights.

 


Happiest Season DVD Release Date

Happiest Season (2020) – A holiday romantic comedy that captures the range of emotions tied to wanting your family’s acceptance, being true to yourself, and trying not to ruin Christmas by revealing a nasty secret. The film features shots of Beaver Street in Sewickley, as well as many other scenes shot around the Pittsburgh region.

 

 


Houseguest (1995) - IMDbHouseguest (1995) – In hot water with the mob over an unpaid debt, a con man poses as a family friend in an affluent Pennsylvania suburb. Starring Sinbad and Phil Hartman and shot in many locations throughout Sewickley – including the McDonald’s ?! (Get the details here.)

 

 

 


Jack Reacher (2012) - IMDbJack Reacher (2012) – A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper responsible for a mass shooting.  This Tom Cruise film based on Lee Child’s popular book series features the former Sewickley Country Inn on Route 65, as well as other Pittsburgh locales.

 

 


The Lifeguard - Rotten TomatoesThe Lifeguard (2013) – A former valedictorian quits her reporter job in New York and returns to the place she last felt happy: her childhood home in Connecticut. She gets work as a lifeguard and starts a dangerous relationship with a troubled teenager. Filmed in the summer of 2012 and features actors Kristen Bell and Martin Starr. Shots feature scenes at Sewickley Cemetery, Wolcot Park and Beaver Street.

 

 


Cover ImageLove the Coopers (2015) – The intertwined stories of four generations of Coopers unfold right before the annual family reunion on Christmas Eve. Can they survive the most beautiful time of the year?  Filmed in 2015 and features exterior shots of a home on Grove Street, as well as actors Diane Keaton and John Goodman.

 

 

 


Amazon.com: Roommates : Peter Falk, D.B. Sweeney, Julianne Moore, Ellen Burstyn, Jan Rubes, Joyce Reehling, Ernie Sabella, John Cunningham, Noah Fleiss, Lisa Davis, Rohn Thomas, Karl Mackey, Peter Yates, Adam Leipzig, IraRoommates (1995) – An elderly yet young-at-heart man moves in with his grandson and both their lives turn upside-down.  Filmed in several places throughout Pittsburgh, including the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh, at a diner in Polish Hill, a tavern in Shadyside, and in Sewickley Heights.

 

 


The Chair (TV Series 2021– ) - IMDbThe Chair (TV) (Netflix*) – At a major university, the first woman of color to become chair tries to meet the dizzying demands and high expectations of a failing English department. Filming includes scenes on Beaver Street and at the Borough Building on Thorn Street.

 

 


Mindhunter (TV Series 2017–2019) - IMDbMindhunter (TV) (Netflix*) – In the late 1970s two FBI agents expand criminal science by delving into the psychology of murder and getting uneasily close to all-too-real monsters. Mindhunter filmed scenes at the Sewickley Borough building and across the river at the old Coraopolis Police Station among additional Pittsburgh-regions.

 

 


Sweet Magnolias (TV Series 2020– ) - IMDbSweet Magnolias (TV) (Netflix*) – Three South Carolina women, best friends since high school, shepherd one another through the complexities of romance, career, and family. A few scenes from Sweet Magnolias were filmed at the intersection of Broad Street and Beaver Street.

 

 


*No Netflix? No problem! Borrow one of the Roku devices from SPL’s equipment library which includes use of Netflix!

And if you’re a Hallmark Christmas movie fan, keep an eye out for scenes of Sewickley and other Pittsburgh-area shots!


Movies/TV Shows Filmed in Pittsburgh and Surrounding Areas

 

This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are even more movies filmed in the Steel City! Check out the Filmography from the Pittsburgh Film Office for an even bigger list!

Mental Health Awareness Month

Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? Check out some of these titles and resources for more information.

Books

What Happened To You? : Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey

Have you ever wondered “Why did I do that?” or “Why can’t I just control my behavior?” Others may judge our reactions and think, “What’s wrong with that person?” When questioning our emotions, it’s easy to place the blame on ourselves; holding ourselves and those around us to an impossible standard. It’s time we started asking a different question.

Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”

The Noonday Demon : An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon

The Noonday Demon is Andrew Solomon’s National Book Award-winning, bestselling, and transformative masterpiece on depression–“the book for a generation, elegantly written, meticulously researched, empathetic, and enlightening” ( Time )–now with a major new chapter covering recently introduced and novel treatments, suicide and anti-depressants, pregnancy and depression, and much more.

 

The Body Keeps the Score : Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van der Kolk

Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Such experiences inevitably leave traces on minds, emotions, and even on biology. Sadly, trauma sufferers frequently pass on their stress to their partners and children.

 

A Cure for Darkness : The Story of Depression and How We Treat It by Alex Riley

Is depression a persistent low mood, or is it a range of symptoms? Can it be expressed through a single diagnosis, or does depression actually refer to a diversity of mental disorders? Is there, or will there ever be, a cure? In seeking the answers to these questions, Riley finds a rich history of ideas and treatments–and takes the reader on a gripping narrative journey, packed with fascinating stories like the junior doctor who discovered that some of the first antidepressants had a deadly reaction with cheese.

 

Resources

JFCS Counseling Services – Providing a team of social workers and professional counselors, with areas of specialization ranging from child therapy and blended families to marital discord, anxiety and depression.

Resolve Crisis Center (UPMC) – Crisis intervention and hospital diversion service. Anyone who resides in Allegheny County can access these services, regardless of ability to pay or type of crisis.

United Way 2-1-1 – Call 211 – PA 2‑1‑1 Southwest is part of the national 2‑1‑1 Call Centers initiative that seeks to provide an easy-to-remember telephone number, chat, text, and a web resource for finding health and human services– for everyday needs and in crisis situations.

Check out this link for more resources on this topic:  https://sewickleylibrary.org/about-spl/community-information/social-services/