New Nonfiction – January 2008

Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin Nicholas Ostler – An examination of the one constant in the cultural history of the west for over two thousand years.

America 1908: The Dawn of Flight, the Race to the Pole, The Invention of the Model T and the Making of a Modern Nation Jim Rasenberger – Life in America a century ago.

American Crescent: A Muslim Cleric on the Power of His Faith, and the Struggle against Prejudice, and the Future of Islam and America Hassan QazwiniThe author reviews the tenets of Islam and defends it as a faith of peace and diversity.

Boom! Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections on the ‘60’s and Today Tom Brokaw – The author of The Greatest Generation gives us another portrait of a defining era in American history.

Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship David Fleming – The author recounts the story of how the Pottsville Maroons, a semi-pro football team from the heart of Pennsylvania coal country, was stripped of its championship title.

Children at Play: An American History Howard P. Churdacoff – A fascinating study of the changes throughout American history of children at play and what it tells us about ourselves.

Copernicus’ Secret: How the Scientific Revolution Began Jack Repcheck – The story behind the publication of Copernicus’ masterwork that changed humanity’s view of the cosmos.

Day of Reckoning: How Hubris, Ideology, and Greed Are Tearing America Apart Patrick J. Buchanan – The author asks the question as to whether the America we know will be able to survive.

The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography from the Revolution to the First World War Graham Robb – The story of the remarkable country of France during a tumultuous century.

The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman Nancy Marie Brown – Five hundred years before Columbus, a Viking woman named Gudrid sailed off the edge of the known world.

The Ghost Mountain Boys: Their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New Guinea—The Forgotten War of the South Pacific James CampbellIn 1942, the 32nd Division’s Ghost Mountain Boys were assigned the most grueling mission of the entire Pacific campaign.

Girls Gone Mild: Young Women Reclaim Self-Respect and Find It’s Not Bad to Be Good Wendy Shalit – The author reports on the young women who are rebelling against the current state of teen fashion.

It’s Not About the Hair: And Other Certainties of Life and Cancer Debra Jarvis – An illuminating look at surviving adversity and living through illness and life.

Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and De Gaulle Paul Johnson – An intriguing examination of heroes throughout the centuries that include not only Abraham Lincoln and Joan of Arc, but also Marilyn Monroe and Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Independents Day: Awakening the American Spirit Lou Dobbs – What has happened to America?

Leading Ladies: American Trailblazers Kay Bailey Hutchison – Sixty-three pioneers in many fields of endeavor are illuminated by the first woman senator elected from the state of Texas.

The Living Cosmos: Our Search for Life in the Universe Chris Impey – The fast growing field of astrobiology is depicted in this study that looks at where it’s going, and what it’s likely to find.

Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun – Who is the immensely wealthy and powerful arms dealer who has flooded Africa and Southeast Asia with weapons of war?

The Power of Body Language: How to Succeed in Every Business and Social Encounter Tonya Reiman – Learn what others are saying to you without using words.

The Secret History of the War on Cancer Devra Davis – The official war on cancer has focused on treatment rather than concentrating on the preventable aspects of cancer. Written by a leading researcher from the University of Pittsburgh.

See You in a Hundred Years: Four Seasons in Forgotten America Logan Ward – The author and his wife travel back in time to live the life of a farming family in rural Virginia, 1900.

Shadow Warriors: The Untold Story of Traitors, Saboteurs, and the Party of Surrender Kenneth R. Timmerman – What happens behind the scenes of governmental agencies such as the CIA and the State Department?

Soldier’s Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point Elizabeth D. Samet – What does literature mean to cadets who are preparing to fight a war? The author’s former students also relate what books and movies are meaningful to them after returning from Iraq.

The Terror Dream: Fear and Fantasy in Post- 9/11 America Susan Faludi – An examination of the country’s psychological response to assault of 9/11.

The Ultimate Battle: Okinawa 1945—The Last Epic Struggle of World War II Bill Sloan – The story of the last great clash of World War II which resulted in the deaths of at least 115,000 soldiers, sailors, and airmen from both the United States and Japan.

What’s the Matter with California: Cultural Rumbles from the Golden State and Why the Rest of Us Should Be Shaking Jack Cashill – An intriguing look at the cultural landscape of California.