New(ish) Nonfiction: October 2020 | Geneva Public Library District

Author

Notes

Tired of hearing the political points for and against the wall? Want to hear what actual folks who live near the border think about the wall? Try this.

Description

Click to view

"An esteemed journalist delivers a compelling on-the-ground account of the construction of President Trump's border wall in San Diego-and the impact on the lives of local residents. In August of 2019, Donald Trump finished building his border wall-at least a portion of it. In San Diego, the Army Corps of engineers completed two years of construction on a 14-mile steel beamed barrier that extends eighteen-feet high and cost a staggering $147 million....

2) Five days: the fiery reckoning of an American city

Author

Moore, Wes

Notes

Timely and moving, Moore’s book is excellent narrative nonfiction, just like his first book, The Other Wes Moore.

Description

Click to view

"When Freddie Gray was arrested for possessing an 'illegal knife' in April 2015, he was, by eyewitness accounts that video evidence later confirmed, treated 'roughly' as police loaded him into a vehicle. By the end of his trip in the police van, Gray was in a coma he would never recover from. In the wake of a long history of police abuse in Baltimore, this killing felt like a final straw--it led to a week of protests and then five days described alternately...

3) The address book: what street addresses reveal about identity, race, wealth, and power

Author

Mask, Deirdre

Notes

This entertaining book is a fascinating look at a surprising topic and is perfect for fans of microhistories.

Formats:

Book, Audiobook CD, Large Print, Pre-loaded Audio

Description

Click to view

"An exuberant work of popular history: the story of how streets got their names and houses their numbers, and why something as seemingly mundane as an address can save lives or enforce power. When most people think about street addresses, if they think of them at all, it is in their capacity to ensure that the postman can deliver mail or a traveler won't get lost. But street addresses were not invented to help you find your way; they were created...

4) American Sherlock: murder, forensics, and the birth of American CSI

Author

Dawson, Kate Winkler

Notes

If you are interested in forensics, true crime, and/or biography, you can’t miss this.

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook

Description

Click to view

"From the acclaimed author of Death in the Air ("Not since Devil in the White City has a book told such a harrowing tale"--Douglas Preston) comes the riveting story of the birth of criminal investigation in the twentieth century"--

5) 101 facts you didn't know about space

Author

Thompson, Mark

Notes

If the facts in the description peak your interest or if you love trivia, you definitely need to check out this book.

Description

Click to view

Did you know a compost heap generates as much energy as the Sun? Or that dung beetles use the Milky Way to navigate? Maybe you have not been into space but if you have then you will know that astronauts have feet as soft as babies! 101 Space Facts You Didn't Know takes you on a wild journey around the Universe bringing you facts galore. Whether you are a space enthusiast or a newcomer you will find plenty of facts in here to keep you amused and entertained....

6) x + y: a mathematician's manifesto for rethinking gender

Author

Cheng, Eugenia

Notes

Mathematician, artist, and local author, Cheng makes a passionate case that math (yes, really!) can help us look at gender in a whole new way.

Description

Click to view

"Eugenia Cheng can't help thinking like a mathematician. She also can't help thinking like a woman. After all, she's both. But there seems like there must be a clear tension. She had to learn to be a mathematician, for one thing, and-in the popular imagination, anyway-mathematics seems very "male," the domain of individualistic geniuses with terrible social skills, pursuing university tenure and fame. Those traits, however, aren't really what it means...

7) Fairest: a memoir

Author

Talusan, Meredith

Notes

This “captivatingly eloquent memoir” (Kirkus) is a paean to intersectionality.

Formats:

Book, eBook, Kindle, Large Print

Description

Click to view

"A heartrending immigrant memoir and a uniquely intersectional coming-of-age story of a life lived in duality and the in-between, and how one navigates through race, gender, and the search for love"--Provided by publisher.

8) Nobody will tell you this but me: a true (as told to me) story

Author

Kalb, Bess

Notes

Do you just need a big, warmhearted, funny read? Cozy up with this memoir.

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle

Description

Click to view

"A funny, warm, original memoir in which a grandmother speaks to her granddaughter from beyond the grave, telling, with candor and humor, stories from both their lives--of kinship, loyalty, tenacity, and love"--

9) LatiNext

Notes

A hugely diverse anthology, featuring known and upcoming poets for every lover of poetry.

Description

Click to view

"A BreakBeat Poets anthology that opposes silence and re-mixes the soundtrack of the Latinx diaspora across diverse poetic traditions. In the dynamic tradition of the BreakBeat Poets anthology, The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext celebrates the embodied narratives of Latinidad. Poets speak from an array of nationalities, genders, sexualities, races, and writing styles, staking a claim to our cultural and civic space. Like Hip-Hop, we honor what was,...