Nonfiction Tempting Titles - August (3 of 3)

This is the last of this month's Tempting Titles - nonfiction goodies our librarians have selected for you. Happy reading!!

The books are either already in the system or on the way. To get to the online catalog record, click on the image or the book title link. There you can place a hold request, see similar subjects or other books by the same author, read first chapters, reviews or summaries, and enlarge the image.

Dewey Decimal 700s

Oscar Micheaux: the The Great and Only: the life : The Life of American’s first black filmmakerAmerica's First Black Filmmaker, by Patrick McGilligan.

"The frankly amazing story of the black D.W. Griffith. Biographer McGilligan, (Alfred Hitchcock: a life A Life in darknessDarkness), gives a fascinating account of the eventful life of Oscar Micheaux, the first significant African-American filmmaker." (Kirkus)

Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: the rise and fall of Phil Spector by Mick Brown

"This eminently readable and thoroughly researched biography from UK journalist and author Borwn chronicles the roller-coaster life of legendary, (and legendarily bizarre,) music producer Phil Spector, a man propelled by genius, insecurity, paranoia and rage. (Publishers Weekly)

Dewey Decimal 800s

Shaggy muses: the dogs who inspired Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Edith Wharton, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Emily Bronte by Maureen B. Adams.

"By using diaries, letters, illustrations, and sometimes passages from these women's writings, Adams provides a unique perspective of her subjects as pet owners. A recurrent theme is the comfort the dogs provided. Often, they kept these writers grounded during times of intense creativity and deep psychological distress—e.g., Dickinson viewed her dog as a protector, while Barrett Browning's dog helped lift her out of depression." (Library Journal)

Taz, the Blog Dog says "As the Library Journal reviewer said - ' these writers all had in common dogs that provided stability and consistency in their lives.' - Could there be any other kind? This book earns four woofs. Hawrf! Hawrf! Hawrf! Hawrf!"

Everything I needed to know about being a girl I learned from Judy Blume edited by Jennifer O’Connell

"By turns funny and poignant, this essay collection captures the essence of YA author Judy Blume's appeal. Pieces were contributed by a raft of women writers—many firmly established in chick lit—who were deeply influenced by Blume's works in their youth. Many focus on dealing with changes in bodies, relationships, and situations." (Library Journal)

"After growing up from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing into Smart Women, these writers pay tribute, through their reflections and most cherished memories, to one of the most beloved authors." (Book jacket)

"Readers who similarly found solace and support in Blume's work should relate easily to these writers through the Blumian characters and themes they evoke. Writing in the spirit of Blume, these women present their experiences as a series of personal truths: 'girl moments. Woman moments, Human moments.' (Publisher's Weekly)

Dewey Decimal 900s

30 Days in Italy: True Stories of Escape to the Good Life by James O’Reilly

Thirty true stories of other travelers will give you ideas of where to go, what to do, and what it’s like to be there. (TravelersTales.com)

The Handsomest Man in Cuba: An Escapade by Lynette Chiang

"For American adventure travelers, there is the excitement of traveling to a place your country basically forbids you to go. For solo female travelers, there are the pleasures and horrors (beware of flashers in the city of Cienfuegos) of exploring a place on your own terms. For cyclists, there is perhaps the challenge of bicycling Cuba's long and varied terrain. Although Chiang sees fantastic sites, it is really the people she meets who provide her with her fondest memories." (Library Journal)

Young J. Edgar: Hoover, the Red Scare and the Assault on Civil Liberties by Kenneth D. Ackerman

"Ackerman captures well the pathological character of the young Hoover and argues effectively that there is a cautionary tale in the corrosive effect of the denial of civil liberties and extralegal measures employed in the red scare raids." (Publishers Weekly)

Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions that Changed the World 1940 - 1941 by Ian Kershaw

"From May 1940 to December 1941, six world leaders arrived at key decisions that heavily affected the outcome of World War II. How were these decisions reached? What influenced these decisions? Rather than writing what he would call a "counter-factual," or speculative, history, Kershaw explores whether or not such decisions were inevitable and identifies other options and their possible outcomes." (Library Journal)

The Dragon and the Foreign Devils: China and the World, 1100 B.C. to the Present by Harry Gregor Gelber

"A fluent and thorough, though understandably brief, survey of Chinese history. It is a daunting task for a historian to compress the history of 'a collection of tribes in the Yellow River valley' grown to 'the largest state of the globe, comprising one-quarter of the human race.' Uncowed, Gelber traces the rise of a discernibly Chinese state some 3,000 ago, from which emerges his overarching theme: China's constant negotiation with, and sometimes conquest by or absorption of, a stream of foreigners, from the Hsiung-nu riders beyond the walls to the European concessionaries of Shanghai and, lately, American entrepreneurs." (Kirkus)

92s - Biographies

Machiavelli: Philosopher of Power by Ross King

"King’s book is everything a short biography should be and more, due to King’s sharp wit and zesty anecdotes. It provides a strong sense of the history of both the man and his times and a nice introduction to Machiavelli’s writings. Moreover, like one of Machiavelli’s bawdy plays, it is a riveting and exhilarating read, full of salacious details and brisk prose." (Publishers Weekly)

Einstein: A Biography by Jurgen Neffe

"A comprehensive, sympathetic and very readable portrait of the man, the celebrity, the scientist and the theories that transformed physics and the modern world." (Kirkus)


The Verneys: A True Story of Love, War and Madness in Seventeenth-century England by Adrian Tinniswood

"Civil war and religious reform sometimes divided the family, but Tinniswood is equally interested in narrating their private dramas: a scandalous out-of-wedlock pregnancy, coming-of-age conflicts between fathers and sons and arguments about whether one should marry for love or money. Although Tinniswood isn't afraid to reveal the less likable qualities of his protagonists, such as the men's sexual liberties, readers will find themselves genuinely enjoying the Verneys. Throughout, Tinniswood ably explains the basics of 17th-century English politics, so that even readers unfamiliar with English history will be able to enjoy this absorbing family history." (Publishers Weekly)