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Non-fiction

Staff Picks by category.

Letters to a young sister : define your destiny
Hill Harper.
New York, NY : Gotham Books, 2008.
In the follow-up to his award winning national bestseller, Letters to a Young Brother, actor and star of CSI: NYshares his powerful wisdom for young women everywhere, drawing on the courageous advice of the female role models who transformed his life. Letters to a Young Sisterunfolds as a series of letters written by older brother Hill to a universal Young Sistah. SheÂ’s up against the same challenges as every young woman: from relating to her parents and dealing with peer pressure, to juggling schoolwork and crushes and keeping faith in the face of heartache. In his straight-talking style, Hill helps his young sister build self-confidence, self-reliance, self-respect, and encourages her on her journeys towards becoming a strong and successful woman. The book also includes contributions from admirable women like Angela Basset, Ciara, Michelle Obama, Tatyana Ali, Nikki Giovanni, Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrikck, Eve, Malinda Williams, Kim Porter, and more.
     
Read my pins : stories from a diplomat's jewel box
Madeleine Albright with Elaine Shocas, Vivienne Becker, and Bill Woodward ; photography by John Bigelow Taylor ; photography composition by Dianne Dubler.
New York : Harper : Melcher Media, c2009.
Albright served as U.S. secretary of state from 1997 to 2001, the first woman ever to hold the position. Here, she tells the stories behind her many pins and jewelry collected on her diplomatic trips around the world.
     
Highest duty : my search for what really matters
Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger with Jeffrey Zaslow.
New York, NY : William Morrow, c2009.
The airling pilot, whose emergency landing on the Hudson River earned the world's admiration, tells his life story and talks about the essential qualities that he believes have been so vital to his success.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

     
Eating animals
Jonathan Safran Foer.
New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2009.
A case for ethical vegetarianism.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

     
The national parks : America's best idea : an illustrated history
by Dayton Duncan ; with a preface by Ken Burns ; picture research by Susanna Steisel and Aileen Silverstone.
New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2009.
This evocative and lavishly illustrated narrative--the companion volume to the 12-hour PBS series--delves into the history of the park idea, from the first sighting by white men in 1851 through to the most recent additions to a system that now encompasses nearly 400 sites and 84 million acres.
     
The murder of King Tut : the plot to kill the child king : a nonfiction thriller
James Patterson and Martin Dugard.
New York : Little, Brown and Co., 2009.
Patterson and Dugard dig through stacks of evidence--X-rays, files, forensic clues, and stories told through the ages--to arrive at their own account of King Tut's life and death. The result is an exhilarating true crime tale of intrigue, passion, and betrayal.
     
The time of my life
Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi.
New York : Atria Books, 2009.
Veteran actor Swayze recounts much more than his struggle with stage IV pancreatic cancer. In vivid detail, he describes his Texas upbringing, his personal struggles, his commercial success, and the soul mate who's stood by his side through it all: his wife, writer and director Lisa Niemi.
     
Dancing in the dark : a cultural history of the Great Depression
Morris Dickstein.
New York : W.W. Norton, c2009.
In this timely cultural history of the 1930s, Dickstein explores the anxiety and hope, the despair and surprising optimism of distressed Americans at a time of dire economic dislocation. Bringing together a staggering range of materials, this eloquent work highlights the pivotal role of culture and government intervention in hard times.
     
You were always mom's favorite! : sisters in conversation throughout their lives
Deborah Tannen.
New York : Random House, c2009.
What she did for women and men in "You Just Don't Understand," and mothers and daughters in "You're Wearing THAT?, New York Times"-bestselling author Tannen now does for sisters in a groundbreaking book that explores this powerful and perplexing relationship.
     
Traveling with pomegranates : a mother daughter story
Sue Monk Kidd ; Ann Kidd Taylor.
New York : Viking, 2009.
     
Where men win glory : the odyssey of Pat Tillman
Jon Krakauer.
New York : Doubleday, c2009.
Krakauer ("Into the Wild") chronicles the riveting, tragic story of former NFL player Pat Tillman, who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004, in engrossing detail highlighting his remarkable character and personality while closely examining the murky, heartbreaking circumstances of his death.
     
A big little life : a memoir of a joyful dog
Dean Koontz.
New York : Hyperion, c2009.
Bestselling author Koontz tells the story of how he and his wife, Gerda, unexpectedly met and fell in love with a golden retriever named Trixie, chronicling the dog's life with the family, the tremendous impact she had on them, and the things she taught them along the way.
     
Homer's odyssey : a fearless feline tale, or, how I learned about love and life with a blind wonder cat
Gwen Cooper.
New York : Delacorte Press, c2009.
The last thing Gwen Cooper wanted was another cat. She already had two, not to mention a phenomenally underpaying job and a recently broken heart. Then Gwen's veterinarian called with a story about a three-week-old eyeless kitten who'd been abandoned. It was love at first sight. Everyone warned that Homer would always be an underachiever,o never as playful or independent as other cats. But the kitten nobody believed in quickly grew into a three-pound dynamo, a tiny daredevil with a giant heart who eagerly made friends with every human who crossed his path. Homer scaled seven-foot bookcases with ease and leapt five feet into the air to catch flies in mid-buzz. He survived being trapped alone for days after 9/11 in an apartment near the World Trade Center, and even saved Gwen's life when he chased off an intruder who broke into their home in the middle of the night. But it was Homer's unswerving loyalty, his infinite capacity for love, and his joy in the face of all obstacles that inspired Gwen daily and transformed her life. And by the time she met the man she would marry, she realized Homer had taught her the most important lesson of all: Love isn't something you see with your eyes.
     
Earthgirl
Jennifer Cowan.
Berkeley: Groundwood Books, c2009
This unusual novel written partly in blog format (complete with comments posted by the earthgirl’s followers and detractors) takes the cutting-edge form of an online confessional. The story follows the eco-evolution of 16-year-old Sabine Solomon. When she’s blindsided by a driver whose thrown-out McDonald’s leftovers leave her covered in plum sauce, Sabine throws the garbage back, causing a clash that’s captured on her friends’ videophones. Quickly the footage is shown on YouTube, and Sabine finds herself at the center of a heated eco-debate. Inspired to greater global consciousness, she goes to work for an organic food co-op and meets charismatic, idealistic eco-warrior Vray Forest. Mesmerized, she vows to change her life and influence others, much to the dismay of her meat-eating family and shopaholic friends. But when Vray’s activism takes a dark turn, Sabine must face some difficult decisions. Jennifer Cowan’s first book presents an endearing, funny, modern heroine — at once smart, curious, self-mocking, and self-righteous — whose story riffs on universal teen dilemmas of peer pressure, first love, and trying to do the right thing.
     
Nurtureshock : new thinking about children
Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.
New York : Twelve, 2009.
Award-winning science journalists Bronson and Merryman argue that when it comes to children, parents have mistaken good intentions for good ideas. The authors demonstrate that many of modern society's strategies for nurturing children are in fact backfiring.
     
Shake the devil off : a true story of the murder that rocked New Orleans
Ethan Brown.
New York : Henry Holt and Co., 2009.
Includes bibliographical references.
     
In the follow-up to his award winning national bestseller, Letters to a Young Brother, actor and star of CSI: NYshares...

Albright served as U.S. secretary of state from 1997 to 2001, the first woman ever to hold the position. Here, she...

The airling pilot, whose emergency landing on the Hudson River earned the world's admiration, tells his life story and...

A case for ethical vegetarianism.
This evocative and lavishly illustrated narrative--the companion volume to the 12-hour PBS series--delves into the...

Patterson and Dugard dig through stacks of evidence--X-rays, files, forensic clues, and stories told through the...

Veteran actor Swayze recounts much more than his struggle with stage IV pancreatic cancer. In vivid detail, he...

In this timely cultural history of the 1930s, Dickstein explores the anxiety and hope, the despair and surprising...

What she did for women and men in "You Just Don't Understand," and mothers and daughters in "You're Wearing THAT?, New...

Krakauer ("Into the Wild") chronicles the riveting, tragic story of former NFL player Pat Tillman, who was killed by...

Bestselling author Koontz tells the story of how he and his wife, Gerda, unexpectedly met and fell in love with a...

The last thing Gwen Cooper wanted was another cat. She already had two, not to mention a phenomenally underpaying job...

This unusual novel written partly in blog format (complete with comments posted by the earthgirl’s followers and...

Award-winning science journalists Bronson and Merryman argue that when it comes to children, parents have mistaken good...

Includes bibliographical references.