Showing 1–50 of 77 books
- Award year: 2014
- Genre: Nonfiction
- List: Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners
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Art That Changed the World
This beautiful and extensive collection examines the history of art. Organized chronologically, the combination of visuals and informative text is both approachable and easy to grasp.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9781465414359
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At Home: A Short History of Private Life
Bill Bryson turns his eye for intriguing connections to exploring the history of the structure of the house from ancient times to recent innovations.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780767919388
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Bad Science: Hacks, Quacks, and Big Pharma Flacks
Goldacre is on a crusade to raise scientific literacy so people can stop being duped by dubious wording, studies, statistics, and the next big health fad.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780007240197
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Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Connect with the residents of Annawadi, a makeshift settlement on the outskirts of the Mumbai airport, as they confront global change and inequality in modern India with hope and imagination.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9781400067558
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The Big House: Image and Reality of the American Prison
A history of large prisons, why they were designed and built as they were, and the stark reality of the prisoners who inhabit them.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780300124194
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The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters
Why does poop matter? Sanitation is a huge public health issue and has massive implications for economics, growth and development, the environment, agriculture, and even education. -
Biopunk: DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life
Can the cure for cancer be found in your kitchen? In Biopunk, Wohlsen sheds light on a new community of DIY scientists working outside the walls of corporations and universities to solve the world's biggest problems and to “open source” the basic code of life.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9781617230028
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The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo
Everyone knows The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, but few realize the inspiration for these action-packed tales was Dumas's own real-life hero: his father, a mixed-race soldier who rose to become a general in Napoleon's army.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780307382467
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Bossypants
How did one of the funniest women in the world get to where she is? In Fey's own words, “you have to go down the chute.”- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9781609419691
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The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Building to the suspense of a race won by seconds, this tale follows the nine young men who traveled from Seattle to Berlin to compete in crew at the spectacular and infamous Nazi Olympics.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780670025817
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Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein—Colossal Mistakes from Great Scientists that Changed Our Understanding of Life and the Universe
Even the greatest scientists had bad days. In this book, Livio explores how some of the world's greatest scientific minds missed the mark, but led to greater discoveries.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9781439192368
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The Butterfly Mosque
Taking an Islamic Studies course changes Wilson's life forever when she converts and moves to Cairo to teach English, submerging herself in her new culture. When she meets and falls in love with Omar, she's forced to question and strengthen her position as a woman embracing both Western and Eastern identities.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780802118875
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A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and the Hope of Africa
To put it mildly, colonialism has not been kind to Africa. From rubber and diamonds to oil and coltan, it is a continent of fabulous natural resources that continues to be the focus of greed and exploitation. Part journalistic voyage, part memoir, this is an exploration of colonialism's ongoing legacy.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9781400030279
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The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Table of Periodic Elements
Elements are more than just protons and electron shells; they are the sources of practical jokes and obsessions, bitter disputes and great adventures. From hydrogen to ununoctium, Kean explains the elemental joys of the building blocks of chemistry with humor and verve.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780316051637
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E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation
Everyone is familiar with Einstein's formula, but Bodanis reveals the history and the scientists whose work was the foundation for this famous equation.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780425181645
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The Economics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained
Anything and everything you ever wanted to know about economics in one handy, colorful, and easy-to-browse book.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780756698270
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Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China
A compelling and eye-opening look at young women in China who make up a growing migrant population in the country's largest cities.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780385520171
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Feynman
Get to know perhaps the most famous personality of nuclear physics: the bongo-playing, safe-cracking, defiantly curious Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman in this meticulously researched graphic biography.
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Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death at a Storm-Ravaged Hospital
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina changed the way people understand the politics of rescue and the overwhelming nature of catastrophe. Fink incisively unpacks the troubling decisions that led to the deaths of seven patients at Baptist Memorial during the storm, raising vital questions about medical ethics and disaster relief.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780307718969
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The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food
Mixing travel with social and food history, readers gain a better understanding of the Chinese-American experience and a better appreciation of their next meal at a Chinese restaurant.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780446580076
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Gay America: Struggle for Equality
This work provides a chronological overview of public attitudes toward homosexuality throughout American history, as well as the experience of gay people during these prescriptive, restrictive, and even dangerous periods. -
The Ghost with Trembling Wings: Science, Wishful Thinking, and the Search for Lost Species
Approximately 30,000 species of animals and plants go extinct every year. Follow Weidensaul around the globe to places such as Madagascar, Indonesia, and Peru, as he pursues stories of extinction and, surprisingly, resurrection.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780865476684
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Gods Like Us: On Movie Stardom and Modern Fame
Why do we obsess about Hollywood and its stars? Burr's history of cinema and acting illuminates why we love—and sometimes love to hate—the idea of celebrity.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780307377661
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Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
From the brutality of human trafficking to heartbreaking maternal death rates, this work brings to light these atrocities through women's personal stories and provides guidance on how we can all take part in the opportunity to change the conditions of women's lives across the globe.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780307267146
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The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah.”
What happens when artists perform their own version of a song? Follow the evolution of the song “Hallelujah” from its original version by Leonard Cohen to being featured in the movie Shrek to being performed on American Idol as a perennial audition song.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9781451657869
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How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming
Brown always wanted to discover a planet, but what he actually discovered helped radically change the way we view the solar system. His straightforward account of his life, work, and Pluto's demotion also explains how and why scientists currently study and debate the skies.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780385531085
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta Lacks had no idea that her cells would lead to science's greatest medical breakthroughs, nor did her family have any idea that her cells are still be alive today. Skloot explores the ethics of the scientists who first used Lacks's cells and discovered that they would live forever, as well as the impact of the family's discovery that her cells were alive and being used without the family's permission.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9781400052172
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King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
History echoes across time, and nowhere is this clearer than in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. The brutality of Belgium's colonial occupation of the Congo is a surprisingly unknown and ugly historical interlude and resulted in the first ever human rights campaign.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780618001903
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Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East
Lawrence was a player in a thrilling game of territorial machinations filled with deceit, spy craft, and dubious treaties. From World War I through the modern day, cultural clashes and fallout from these double-dealings are illuminated in this engaging history that uses the famous adventurer as its linchpin.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780385532921
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League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions, and the Battle for the Truth
Scientists battle for brains, lawyers brawl in the courts, and football players give each other concussions in the name of sport and big business. The Fainaru brothers tackle the hard truths of sports-related brain injuries.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780770437541
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Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX: The Law That Changed the Future of Girls in America
Although we take it for granted that girls play high school and college sports, this wasn't always the case. Who was responsible for the passage of Title IX, and at what cost? This fascinating chapter in the history of feminist equality is a story that should not be forgotten. -
Little Fish: A Memoir from a Different Kind of Year
In this autobiographical tale told through a variety of formats, Beyer moves from a small town in Michigan to an art school in Baltimore. Original journal entries, lists, and comics are all used to recount the joys, discoveries, and challenges of her first year in college.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9781936976188
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Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention
A nuanced and thoughtful examination of a complex man who was both a powerful advocate for social change in America and a controversial public figure shrouded in competing myths.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780670022205
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Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
A low-budget baseball team, the Oakland A's, attempts to make it big by looking beyond the superficial pull of a nice swing, good looks, and so-called “hustle,” to see what really matters in putting together a winning team: the numbers.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780393324815
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Muck City: Winning and Losing in Football's Forgotten Town
In Belle Glade, Florida, a town rife with poverty and violence, high school football is more than a pastime. It's an escape.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780307888624
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My Beloved Brontosaurus: On the Road with Old Bones, New Science, and Our Favorite Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs may have died millions of years ago, but new discoveries and theories are continually changing the way we look at and understand the giant reptiles.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780374135065
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The New Cool: A Visionary Teacher, His FIRST Robotics Team and the Ultimate Battle of Smarts
25,000 fans, 348 teams, 31 high school students, 6 weeks, 3 finalists, and 1 robot. Guided by the enthusiasm of their fearless engineering teacher, follow one team's gripping journey through one of the most demanding robotics competitions in the world.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780307588890
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Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America
Can you really survive on minimum wage? To find out, Ehrenreich left her middle-class life for a year to see what life is really like for America's working poor.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014, Alex Awards 2002
- ISBN: 9780805063899
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Notes from No Man's Land: American Essays
Biss's series of essays, set in various places in the United States, explore race, racial identity, and racial privilege, highlighting the complexities of diversity in America.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9781555975180
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Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
Get a glimpse of what life is like in this oppressive and secretive nation through the lives of some ordinary people who managed to escape.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780385523905
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The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery
Treating history as mystery, Steve Sheinkin explores the means, motives and opportunities of America's most infamous spy and as he reveals Arnold's path towards treason. This cradle to grave biography emphasizes the political, social and military issues within the Colonial army and how Arnold ambitiously maneuvered his own career through grit and determination.
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The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates
Two kids with the same name grew up only blocks away from each other. One went on to become a scholar and businessman, while the other is serving a life sentence in prison.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780385528191
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The Oxford Project
In this riveting sociological study, the residents of Oxford, Iowa were photographed in 1984 and then again in 2005. Their compelling life stories, vividly expressed in brief biographical sketches, show just how much someone can change in 21 years.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014, Alex Awards 2009
- ISBN: 9781599620480
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Packing for Mars: The Curious Life of Science in the Void
Mary Roach asks all the important but practical questions: How do you digest your lunch in space? Go to the bathroom? Get away from a crewmember who's driving you nuts? With her trademark humor and indefatigable curiosity, she looks hard at why humans, who are fundamentally not built for outer space, insist on risking their lives by heading for the stars.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780393068474
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A People's History of the United States 1492-Present
A comprehensive history of the United States, from the impact of Columbus's and others' arrival in the New World through modern times. This is the history that is usually not told, about America's misuses of African Americans, Native Americans, and other traditionally disenfranchised groups. The history covered is from 1492-2001.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9780060838652
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Philosophy: A Discovery in Comics
What is thinking? Who are we? Find out some theories in this fun graphic novel introduction to basic principles of philosophy and history of philosophers.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9781561636983
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Pluto (Series)
A re-entry into the world of Osamu Tezuka's legendary 1964 classic Astro Boy, Pluto follows the clever, conflicted investigator Gesicht as he tracks down the terrorist who has sent an invincible robot to execute the seven best robots in the world. -
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
In Prohibition New York, hundreds of people died from poison in everything from unregulated health tonics to the pie at the local diner. The Head Coroner and dedicated Chief of the forensics lab were the first in the country to insist to the police, to politicians, and to the public that science could make or break a case.- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners 2014
- ISBN: 9781594202438