Staff Picks: Book Collection: Non-Fiction

Recommended by Jasmine Rizer

If you are not an information science nerd, it's possible you might find this book a bit dry. If you are not a social justice nerd, you may find it a bit biased, although I think it's fair to say that Eubanks lets the reader know where she stands from the get-go, and she also provides 26 pages of notes on her sources and methods at the end of the book, in the interest of transparency. While acknowledging that intentions may be fine, and some good to individuals may result, Eubanks takes a skeptical look at the increasing automation of social services. Heartbreaking, well-researched, compelling, and disquieting stuff.

Recommended by Jasmine Rizer, Cataloging Department

Three reasons you should read this book.

1. Whatever you're afraid this book is going to be, it's not. Rick Bragg explicitly states that he tries very hard not to write in stereotypes about the South. I might go so far as to say that this book would be an excellent curative if you have run into one too many such stereotypes and you want to read some eloquent writing about real people who happen to live in a distinctive cultural and geographical area.

2. I read this book during some intense personal-life stuff and it may be both a cliche and rather melodramatic to say it was a life raft for me, but it was. These essays about dogs and houses and food and family made me laugh and snivel and feel that everything would probably be okay. That is some powerful writing, right there.

3. If you need another point in this book's favor, I found it to be one of those books that threaten to make whatever you read next seem pretty shabby by comparison.

Recommended by Kaelin Broaddus, UGA Press

This is a poignant story of a woman wrestling with grief and recovery who adopts a dog, almost on a whim, and it changes her life profoundly for the better.

Recommended by Jimmy A. Brown, Cataloging Department

Glen Weldon takes a journey through the twists and turns of Superman's history in an attempt to understand the essence of the character and why he still matters today. In turn, our response to the core of the character reflects who we are.

Recommended by John Prechtel, Research & Instruction Department

The Swerve is about the recovery of Lucretius' classical poem, 'On the Nature of Things', by a fifteenth century scholar and papal cleric who scoured monastery libraries and other repositories around Europe for lost works of ancient Latin and Greek authors. In addition to offering engaging details about the social and political context in which that quest took place, the book shows how the recovered Epicurean poem foreshadowed a startlingly modern worldview.

Recommended by Jason Bennett, UGA Press

Robert Caro isn't short of recognition for his work, so I sort of hesitate to recommend this one. Still, to read this in the light of our current political era in which nothing seems to get done and to compare that with how much one person in government achieved not so long ago—agree or disagree with the results, Robert Moses "got things done"—is mind-boggling. But aside from all of the achievement that is detailed, this book is one of the most masterful works of biography and history that I have ever read. It is a pleasure to read, and it is gripping.

I always hesitate to put too much stock in the claims a biographer makes about the importance of their subject's contribution to history, but when you read about Robert Moses's mastery of the law and municipal and state bureaucracy, it becomes clear how one of the most powerful and consequential civil servants of the twentieth century ascended so high without a single vote ever being cast for him. He was a brutal visionary who seldom let anyone get in his way (with a few notable exceptions—see Jane Jacobs), and he knew how to use government to fulfill his vision. It is also worth noting that what Moses built in New York in terms of roads and highways—and the suburban communities enabled by them—became a model of development for the rest of the nation for at least 50 years. For better or worse, it's a legacy we're all still coming to terms with.

Recommended by J. A. Brown, Music Cataloging

This book is written in an accessible style with earthy examples, as one might expect from the owner of a motorcycle repair shop. As the writer is also a research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia, it is an insightful critique of contemporary ontology and epistemology. Beginning with criticism of Rousseau and those who followed him, Crawford rejects the idea that we only experience reality uncertainly through mental models. He also takes a careful look at experience through digital mediation. Using current understanding of neurology, philosophy, and sensory perception, he argues that we can and must exist in and experience the world directly, rather than through mental and virtual representations.

Recommended by J. A. Brown, Music Cataloging

The Chronicles of Narnia, while widely beloved, are often criticized for being loosely structured, to the point of seeming like a grab-bag of ideas at times. Why are unrelated episodes prominently inserted in the story? Why does Aslan seem to have a different personality in each book? Ward proposes that each volume is influenced by the character of one of the 7 celestial bodies of medieval cosmology (the sun, the moon, and Mercury through Saturn minus Earth), as system with which C.S. Lewis had a lifelong fascination. Using private writings and examples from Lewis's other published works (including of course his trilogy of space romances), Ward makes a convincing case for better understanding these sometimes puzzling books.

Recommended by J. A. Brown, Music Cataloging

Lincoln lived before a melancholic temperament became pathologized as depression. This book begins before his first episode of what we would call "acute depression," discusses the reactions of those around him to his melancholy, chronicles his struggle with "chronic depression," and details how that struggle prepared him for the challenges of leading the country through the Civil War.

Not only does it help one understand a little-discussed aspect of one of America's greatest figures, it can help those who struggle with melancholy understand their experience in a world that insists on happiness. Maybe there is value in meeting life's challenges while being who we are.

Recommended by Elizabeth Durusau, Music Library

A frank and honest look at the damage caused by the war on drugs and the steps that have been taken to handle it. Also, gives new ideas about how to treat addicts.

Recommended by J. Prechtel, Research & Instruction

Why did the assassination of John F. Kennedy occur precisely in Dallas? This compulsive read answers that question. Instead of focusing on analysis of the assassination itself, it recreates through a month by month account of the preceding three years the churning social atmosphere and evolving political influence of a city in which the strange alchemy of people and history engendered the unfortunate event. Seen through this lens, even the outlines of the official account of the assassination generally adhered to in this book take on the freshness and menace of a newly told story.

Recommended by Kaelin Broaddus, UGA Press

Curious as to how funeral customs came to be? Curious as to how they are morphing? This is the book for you. Historical context is contrasted with personal stories of folks who work in the realm of death: obituary writers, online sellers of urns, memorial tattoo artists. Well written and engaging.

Recommended by Michael Law, InterLibrary Loan

It's a little dated now, maybe, but this is a very unique look at the increasing dominance of consumer culture and its effects on society (i.e. toward individual goals, and away from communal goals)

Recommended by Michael Law, InterLibrary Loan

This work highlights the changes in American society between the very communally oriented 1940s and 50s, and the far more individualized life of the 1990s and 2000s. It makes you want to join a bowling league.

Recommended by Michael Law, InterLibrary Loan

This is an excellent overview of the American/Mexican cultural exchange in the counterculture era of the 1960s and 70s. The title is not the only entertaining part; it's very illuminating and entertaining.

Recommended by MacKenzie Smith, Cataloging Department

I honestly believe every woman should read this book. It's all about learning to trust your intuition and identifying warning signals that are always present before an act of violence occurs. This book is not meant to scare you but instead help you hone your instincts and learn to trust your gut.

Recommended by MacKenzie Smith, Cataloging Department

If you are even a tiny bit interested in Scientology (and let's be real--aren't we all a little curious?), this book is worth reading! It is exhaustively researched and very readable. It gives a complete background of L. Ron Hubbard's early life leading into his founding of Scientology. This book also includes some dirt on celebrities (looking at you, Tom Cruise and John Travolta!) as well as other notable Scientology scandals like Operation Snow White and the death of Lisa McPherson. This book is a great example of how sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction!

Recommended by S. Riggs, Research & Instruction Department

This is the memoir of a successful writer who won two Lambda literary awards and was made an officer of Order of the British Empire (OBE). It is also the memoir of a young girl who was adopted into a very abusive, conservative home, and who had to leave when she came out as a lesbian at 16. Jeanette Winterson brings humor to her memories of a dangerous and painful situation, and I found myself unexpectedly laughing quite a bit.There are many threads to follow. There's her search for her birth mother. There's the story of her first novel. There are regrets about her political choices. There are stories about how she came to love books, and how she got into college. There are stories about her girlfriends. There are stories about dealing with panic attacks. It's an amazing journey if you are comfortable following.

Recommended by Rachel Cabaniss, Cataloging Department

This is one of the best memoirs I have ever read (and I've read a lot of memoirs!). iO is an extremely gifted writer. The vivid descriptions of life on the fringes in NYC during the 1980s and 1990s were what initially hooked me on the first page. But this story is so much more than that--it is a powerful tale of a fierce yet loving mother/daughter relationship, of gender identity, of friendship and loss, and of finding oneself and creating a fulfilling, authentic life from chaotic beginnings.

Recommended by Kelly Holt, Cataloging Department

This book describes the strange and fabulous life of NYC Club Kids. As strange as some of the things in this book sound -- they were real.

I actually hung around clubs in NYC during this time. I remember being at a party with James St. James (the author). Going to a club when Michael Alig was throwing the party was quite an experience. Something I will never forget.

Recommended by Elizabeth White, MLC

Hysterical and painfully accurate comics about childhood, depression, pet ownership, and adult responsibilities. Highest recommendation.

Recommended by J. R., Cataloging Department

Whoa. There is some rough stuff in here but it is amazing. I especially feel like she is really insightful and matter-of-fact about her mother's drinking, her mother's craziness, and her own inability to tell which one caused the other.

Recommended by Kaelin Broaddus, UGA Press

Prepare to laugh out loud.

Recommended by Kaelin Broaddus, UGA Press

I could not put this book down once I started it. The story is riveting.