Library Staff Directory
Posted May 5, 2014
This month brings us a host of current event titles. While we often hear current events stories on the news, books allow us to delve deeply into a particular event, bringing together sources and points of view from diverse angles and dissecting the event so we better-understand its meaning. From the Boston Marathon bombing, to the question of antibiotics, our Non-Fic Picks for May will get you thinking both broadly and deeply about our world.
In the past few weeks the news has been rich with stories of triumph, courage and hope surrounding the one year anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing. Helman and Russell are both Boston Globe journalists, who put together this volume detailing the day of the attack and the week following it - a time they were hard at work chronicling the minutiae of events in Boston while the entire world watched. The journalists talked to people who saw every angle of the tragedy making for an incredibly eye-opening read.
Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis
We know how big of a role computers play in our economy - just listen to the daily news to hear a slew of stories on security breaches, battles over bandwidth, and more. In this latest adventure, Lewis takes us inside the world of high frequency trading. Ruthless traders - and some with higher ethical standards - have been exploiting the computerized stock exchange using blazing fast connections to undercut customers. Lewis exposes a cast of characters in a good vs. evil fight for the marketplace that is completely riveting - as is usual for Lewis, the author of Moneyball.
Although George Zimmerman's trial is a story of the past, the debates it has sparked over race relations, gun rights, and self defense live on with vigor. Lisa Bloom, a journalist who covered the Zimmerman trial, probes the story to uncover just what lies beneath the not guilty verdict. Examining the law, culture, and key witnesses, Bloom seeks answers to questions about what went wrong in the trial and, more generally, why tragic shootings continue to occur in our country. An important exposee.
The Promise of a Pencil: How An Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change by Adam Braun
The debates rage on over the use and ubiquity of technology in schools, and over the possibility of making change in developing nations that continue to struggle.The Promise of a Pencil looks at those topics in the light of someone actively working for change. Our Library Associate, Susan, recommends this book highly:
"“Did you ever feel that you wanted to be part of something that extended far beyond your two hands & the possessions they can hold?” This is exactly what Adam Braun set out to do and accomplished in an extraordinarily short period of time. It was very stimulating to read about a young person who has accomplished good things and who is striving to share his lessons learned along the way with others.This book also highlights the beneficial impacts of social media and how technology is being used globally. If children in one-room schools in Ghana are learning on iPads, I think I better hone my skills."
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