ISBN-13: 9780393337761 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: W. W. Norton & Company, 09/01/2009
This epic work—winner of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize—tells the story of the Hemingses, whose close blood ties to our third president had been systematically expunged from American history until very recently. Now, historian and legal scholar Annette Gordon-Reed traces the Hemings family from its origins in Virginia in the 1700s to the family’s dispersal after Jefferson’s death in 1826. “Fascinating, wise and of the utmost importance…Gordon-Reed's genius for reading nearly silent records makes this an extraordinary work,” says Publishers Weekly in a starred review.
ISBN-13: 9781400066216 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Random House, 08/01/2009
Tracy Kidder’s Strength in What Remains follows Deodegratias who, against all probability, survived three genocides as a hunted Tutsi in Burundi and Rwanda , and managed to get himself to New York City , where his nightmare continued. Deo is now part of Partners in Health, chronicled in Kidder’s astonishing, Pulitzer Prize–winning Mountains Beyond Mountains. Kidder manages the complicated task of showing the strength of Deo’s humanity and his invigorating personality as well as the markers of the wounds that he continues to carry. This book is so well worth reading; it lingers long after the last page is turned.
—A.P.
ISBN-13: 9780446539258 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Twelve, 09/01/2009
In this historic memoir, completed before his death, Senator Ted Kennedy takes us inside his family, re-creating life with his parents and brothers and explaining their profound impact on him. For the first time, he describes his heartbreak and years of struggle in the wake of their deaths, as well as his “inexcuseable” actions at Chappaquiddick. Through it all, he details his work in the Senate on the major issues of our time—civil rights, Vietnam, Watergate, the quest for peace in Northern Ireland—and the cause of his life: improved health care for all Americans. “Kennedy's conversational gifts and his sense of humor shine through True Compass, as does his old-school sense of public service and hard-won knowledge,” says The New York Times Book Review.
ISBN-13: 9780307263629 Availability: Usually ships from warehouse in 1 - 5 days Published: Knopf, 08/01/2008
If you love museums and natural history, then you’ve hit the jackpot with Dry Storeroom #1. Author Richard Fortey explores the inner workings of London’s Natural History Museum, which boasts a permanent collection seen only by a few privileged members of the science community. Here’s your access to all kinds of fascinating things you might not otherwise get to experience—certainly not on that $12 day tour!
—Adrienne Mages
ISBN-13: 9780385522267 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Doubleday, 09/01/2009
When former NFL player Pat Tillman was killed by friendly-fire in Iraq, there were many questions and no answers. Krakauer tackles the story with his typical dedication and fervor, following Tillman from his heyday as an Arizona Cardinal to his startling decision to leave the NFL and enlist in the United States Army. Krakauer’s chronicle of this egoless man who died in pursuit of what he believed shares much in common with his earlier work Into the Wild. Both challenge the concept of what it means to follow your heart, and what doing so can cost the people you love. War buffs, sports fans and mystery lovers will all be enthralled with this tragic tale.
—ZGR
ISBN-13: 9780670021208 Availability: Usually ships from warehouse in 1 - 5 days Published: Viking Adult, 09/01/2009
In a probing literary collaboration that moves from Greece to their home in Charleston, S.C., Sue Monk Kidd (The Secret Life of Bees) and her daughter, Taylor, explore and record the changing stages of a woman's life. At 50, Kidd, a wife and mother who had found fulfillment as a writer in recent years, was approaching menopause and anxious about tapping the “green fuse,” or regenerative energy, for the next step in her life. Traveling to Greece with her daughter, Taylor, 22, when the latter graduated from college in 1998, Kidd recognized that her daughter was also undergoing another kind of wrenching transformation—from child to adult faced with decisions about what to do with her own life.
ISBN-13: 9781400066322 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Random House, 09/01/2009
Anyone with a sister knows about the unique bond and fierce competition of sisterly love. Tannen’s book explores this dynamic, including interviews with a diverse range of sister sets. Reading this book encouraged me to re-examine my relationship with my sister: now I see why we can drive each other so crazy! She’ll definitely be receiving a copy for her birthday.
—KMS
ISBN-13: 9781582435435 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Counterpoint LLC, 09/01/2009
If you don’t already know the man this is a chance to catch Wendell Berry at his collective best. An important writer and activist, Berry has for the last 40 plus years championed the sustainable food process long before it became a common household conversation topic. This important collection is divided into 3 compelling sections: sustainable farming husbandry, a respect for eating as a social change method, and lastly the celebration of well-fed family life.
—Adrienne Mages
ISBN-13: 9781590306758 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Shambhala, 08/01/2009
Most of Thich Nhat Hanh's previous books have either provided an overview of the Buddhist path or offered guidance on specific problems ares in our lives, such as love, anger, power, or death. This new book focuses on Buddhist techniques and practices we can use to cut through the busyness and anxieties of daily life and discover the simple happiness of living in the present moment.
ISBN-13: 9781590306345 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Shambhala, 09/01/2009
Pema Chodron is that quiet voice of reason that resonates in a way that makes you seem her subject matter. I love the focus of her new book: the concept of shenpa—the act of getting and being hooked by life’s challenges. Whether experiencing criticism, an unpleasant interaction, or vice, Chodron introduces the mindset practice of the “4 R’s”— recognizing, refraining, relaxing and resolving—to let go and be present.
—Adrienne Mages
Bookshop Santa Cruz is offering an essential item as a companion to the new Sarah Palin book Going Rogue--with every book we will give you a free bag of nuts, Sarah Palin's Just Plain Nutz to be exact.