January 2017 Prime Picks
History
Horseback
Schoolmarm
Margot Liberty
University of Oklahoma Press
9780806153889 $24.99
www.oupress.com
Horseback Schoolmarm: Montana, 1953-1954 blends an autobiography with an education story and tells of Margot Pringle, who in 1953 took a job as a teacher in a one-room school in rural eastern Montana and taught there for a year. Her teaching experiences and insights about the special challenges of working in a rural environment includes discussion of the activities she invented to help teach her students, as she lacked the usual supplies teachers rely on in the course of their jobs.
From field trips that reinforced science and history lessons to different approaches to engaging her students, Horseback Marm is a lively and compelling survey not just of Margot Liberty's career move and rural living challenges, but of the special approaches she used to engage her seven young charges under conditions that lacked amenities and the support of an educational system.
Educators will find it a lively, insightful and often thought-provoking autobiography.
JFK
and the Masculine Mystique
Steven Watts
Thomas Dunne Books/St Martin's Press
9781250049968
$29.99
www.stmartins.com
JFK and the Masculine Mystique: Sex and Power on the New Frontier departs from most JFK surveys in that it examines the reasons why a president who only spent three years in the White House achieved an almost mythical, charismatic following during and after his era. This mystique was evident early in his career and, author Steven Watts argues, was connected to the cultural atmosphere of his time and the social challenges to and images of manhood that were prevalent throughout postwar America.
While JFK and the Masculine Mystique is a fine biographical portrait, it deserves a place in any American history collection strong in Presidential and cultural icons and images because it considers Kennedy's life and persona in the wider cultural context of 1960s American history and politics.
Adding this social and historical focus makes for a Kennedy story quite different from the numerous biographies on the market.
Audiobooks
Highbridge
Audio
www.highbridgeaudio.com
Four new audio books are highly recommended picks for libraries and individual listeners seeking memorable, engrossing listens that stand out from the crowd.
Naya Rivera's Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes and Growing Up (9781681682648, $29.99) comes from a California actress and singer who has appeared on numerous television shows and who has become a star. Her autobiography comes to life in audio because she performs her own narration, detailing her rise and fall from being a childhood star to facing successes and failures as a Latina actress. From early childhood to her film experiences, this story makes for an especially engrossing audio production.
Michael Krasny's Let There Be Laughter: A Treasury of Great Jewish Humor and What It All Means (9781681683850, $34.99) also enjoys an excellent narration by its author and comes from a comedian who has been telling Jewish jokes for decades. His story is hilarious as he describes collecting Jewish humor through the generations, and understanding its purpose and intentions.
Anyone interested in Jewish comedy will find this a funny and compelling coverage which both provides humorous stories and narrates the evolution of Jewish humor itself.
Hugh Aldersey-Williams' The Tide: The Science and Stories Beyond the Greatest Force on Earth (9781681672785, $39.99) is an unexpectedly sweeping history of human scientific investigations into tides and how they work, and is presented in a narrative that comes to life in a vivid reading by Derek Perkins.
From early explorers who experienced different kinds of tides and nautical challenges to scientists who formed theories about them, The Tide is a compelling listen which delves deeply into nautical truths and tales in a presentation designed to appeal not just to neo-science or sailors, but to anyone interested in learning more about the history of science's investigation of the sea.
Michael Booth's Super Sushi Ramen Express (9781681683089, $34.99) is narrated by Ralph Lister, whose smooth voice is a fine compliment to food and travel writer Michael Booth's story of Japanese cuisine and culture.
His journey wasn't done solo: two fussy eaters accompanied he and his wife as they traveled throughout the country from urban to rural areas, sampling some of Japan's most intriguing flavors.
This lively exploration is especially recommended for anyone interested in Japanese cuisine and cultural oddities, and in a blend of culinary insight and travelogue packaged in a convenient audio listen for take-along travel toting.
Steven Hahn's A Nation Without Borders: The United States and Its World in an Age of Civil Wars, 1830-1910 (9781681682624, $54.99) is narrated by Barry Press, who captures a powerful story, unabridged in audio (be forewarned: it's some 27 hours long, on 22 cds), of America's struggles for internal and world supremacy.
The Civil War reflected many rebellions against state authority, and it crafted political leaders and approaches for decades to come, changing the face of capitalist and imperial movements alike.
By offering a controversial alternative perspective on wars and changes, A Nation Without Borders succeeds in offering much historical and political insights for our times; and by offering this in a complete audio package, the intricacy and complexity of this era can be digested by those who might find the book format too weighty and the audio narration far more accessible.
Sam Esmail and Courtney Looney's Mr. Robot (9781481664499, $24.99) provides the only tie-in book for USA's award-winning series Mr. Robot, and comes from two show writers who present the story's behind the series action, pairing this with ideas of how the psychological thriller evolved and will evolve in the future.
Eve Lindley brings this to life in an unabridged production especially recommended for prior fans of the television show.
Carol Birch's Orphans of the Carnival (9781681682587, $34.99) is narrated by Heather Wilds, whose smooth and easy voice brings to life the story of Julia, a "hybrid woman" who is fluent in many languages, is an accomplished musician, and whose unusual face takes precedence over her many abilities.
Julia wants only what any woman longs for - to be loved - but when she visits a mysterious New Orleans shaman and receives a love potion, she discovers a different kind of love that could change her future.
This inviting leisure listen tells of a world-changing relationship and makes for a powerful story especially recommended for romance listeners seeking something different.
NPR Road Trips Collection (9781681681405, $29.95) gathers original material from the National Public Radio shows on trips and destination stories, offering fun tales of family journeys, roadside attractions and parks, fairs, and more.
While this collection would seem to be the perfect take-along listen for a car or road trip, it also makes a fun armchair listen, presenting many characters, encounters, and fun moments.
New Age
52
Ways to Live the Course in Miracles
Karen Casey
Conari Press
9781573246842
$16.95
www.redwheelweiser.com
52 Ways to Live the Course in Miracles: Cultivate a Simpler, Slower, More Love-Filled Life provides a book of essays about applying the basics lessons from the Course in Miracles and gathers easy ideas, affirmations, and meditative thoughts under one cover that reinforce the Course's basic concepts and their real-world applicability during the year.
Basic familiarity with the Course and how its ideas work will enhance appreciation for this nuts-and-bolts discussion that cements such concepts as how to embrace the simplicity of the ideas, the rewards inherent in the steady practice of quiet contemplation, and how to understand various pathways to peace.
All this is covered by adding Karen Casey's first-person reflections and her own experiences, making for a pleasant inspirational collection that connects techniques to their real-world applications and results.
The
Book of Destinies
Chetan Parkyn & Carola Eastwood
New World Library
9781608684229
$19.95
www.newworldlibrary.com
The Book of Destinies: Discover the Life You Were Born to Live provides a companion book to Human Design, and prior familiarity with the contentions and approach of the first book is recommended for enjoying this continuation, which takes the next step in exploring the Human Design system and Life Themes presented in the first book.
Chapters show how readers can use the place, date, and time of birth to draw a portrait of one's real nature; one that can then be used to add clarity, purpose, and structure to overall life goals and approaches.
The Book of Destinies discusses how to use this information to advance plans for everything from career to relationships, and it discusses all the Life Theme meanings and the possible incarnations that govern these themes.
New age readers with an affinity for astrology and life purpose interpretations will find much to like in this thought-provoking approach to understanding human design and greater purposes.
Rosicrucian
Trilogy
Joscelyn Godwin, Christopher McIntosh & Dontate Pahnke
McIntosh,
Translators
Weiser Books
9781578636037
$22.95
www.rwwbooks.com
Rosicrucian Trilogy provides a modern new translation of three foundation documents key to Rosicrucian principles: Fama Fraternitatis from 1614, Confessio Fraternitatis from 1615, and The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz from 1616. Four hundred years ago, the publication of these three anonymous documents started the Rosicrucian movement, so they are truly 'foundation works' essential for any collection on Rosicrucian thinking.
Given their importance, one might think that numerous translations and analysis would have taken place over the centuries; but though much has been written about the Rosicrucians, it's surprising to note that these original documents are translated into contemporary English here for the first time.
Any new age reader with a special interest in the secret society and its social, political and spiritual impact will find this annotated modern reference offers a historical perspective that is essential and unparalleled in its scope and content in a 'must have' reference.
The
Culinary Corner
Best
Food Writing 2016
Holly Hughes, Editor
Da Capo Press
9780738219448
$15.99
www.dacapopress.com
Fans of culinary prose writing, literary reflections on cuisine, and varied food topics will find the yearly 'Best Food Writing' titles gather some top names and articles from the previous year's books, magazines, newspapers and blogs. This year's collection continues the tradition of offering up insights and analysis of eating and innovative dining trends and experiences.
The scope of these works is international and so their topics range widely from a family meatball recipe and its secrets to a diary of eating and drinking in Mexico City and the finer art of dining alone in American restaurants.
These first-person explorations of recipes, food testing, family culinary trends, and the meaning and importance of food in daily life provides a fine collection of lively, delicious food reflections that foodies will love.
With its wide ranging topics and approaches, Best Food Writing 2016 makes for an outstanding compilation whose essays go in many different directions, but always with an affectionate attention to description and insight that leaves readers with a sense of fulfillment and delight.
Scintillating Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Alien
Morning
Rick Wilber
TOR
9780765332905
$25.99
www.tor-forge.com
It's 2030, aliens have landed, and Paul is a freelance social media "sweeper" whose job involves a multisensory device that can immerse audiences in another person's experience in a full-faceted manner that modern Facebook could never achieve.
He never expected his job would evolve to documenting the arrival of the aliens, the S'hudonni, in a new way. He never expected to fall in love with Heather, a scientist chosen by them as their liaison - especially since she's already engaged to his brother. And he never expected to stumble on a secret that leads him to realize that the peaceful aliens have their own internal problems that could engulf and threaten Earth.
A powerful story of social change, family strife, and bigger pictures evolves against the backdrop of a futuristic world that doesn't feel all that different from our own, cemented by powerful characters and a story packed with unexpected twists that place it above and beyond most alien invasion scenarios.
The Arts
In
Search of Nampeyo: The Early Years, 1875-1892
Steve Elmore
Spirit Bird Press
9780986285424
$50.00
https://www.adobegallery.com/
In Search of Nampeyo: The Early Years, 1875-1892 is a meticulously researched, major Native American art history study based on the Thomas Keam Hopi Pottery Collection at Harvard University's Peabody Museum, and represents twenty-five years of research on the Hopi potter Nampeyo's life and art, recreating Nampeyo's early life (which was formerly thought to be lost to history) by closely examining Hopi oral history records, Nampeyo's pottery, and photographic evidence.
Because Steve Elmore worked closely with Hopi potters, as an Indian trader, he created relationships that would not have been available to other researchers, which contributes to this in-depth inspection of Nampeyo's life, art, and its wider connections to the Native American and arts communities of her times.
By analyzing Nampeyo's works in the context of modern art history, Elmore has produced a significant contribution which should not be limited to Native American collections alone, but which deserves mention, acclaim, and recommendation as an intrinsic part of any arts history library.
Children
and Teens
Bob
the Railway Dog
Corinne Fenton
Candlewick Press
9780763680978
$16.99
www.candlewick.com
Bob the Railway Dog: The True Story of an Adventure Dog is a picture book tale based on a real dog who rode the rails in the late 19th century, and documents the early days of the Australian railroad.
Andrew McLean's warm drawings illustrate a picture book story recommended for those with rudimentary reading skills or parental read-aloud assistance, and capture the tale of a homeless dog slated to be a rabbit hunter in outback South Australia when Will Ferry, a railroad guard, adopts him and gets him used to the train environment and to riding the rail cars.
This fun story teaches kids about animals and Australian early rail history and is also a gentle tale of a memorable dog.
D
is for Dump Truck
Michael Shoulders
Sleeping Bear Press
9781585369751
$16.99
www.sleepingbearpress.com
D is for Dump Truck: A Construction Alphabet pairs fun poems and insights on construction with an A-Z picture book illustrated by Kent Culotta, who has worked as an artist for newspapers and film. Kids ages 4-8 will find it an active, fun review of construction equipment and jobs.
F, for example, is for Front-End Loader, and this panel shows the loader moving a pile of dirt and how the bucket moves up and down.
Q is for Quad-Axle Truck, used for heavy loads that need extra wheels, and the picture clearly shows such a truck while the poem discusses its handling challenges.
Boys who love heavy equipment will find D is for Dump Truck a fun way of learning both alphabet letters and about different vehicles.
My
Night in the Planetarium
Innosanto Nagara
Triangle Square Books/Seven Stories Press
9781609807009
$17.95
www.sevenstories.com
My Night in the Planetarium: A True Story About a Child, a Play, and the Art of Resistance is based on author Innosanto Nagara's childhood experience and tells of a seven-year-old spy in his father's play (about the General), a production that's performed all over the country.
The play makes the real General so angry that he wants to send the actors to jail, but they persevere.
Good reading skills will be required because even though this book looks like a picture book reader for the young, it holds heady social and political messages, geographic references to Indonesia's peoples and culture, and wordy descriptions that are best absorbed through parental assistance.
Such parents will find My Night in the Planetarium a surprise because even though this looks to be a child's picture book read, it actually holds many insights and actions that will intrigue many an adult reader, as well.
Wayfarer
Alexandra Bracken
Hyperion
9781484715765
$17.99
www.hyperionteens.com
This sequel to the best-selling story Passenger tells of a girl who has "been orphaned by my time", and who finds her special ability to travel over miles and years has stranded her far from the man she loves and her own natural time.
When Etta stumbles upon the band of renegade travelers who stole her astrolabe, she is thwarted in her mission to destroy it by a startling revelation that leads her to some unexpected connections and difficult decisions even as Nicholas, her love, tries to track her down through an ancient power that might prove more deadly than her own.
Familiarity with Passenger is recommended for young adults at the high school level to new adult and adult audiences who enjoy timeslip thrillers. These readers will find Wayfarer a satisfyingly engrossing sequel that's hard to put down.
Reviewer's
Choice
Around
the World in Search of Whales
John F. Martin
New Bedford Whaling Museum
9780997516104
$39.95
http://store.whalingmuseum.
Around the World in Search of Whales: A Journal of the Lucy Ann Voyage, 1841-1844 represents the personal journals and illustrations of whaleman-artist John F. Martin, who undertook a round-the-world voyage in the 1800s while still in his teens and who spent the next eight years becoming a seasoned seaman and whaler.
Relatively few comparable works offer the detail, much less the visuals, of Around the World in Search of Whales, which deftly captures daily life aboard the ship and encounters with fellow man and sea life alike. These daily entries are peppered with dozens of watercolors that add visuals to Martin's strong stories.
While pieces of this journal have been published elsewhere, its appearance under one cover makes for an exceptional historical document of a bygone era and the whaling profession, and its publication by a whaling museum assures that its importance and chronicle will never be lost.
Around
the World in Search of Whales is
very highly recommended for history and natural history holdings alike.
Girl
Unbroken
Regina Calcaterra and Rosie Maloney
William Morrow
9780062412584
$15.99
www.harpercollins.com
Girl
Unbroken: A Sister's Harrowing Story of Survival from
The Streets of Long Island to the Farms of Idaho
tells of
harrowing experiences in foster homes, and offers a sequel to Regina
Calcaterra's 2013 memoir Etched
in Sand.
Reading it, one wonders how the siblings ever survived their
childhoods, much
less stayed together.
They were five kids with five different fathers and an alcoholic mother
and
were ripe candidates for foster care, but the very systems which were
put in
place to protect them only served to challenge them further with abuse,
hardship, and struggles to keep in contact despite a system that would
separate
them forever.
The tension in this narrative is gripping and relentless; but so is the spirit of siblings who are determined to not just survive, but to envision and create a better future. Girl Unbroken is a powerful memoir that serves as a testimony to the spirit of children who face - and overcome - impossible odds.
The
Golden Shore
David Helvarg
New World Library
9781608684403
$16.95
www.newworldlibrary.com
The Golden Shore: California's Love Affair with the Sea blends history with California culture to consider California's 1,100-mile coastline and its impact on the state, and blends its historical observations with a travelogue that moves the production beyond another history or environmental probe and into the realm of an eloquent, personal natural history.
From the politics of waterfront development and oceanfront subdivisions to the records made by pioneer surfers, discoveries produced by West Coast oceanography studies, and submarine canyons located off shore, The Golden Shore leaves no issue unconsidered in its survey of the state's shoreline and its impact on human and natural development.
The result is an enlightening, revealing, and lively inspection highly recommended for California residents and anyone appreciative of coastlines.
Holistic
Management
Allan Savory with Jody Butterfield
Island Press
9781610917438
$35.00
www.islandpress.org
The third updated edition of Holistic Management: A Commonsense Revolution to Restore Our Environment comes from a biologist and the co-founder of the Savory Institute, who makes the point that while fossil fuels and livestock aren't the major contributors to climate change problems surround their management.
Farmers interested in protecting the environment can do so not by changing their careers, but through changing their management practices to more holistic approaches that help restore grassland soils.
If Holistic Management sounds familiar, that's because the second edition of this book appeared in 1999. This is the updated third edition, revised for new generations of farmers and businesspeople, and it pairs the latest research on grasslands and environmental management techniques with approaches and insights specific to rancher concerns.
Any rancher familiar with conventional practices who is open to new ways of thinking will find Holistic Management an essential read that pairs the practicality of farming profitability practices with wider-ranging concerns about the impact of farming on the environment.
Honeymoon
at the Hilton
Stephen B. Cooper
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.
978 1 78455 023
3
$13.95
www.austinmacauley.com
Honeymoon at the Hilton is an erotic story that stands out from similar-sounding genre readers because it tempers its erotica with playful humor and fun, focusing on newlyweds whose exemplary physical appearance ("...a red-haired angel gowned in white, a vision with green eyes radiating pure passion...") translates to both seductive sexual discovery and a sense of the unexpected.
One doesn't expect murder to follow closely on the heels of passion - but, it does. Readers who anticipate a sexy-filled story line may thus be surprised to discover that Honeymoon at the Hilton features far more than either romance or passion: it also includes murder, intrigue, spies, and subplots revolving around special interests that go well beyond a newlywed's bed and slide into the realm of a thriller without quite leaving the erotic touch behind.
This dual attention to passion and purpose may place Honeymoon at the Hilton at the crosshairs of genre confusion because, as readers will come to find, this is neither 'fish nor fowl', but a crossover novel that embraces good dialogue and dialect, Indians, tongue-in-cheek humor ("...meet my good lady wife ... Petit Fleur"), and an irreverent sense of play that makes Honeymoon at the Hilton impossible to neatly categorize.
Erotic, feisty and sassy, and mercurial in plot and presentation, Honeymoon at the Hilton is a story highly recommended for fans of both erotica and thriller reads who like their novels more than well sprinkled with a touch of the unexpected.
Redleaf
Press
www.redleafpress.org
The third updated edition of Steffen Saifer, EdD's Practical Solutions to Practically Every Problem: The Survival Guide for Early Childhood Professionals (9781605545127, $34.95) is a 'must' for early childhood educators who want specific solutions to 200 common problems encountered in everyday early childhood education settings, and covers the latest research about brain development and teaching techniques.
Chapters are designed to be used for quick, at-a-glance consultation and cover everything from solving problems with multiage groups and silly-acting children to helping kids cope with change, even addressing the behaviors of adults.
The result is a treasure trove of activities, options, and considerations highly recommended for early childhood professionals who can either quickly browse chapter headings and topics, or who will find enough topics to warrant a cover-to-cover, in-depth read.
Ann Pelo's The Language of Art: Inquiry-Based Studio Practices in Early Childhood Settings (9781605544571, $39.95) appears in its second updated edition to blend Reggio-inspired principles and practices into curriculums, pairing real-world stories with a theoretical foundation for understanding how to incorporate the arts into children's thinking and activities.
This second updated edition packs in more examples for using art media in the education process, providing many specific dialogues that educators and adults can use when interacting with kids about arts materials, such as how to soften clay and how to explore texture.
From drawing and painting to setting up a paint studio, The Language of Art provides an inquiry-based focus that will delight early educators.
Mike Huber's Embracing Rough-and-Tumble Play: Teaching With the Body in Mind (9781605544687, $39.95) is about overseeing physical bodily play, which is important to a young child's growth and social development. It's interesting to note that other books about early childhood play often fail to take into account the benefits and processes of rough-and-tumble play routines; but this focus offers a specific set of engagement options and teacher interactions that show how to facilitate safe, boisterous play and how to create an appropriate environment for it.
From reading body language and guiding this type of play to understanding war play, different play approaches after a period of idleness, and how to help kids self-regulate their aggression, this is filled with specifics about all kinds of exercises and guided approaches and outlines the many benefits of encouraging vigorous, active interactions on the playground.
Simply
Brilliant
Bernhard Schroeder
Amacom
9780814437193
$24.00
www.amacombooks.org
Simply Brilliant: Power Techniques To Unlock Your Creativity and Spark New Ideas advocates the notion that anyone can learn creativity and that it doesn't have to be an inherent skill that is either evident or not. Chapters show how to develop and foster creativity in a range of environments, but offer a business focus that belays the usual emphasis on educational applications for schools.
Even the most pragmatic, logical business person can develop creative thinking by following Bernhard Schroeder's CreativityWorks Framework, presented here in chapters that discuss proven practices, real world work applications, and exercises and approaches that encourage creative problem-solving and business applications.
No business collection should be without this intriguing approach.
Six
Simple Twists
Benjamin DiLeonardo-Parker
AK Peters/CRC Press
9781482244618
$39.95
www.crcpress.com
Six Simple Twists: The Pleat Pattern Approach to Origami Tessellation Design is recommended for crafts and math enthusiasts alike, and considers the design and use of origami's geometric patterns based on the hexagon grid system of six simple twists and paper pleating techniques.
These can be combined in a range of origami paper-folding pursuits; especially since discussions offer (quite) small, step-by-step color photos that explain the application of grids and the process of splitting pleats using intermediate gridding, expanding on triangle and hexagonal designs to produce advanced patterns.
Larger photos would have made it easier to view these approaches, but the overall emphasis on design over construction will delight experienced origami crafters by providing a set of new ideas and possibilities for more advanced productions.
The
World Almanac and Book of Facts 2017
World Almanac Books
9781600572050
$14.99
www.WorldAlmanac.com
The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2017 includes the results of the 2016 election and is recommended as more than a desk reference, featuring an organizational structure that is entertaining, fun, and filled with trivial facts.
From sports statistics and profiles of nations around the world to top news topics, election results, and noted entertainers, The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2017 is packed with small-print information that may require a magnifying glass for older readers, but which is filled with fun facts and practical applications that make it both a trivia reader's delight and a fact-filled reference for anyone seeking the latest world statistics.
Health Issues
The
Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy
Valerie Ann Worwood
New World Library
9781577311393
$26.95
www.newworldlibrary.com
The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy: Over 800 Natural, Nontoxic, and Fragrant Recipes to Create Health, Beauty, and Safe Home and Work Environments has been completely revised and expanded for its 25th anniversary edition, and comes from a clinical aromatherapist who provides professionals and self/home care readers alike with a guide to making the most of essential oils.
Many might think that aromatherapy isn't potent enough; but the fact is that many of these oils are quite effective. Chapters are designed to make the most of their attributes, from beauty needs to health applications, through recipes based on scientific research around the world.
The process of using essential oils, begun in Europe in the 1880s, is supplemented with the latest discoveries on using these oils and their plants, while the formulas for success include discussions of carrier oils, specific applications that are separated into chapters ranging from women's health to oils for beauty and exercise, and the latest scientific research.
Anyone interested in applying plant-based solutions to general health will find these specific formulas and science-based discussions of their use to be invaluable.
Jessica
Kingsley, Publisher
www.jkp.com
Susan M. Clark's DBT-Informed Art Therapy: Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and the Creative Process (9781849057332) teaches how to apply DBT art therapy in a practice, and is directed to therapists who would use visual exercises and activities to foster mindfulness and help regulate emotion and distress in their clients.
Theory blends with applied practices in this book for art therapists who would learn about and employ DBT techniques. Chapters cover group power and individual pursuits, developing interpersonal effectiveness skills, and the techniques of art therapy and DBT approaches, contrasting the two and providing many details on where they join forces in the therapeutic environment.
Practicing art therapists who would utilize Dialectical Behavior Therapy to find new paths to communicating with clients will find this a practical, basic overview.
Gary Mitchell's Doll Therapy in Dementia Care: Evidence and Practice (9781849055703, $29.95) discusses a controversial form of therapy used in dementia - doll therapy - and blends theory with practice to consider the source of common arguments surrounding doll therapy and its proven, positive impact on the well-being of people with dementia.
Health care professionals receive a solid overview that considers its history, best practices, and which provides original research documenting its benefits, educating professionals about doll therapy's wider use in overall patient care.
The guidelines for applying doll therapy, lacking in many competing discussions, are here; encouraging a different degree of dementia care based on humane practices that meet the psychological needs of people living with dementia.
Uttom Chowdhury and Tara Murphy's TIC Disorders: A Guide for Parents and Professionals (9781849050616, $19.95) surveys the latest details on tic disorders and how to manage their symptoms in children, and provides accompanying information for ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and other conditions.
Parents of children and young people with tic disorders will find a review of vetted and alternative treatments, including neurosurgery, acupuncture, various therapies, and other discussions that review how tic disorders manifest in different conditions.
From parenting and family life to specific learning difficulties, TIC Disorders provides a solid reference health libraries will find specific and useful.
Johns
Hopkins University Press
www.press.jhu.edu
Jeffrey Rado, MD and Philip G. Janicak, MD's Living With Schizophrenia: A Family Guide to Making a Difference (9781421421438, $17.95) draws on the most recent medical literature, but goes beyond most books about schizophrenia to focus on family dynamics and how they can lead to positive results. It also differs in that people with schizophrenia receive insights and guidelines which, in turn, help them better interact with their family members.
Chapters discuss initial evaluation, biological and psychological therapy options, how recovery is defined and how it relates to quality of life issues, and more.
Having a book about schizophrenia that embraces the experiences and concerns of patients as well as caregivers and family members translates to a key acquisition that no consumer health library should be without.
Dinah Miller, MD and Annette Hanson, MD's Committed: The Battle Over Involuntary Psychiatric Care (9781421420783, $22.95) is a contemporary discussion over involuntary commitment processes that takes into account medical, legal, and civil rights issues alike.
Many titles on the topic are older; but this new re-examination considers the ethical, legal, and health challenges involved in psychiatric care and preventing violence, and comes from two psychiatrists who document the history of involuntary commitment in the U.S. up to the present day.
First-hand accounts from patients and clinicians pepper this examination of commitment practices and policies, creating a well-rounded survey that is a 'must' for any who would keep up on the latest thinking surrounding psychiatric care and patient management.
Janice F. Wiesman, MD's Peripheral Neuropathy: What It Is and What You Can Do to Feel Better (9781421420851, $18.95) addresses a common and debilitating condition especially troubling to diabetics, and shows how to gain relief from nerve damage's symptoms of tingling, burning and numbness in the extremities.
Neuropathy can be disabling and can lead to falls and undiagnosed foot problems as well. Chapters define this condition, and then discuss both medical and self-help options that patients can use for relief. The result is an overview and guide that will prove especially valuable to newcomers as well as patients who have been struggling with peripheral neuropathy for years.
Dean F. Mackinnon, MD's Still Down: What to Do When Antidepressants Fail (9781421421063, $18.95) comes from a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins Medical School who presents nine stories of patients he's seen over his twenty-year period as a mood disorder specialist, and discusses what happens to patients with depression who are still trying to find treatments that work.
From misdiagnosis of mood disorders which result in inappropriate and ineffective treatments to why some improve and some do not, these case histories identify specific issues involved in mood therapies and show how patients and caregivers can understand them.
Neurodiversity
Barb Retenbach and Lois Prislovsky, PhD
Mule and Muse Productions with Sojourn Publishing, LLC
9780988344914
$24.99
www.muleandmuseproductions.com
Neurodiversity: A Humorous and Practical Guide to Living with ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Dyslexia, The Gays and Everyone Else is an unusual guide that combines practical insights with an unexpected sense of humor and a wry observational style.
Author Barb Retenbach, a neurodiversity advocate diagnosed with "severe autism," maintains that "autism is my prism and not my prison," and her ability to capture insights about the autism spectrum disorder and other neurological differences (which she views as natural human variations containing strengths as well as weaknesses) makes for a powerful production that mixes health and philosophical perspectives with practical tips for others on the spectrum and those who love and work with them.
From insights on how to facilitate optimism to breakthroughs in brain science research and handling different perspectives, the juxtaposition of insights from Barb Retenbach and therapist Lois Prislovsky makes for a powerfully effective perspective highly recommended for any mental health collection; especially those covering autism spectrum disorders.
S.E.X.
The All-You-Need-to-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens
and Twenties
Heather Corinna
DaCapo Press
9780738218847 $17.99
www.dacapopress.com
S.E.X. The All-You-Need-to-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens and Twenties appears in its second updated edition to provide teens and new adults with the basics of not just human sexuality, but emotional and sexual interactions.
It goes beyond physical function to examine choices surrounding sexual behaviors, decisions on where to find information and advice, and how to protect one's sexual and emotional health during the exploration process.
From setting limits and handling the fallout when these boundaries are breached to gender and sexual identity differences, social stigmas about teens and young parents, how to be (or not be) pregnant, and understanding serial monogamy and other dating choices, S.E.X. is a powerful book of choice for any teen venturing into new relationships and sexual exploration.
Sport
Therapy for the Shoulder
Todd S. Ellenbecker and Kevin E. Wilk
Human Kinetics
9781450431644
$64.00
www.humankinetics.com
Sport Therapy for the Shoulder: Evaluation, Rehabilitation, and Return to Sport gathers guidelines and best practices for athletes with shoulder injuries, and comes from physical therapists who offer trainers, clinicians, and fellow therapists insights that focuses on re-entry strategies and assessment and treatment options.
From basic anatomy and common sports injuries to pathology, rehabilitation, and shoulder exercises to return range of motion and muscle strength to a compromised shoulder, Sport Therapy for the Shoulder pairs its text with online videos to document the progressive steps of recovery.
The result is a solid blend of text and online visuals that is key for any who would better understand different sport therapy options for shoulder injuries and their management.
Yoga
for Athletes
Ryanne Cunningham
Human Kinetics
9781492522814
$21.95
www.humankinetics.com
Yoga for Athletes comes from an instructor who has worked with many athletes, helping these top players perform at their best by adding specific yoga exercises into their routines.
Muscle exercises and movements for football, tennis, golf, swimming, running and more are covered in chapters packed with step-by-step exercise descriptions and color photos throughout.
From safety tips to breathing and modification options, these demonstrations offer keys to top performance and better endurance, and offer a program highly recommended for any athlete.
Politics
Shall
Not Be Infringed
David A. Keene and Thomas L. Mason
Skyhorse Publishing
9781510719958
$22.99
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
Shall Not Be Infringed: The New Assaults on Your Second Amendment comes from experts who examine the ongoing assault on Second Amendment freedoms. One author is a former President of the NRA and an editor at the Washington Times; the other represents gun groups in international court.
Theirs is a history of gun control efforts in America that offers descriptions ranging from polls and studies to political and courtroom proceedings revolving around the Second Amendment and its intentions.
From issues of crime prevention to various anti-gun proposals and challenges to the NRA, this history provides much food for thought as it considers topics of historic and legal precedent, Constitutional interpretations, and wider-reaching gun control considerations on an international level which hold valuable lessons for American audiences.
Both sides on the gun control issue should read this thought-provoking survey, which comes packed with statistics and much food for thought.