Robison, John Elder. Be Different: Adventures of A Free-Range Aspergian.

Robison, John Elder.    Be Different: Adventures of A Free-Range Aspergian.   Crown see Random, 2011. 286p. $24.00    ISBN 978-0-307-88481-7 ms/hs VG-BN      

     The author shares his views on Asperger’s syndrome with young people, along with tips for living with Asperger’s.  This is a welcome addition to the literature on Asperger’s, being a guide for young people who think they may be on the spectrum and need some practical tips for making friends, getting along, and avoiding painful feelings of alienation.  The author is very open about sharing his experiences, his family life growing up, and the things he has learned to find a more fulfilling life as an adult.  The tone is matter-of-fact rather than didactic, and it is written in a very accessible way.  At the end Robison includes the names and addresses of several organizations and institutions that may be of help to people on the Asperger’s spectrum and their families.              

Subject: Asperger’s syndrome 

Carol Kennedy

 

Moskowitz, Tobias J. & L.J. Werthem. Scorecasting.

Moskowitz, Tobias J. & L.J. Werthem.      Scorecasting.     Crown see Random, 2011. 278p. $26.00  ISBN 978-0-307-59179-1      hs/adult    E-BN       

     Besides talent, what wins a game? Moskowitz statistically examines factors such as referees, home-court advantage, and coaching decisions to see what influences the final score. This one is thought-provoking and sure to spark debate. It was written by an acclaimed financial professor at the University of Chicago and a long-time friend who is a writer for Sports Illustrated.  It takes a sports fan from just being a passionate observer to a whole new level of insight, using mathematical models to dissect the common belief in home-court advantage, the influence of referees on the game and why coaching decisions are sometimes made without any rational basis.  Looking primarily at football, baseball and basketball, with occasional forays into tennis, hockey and soccer, this book becomes the Freakonomics of the sports world. Best read in short spurts to enable the reader to take in all the math behind the rationale, this book will provide an excellent barroom debate or book-club discussion among rabid sports fans. From looking at a high-school football team that never punts to when referees see a shrinking strike circle in baseball, to how fans are of negligible impact at a home game, this book will change the way a fan watches a game, and maybe the way a coach plays the game. The psychology involving loss aversion and influence conformity are truly interesting concepts when applied to sporting events.                 

Subject: Influences on Sport Game Results

Lois McNicol

 

Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Crown see Random 2010 369p 26.00
978-1-4000-5217-2 hs/adult E-BN


A tale of bioethics, racism, and modern day science.
This is the amazing true story of the woman whose tissues were harvested by medical researchers and became the basis for the HeLa cell line that aided medical science after her death and without the knowledge of her or her family. Henrietta Lacks, mother of five, was being treated for cervical cancer. She was a poor woman who died of the disease not knowing that her cells were harvested by medical researchers. These cells, named by scientists as HeLa, became the basis for the cell line that traveled the world and became the source of a multimillion dollar industry that sells human biological materials, as well as the foundation of scientific research that facilitated medical discoveries on polio and AIDS among others. Skloot, a medical journalist, writes about how medical research was perpetrated on an impoverished and vulnerable African American woman. She became friends with Henrietta’s daughter, Deborah, and tells of the devastation of the discovery of how the cells were used without consent, the effect this exploitation had on the family, and the life Lacks and her family lived. A tale of bioethics, racism, and modern day science, this book presents the facts in a poignant manner, but lets the reader decide on the implications medical science has on society. This true tale of bioethics, racism, and modern day science should be in every high school library and is recommended for Tristate Books of Note, 2011. Weinraub, Tina

Harvell, Richard The Bells

Harvell, Richard The Bells
Crown see Random 2010 371p 24.00
978-0-307-59052-7 adult VG-BN


Nikolai is the son of a castrato. After his Moses, his father dies, he finds the book his father wrote to explain Nikolai’s existence.
Moses’ preternatural sense of hearing is both a blessing and a curse. The glorious sound of the bells his mother rings in her job as bellkeeper shape his extraordinary gift for sound. But when his gift threatens to expose the sins of the church, Moses is cast out of his village and soon faces certain death. Rescued by two traveling monks, Nikolai returns to their Abbey with him and soon finds his true purpose: singing. The choirmaster, Ulrich, determined to save the brilliant prodigy’s voice, has Moses castrated. Moses hides his condition from all who know him, even the girl he loves. How did Moses, who becomes a world-renowned musician, come to have a son that he could not have sired?

Harvell’s debut novel is a well-researched and brilliant historical fiction intended for adult readers. Historical Welliver(3), Hilary

Citizen You

Tisch, Jonathan M. Citizen You
Crown see Random 2010 274p 24.00
978-0-307-58848-7 hs/adult VG
Tisch, of Loews Corporation, highlights the new social activism that is changing communities for the better by solving problems rather than just throwing money at the problem. A book to inspire action and hope. Grades 10 to adult.
The new social activism puts people to work actively solving community problems related to education, sanitation, disease, energy, and poverty. Examples of individual people and corporations doing good in the community inspire hope as well as show that anyone can make a change if they get actively involved. The philosophy behind the good works of Tufts University, Loews Corporation, Doctors Without Borders, Engineers Without Borders, and IBM is explained as well as the projects initiated. Whether purchasing from local businesses/farms, helping out in disasters, providing employees with paid time to do volunteer work, or designing energy efficient tools/equipment for third world nations - it all started with one person and one idea. With so many news stories of violence and despair, this book is a beacon in the current economic downturn shining a light on people who are doing good in the community without expecting a monetary profit in return.
The reader will emerge with a feeling of hope for the world and be inspired to look at his own community to see what he can do to make the lives of his fellow citizens a little better. The cover of the book is outstanding relaying the same feeling that each person has the ability and duty to change the world. For adults and students who feel a connection to their community. Recommended for public libraries, civic groups, and high school students who want to turn altruism into action. An inspiration and call to action for every reader. McNicol(3),Lois
Social change - citizen participation