Hasday, Judy L. Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg.

Hasday, Judy L.   Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg.  Morgan Reynolds, 2011.

$28.95.  ISBN 978-159935176-6 ms/hs E-BNS      

     This book covers Mark Zuckerberg’s fascinating life story and his meteoric rise to fame as Facebook’s originator.  It highlights the personality, skills, and selfishness that converged to create the world’s premier social network.

Author Judy Hasday has achieved what all authors of nonfiction hope to achieve: she has written a book that will appeal to children and adults of all ages and life experiences.  Who doesn’t want to read about the role of Facebook in the overthrow of Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarek?  Who doesn’t want to stay up to date on Zuckerberg’s court case, which involves the three classmates who originally asked him to help them program their web site, HarvardConnection?  By the way, the three won in court, and Zuckerberg had to pay them $67 million.  No one can deny the role of the brilliant young man who took Facebook to where it is today, the leading social networking site on the Internet.  With its many facets, Facebook is not exclusively Zuckerberg’s, but it is certainly his baby.  Others help him with engineering, programming and marketing, but the changes Facebook has made in our way of life are largely attributed to this man and his vision.  Zuckerberg refuses to take a billion dollars for its sale, and this book explains why.  He wants to change lives, and the only way to do that is to continue to participate in Facebook's growth.  Hasday’s language is simple, her message is clear, and her fascination with Zuckerberg is palpable.  All of these factors combine in a work of nonfiction that is an excellent choice for readers of all ages and interests.  The book ends with a timeline, source notes, and an index. 

     The series, Business Leaders, includes books about a wide range of people who have excelled in business, as well as in other areas, such as Oprah Winfrey, Ralph Lauren, and Steve Jobs.  The books show the strengths of each and their rise to prosperity, with authentic quotations about each business leader.

Subject: Social networks

Martha Squaresky

 

Bryfonski, Dedria. War in John Knowles’s A Separate Peace

Bryfonski, Dedria.      War in John Knowles’s A Separate Peace

Cengage (Gale,Lucent,Kidhaven/Blackbirch          2011   175p   26.50  978-0-7377-5269-4           

hs        Social Issues in Literature(Gale)     E-BN   This book contains reprinted

articles that provide literary criticism on John Knowles╒s A Separate Peace.

Themes of war, sports, and friendship are explored. Each article starts with an

author biography and summary of the article. Excellent for grades 9-12.

            Knowles’s A Separate Peace is studied in many high school English classes.

For students looking for literary criticism on the novel, this is an excellent

place to start. Each article focuses on a particular theme or literary style

used in the novel. The autobiographical source of Knowles’s writing is clearly

explored. Two of the articles are even written by Knowles. Because the novel

centers on life in a prep school, coming of age is one of the themes analyzed.

The themes of war, bullying, homosexuality, and sports are also explored. The

final chapter of the book looks at the effects of war on today’s young people

including teens in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as American teens, especially

Muslim American teens, since 9/11. An extensive index, bibliography, and

timeline complete this book. The only quibble is that the first article has a

copyright date of 1980, yet a fact dated 1986 appears toward the top of page 25.

How can this be?  An first source for student researchers. Grades 9-12.

            Social Issues in Literature pulls together literary criticism about a

particular novel . Well researched, concisely packaged with author timeline,

index, and a chapter relating the theme of the novel to current issues make this

a first stop for student researchers.           McNicol,Lois