Search:

Results 261 to 270 of 523 | « previous |

The things we make : the unknown history of invention from cathedrals to soda cans / by Hammack, Bill,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."In this book, Bill Hammack, better known as The Engineer Guy, takes us on a whirlwind tour of how humans built the world we know today. From the grand stone arches of medieval cathedrals to the mundane modern soda can, Hammack explains the golden rule of thumb that underlies every new building technique, every technological advancement, and every creative solution that leads us one step closer to a better, more functional world. Perfect for readers of Adam Grant and Jared Diamond, this fascinating examination of the method that keeps pushing humanity forward is a spotlight on the achievements of the past and a celebration of the potential of our future"--
Subjects: Buildings.; Engineering.; Inventions.; Manufactures.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Ants among elephants : an untouchable family and the making of modern India / by Gidla, Sujatha,1963-;
"The stunning true story of an untouchable family who become teachers, and one, a poet and revolutionary. Like one in six people in India, Sujatha Gidla was born an untouchable. While most untouchables are illiterate, her family was educated by Canadian missionaries in the 1930s, making it possible for Gidla to attend elite schools and move to America at the age of twenty-six. It was only then that she saw how extraordinary--and yet how typical--her family history truly was. Her mother, Manjula, and uncles Satyam and Carey were born in the last days of British colonial rule. They grew up in a world marked by poverty and injustice, but also full of possibility. In the slums where they lived, everyone had a political side, and rallies, agitations, and arrests were commonplace. The Independence movement promised freedom. Yet for untouchables and other poor and working people, little changed. Satyam, the eldest, switched allegiance to the Communist Party. Gidla recounts his incredible life--how he became a famous poet, student, labor organizer, and founder of a left-wing guerrilla movement. And Gidla charts her mother's battles with caste and women's oppression. Page by page, Gidla takes us into a complicated, close-knit family as they desperately strive for a decent life and a more just society. A moving portrait of love, hardship, and struggle, Ants Among Elephants is also that rare thing: a personal history of modern India told from the bottom up"--Provided by publisher.LSC
Subjects: Gidla, Sujatha, 1963-; Gidla, Sujatha, 1963-; Dalits; Families; Teachers; Poets, Indic; Revolutionaries; Caste;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Canada's prime ministers and the shaping of a national identity / by Blake, Raymond Benjamin,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Since Confederation, Canadian prime ministers have consciously constructed the national story. Each created shared narratives, formulating and reformulating a series of unifying national ideas that served to keep this geographically large, ethnically diverse, and regionalized nation together. This book is about those narratives and stories. Focusing on the post-Second World War period, Raymond B. Blake shows how, regardless of political stripe, prime minsters worked to build national unity, forged a citizenship based on inclusion, and defined a place for Canada in the world. They created for citizens an ideal image of what the nation stood for and the path it should follow. They told a national story of Canada as a modern, progressive, liberal state with a strong commitment to inclusion, a deep respect for diversity and difference, and a fundamental belief in universal rights and freedoms. Ultimately, this innovative history provides readers with a new way to see and understand what Canada is, and what holds us together as a nation."--
Subjects: Nationalism; Nationalism; Prime ministers; Prime ministers;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

A light in the dark : a history of movie directors / by Thomson, David,1941-author.;
"Directors operate behind the scenes managing actors, establishing a cohesive creative vision, at times literally guiding our eyes with the eye of the camera. But we are often so dazzled by the visions onscreen that it is easy to forget the individual who is off-screen orchestrating the entire production--to say nothing of their having marshalled a script, a studio, and other people's money. David Thomson, in his usual brilliantly insightful way, shines a light on the visionary directors who have shaped modern cinema and, through their work, studies the very nature of film direction. With his customary candor about his own delights and disappointments, Thomson analyzes both landmark works and forgotten films from classic directors such as Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Jean Renoir and Jean-Luc Godard, as well as contemporary powerhouses such as Jane Campion, Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino. He shrewdly interrogates their professional legacies and influence in the industry, while simultaneously assessing the critical impact of an artist's personal life on his or her work. He explores the male directors' dominance of the past, and describes how diversity can change the landscape. Judicious, vivid and witty, A Light in the Dark is yet another required Thomson text for every movie lover's shelf"--
Subjects: Motion pictures; Motion picture producers and directors;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Niagara : your guide to the Falls and beyond / by Brown, Ron,1945-author.;
"The first-known European to gaze upon Niagara Falls was a Jesuit priest and explorer named Louis Hennepin in 1688. He took his somewhat exaggerated description of its size and power back to amazed Europeans. From then on, the Falls became a must-see destination for people from around the world and one of Canada's leading tourist attractions. But there is more to the Niagara region than a mighty cataract. There are the world-class hotels and casinos, the Shaw Festival, the wineries, the hydroelectric generators, the natural wonders, the historic sites, and the Welland Canal--an engineering marvel and vital transportation link. This book is the story of the falls and beyond, covering: the geological evolution of the Falls; pioneering development of Ontario's hydroelectric power; Niagara's wine region; Niagara's Indigenous legacy; the War of 1812; Niagara's Black history and heritage; modern hotels and historic hostelries; the Niagara Parkway; bridges across the Niagara River; the gardens of Niagara; hiking trails and conservation areas; casinos, hotels and midway Rides; the Shaw Festival; historic downtown streetscapes; Niagara's historic mansions; lost villages and ghost towns; Niagara's railway legacy, and more"--
Subjects: Guidebooks.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Pathogenesis : a history of the world in eight plagues / by Kennedy, Jonathan,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A sweeping look at how the major transformations in history--from the rise of Homo sapiens to the birth of capitalism--have been shaped not by humans but by germs. According to the accepted narrative of progress, humans have thrived thanks to their brains and brawn, collectively bending the arc of history. But in this revelatory book, professor Jonathan Kennedy argues that the myth of human exceptionalism overstates the role that we play in social and political change. Instead, it is the humble microbe that wins wars and topples empires. Drawing on the latest research in fields ranging from genetics and anthropology to archaeology and economics, Pathogenesis takes us through 60,000 years of history, exploring eight major outbreaks of infectious disease that have made the modern world. Bacteria and viruses were protagonists in the demise of the Neanderthals, the growth of Islam, the transition from feudalism to capitalism, the devastation wrought by European colonialism, and the evolution of the United States from an imperial backwater to a global superpower. Even Christianity rose to prominence in the wake of a series of deadly pandemics that swept through the Roman Empire in the second and third centuries: Caring for the sick turned what was a tiny sect into one of the world's major religions. By placing disease at the center of his wide-ranging history of humankind, Kennedy challenges some of the most fundamental assumptions about our collective past--and urges us to view this moment as another disease-driven inflection point that will change the course of history. Provocative and brimming with insight, Pathogenesis transforms our understanding of the human story"--
Subjects: Diseases and history.; Epidemics; Plague;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Forbidden city : a novel / by Hua, Vanessa,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."A teenage girl living in 1960s China becomes Mao Zedong's protégée and lover--and a poster child for the Cultural Revolution--in this provocative, poignant novel from the bestselling author of A River of Stars On the eve of China's Cultural Revolution, and her sixteenth birthday, Mei dreams of becoming a model revolutionary. When the Communist Party recruits girls for a mysterious duty in the capital, she seizes the opportunity to escape her impoverished village. It is only when Mei arrives at the Chairman's opulent residence--a forbidden city unto itself--that she learns that the girls' job is to dance with the Party elites. Ambitious and whip-smart, Mei makes a beeline toward the Chairman. Mei gradually separates from the other recruits to become the Chairman's confidante--and paramour. As he fends off political rivals, Mei faces down schemers from the dance troupe who will stop at nothing to take her place, as well as the Chairman's imperious wife, who has schemes of her own. When the Chairman finally gives Mei a political mission, she seizes it with fervor, but the brutality of this latest stage of the revolution makes her begin to doubt all the certainties she has held so dear. Forbidden City is an epic yet intimate portrayal of one of the world's most powerful and least understood leaders during the most turbulent period of modern Chinese history. Mei's harrowing journey toward truth and disillusionment raises questions about power, manipulation, and belief, as seen through the eyes of a passionate teenage girl"--
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Novels.; Mao, Zedong, 1893-1976; Communism; Teenage girls;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Closer by sea : a novel / by Chafe, Perry,author.;
"In 1991, on a small, isolated island off the coast of Newfoundland, twelve-year-old Pierce Jacobs struggles to come to terms with the death of his father. It's been three years since his dad, a fisherman, disappeared in the cold, unforgiving Atlantic, his body never recovered. Pierce is determined to save enough money to fix his father's old boat and take it out to sea. But life on the island is quiet and hard. The local fishing industry is on the brink of collapse, threatening to take an ages-old way of life with it. The community is hit even harder when a young teen named Anna Tessier goes missing. With the help of his three friends, Pierce sets out to find Anna, with whom he shared an unusual but special bond. They soon cross paths with Solomon Vickers, a mysterious, hermetic fisherman who may have something to do with the missing girl. Their search brings them into contact with unrelenting bullies, magnificent sea creatures, fierce storms, and glacial giants. But most of all, it brings them closer to the brutal reality of both the natural and the modern world. Part coming-of-age story, part literary mystery, and part suspense thriller, Closer by Sea is a page-turning, poignant, and powerful novel about family, friendship, and community set at a pivotal time in modern Newfoundland history. It is an homage to a people and a place, and above all it captures that delicate and tender moment when the wonder of childhood innocence gives way to the harsh awakening of adult experience."--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Bildungsromans.; Novels.; Coming of age; Child detectives; Communities; Islands; Missing persons;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The gathering place : winter pilgrimage through changing times / by Colwell, Mary,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Mary Colwell makes a 500-mile solo pilgrimage along the Camino Francés, winding through forests, mountains, farmland, industrial sprawls and places of worship, weaving her experiences of the Camino with natural history, spirituality and modern environmentalism. Pilgrims have always walked in times of upheaval, pitching themselves against weather, hunger, thirst and sometimes pain as they tread the paths their ancestors followed before them. In The Gathering Place, author, nature campaigner and veteran solo walker Mary Colwell undertakes a 500-mile pilgrimage along the Camino Francés in northern Spain at a unique moment in history--a time of pandemic, profound political change, and a climate and biodiversity emergency. In a typical year, more than 300,000 people walk this route or part of it, but in between lockdowns in 2020, Mary was virtually alone. The modern world weaves in and out of the Camino's worn trackway, providing a focus for contemplation and a place where memories and experiences can gather. There are times of intense spirituality, meetings with a demon slayer, strange goings-on and magical tales, and the constant backdrop of nature with all its complexity and wonder. In this delightful book, Mary's winter pilgrimage weaves a personal tale with a walk that millions have undertaken over the centuries. The Gathering Place is a beautiful, thoughtful and, at times, humorous journey of both body and soul."--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages; Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages; Natural history; Natural history;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Mi'kmaw moons : the seasons in Mi'kma'ki / by LeBlanc, Cathy(Cathy Jean).; Chapman, David.; Gould, Loretta.;
Includes bibliographical references and internet addreses.Traditional teachings about the moon cycles and their relation to the natural history of Mi'kma'ki on Canada's East Coast. For thousands of years, the Mi'kmaq have been closely observing the natural world and the cycles of the moon and the stars to track the passage of time. Each full moon in an annual cycle was named by the Mi'kmaq to relate to a seasonal event, such as tomcod spawning, birds laying eggs or berry ripening. For the past decade Mi'kmaw Elders and Knowledge Keepers have shared stories of the traditional night sky calendar with authors Cathy LeBlanc and David Chapman. In this book Cathy relays these stories in her role as Auntie to her young relation Holly. Each moon's story is richly illustrated with an evocative colour painting created for this book by the noted Mi'kmaw artist Loretta Gould. Alongside this presentation of the Mi'kmaw time-keeping traditions, this book offers a brief history of the modern Western calendar, and some basic astronomy facts about the moon's phases and why the seasons change. This two-eyed seeing approach takes young readers on a journey through one full year in Mi'kma'ki.LSC
Subjects: Lunar calendars; Seasons; Traditional ecological knowledge; Micmac Indians; Mi'kmaq;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Results 261 to 270 of 523 | « previous |