Search:

The plague year : America in the time of Covid / by Wright, Lawrence,1947-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower, whose best-selling thriller The End of the October all but predicted our current pandemic, comes another momentous account, this time of COVID-19: its origins, its myriad repercussions, and the ongoing fight to contain it. Beginning with the absolutely critical first moments of the outbreak in China, and ending with an epilogue on the vaccine rollout and the unprecedented events between the election of Joseph Biden and his inauguration, Lawrence Wright's The Plague Year surges forward with essential information--and fascinating historical parallels--examining the medical, economic, political, and social ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wright takes us inside the CDC, where the first round of faulty test kits cost America precious time; inside the halls of the White House, where Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger's early alarm about the virus was met with great skepticism; into a COVID ward in a Charlottesville hospital, with an idealistic young woman doctor from Little Africa, South Carolina; into the precincts of prediction specialists at Goldman Sachs; and even inside the human body, diving deep into the science of just how the virus and vaccines function, with an eye-opening detour into the history of vaccination and of the modern anti-vaxxer movement. In turns steely eyed, sympathetic, infuriated, comical, and always precise, Wright is a formidable guide, slicing through the dense fog of misinformation to give us a 360-degree portrait of the catastrophe we thought we knew. His full accounting does honor to the medical professionals around the country who've risked their lives to fight the virus, revealing America in all its vulnerability, courage, and potential"--
Subjects: COVID-19 (Disease); COVID-19 (Disease); COVID-19 (Disease); COVID-19 (Disease);
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Los Hermanos/The Brothers. by Schneider, Ken,film director.; Jarmel, Marcia,film director.; PatchWorks Productions (Firm),dst; Kanopy (Firm),dst;
Originally produced by PatchWorks Productions in 2020.Virtuoso Afro-Cuban-born brothers—violinist Ilmar and pianist Aldo—live on opposite sides of a geopolitical chasm a half-century wide. Tracking their parallel lives in New York and Havana, their poignant reunion, and their momentous first performances together, Los Hermanos/The Brothers offers a nuanced, often startling view of estranged nations through the lens of music and family.Featuring an electrifying, genre-bending score, composed by Cuban Aldo López-Gavilán, performed with his American brother, Ilmar, and with guest appearances by maestro Joshua Bell and the Harlem Quartet.Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subjects: Documentary films.; Arts.; Social sciences.; Music.; History, Modern.; Documentary films.; Artists.; History.; Families.; Cuba.; Hispanic Americans.; Performing arts.;
unAPI

Meghan misunderstood / by Smith, Sean,1955-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.Meghan was eleven when she first advocated for women's rights; a teenager when she worked in a soup kitchen feeding the homeless; a popular actress when she campaigned for clean water in Africa and passionately championed gender equality in a speech to a United Nations Women's Conference. Even before she met Prince Harry, hers was an extraordinarily accomplished life. Meghan's wedding to Harry was a joyful occasion, marking happiness at last for the Queen's grandson who had captured our hearts twenty years earlier when he bravely walked behind his mother Diana's coffin. Theirs was a story that the screenwriters of Hollywood, where Meghan had made her name, could scarcely have imagined. Sean Smith reveals the remarkable and powerful story of this self-made, intelligent American woman with a strong social conscience who has made such an impact on our lives.
Subjects: Biographies.; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, 1981-; Princesses; Television actors and actresses; Women philanthropists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Mediocre : the dangerous legacy of white male America / by Oluo, Ijeoma,author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-306) and index."In her new book, rather than tear down the statues of certain white men, Ijeoma Oluo casts her eye on the long view of a nation that, as a whole, has built a dominant identity for white men. Her book challenges what we value most in America, during a tumultuous time of upheaval as we painfully strive toward a more perfect union. With her signature sharp wit, Oluo exposes how white male identity not only blatantly marks our divided culture today, from presidential politics to popular culture, but it is insidiously embedded even in the history of apparent progress, from women entering the workforce, to rising access to higher education, to the work of white civil rights advocates and male feminists. Oluo relates the glorification of White male aggression behind Western Expansion, the disdain of women workers strengthening the Great Depression, the fear of racial integration driving the Great Migration, and more examples of how White male America was forged and reinforced-at a devastating cost. Far from arguing that all white men are mediocre, Oluo instead challenges a national narrative that for generations has defined success exclusively around white men. Status for white men is granted only in relation to others, and is separated from actual achievement. This is not a benign mediocrity; it is brutal for everyone who is erased. Deeply researched, passionate, and revelatory, Oluo's Mediocre argues that if we wish to move beyond the rancorous politics where only white men are created equal, if we wish to write better stories for the next generation of Americans, we first need upend everything we thought we knew about our founding stories"--
Subjects: Male domination (Social structure); Men, White;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The dying citizen : how progressive elites, tribalism, and globalization are destroying the idea of America / by Hanson, Victor Davis,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Most of human history is full of the stories of peasants, subjects, or tribes. The concept of the "citizen," an idea we take for granted, is historically quite rare-and was, until recently, amongst America's most profoundly cherished ideals. But without shock treatment, warns historian and conservative political commentator Victor Davis Hanson, American citizenship as we have known it for well over two centuries may soon vanish. In The Dying Citizen, Hanson outlines the forces that have brought us to the twilight of American citizenship, and led to the deeply fractured politics of the present era. Over the last half-century, numerous forces from both above and below have conspired to undermine the value we place in the idea of citizenship-and our vigilance in protecting it. To be self-governing, citizens must be economically autonomous, but the evisceration of the middle class and the rise of inequality have made many Americans dependent on the federal government. Citizenship exists within delineated borders-but open borders and the elite concept of "global citizenship" have rendered meaningless the idea of allegiance to a particular place. Citizenship relies on the renunciation of tribal identity in favor of the state, but identity politics have eradicated the idea of a collective civic sense of self. A vastly expanded unelected bureaucracy has overwhelmed the power of elected officials, thereby destroying the sovereign power of the citizen. Progressive academics and activists lay siege to the institutions and traditions of constitutional citizenship. As in the revolutionary years of 1848, 1917, and 1968, 2020 has ripped away our complacency about the future of our most cherished ideals. Americans are forced to confront the fragility of citizenship-indeed, the fragility of our nation. But this calamitous year may also teach Americans to rebuild and recover what we have lost. The choice is ours"--
Subjects: Citizenship; Citizenship; Elite (Social sciences); World citizenship.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

How hard can it be? [sound recording] / by Pearson, Allison,1960-author.; Miller, Poppy,narrator.; Macmillan Audio (Firm),publisher.;
Read by Poppy Miller."Allison Pearson's brilliant debut novel, I Don't Know How She Does It, was a New York Times bestseller with four million copies sold around the world. Called "the definitive social comedy of working motherhood" (The Washington Post) and "a hysterical look--in both the laughing and crying senses of the world--at the life of Supermom" (The New York Times), I Don't Know How She Does It introduced Kate Reddy, a woman as sharp as she was funny. As Oprah Winfrey put it, Kate's story became "the national anthem for working mothers." Seven years later, Kate Reddy is facing her 50th birthday. Her children have turned into impossible teenagers; her mother and in-laws are in precarious health; and her husband is having a midlife crisis that leaves her desperate to restart her career after years away from the workplace. Once again, Kate is scrambling to keep all the balls in the air in a juggling act that an early review from the U.K. Express hailed as "sparkling, funny, and poignant ... a triumphant return for Pearson." Will Kate reclaim her rightful place at the very hedge fund she founded, or will she strangle in her new "shaping" underwear? Will she rekindle an old flame, or will her house burn to the ground when a rowdy mob shows up for her daughter's surprise (to her parents) Christmas party? Surely it will all work out in the end. After all, how hard can it be?"--
Subjects: Audiobooks.; Domestic fiction.; Humorous fiction.; Middle-aged women; Women executives; Married people; Work-life balance; Working mothers; Man-woman relationships; Families;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Mercy Street. [videorecording] / by Grant, Shalita,actor.; James, Hannah,actor.; Winstead, Mary Elizabeth,actor.; PBS Distribution (Firm),publisher.; Public Broadcasting Service (U.S.),broadcaster.;
Shalita Grant, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Hannah James, Mckinley Belcher III, Jay Bush II, Jonathan Hardison.It takes viewers beyond the battlefield and into the lives of Americans on the Civil War home front as they face challenges of one of the most turbulent times in our nation's history. This series is about the drama and unexpected humor of everyday life behind the front lines. It's a fresh twist on an iconic story, one that resonates with larger themes we still struggle with today.14A.DVD, region 1, widescreen (16x9) presentation; stereo.
Subjects: Antislavery movements; Historical television programs.; Man-woman relationships; Slavery; Television mini-series.; War television programs.;
For private home use only.
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
unAPI

As death draws near / by Huber, Anna Lee,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."The latest mystery from the national bestselling author of A Study in Death tangles Lady Kiera Darby and Sebastian Gage in a dangerous web of religious and political intrigue. July 1831. In the midst of their idyllic honeymoon in England's Lake District, Kiera and Gage's seclusion is interrupted by a missive from Kiera's new father-in-law. A deadly incident involving a distant relative of the Duke of Wellington has taken place at an abbey south of Dublin, Ireland, and he insists that she and Gage look into the matter. Intent on discovering what kind of monster could murder a woman of the cloth, the couple travels to Rathfarnham Abbey school. Soon, a second nun is slain in broad daylight near a classroom full of young girls. With the sinful killer growing bolder, the mother superior would like to send the students home, but the growing civil unrest in Ireland would make the journey treacherous. Before long, Kiera starts to suspect that some of the girls may be hiding a sinister secret. With the killer poised to strike yet again, Kiera and Gage must make haste and unmask the fiend before their matrimonial bliss comes to an untimely end."--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Detective and mystery fiction.; Historical fiction.; Serial murder investigation;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Geographies of the heart : stories from newcomers to Canada /
Includes bibliographical references."A settlement worker recalls being a child soldier in Sudan; the child of undocumented migrants finds love in a coffee shop; a woman from Trinidad applies to over a hundred jobs; and a teacher from Afghanistan grapples with what it means to be a migrant in a colonized land. In Geographies of the Heart, eighteen newcomers to Canada tell their own stories, in their own voices. These accounts push back against misconceptions about immigration and immigrants by revealing that the paths into Canada are as diverse as the people who journeyed them. Canada itself plays a pivotal role in the collection, both as saviour and oppressor. The nation is a haven and place of opportunity, but also not entirely benevolent and welcoming. This collection of stories provides a place where readers can challenge their own assumptions about Canada, immigrants, and refugees. Each story is framed by evocative questions to better connect the experiences of the writers and readers and invite critical thinking about topics related to migration. In the face of both increasing migration around the world and growing xenophobia, Geographies of the Heart is a reminder of our shared humanity."--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Immigrants; Immigrants;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Profiles in ignorance : how America's politicians got dumb and dumber / by Borowitz, Andy,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.Andy Borowitz, "one of the funniest people in America" (CBS Sunday Morning), brilliantly examines the intellectual deterioration of American politics, from Ronald Reagan to Dan Quayle, from George W. Bush to Sarah Palin, to its apotheosis in Donald J. Trump. The winner of the first-ever National Press Club award for humor, Andy Borowitz has been called a "Swiftian satirist" (The Wall Street Journal) and "one of the country's finest satirists" (The New York Times). Millions of fans and New Yorker readers enjoy his satirical news column "The Borowitz Report." Now, in Profiles in Ignorance, he offers a witty, spot-on diagnosis of our country's political troubles by showing how ignorant leaders are degrading, embarrassing, and endangering our nation. Borowitz argues that over the past fifty years, American politicians have grown increasingly allergic to knowledge, and mass media have encouraged the election of ignoramuses by elevating candidates who are better at performing than thinking. Starting with Ronald Reagan's first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and culminating with the election of Donald J. Trump to the White House, Borowitz shows how, during the age of twenty-four-hour news and social media, the US has elected politicians to positions of great power whose lack of the most basic information is terrifying. In addition to Reagan, Quayle, Bush, Palin, and Trump, Borowitz covers a host of congresspersons, senators, and governors who have helped lower the bar over the past five decades. Profiles in Ignorance aims to make us both laugh and cry: laugh at the idiotic antics of these public figures, and cry at the cataclysms these icons of ignorance have caused. But most importantly, the book delivers a call to action and a cause for optimism: History doesn't move in a straight line, and we can change course if we act now.
Subjects: Politicians; Politicians;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI