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The outsmarters / by Ellis, Deborah,1960-;
"Eleven-year-old Kate lives with her grandmother, who runs a junk shop in a big old house on the outskirts of town. It sometimes feels sad to be in the business of collecting other people's leftover stuff, but Kate knows sad. She's a bit lonely, and she doesn't remember her mother, who left long ago. Still, Kate dreams that one day her mother will return, and when she does, she'll need money. So Kate sets out to make some, just in case. At first she wants to offer psychiatric advice, like Lucy in the Peanuts cartoon. Gran squashes that idea: "You are not a psychiatrist. You'll just get sued." But what about a philosopher, who Gran says is just someone who thinks deeply about important things. "I do that all the time," Kate says, and soon she opens up a Philosophy Booth to provide answers to life's big and small questions for $2 a pop. But who can answer Kate's questions? Where does her grandmother go in her truck at night? And why won't she talk about Kate's mother? These are hard questions to answer, and Kate gets help from two kids who come into her life. Myndeelee, who moves into the house behind Gran's, and Brandon, who Gran seems to hate, though Kate can't figure out why."--
Subjects: Families; Grandmothers; Friendship; Survival; Self-reliance in children;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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From strength to strength : finding success, happiness, and deep purpose in the second half of life / by Brooks, Arthur C.,1964-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."The roadmap for finding purpose, meaning, and success as we age, from bestselling author, Harvard professor, and the Atlantic's happiness columnist Arthur Brooks. Many of us assume that the more successful we are, the less susceptible we become to the sense of professional and social irrelevance that often accompanies aging. But the truth is, the greater our achievements and our attachment to them, the more we notice our decline, and the more painful it is when it occurs. What can we do, starting now, to make our older years a time of happiness, purpose, and yes, success? At the height of his career at the age of 50, Arthur Brooks embarked on a seven-year journey to discover how to transform his future from one of disappointment over waning abilities into an opportunity for progress. From Strength to Strength is the result, a practical roadmap for the rest of your life. Drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and eastern wisdom, as well as dozens of interviews with everyday men and women, Brooks shows us that true life success is well within our reach. By refocusing on certain priorities and habits that anyone can learn, such as deep wisdom, detachment from empty rewards, connection and service to others, and spiritual progress, we can set ourselves up for increased happiness"--
Subjects: Aging; Happiness.; Older people; Spirituality.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The mother of all Degrassi : a memoir / by Schuyler, Linda,author.;
"When a young schoolteacher decides to teach her Grade 8 class about filmmaking and creates a documentary that ends up being broadcast internationally, she sets in motion a career of storytelling for an age group largely ignored by TV executives ... and creates one of the most-loved television franchises of all time. Includes fabulous behind-the-scenes photos and stories for Degrassi fans. Linda Schuyler, co-creator and executive producer of the long-running Degrassi series, shares her personal stories about the grit and determination necessary to make it as a woman entrepreneur in the bourgeoning independent Canadian television industry of the early 1980s. After surviving a near-fatal car accident in 1968, Linda found her life continuing to veer in unexpected directions, ultimately leading her to use her innate abilities as an educator to become a successful storyteller and businesswoman. Linda's deep fondness for teenagers has made her a champion for adolescents. In The Mother of All Degrassi, she shares her strong belief that television is all about story, and good story is all about making the political personal. Through anecdotes and introspection--and some great behind-the-scenes stories for Degrassi fans--Linda examines her philosophy to dream big, think small, meet life head-on, and always keep an open heart."--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Schuyler, Linda.; Degrassi television programs.; Television producers and directors; Women television producers and directors;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The Bhagavad Gita : the song of God retold in simplified English / by Viljoen, Edward,author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages [105]-114)."The Bhagavad Gita: The Song of God Retold in Simplified English is the latest title in the Essential Wisdom Library. This unique edition of the timeless epic is designed to be accessible for readers without any prior experience of Hinduism. Not simply a translation of the original, Viljoen has simplified and restated the Gita's complex ideas, so that a first-time reader can fully appreciate the scope and beauty of this magnificent Indian classic. Written in concise, modern language the retelling vividly captures the power and depth of the original work. Part of the Mahabharata, the Gita is a dialogue between Prince Arjuna and Lord Krishna. Its verses contain some of the key ideas of Hindu philosophy--Dharma, Moksha, and various yogic practices. Originally written well over a thousand years ago, the Gita has proven to be a timeless source of wisdom, inspiring philosophers and revolutionaries alike in the millennia since it was written. In addition to the retelling of the text, this edition includes a character list, a glossary of important terms, and chapters exploring the back-story from the Mahabharata and the impact and meaning of the Bhagavad Gita itself. The Bhagavad Gita is an approachable way for today's readers to engage with one of history's richest spiritual epics"--
Subjects: Bhagavadgītā;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Wintering : the power of rest and retreat in difficult times / by May, Katherine,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."An intimate, revelatory book exploring the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down. Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered. A moving personal narrative shot through with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, May's story offers instruction on the transformative power of rest and retreat. Illumination emerges from many sources: solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters and sailing Arctic seas. Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times. May models an active acceptance of sadness and finds nourishment in deep retreat, joy in the hushed beauty of winter, and encouragement in understanding life as cyclical, not linear. A secular mystic, May forms a guiding philosophy for transforming the hardships that arise before the ushering in of a new season"--
Subjects: Nature, Healing power of.; Rest.; Self-acceptance.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Toad / by Dunn, Katherine,1945-2016,author.; Crabapple, Molly,writer of introduction.;
Includes bibliographical references."Sally Gunnar has withdrawn from the world. She spends her days alone at home, reading drugstore mysteries, polishing the doorknobs, waxing the floors. Her only companions are a vase of godfish, a garden toad, and the door-to-door salesman who sells her cleaning suplies once a month. She broods over her deepest regrets: her blighted romances with self-important men, her lifelong struggle to feel at home in her body, and her wayward early twenties, when she was a fish out of water among a group of eccentric, privileged young people at a liberal arts college. There was Sam, an unabashed collector of other people's stories; Carlotta, a troubled free spirit; and Rennel, a self-obsessed philosophy student. Self-deprecating and sardonic, Sally recounts their misadventures, up to the tragedy that tore them apart. Colorful, crass, and profound, Toad is Katherine Dunn's ode to her time as a student at Reed College, filled with the same keen observations, taboo-shirking verve, and singular characters that made Geek Love a cult classic. Daring and bizarre, Toad is a brilliant precursor to the book that would make Dunn a misfit hero -- even fifty-some years after it was written, it's a refreshing take on the lives of young outsiders treading the delicate lines between isolation and freedom, love and insanity, hatred and friendship"--
Subjects: Novels.; Friendship; Regret; Young adults;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Decoding the world : a road map for the questioner / by Bronson, Po,1964-author.; Gupta, Arvind,author.;
"In Decoding the World, Po Bronson and Arvind Gupta-two renegade venture capitalists from Silicon Valley-take everyday news headlines and decode them, leading us on a journey through their twisted and highly entertaining view of the world. Each chapter is prefaced with a real-world headline ripped from today's chaotic news cycle: Trump's trade war. Dying bees. Rogue planets. Beyond Meat. Glaciers melting. Bronson and Gupta then decipher what's really going on behind these headlines, and why. What they offer is first-hand experience in funding technologies to solve these problems, most of which involve genetic engineering. But what the authors then do with that premise is always surprising and unexpected. In one paragraph they are ripping it down to the bare bones physics or chemistry, and in the very next paragraph invoking history, philosophy, or psychology-while using literary devices borrowed from the surrealists, along with storylines from popular movies. The narrative holds a tightrope suspense, as we wonder what they'll do next, or what brazen thing they'll say. Decoding the World is the kind of book you get when you give two guys $40 million, a world full of messy big problems, a genetics laboratory to play in, and a set of Borges' collected works. After looking through their lens, you'll never see the world the same"--
Subjects: Genetic engineering; Genetic engineering.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The capital of dreams : a novel / by O'Neill, Heather,author.;
"A breathtaking dark fairy tale of survival and betrayal from the vivid imagination of Heather O'Neill. Fourteen-year-old Sofia Bottom lives in a small country that Europe has forgotten. But inside its borders, the old myths of trees that come alive and fairies who live among their roots have given way to an explosion of the arts and the consolations of philosophy. No one, from the clarinetists to the cabaret singers, is as revered as Sofia's brilliant mother, the writer Clara Bottom. How can Sofia, with a tin ear and an enduring love of the old myths, ever hope to win her mother's love? When the country's greatest enemy invades, and the Capital is under threat, at last Clara turns to her daughter. Sofia must smuggle her new manuscript to safety on the last train evacuating children from the city. But the train draws to a suspicious halt in the middle of a forest, and Sofia runs for her life, losing her mother's most prized possession. Frightened and alone in a country at war, Sofia must find a way to reclaim what she has lost. On an epic journey through woods and razed towns, colliding with soldiers, survivors and other lost children, Sofia must make the choice between kindness and survival. In this stunning dark fairy tale of a novel, Heather O'Neill reveals once again her mastery of language that is as delicious as cake and as serious as a gunshot."--
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; War fiction.; Novels.; Betrayal; Mothers and daughters; Myths; Survival;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 3
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Aki-wayn-zih : a person as worthy as the Earth / by Baxter, Eli,author.; Smith, Matthew Ryan,1983-editor.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Members of Eli Baxter's generation are the last of the hunting and gathering societies living on Turtle Island. They are also among the last fluent speakers of the Anishinaabay language known as Anishinaabaymowin. Aki-wayn-zih is a story about the land and its spiritual relationship with the Anishinaabayg, from the beginning of their life on Miss-koh-tay-sih Minis (Turtle Island) to the present day. Baxter writes about Anishinaabay life before European contact, his childhood memories of trapping, hunting, and fishing with his family on traditional lands in Treaty 9 territory, and his personal experience surviving the residential school system. Examining how Anishinaabay Kih-kayn-daa-soh-win (knowledge) is an elemental concept embedded in the Anishinaabay language, Aki-wayn-zih explores history, science, math, education, philosophy, law, and spiritual teachings, outlining the cultural significance of language to Anishinaabay identity. Recounting traditional Ojibway legends in their original language, fables in which moral virtues double as survival techniques, and detailed guidelines for expertly trapping or ensnaring animals, Baxter reveals how the residential school system shaped him as an individual, transformed his family, and forever disrupted his reserve community and those like it. Through spiritual teachings, historical accounts, and autobiographical anecdotes, Aki-wayn-zih offers a new form of storytelling from the Anishinaabay point of view."--
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Biographies.; Baxter, Eli.; First Nations; First Nations; First Nations; First Nations; First Nations;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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What we owe the future / by MacAskill, William,1987-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."One of the most stunning achievements of moral philosophy is something we take for granted: moral universalism, or the idea that every human has equal moral worth. In What We Owe the Future, Oxford philosopher William MacAskill demands that we go a step further, arguing that people not only have equal moral worth no matter where or how they live, but also no matter when they live. This idea has implications beyond the obvious (climate change) - including literally making sure that there are people in the future: It's not unusual to hear someone way, "Oh, I could never bring a child into this world." MacAskill argues that the sentiment itself may well be immoral: we have a responsibility not just to consider whether the world of the future will be suitable for supporting humans, but to act to make sure there are humans in it. And while it may seem that the destructive capacity of modern industrial technology means that we ought to eschew it as much as possible, MacAskill argues for optimism in our ability to (eventually) get technology right, for the future's benefit, and ours. Where Hans Rosling's Factfulness and Rutger Bregman's Utopia for Realists gave us reasons for hope and action in the present, What We Owe the Future is a compelling and accessible argument for why solving our problems demands that we worry about the future. And ultimately it provides an answer to the most important question we humans face: can we not just endure, but thrive?"--
Subjects: Altruism.; Civilization, Modern; Future, The.; Human beings; Human beings;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Results 261 to 270 of 326 | « previous |