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Birdgirl : looking to the skies in search of a better future / by Craig, Mya-Rose,author.;
"Birder, environmentalist and activist Mya-Rose Craig is an international force. In her moving memoir, Birdgirl, she chronicles her mother's struggle with mental illness, and shares her passion for social justice and fierce dedication to preserving our planet. Meet Mya-Rose-otherwise known as "Birdgirl." In her words: "Birdwatching has never felt like a hobby, or a pastime I can pick up and put down, but a thread running through the pattern of my life, so tightly woven in that there's no way of pulling it free and leaving the rest of my life intact." Birdgirl follows Mya-Rose and her family as they travel the world in search of rare birds and astonishing landscapes. But a shadow moves with them, too--her mother's deepening mental health crisis. In the face of this struggle, the Craigs turn to nature again and again for comfort and meaning. Each bird they see brings a moment of joy and reflection, instilling in Mya-Rose a deep love of the natural world. But Mya-Rose has also seen first-hand the reckless destruction we are inflicting on our fragile planet, as well as the pervasive racism infecting every corner of the world, leading her to campaign for Black, Indigenous, people of color. Joining the fight of today's young environmental activists, Mya-Rose shares her experiences to advocate for the simple, profound gift of nature, and for making it accessible to all, calling her readers to rediscover the power of our natural world. Birder, activist, daughter: this is her story"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Craig, Mya-Rose; Craig, Mya-Rose; Craig, Mya-Rose; Bird watchers; Environmentalists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Soul boom : why we need a spiritual revolution / by Wilson, Rainn,1966-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."The trauma that our world experienced in recent years-as result of both the pandemic and societal tensions that threaten to overwhelm us-has been unprecedented and is not going away anytime soon. It is clear that existing political and economic systems are not enough to bring the change that the world needs. In this book, Rainn Wilson explores the possibility and hope for a spiritual revolution, a "Soul Boom" in order to address today's greatest issues-mental health, racism and sexism, climate change, and economic injustice. For Wilson, this is very serious and essential pursuit, but he brings great humor and his own unique perspective to the conversation. He feels that, culturally, we've thrown the baby out with the bathwater-and that bathwater is spirituality, Faith and the Sacred. The baby is us, and we are in need of profound healing and a unifying understanding of the world that religion provides. Sharing his experience of losing his father during the summer of 2020 as well as his personal struggles with addiction and mental health, Wilson is an empathetic narrator and thinker who readers will appreciate and trust. Wilson's approach to spirituality-the non-physical, eternal aspects of ourselves-is relatable and will apply to people of all beliefs, even the skeptics. Filled with genuine insight-not to mention enlightening Kung Fu and Star Trek references-the book offers the keys to delving into ancient wisdom and seeking out practical, transformative answers to life's biggest questions"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Wilson, Rainn, 1966-; Religions.; Social change; Soul.; Television actors and actresses; Spirituality;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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You can't be serious / by Penn, Kal,1977-author.;
"Kal Penn's unlikely career arc has taken him from nerdy American kid from an immigrant family in the New York suburb of Montclair, New Jersey, to world-famous actor, to White House staffer under President Obama, and back to actor again. Now, in You Can't Be Serious, he reflects on the most ridiculous, offensive, and rewarding moments that have stood out during his journey. With intelligence, humor, and charm on every page, Penn explores what it means to be the embodiment of the American Dream, as the child of immigrant parents who came to this country with very little, and who never expected to see their son get his big break by sliding off an oiled-up naked woman in a raunchy Ryan Reynolds movie. He also pulls back the curtain on racism in Hollywood and the constant reminders that he would never fit in. And of course, he reveals how, after twenty-five years fighting for success in Hollywood, he made the terrifying but rewarding decision to walk away from it all for a career in politics. Above all, You Can't Be Serious shows that everyone can have more than one life story. Penn bravely demonstrates by example that no matter who you are and where you come from, you have many more choices than those presented to you. It's a story about struggle, triumph, and learning how to keep your head up. And okay, yes, it's also about whether Kal really smoked weed in the White House with the former First Lady-because let's be honest, that's what you really want to know"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Penn, Kal, 1977-; Actors; East Indian Americans;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The shameless / by Atkins, Ace,author.;
"Buried secrets, dirty lies, and unbridled greed and ambition raise the stakes down South in the lauded crime series from New York Times bestselling author Ace Atkins. Twenty years ago, Brandon Taylor was thought to be just another teen boy who ended his life too soon. That's what almost everyone in Tibbehah County, Mississippi, said after his body and hunting rifle were found in the Big Woods. Now two New York-based reporters show up asking Sheriff Quinn Colson questions about the Taylor case. What happened to the evidence? Where are the missing files? Who really killed Brandon? Quinn wants to help. After all, his wife Maggie was a close friend of Brandon Taylor. But Quinn was just a kid himself in 1997, and these days he's got more on his plate than twenty-year-old suspicious death. He's trying to shut down the criminal syndicate that's had a stranglehold on Tibbehah for years, trafficking drugs, stolen goods, and young women through the MidSouth. Truck stop madam Fannie Hathcock runs most of that action, and has her eyes on taking over the whole show. And then there's Senator Jimmy Vardaman, who's cut out the old political establishment riding the Syndicate's money and power--plus a hefty helping of racism and ignorance--straight to the governor's office. If he manages to get elected, the Syndicate will be untouchable. Tibbehah will be lawless. Quinn's been fighting evil and corruption since he was a kid, at home or as a U.S. Army Ranger in Afghanistan and Iraq. This time, evil may win out"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Colson, Quinn; Retired military personnel; Murder; Sheriffs;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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Bones of a giant : a novel / by Isaac, Brian Thomas,author.;
"Summer, 1968. For the first time since his big brother, Eddie, disappeared two years earlier -- either a runaway or dead by his own hand -- sixteen-year-old Lewis Toma has shaken off some of his grief. His mother, Grace, and her friend Isabel have gone south to the United States to pack fruit to earn the cash Grace needs to put a bathroom and running water into the three-room shack they share on the reserve, leaving Lewis to spend the summer with his cousins, his Uncle Ned and his Aunt Jean in the new house they've built on their farm along the Salmon River. Their warm family life is almost enough to counter the pressures he feels as a boy trying to become a man in a place where responsible adult men like his uncle are largely absent, broken by residential school and racism. Everywhere he looks, women are left to carry the load, sometimes with kindness, but often with the bitterness, anger and ferocity of his own mother, who kicked Lewis's lowlife father, Jimmy, to the curb long ago. Lewis has vowed never to be like his father -- but an encounter with a predatory older woman tests him and he suffers the consequences. Worse, his dad is back in town and scheming on how to use the Indian Act to steal the land Lewis and his mom have been living on. And then, at summer's end, more shocking revelations shake the family, unleashing a deadly force of anger and frustration. With so many traps laid around him, how will Lewis find a path to a different future?"--
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Bildungsromans.; Novels.; Families; Grief; Indigenous children; Indigenous peoples;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 2
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Harlem rhapsody / by Murray, Victoria Christopher,author.;
"In 1919, as civil and social unrest grips the country, there is a little corner of America, a place called Harlem where something special is stirring. Here, the New Negro is rising and Black pride is evident everywhere ... in music, theatre, fashion and the arts. And there on stage in the center of this renaissance is Jessie Redmon Fauset, the new literary editor of the preeminent Negro magazine The Crisis. W.E.B. Du Bois, the founder and editor of The Crisis, has charged her with discovering young writers whose words will change the world. Jessie attacks the challenge with fervor, quickly finding sixteen-year-old Countee Cullen, seventeen-year-old Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen, who becomes one of her best friends. Under Jessie's leadership, The Crisis thrives, the writers become notable and magazine subscriptions soar. Every Negro writer in the country wants their work published in the magazine now known for its groundbreaking poetry and short stories. Jessie's rising star is shining bright ... .but her relationship with W.E.B. could jeopardize all that she's built. The man, considered by most to be the leader of Black America, is not only Jessie's boss, he's her lover. And neither his wife, nor their fourteen-year-age difference can keep the two apart. Their torrid and tumultuous affair is complicated by a secret desire that Jessie harbors-to someday, herself, become the editor of the magazine, a position that only W.E.B. Du Bois has held. In the face of overwhelming sexism and racism, Jessie must balance her drive with her desires. However, as she strives to preserve her legacy, she'll discover the high cost of her unparalleled success"--
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Biographical fiction.; Novels.; Fauset, Jessie Redmon; Harlem Renaissance;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Origin [videorecording] / by Averick, Spencer,editor.; Bernthal, Jon,actor.; Bowers, Chris,composer.; DuVernay, Ava,screenwriter,film director.; Ellis, Aunjanue,actor.; Farmiga, Vera,actor.; Lloyd, Matthew J.,director of photography.; Mayhew, Ina,production designer.; McDonald, Audra,actor.; Nash, Niecy,actor.; based on (expression):Wilkerson, Isabel.Caste (Young adult adaptation); Decal (Firm),film distributor.; Neon (Firm),production company.;
Music by Kris Bowers ; edited by Spencer Averick A.C.E. ; production designer Ina Mayhew ; director of photography Matthew J. Lloyd, ASC.Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, and Niecy Nash-Betts."While investigating the global phenomenon of caste and its dark influence on society, a journalist experiences soaring love and unfathomable loss as she uncovers the beauty of human resilience. Inspired by the New York Times best seller "Caste" and starting Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Ava DuVernay's Origin explores the mystery of history, the wonders of romance and a fight for the future of us all."Canadian Home Video Rating: PG.MPAA rating: PG-13 ; thematic material involving racism, violence, some disturbing images, language and smoking.Described video for the blind and visually impaired.Subtitled for the deaf and hard-of-hearing (SDH).DVD ; wide screen presentation ; Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0.
Subjects: Video recordings for people with visual disabilities.; Video recordings for the hearing impaired.; Fiction films.; Feature films.; Biographical films.; Wilkerson, Isabel; African American women authors; Caste; Classism; Ethnicity; Man-woman relationships; Power (Social sciences); Social classes; Social stratification;
For private home use only.
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The end of the myth : from the frontier to the border wall in the mind of America / by Grandin, Greg,1962-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."From a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a new and eye-opening interpretation of the meaning of the frontier, from early westward expansion to Trump's border wall. Ever since this nation's inception, the idea of an open and ever-expanding frontier has been central to American identity. Symbolizing a future of endless promise, it was the foundation of the United States' belief in itself as an exceptional nation--democratic, individualistic, forward-looking. Today, though, America has a new symbol: the border wall. In The End of the Myth, acclaimed historian Greg Grandin explores the meaning of the frontier throughout the full sweep of U.S. history--from the American Revolution to the War of 1898, the New Deal to the election of 2016. For centuries, he shows, America's constant expansion--fighting wars and opening markets--served as a "gate of escape," helping to deflect domestic political and economic conflicts outward. But this deflection meant that the country's problems, from racism to inequality, were never confronted directly. And now, the combined catastrophe of the 2008 financial meltdown and our unwinnable wars in the Middle East have slammed this gate shut, bringing political passions that had long been directed elsewhere back home. It is this new reality, Grandin says, that explains the rise of reactionary populism and racist nationalism, the extreme anger and polarization that catapulted Trump to the presidency. The border wall may or may not be built, but it will survive as a rallying point, an allegorical tombstone marking the end of American exceptionalism"--
Subjects: Turner, Frederick Jackson, 1861-1932; Frontier thesis.; Borderlands; National characteristics, American.; Exceptionalism; Nationalism;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Chain-Gang All-Stars / by Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame,author.;
"The explosive, hotly-anticipated debut novel from the New York Times-bestselling author of Friday Black, about two top women gladiators fighting for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America's own. Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker are the stars of Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly-popular, highly-controversial, profit-raising program in America's increasingly dominant private prison industry. It's the return of the gladiators and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom. In CAPE, prisoners travel as Links in Chain-Gangs, competing in death-matches for packed arenas with righteous protestors at the gates. Thurwar and Staxxx, both teammates and lovers, are the fan favorites. And if all goes well, Thurwar will be free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. As she prepares to leave her fellow Links, she considers how she might help preserve their humanity, in defiance of these so-called games, but CAPE's corporate owners will stop at nothing to protect their status quo and the obstacles they lay in Thurwar's path have devastating consequences. Moving from the Links in the field to the protestors to the CAPE employees and beyond, Chain-Gang All-Stars is a kaleidoscopic, excoriating look at the American prison system's unholy alliance of systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration, and a clear-eyed reckoning with what freedom in this country really means from a "new and necessary American voice" (Tommy Orange, New York Times Book Review)"--
Subjects: Dystopian fiction.; Novels.; Lesbians; Private prisons; Women gladiators; Women prisoners;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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What can I do? : my path from climate despair to action / by Fonda, Jane,1937-author.;
"In the fall of 2019, frustrated with the obvious inaction of politicians and inspired by Greta Thunberg, Naomi Klein, and student climate strikers, Jane Fonda moved to Washington, DC to lead weekly climate change demonstrations on Capitol Hill. On October 11, she launched Fire Drill Fridays (FDF), and has since led thousands of people in non-violent civil disobedience, risking arrest to protest for action. In her new book, Fonda weaves her deeply personal journey as an activist alongside interviews with leading climate scientists, and discussions of specific issues, such as water, migration, and human rights, to emphasize what is at stake. Most significantly, Fonda provides concrete solutions, and things the average person can do to combat the climate crisis in their community. No stranger to protest, Fonda's life has been famously shaped by activism. And now, on the eve of the next presidential election, she is once again galvanizing the public to take to the streets. Too many of us understand that our climate is in a crisis, and realize that a moral responsibility rests on our shoulders. 2019 saw atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases hit the highest level ever recorded in human history, and our window of opportunity to avoid disaster is quickly closing. We are facing a climate crisis, but we're also facing an empathy crisis, an inequality crisis. It isn't only earth's life-support systems that are unraveling. So too is our social fabric. This is going to take an all-out war on drilling and fracking and deregulation and racism and misogyny and colonialism and despair all at the same time"--
Subjects: Climatic changes; Greenhouse effect, Atmospheric; Public health;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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