First Part Last

by Angela Johnson

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Author Angela Johnson follows up her Coretta Scott King Award–winning novel, Heaven, with this absorbing prequel about a single teen struggling to accept his new paternal role.

In chapters that flash between Bobby’s relationship with Nia leading up to Feather’s birth (entitled “then”) and his life now that he’s a father on his own (“now”), Johnson paints an honest, vivid portrait of a man straddling the line between childhood and adulthood. Throughout the book, Bobby fights his own sleep deprivation and desire to hand off Feather to someone else for caretaking, and in one tense episode, he takes off to go spray-painting while his daughter is looked after by a neighbor. Chapter by chapter the events surrounding Bobby’s situation become clearer, and after the narrative reaches a pivotal chapter (called “Nia”) that marks Bobby’s transformation into single parenthood, the true surprise comes near the end, when we learn what has happened to Feather’s mom that eventually spurs Bobby to move to Heaven, Ohio.

In a powerful, spare read that will grip you on several levels, Johnson delivers a worthy continuation of Heaven. The characters’ relationship dynamics — Bobby with Nia, his parents, and Feather — are deep yet subtle, while the book’s main character is one not often found in young adult literature. The First Part Last is an original read that will stir you to the core. Matt Warner (barnesandnoble.com)

Cheating Destiny: Living with Diabetes, America’s Biggest Epidemic

by James S. Hirsch

Browsing Hirsch

We are a diabetic nation: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three Americans born in this century will become diabetic. James Hirsch’s myth-shattering blend of history, reportage, advocacy, and memoir will speak for, and to, the 20 million Americans who live with this disease. Cheating Destiny offers revealing views of the diabetic subculture, the urge toward secrecy that many diabetics feel, the glycemic rollercoaster they ride constantly, and the remarkable perseverance- even heroism- required for survival. Hirsch is uniquely qualified to write this book. An award-winning journalist and best-selling author, he has lived with type 1 diabetes for twenty-five years. His brother Irl, also a diabetic, is one of the country’s leading diabetologists. Most poignantly, he knows firsthand the toll diabetes can take on parents: his three-year-old son was diagnosed with the disease while Hirsch was writing this book. Hirsch draws on all this expertise to craft an incisive, surprising portrayal of the fascinating science behind the disease and the skyrocketing impact of diabetes on our economy and society. Most striking is his candid, authoritative writing about the psychological and emotional hurdles that diabetics confront every day. Anyone who lives with diabetes- or loves a diabetic- will find here an empowering voice of empathy. (barnesandnoble.com, from the publisher)

Developing Library Staff through Work-Based Learning

by Barbara Allan

Reserve Shelf Z668.5 .A64 2003

In response to reductions in staff development budgets in many libraries, Allan (business, U. of Hill) offers a series of ideas to develop work-based learning in libraries for both individuals and groups. Moran (information and library science, U. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) has revised the 1999 British original for North American readers. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Elegant Solution: Toyota’s Formula for Mastering Innovation

by Matthew E. May

General Collection HD9710 .J34 T63655 2007

“Using Toyota as the exemplar, Matt May shows us the power of elegance in thinking…how to tame the tough problems and craft the optimal solutions that make for great innovation. A must-read book!” -Linda Hirneise, Partner and Executive Director, JD Power and Associates (from the cover)

Mind Your X’s and Y’s: Satisfying the 10 Cravings of a New Generation of Consumers

by Lisa Johnson

General Collection HF5415.32 .J64 2006

“In Mind Your Xs and Ys, Lisa Johnson proves that the buying habits of 18-to-40-year-olds can be anticipated. Johnson pinpoints the new rules of engagement for this Connected Generation. Based on her own and others’ research, she looks into the heart of the Gen X and Y psyche to identify its ten core cravings – for adventure, for high-concept design, for new families and social networks, and for personal storytelling, to name a few.” This book is packed with case studies of established and breakaway brands from every major industry, interviews with dozens of maverick thinkers and hundreds of consumers, and numerous revealing statistics. Johnson analyzes the scope of each craving to determine how it drives specific buying behaviors and offers relevant data that illustrate its impact. Mind Your Xs and Ys equips anyone who wants to reach these consumers – brand managers and their advertising, online, creative, packaging, events, and promotions teams; small-business owners and their marketing staff; advertising agencies and specialists – with the know-how to transform market research into profitable strategies. (barnesandnoble.com, from the publisher)

Building the World

by Frank P. Davidson and Kathleen Lusk Brooke

Reference Collection T56 .I44 2006

Humans are builders—we make structures to span rivers, to connect points of land, to offer shelter. Indeed, throughout history, civilizations have created structures of such immense scale, requiring such tremendous resources, that they might have been thought impossible. From the Taj Mahal to the Suez Canal, from Solomon’s Temple to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, these feats of macro-engineering are a testament to the creativity and foresight of engineers, architects, government officials, and diplomats. Who came up with the ideas for these projects? How did they see them through to completion? What obstacles—diplomatic, legal, logistical, and engineering—had to be overcome for these structures to be built? What impact did these engineering projects have on the economies and cultures of their societies? This encyclopedia answers all these questions, showing how central these great engineering projects are to the history of civilization. (barnesandnoble.com, from the publisher)

Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed To Put Women and Children First

by Marsden Wagner

General Collection RG518 .U5 W34 2006

In this rare, behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in hospitals across the country, a longtime medical insider and international authority on childbirth assesses the flawed American maternity care system, powerfully demonstrating how it fails to deliver safe, effective care for both mothers and babies. Written for mothers and fathers, obstetricians, nurses, midwives, scientists, insurance professionals, and anyone contemplating having a child, this passionate exposé documents how, in the most expensive maternity care system in the world, women have lost control over childbirth and what the disturbing results of this phenomenon have been. Born in the USA examines issues including midwifery and the safety of out-of-hospital birth, how the process of becoming a doctor can adversely affect both practitioners and their patients, and why there has been a rise in the use of risky but doctor-friendly interventions, including the use of Cytotec, a drug that has not been approved by the FDA for pregnant women. Most importantly, this gripping investigation, supported by many troubling personal stories, explores how women can reclaim the childbirth experience for the betterment of themselves and their children. (barnesandnoble.com, from the publisher)

The C.S.I. Effect

by Katherine Ramsland

General Collection HV8073 .R3 2006

Fascinating in-depth forensics from the author of The Forensic Science of C.S.I.

How do investigators get from crime to conviction?

For the astonishing answer, Ramsland covers the latest cutting-edge techniques in crime scene investigation. Inspired by episodes from the factbased C.S.I. television franchise, she illustrates the use of computers and toxicology in forensics, explores interrogation strategies, and revisits history’s most notorious crimes. And in considering the shows’ locales-Las Vegas, New York, and Miami-Ramsland divulges ways in which crimes are dependent on location, climate, and population and discloses ways of solving them in the twenty-first century.

NOTE: This book was not authorized, prepared, approved, licensed, or endorsed by any entity involved in creating or producing the C.S.I. television series.

(barnesandnoble.com, from the publisher)

Suspicion of Innocence

by Barbara Parker

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A smart and successful young attorney, Gail Connor is on the verge of a partnership at a major law firm in the “new” Miami, a city more Latin than Anglo, with a dark side that slides right into the Everglades. But Gail’s success at work has masked failure in her personal life: an empty marriage, a daughter she hardly knows, and a past she would rather forget. Then her sister, Renee, is found dead with her wrists slashed. This riveting, high-tension legal thriller written by a former prosecutor draws us into hot and dangerous Miami, where Gail Connor is about to discover the other side of the law. After Renee’s suicide, Gail, left to sort out her complicated feelings for her younger, prettier sister, soon uncovers some of Renee’s shocking secrets. But most shocking of all is the police’s determination that Renee was murdered…and Gail is the prime suspect. Gail’s only hope is getting the best attorney she knows – her recent adversary in court, Anthony Quintana. But in what may be a major miscalculation for an otherwise street-smart woman, Gail finds herself drawn to her darkly handsome lawyer, a man whose past holds its own surprises. Caught between the closing jaws of the legal system and her own careening emotions, Gail Connor’s desperate struggle takes her from the steamy Everglades to the mansions of the wealthy Cubans who had made their mark on South Florida…and into a fight not only for her crumbling career, but for her life. From an insider who knows the shady underside of Miami and it criminal justice system, Barbara Parker’s riveting, page-turning legal thriller is not to be missed. (barnesandnoble.com, from the publisher)

2007 PDR Nurse’s Drug Handbook

by George R. Spratto and Adrienne L. Woods

Reference Collection RM125 .S668 2006

With over 1,000 of the latest and most common FDA-approved drugs, the 2007 PDR® Nurse’s Drug Handbook is a clinical necessity. Each drug monograph provides a wealth of facts including drug action, dosage, interactions, and contraindications. Clear guidelines are also provided for administration of drugs, communication with clients, and nursing considerations. The PDR® highlights prevention of medication errors and clinical accountability like no other drug resource making it the gold standard for modern nursing practice. (barnesandnoble.com, from the publishers)