Paperback Non-Fiction

Lit

Attention: open in a new window.

lit.pb by Mary Karr

The Liars' Club brought to vivid, indelible life Mary Karr's hardscrabble Texas childhood. Cherry, gave an account of her turbulent adolescence. Now Lit follows Karr's descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness--and to her astonishing resurrection.

Lit is about getting drunk and getting sober; becoming a mother by letting go of a mother; learning to write by learning to live. Written with relentless honesty, unflinching self-scrutiny, and irreverent, lacerating humor, it is a truly electrifying story of how to grow up - as only Mary Karr can tell it.

The Liars' Club brought to vivid, indelible life Mary Karr's hardscrabble Texas childhood. Cherry, gave an account of her turbulent adolescence. Now Lit follows Karr's descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness--and to her astonishing resurrection.Lit is about getting drunk and getting sober; becoming a mother by letting go of a mother; learning to write by learning to live. Written with relentless honesty, unflinching self-scrutiny, and irreverent, lacerating humor, it is a truly electrifying story of how to grow up - as only Mary Karr can tell it.

Zeitoun

Attention: open in a new window.

zeitoun.sm by Dave Eggers

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a prosperous Syrian-American and father of four, chose to stay through the storm to protect his house and contracting business. In the days after the storm, he traveled the flooded streets in a secondhand canoe, passing on supplies and helping those he could. A week later, on September 6, 2005, Zeitoun abruptly disappeared. Eggers’s riveting nonfiction book explores Zeitoun’s roots in Syria, his marriage to Kathy — an American who converted to Islam — and their children, and the collision between the Bush administration's War on Terror and its response to Hurricane Katrina.

Food Rules

Attention: open in a new window.

foodrules by Michael Pollan

From the author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore's Dilemma, this guide sets out simple, easy to use "rules" for eating wisely, many drawn from a variety of ethnic or cultural traditions. Whether at the supermarket or an all-you-can-eat-buffet, this pocket-size resource is intended to make you more mindful of the food you eat.

Three Cups of Tea

Attention: open in a new window.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Anyone who despairs of the individual’s power to change lives has to read the story of Greg Mortenson, a homeless mountaineer who, following a 1993 climb of Pakistan’s treacherous K2, was inspired by a chance encounter with impoverished mountain villagers and promised to build them a school. Over the next decade he built fifty-five schools - especially for girls - that offer a balanced education in one of the most isolated and dangerous regions on earth. As it chronicles Mortenson’s quest, which has brought him into conflict with both enraged Islamists and uncomprehending Americans, Three Cups of Tea combines adventure with a celebration of the humanitarian spirit. Order now.

Eat, Pray, Love

Attention: open in a new window.

by Elizabeth Gilbert

Part romantic fiction, part travelogue, this is the story of soul-searching and self-discovery with a heavy dose of humor. Plagued with despair after a nasty divorce, the author, in her early 30s, embarks on a yearlong trip of recovery, dividing her time equally among three dissimilar countries: Italy to explore pleasure, India to explore devotion, and Indonesia to explore the balance between the two in her life. Sustaining a chatty, conspiratorial tone, Gilbert fully engages the readers in the year's cultural and emotional tapestry - conveying rapture with infection brio and recalling anguish with touching candor. Gilbert's exuberance and her self-deprecating humor enliven the journey. Recalling the first time she attempted to speak directly to God, she says, "It was all I could do to stop myself from saying, 'I've always been a big fan of your work,'" Order now.