NCW Libraries

"James Beard Award-winning author Kim Foster reveals a new portrait of hunger and humanity in America. Food is a conduit for connection; we envision smiling families gathered around a table--eating, happy, content. But what happens when poverty, mental illness, homelessness, and addiction claim a seat at the table? In The Meth Lunches, James Beard award-winning writer Kim Foster peers behind the polished visions of perfectly curated dinners and charming...

"On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet, at age twenty-two, to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Her inaugural poem, "The Hill We Climb," is now available to cherish in this special edition." --

Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history during pivotal epochs-from humankind's adoption of agriculture and the birth of cities to the advent of globalization. A History of the World in 6 Glasses presents an original, well-documented vision of world history, telling the story...

"Shortlisted for the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, Phi Beta Kappa Society" "Finalist for the 2019 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science & Technology" "Winner of the 2019 PROSE Award in Popular Science & Popular Mathematics, Association of American Publishers" "Longlisted for the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing Award, PEN American Center" "One of EcoLit Books' Best Environmental Books of 2018" "A Choice Outstanding Academic...

Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed.

An "insightful" and in-depth look at anti-science politics and its deadly results (Maria Konnikova, New York Times-bestselling author of The Biggest Bluff). Thomas Jefferson said, "Wherever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government." But what happens when they aren't? From climate change to vaccinations, transportation to technology, health care to defense, we are in the midst of an unprecedented expansion of scientific...

"Why don't flight attendants get tipped? If you were a terrorist, how would you attack? And why does KFC always run out of fried chicken? Over the past decade, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have published more than 8,000 blog posts. Many of them, they freely admit, were rubbish. But now they've gone through and picked the best of the best. You'll discover what people lie about, and why; the best way to cut gun deaths; why it might be time...

"What can fashionable ideas, blind faith, or pure fantasy possibly have to do with the scientific quest to understand the universe? Surely, theoretical physicists are immune to mere trends, dogmatic beliefs, or flights of fancy? In fact, acclaimed physicist and best-selling author Roger Penrose argues that researchers working at the extreme frontiers of physics are just as susceptible to these forces as anyone else. In this provocative book, he argues...

Baseball, first dubbed the "national pastime" in print in 1856, is the country's most tradition-bound sport. Despite remaining popular and profitable into the twenty-first century, the game is losing young fans, among African Americans and women as well as white men. Furthermore, baseball's greatest charm--a clockless suspension of time--is also its greatest liability in a culture of digital distraction. These paradoxes are explored by the historian...

It's a rich portfolio of experiences, adventures, and failures that teach us important lessons; that result in hardships that make us stronger; that help us know ourselves better; its a life of achievements and satisfactions. In Designing Your Life, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans put forth the questions about lift that we all ask about one's meaning and purpose in the world; questions such as: How do I find a job that I like or maybe even love?... How...