Braille Book Review

July-August 2004
Books for Adults

The following books were recently produced for the NLS program. To order books, contact your braille-lending library. Note: For the infomation of the reader, a notice may appear immediately following the book description to indicate occurrences of strong language, explicit descriptions of sex, or violence. The word "some" before any of these terms indicates an occasional or infrequent occurence, as in "some strong language." Nonfiction

The Road to Chess Improvement BR 14284
by Alex Yermolinsky
4 volumes
Champion player and coach offers advice and strategy tips by analyzing actual games. Discusses a variety of opening set-ups, trend-breaking tools, the value of exchanges, and computer chess. Revisits classic games and instructions. 1999.

The Rasputin File BR 14452
by Edvard Radzinsky
6 volumes
Examines the life and assassination of Rasputin--the controversial holy man who influenced the last imperial Russian court. Explores his alleged sexual misconduct, his spiritual hold over Tsarina Alexandra, and how he was murdered. Based on files from the Soviet archives. Some descriptions of sex. 2000.

The Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century: A Comprehensive World History BR 14460
by Robert Royal
5 volumes
Provides a global account of men and women martyred for their faith in the twentieth century. Asserts that in the 1900s more Catholics were persecuted, tortured, and killed because of their beliefs than in any previous period. Declares that martyrdom helps the church to survive and grow. 2000.

A New Way to Cook BR 14476
by Sally Schneider
8 volumes
A professional chef replaces the high fat content found in many dishes while maintaining the flavors of the food. Contains more than six hundred recipes that allow eating everything in moderation by using cooking techniques for tasty but healthy meals. 2001.

Wild about Herbs BR 14530
by Roger Tabor
3 volumes
Advice on growing and preserving more than one hundred useful herbs--including tarragon, chamomile, fennel, licorice, basil, blackberry, and dandelion--and some toxic ones. Suggests practical applications for culinary and therapeutic purposes. Provides recipes and directions for home use and crafts. 2002.

Bug: The Strange Mutations of the World's Most Famous Automobile BR 14585
by Phil Patton
3 volumes
A cultural history of the Volkswagen, from its origins in the 1940s when Hitler popularized it as the "people's car" to its reinvention in California in 1998 as the New Beetle. Describes how the VW became a universally identifiable icon. 2002.

The History of Terrorism BR 14669
by Robert Taylor
1 volume
Examines the political agendas, religious beliefs, and strategies of groups that use violence to generate fear to gain their objectives. Considers anticolonial, separatist, revolutionary, and holy wars throughout history. For junior and senior high readers. 2002.

Terrorists and Terrorist Groups BR 14670
by Stephen Currie
1 volume
Discusses the origins, political purposes, religious beliefs, and strategies of groups that use violence to achieve their goals. Includes information on the Palestinian movement Hamas, Peru's Shining Path, the Irish Republican Army, al-Qaeda, and Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. For junior and senior high readers. 2002.

A Thousand Days in Venice: An Unexpected Romance BR 14672
by Marlena de Blasi
2 volumes
Journalist, restaurant critic, and chef shares her tale of leaving her home, her grown children, and her job to marry a Venetian she barely knew. Describes how they built a life together with Italian food their only common language. Part romance, part food guide. Includes her recipes. 2002.

Not Just a Living: The Complete Guide to Creating a Business That Gives You a Life BR 14674
by Mark Henricks
2 volumes
Journalist turned freelance writer discusses the pros and cons of being a "lifestyle entrepreneur"--someone who starts a business for lifestyle reasons rather than financial rewards. Discusses personal suitability, timing, and practicalities. 2002.

What's So Amazing about Grace? BR 14677
by Philip Yancey
3 volumes
Religion writer illustrates the impact of forgiveness and mercy through a series of personal anecdotes, historical events, and biblical stories. In "Babette's Feast," a destitute woman is taken in by two sisters and years later invites an entire community to a feast in thanksgiving. 1997.

StressRelief for Disasters Great and Small: What to Expect and What to Do from Day One to Year One and Beyond BR 14678
by Georgia Witkin
2 volumes
A contributor to FOX News and the author of The Female Stress Syndrome Survival Guide (RC 51828) and other books offers solutions for coping with natural disasters and personal traumas. Also suggests methods for helping children. 2002.

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Windows XP BR 14708
by Shelley O'Hara
3 volumes
Explains the fundamentals of Windows XP for the nontechnical user. Covers starting programs, sending e-mails, searching the Internet, downloading music, watching videos, printing reports, and performing other tasks. 2003.

Mr. Food Cooking by the Calendar: Fifty-two Weeks of Year- Round Favorites BR 14709
by Art Ginsburg
2 volumes
Mr. Food offers recipes, from simple to sophisticated, for each week of the year. In addition to selections for the major holidays, he suggests creations for a midwinter picnic, campfire cooking, state fair goodies, an English tea, and an ice cream sampler. 1999.

The Genie in the Bottle: Sixty-four All New Commentaries on the Fascinating Chemistry of Everyday Life BR 14722
by Joe Schwarcz
3 volumes
Chemistry professor explores the science of commonplace materials and events in this collection of brief and conversational essays. Organizing his observations into five sections, including health, food, history, and "silly stuff," Dr. Schwarcz provides scientific explanations and anecdotes about everything from herbal remedies to the "magic" of the genie bottle. 2001.

The Hemingway Book Club of Kosovo BR 14761
by Paula Huntley
2 volumes
A journal of the author's experiences in Prishtina, Kosovo, where she taught English to returned Albanian students during an eight- month period in 2000. She describes the aftermath of the NATO- forced Serb retreat and her students' hopes for a better life in the depressed province. 2003.

Four Seasons in Five Senses: Things Worth Savoring BR 14762
by David Mas Masumoto
2 volumes
Japanese American organic farmer reflects on what can be seen, touched, heard, smelled, and tasted on his family's California farm. Observing cycles of renewal and harvest and recognizing realities of small-scale farming in the age of agribusiness, Masumoto, Harvest Son (BR 12668), groups his essays in five clusters, each identified with one of the senses. 2003.

As Always, Jack: A Wartime Love Story BR 14763
by Emma Sweeney
1 volume
Following her mother's death in 1985, Emma Sweeney found a packet of letters her father had written as a navy pilot in the 1940s and 1950s. Through reading the letters, Emma came to know her father, who died before she was born, and to understand his love for her mother. 2002.

Healing Heartburn BR 14765
by Lawrence J. Cheskin and Brian E. Lacy
2 volumes
Medical professors from Johns Hopkins University explain the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of acid reflux disease, also called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and heartburn. They discuss medications, complications, and special concerns of persons who are elderly or bedridden. 2002.

The Difference That Disability Makes BR 14770
by Rod Michalko
2 volumes
Blind Canadian professor defines the way society perceives people with disabilities and usually associates impairment with suffering. Explores why disabled persons are either feared or considered useless, illustrating with anecdotes from his own experience. Some strong language. 2002.

The Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries about the Teenage Brain Tell Us about Our Kids BR 14777
by Barbara Strauch
2 volumes
Science editor from the New York Times collates scientific brain research to illustrate that more than hormones regulate teenage behavior. Asserts that parental understanding can assist youth to pass more smoothly through adolescence. Explains why some teens sleep until noon and have mood swings. 2003.

People of Vision: A History of the American Council of the Blind BR 14800
by James J. Megivern and Marjorie L. Megivern
9 volumes
Chronicle of the forty-year-old advocacy organization, American Council of the Blind (ACB), including its split with the National Federation of the Blind in 1961. The work, based on the private papers of founding member Durward McDaniel and conversations with other ACB members, also explores earlier activism on behalf of blind people. 2003.

Health Insurance Resource Manual: A Guide for People with Chronic Disease and Disability BR 14807
by Dorothy E. Northrop and Stephen E. Cooper
2 volumes
Explains managed care health insurance plans, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and federal laws covering them. Also lists resources for high-risk individuals state by state. 2003.

The Ten Trusts: What We Must Do to Care for the Animals We Love BR 14810
by Jane Goodall and Marc Bekoff
2 volumes
World-renowned conservationists propose ten principles to highlight humanity's role as stewards of the natural world. The authors share their vision of a future where people are compassionate and concerned for all living things. 2002.

The American Dream and The Zoo Story: Two Plays BR 14815
by Edward Albee
1 volume
Two early works by an award-winning playwright. One is a satire of American family life. In The Zoo Story, Albee's first performed play, a confrontation between two widely dissimilar men leads to some wrenching personal revelations by both. 1959.

The Gift of Jazzy BR 14819
by Cindy Adams
2 volumes
New York Post columnist Cindy Adams recalls the loneliness she felt after the death of her husband, comedian Joey Adams, in 1999--until a friend sent her a Yorkshire terrier. Adams describes her first year with Jazzy and how the puppy helped her love and laugh again. 2003.

Who Needs Classical Music? Cultural Choice and Musical Value BR 14861
by Julian Johnson
2 volumes
Discusses why contemporary society has marginalized classical music in favor of popular music. Defends the value of classical music as an art, rather than merely entertainment or background noise, and considers the role of music in the modern world. 2002.

How to Be Alone: Essays BR 14878
by Jonathan Franzen
2 volumes
Thirteen essays on life in a fast-paced, media-saturated society. Franzen observes the lack of privacy and persistent loneliness of the individual despite technological advances and increased consumerism. Describes his father's Alzheimer's disease, his brief run-in with Oprah's Book Club, and the stigma of being a cigarette smoker. 2002.

Treasured Poems That Touch the Heart: Cherished Poems and Favorite Poets BR 14886
compiled by Mary Sanford Laurence
1 volume
Anthology of familiar poems grouped by themes such as youth, life, romance, friendship, character, prayer, nature, sorrow, growing old, and reflections. Includes writings by the Brownings, Donne, Frost, Shakespeare, and Wordsworth. 1996.

Blood and Guts: A Short History of Medicine BR 14887
by Roy Porter
2 volumes
British professor, author of A Social History of Madness (BR 07721), studies Western medicine from ancient times to the 1990s. Includes changing conceptions of disease, doctors, therapies, surgeries, hospitals, and laboratories. 2002.

The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux: The Story of a Soul BR 14893
by Thérèse de Lisieux
2 volumes
Her spiritual life history, written by a devout French Carmelite nun a few years before her death in 1897 at the age of twenty- four. St. Thérèse, known as the "Little Flower," was canonized in 1925. Includes an introduction by John Beevers, translator of the work. 2001.

The Americas: A Hemispheric History BR 14899
by Felipe Fernández-Armesto
2 volumes
Oxford historian describes the Western Hemisphere from prehistoric times to the present. Topics include indigenous peoples, the slave trade, politics, and commerce. Also discusses the vast contrasts between north and south and the increasing preeminence of the United States beginning in the late eighteenth century with independence, unity, and industrialization. 2003.

Conditions of Love: The Philosophy of Intimacy BR 14913
by John Armstrong
1 volume
Reflections on meanings of love--from "falling in love" to long- term love. Using examples from literature, history, and philosophy, Armstrong discusses infatuation, romance, love's importance, sexuality, and maturity. 2002.

Curves: Permanent Results without Permanent Dieting BR 14914
by Gary Heavin and Carol Colman
3 volumes
Fitness center founder Gary Heavin demonstrates how to achieve permanent weight loss by modifying one's lifestyle to include a fitness program and healthy eating habits. Includes examples of specific exercises and sample menus that raise the metabolic rate and lead to loss of unwanted pounds. Bestseller 2003.

Essential Gardening for Teens BR 14942
by Ruth Chasek
1 volume
Beginners' guide to planning and planting an outdoor plot or container garden. Provides advice on site selection, choosing plants, soil preparation, space design, growing plants from seeds, and garden care. For junior and senior high readers. 2000.


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