Monosson focuses more on fungal diseases of trees, bats, frogs and fish, so the title is somewhat misleading, but the prospect of a human fungal pandeMonosson focuses more on fungal diseases of trees, bats, frogs and fish, so the title is somewhat misleading, but the prospect of a human fungal pandemic is terrifying....more
Practical, straightforward adivce from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective for facing and overcoming life's adversities.Practical, straightforward adivce from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective for facing and overcoming life's adversities....more
An entertaining and enlightening lingustics historical survey that takes readers on a journey through Old English words and customs related to practicAn entertaining and enlightening lingustics historical survey that takes readers on a journey through Old English words and customs related to practical daily activities like eating, drinking, learning, working, relationships and entertainment, health and the body, mind, and soul, the natural world, and mortality, religion, and fate. Each chapter ends with its own "wordhord," a list of Old English terms, with definitions and pronunciations.
Minton offers a witty, revealing, and insightful look at the intersections of mental health, popular Christianity, capitalism, and many other factors Minton offers a witty, revealing, and insightful look at the intersections of mental health, popular Christianity, capitalism, and many other factors that hurt us the most mentally and spiritually, but are often the hardest to see....more
An informative and disturbing, tautly written book exposing the human use of phosphorus as a double-edged sword capable of sustaining and destroying lAn informative and disturbing, tautly written book exposing the human use of phosphorus as a double-edged sword capable of sustaining and destroying life....more
Tabor charts a remarkable American saga that begins on the ship Clotilda, the last to bring enslaved Africans to American shores in 1860, chronicles tTabor charts a remarkable American saga that begins on the ship Clotilda, the last to bring enslaved Africans to American shores in 1860, chronicles their experiences through slavery, the creation of the Africatown community and Jim Crow, and ends in today's threats from environmental racism. A powerful, engrossing tale of oppression, suffering, resistance, and survival....more
A revealing study of why humans consider certain animals “pests” and others not—from cats to rats, elephants to pigeons—and what these charcaterizatioA revealing study of why humans consider certain animals “pests” and others not—from cats to rats, elephants to pigeons—and what these charcaterizations say about our own perceptions, beliefs, actions, and our place in the natural world....more
Focusing on the lives and deaths of Hugh and Mary Parsons, residents of Springfield, Massachusetts who because of their unpopularity in the village weFocusing on the lives and deaths of Hugh and Mary Parsons, residents of Springfield, Massachusetts who because of their unpopularity in the village were accused of witchcraft and executed, Gaskill offers a fascinating, insightful look into the social and religious dimensions of Puritan Colonial America in the mid-17th century....more
Through Campbell's incisive and candid interviews with pathologists, morticians, detectives, crime scene cleaners, embalmers, grave diggers, and execuThrough Campbell's incisive and candid interviews with pathologists, morticians, detectives, crime scene cleaners, embalmers, grave diggers, and executioners who see death every day, she questions: Why would someone choose this kind of life? Does it change you as a person? What are we missing by letting death remain hidden? Weaving together her reportage with memoir, history, and philosophy, Campbell offers a superbly written and compelling work of cultural criticism and a fascinting exploration of the death industry and the psychology of death from a Western perspective.
An impressively ambitious, timely, and insightful assembly of diverse voices and experiences discussing how gender is interconnected with race, culturAn impressively ambitious, timely, and insightful assembly of diverse voices and experiences discussing how gender is interconnected with race, culture, and sexuality, how it moves far beyond conventional binary designations, and how embracing gender fluidity can be liberating and transformative regardless of constrictive social norms of appearance and behavior, many of which are emotionally and psychologically destructive....more
A fascinating look at the complicated science behind the extraction of ancient DNA from bones tens of thousands of years old, and what it can reveal aA fascinating look at the complicated science behind the extraction of ancient DNA from bones tens of thousands of years old, and what it can reveal about who the first inhabitants of the Americas were, and how they got there. Raff is an excellent storyteller, but her earnestness to be as respectful as possible of indigenous peoples is so deliberate it straddles insincerity. ...more
Hirshman tells the story of the fractious American antislavery movement by exploring the short-lived alliance between Frederick Douglass, William LloyHirshman tells the story of the fractious American antislavery movement by exploring the short-lived alliance between Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Garrison loyalist "Contessa" Maria Weston Chapman, who raised money and managed Douglass's speaking tour from her Boston townhouse in the early years of the Abolition movement. An insightful history told from a unique angle. ...more
The subject is intriguing, but Ferrara's frequently digressive narrative is often difficult to follow.The subject is intriguing, but Ferrara's frequently digressive narrative is often difficult to follow....more