{"id":47055,"date":"2023-04-13T06:00:53","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T11:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/?p=47055"},"modified":"2023-04-06T15:01:14","modified_gmt":"2023-04-06T20:01:14","slug":"aprils-simply-held-nonfiction-picks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/aprils-simply-held-nonfiction-picks\/","title":{"rendered":"April’s Simply Held Nonfiction Picks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you joined Simply Held<\/a>? If not, you\u2019re missing out! Ten different nonfiction titles are chosen four times a year by our librarians and automatically placed on hold for you. Those selections come from the following categories: biography, body mind spirit, cookbook, explore your world, poetry, self-help, social justice, strength through struggle, theologies, and true crime. Join\u00a0Simply Held<\/strong><\/em><\/a> to have any of the new nonfiction picks automatically put on hold for you four times a year.<\/p>\n

Biography pick<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson<\/a><\/i>\u00a0<\/b>by Rebecca Boggs Roberts<\/p>\n

A nuanced portrait of the first acting woman president, written with fresh and cinematic verve by a leading historian on women\u2019s suffrage and power<\/em><\/p>\n

While this nation has yet to elect its first woman president\u2014and though history has downplayed her role\u2014just over a century ago a woman became the nation\u2019s first acting president. In fact, she was born in 1872, and her name was Edith Bolling Galt Wilson. She climbed her way out of Appalachian poverty and into the highest echelons of American power and in 1919 effectively acted as the first woman president of the U.S. (before women could even vote nationwide) when her husband, Woodrow Wilson, was incapacitated. Beautiful, brilliant, charismatic, catty, and calculating, she was a complicated figure whose personal quest for influence reshaped the position of First Lady into one of political prominence forever. And still nobody truly understands who she was.<\/em><\/p>\n

For the first time, we have a biography that takes an unflinching look at the woman whose ascent mirrors that of many powerful American women before and since, one full of the compromises and complicities women have undertaken throughout time in order to find security for themselves and make their mark on history. She was a shape-shifter who was obsessed with crafting her own reputation, at once deeply invested in exercising her own power while also opposing women\u2019s suffrage. With narrative verve and fresh eyes, Untold Power is a richly overdue examination of one of American history\u2019s most influential, complicated women as well as the surprising and often absurd realities of American politics.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Body, Mind, Spirit pick<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Live and Beyond\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/em>by Bruce Greyson, MD<\/p>\n

The world’s leading expert on near-death experiences reveals his journey toward rethinking the nature of death, life, and the continuity of consciousness.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cases of remarkable experiences on the threshold of death have been reported since ancient times, and are described today by 10% of people whose hearts stop. The medical world has generally ignored these \u201cnear-death experiences,\u201d dismissing them as \u201ctricks of the brain\u201d or wishful thinking. But after his patients started describing events that he could not just sweep under the rug, Dr. Bruce Greyson began to investigate.<\/em><\/p>\n

As a physician without a religious belief system, he approached near-death experiences from a scientific perspective. In After, he shares the transformative lessons he has learned over four decades of research. Our culture has tended to view dying as the end of our consciousness, the end of our existence\u2014a dreaded prospect that for many people evokes fear and anxiety.<\/em><\/p>\n

But Dr. Greyson shows how scientific revelations about the dying process can support an alternative theory. Dying could be the threshold between one form of consciousness and another, not an ending but a transition. This new perspective on the nature of death can transform the fear of dying that pervades our culture into a healthy view of it as one more milestone in the course of our lives. After challenges us to open our minds to these experiences and to what they can teach us, and in so doing, expand our understanding of consciousness and of what it means to be human.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Cookbook Pick<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>6 Spices 60 Dishes: Indian Recipes that are simple, fresh, and big on taste<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Ruta Kahate; photographs by Ghazalle Badiozamani<\/p>\n

A collection of 60 Indian recipes that are fresh and healthy, easy to prepare, and full of flavor.<\/em><\/p>\n

Using just six spices\u2014cayenne, coriander, cumin, turmeric, mustard seed, and asafetida\u2014chef Ruta Kahate presents 60 delicious recipes that are easy to prepare and deliver rich, complex flavor. These dishes\u2014including tons of nourishing veggies, raitas, grains, and dals\u2014are fresh, healthy, and versatile enough to mix and match, plus they feature Instant Pot variations for maximum ease.<\/em><\/p>\n

Serve up a quick lunch of Mustard Shrimp alongside a cool lettuce and citrus salad. Short on time after a busy day? Instant Pot your supper with a comforting Coconut Beef Stew. Prep a double batch of Parsi-Style Rajma on Sunday and enjoy it throughout the week\u2014the flavors only get better over time.<\/em><\/p>\n

With stories from Ruta Kahate’s culinary life around the world, plus vibrant, colorful photography that reflects the lively recipes within, 6 SPICES, 60 DISHES is a must-have for anyone who wants super-tasty, healthy meals that come together in a flash.<\/em><\/p>\n

EXPERT AUTHOR: Ruta Kahate was a teaching cook for many years in the Bay Area before moving to Goa. She is adept at explaining step-process cooking to amateur home cooks, and her recipes are clearly written and well tested, coming out perfect every time.<\/em><\/p>\n

AUTHENTIC RECIPES: Ruta Kahate was born and raised in India, and has since lived in California, Hong Kong, Goa, and Wisconsin. Her food is authentic and healthy, drawing on the Ayurvedic principles she lives by and her experience living in India and abroad.<\/em><\/p>\n

Perfect for:<\/em><\/p>\n

Home cooks of all levels<\/em>
\nAnyone looking to expand their weeknight cooking repertoire<\/em>
\nBusy people who need easy recipes but still want them to taste good<\/em>
\nPeople who love Indian food<\/em>
\nPeople who bought books like INDIANISH, MADE IN INDIA, and 5 SPICES, 50 DISHES<\/em><\/p>\n

_______________________________<\/p>\n

Explore Your World pick<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Looking Up: The True Adventures of a Storm-Chasing Weather Nerd<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Matthew Cappucci<\/p>\n

An energetic and electrifying narrative about all things weather\u2014by one of today’s rising meteorological stars.<\/em><\/p>\n

Get in\u2014we\u2019re going storm-chasing!<\/em><\/p>\n

Imagine a very cool weather nerd has just pulled up to you and yelled this out the window of his custom-built armored storm-chasing truck. The wind is whipping around, he\u2019s munching on Wawa, it\u2019s all very chaotic\u2014yet as you look into his grinning face, you feel the greatest surge of adrenaline you have ever felt in your life. Hallelujah: your cavalry is here!<\/em><\/p>\n

Welcome to the brilliance of Looking Up, the lively new book from rising meterology star Matthew Cappucci. He\u2019s a meteorologist for The Washington Post, and you might think of him as Doogie Howser meets Bill Paxton from Twister, with a dash of Leonardo DiCaprio from Catch Me If You Can. A self-proclaimed weather nerd, at the age of fourteen he talked his way into delivering a presentation on waterspouts at the American Meteorological Society’s annual broadcast conference by fudging his age on the application and created his own major on weather science while an undergrad at Harvard.<\/em><\/p>\n

Combining reportage and accessible science with personal storytelling and infectious enthusiasm, Looking Up is a riveting ride through the state of our weather and a touching story about parents and mentors helping a budding scientist achieve his improbable dreams. Throughout, readers get a tutorial on the basics of weather science and the impact of the climate.<\/em><\/p>\n

As our country\u2019s leaders sound the alarm on climate change, few people have as close a view to how serious the situation actually is than those whose job is to follow the weather, which is the daily dose of climate we interact with and experience every day.<\/em><\/p>\n

The weather affects every aspect of our lives (even our art) as well as our future. The way we think about it requires a whole-life overhaul. Rain or shine, tropical storm or twister, Cappucci is here to help us begin the process.<\/em><\/p>\n

So get in his storm-chasing truck already, will ya?<\/em><\/p>\n

________________________________<\/p>\n

Poetry pick<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ain’t Burned All the Bright<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Jason Reynolds, artwork by Jason Griffin<\/p>\n

Jason Reynolds and his best bud, Jason Griffin, had a mind-meld. And they decided to tackle it, in one fell swoop, in about ten sentences, and 300 pages of art, this piece, this contemplation-manifesto-fierce-vulnerable-gorgeous-terrifying-WhatIsWrongWithHumans-hope-filled-hopeful-searing-Eye-Poppingly-Illustrated-tender-heartbreaking-how-The-HECK-did-They-Come-UP-with-This project about oxygen. And all of the symbolism attached to that word, especially NOW.<\/em><\/p>\n

And so for anyone who didn\u2019t really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you\u2019ll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is.<\/em><\/p>\n

This title is available in the following formats:<\/p>\n