books tagged “nonfiction”

An anthology of poetry chosen from the world's great religious and literary traditions--the perfect companion to the bestselling Tao Te Ching.

" The Upanishads " The Book of Psalms " Lao-tzu " The Bhagavad Gita " Chuang-tzu " The Odes of Solomon " Seng-ts'an " Han-shan " Li Po " Tu Fu " Layman P'ang " Kukai " Tung-shan " Symeon the New Theologian " Izumi Shikibu " Su Tung-p'o " Hildegard of Bingen " Francis of Assisi " Wu-men " Dõgen " Rumi " Mechthild of Magdeburg " Dante " Kabir Mirabai " William Shakespeare " George Herbert " Bunan " Gensei " Angelus Silesius " Thomas Traherne " Basho " William Blake " Ryõkan " Issa " Ghalib " Bibi Hayati " Wait Whitman " Emily Dickinson " Gerard Manley Hopkins " Uvavnuk " Anonymous Navaho " W. B. Yeats " Antonio Machado " Rainer Maria Rilke " Wallace Stevens " D.H. Lawrence " Robinson Jeffers "

An exciting trip back in time to the American Revolution, "a reminder of what history can be when written by a master."--Publishers Weekly [via]

This classic two-volume history is an exciting and revolutionary look at women's history from prehistoric times to the present. Its unique organization focuses on the developments, achievements, and changes in women's roles in society. Rather than examining women's history as an inevitable progression of events along a strict timeline, this text is organized within a loose chronology, with chapters focusing on women's place and function in society. This revised edition provides a new introduction, an updated epilogue on women's lives in Europe since 1988, and a completely revised bibliography that includes recent scholarship. A History of Their Own restores women to the historical record, brings their history into focus, and provides models of female action and heroism. Lively and engaging, this new edition takes readers on a fascinating journey through women's history and the changing roles they have played. In addition it is an ideal text for general courses in women's studies and women's history and more specialized courses focusing on women in European history.
Volume Two covers the fifteenth century to the present. Topics include the roles of female monarchs and women of the court; the application of the new tools of the Scientific Revolution to prove traditional views of women; the salons and parlors of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and wealthy women's contributions to the arts and social services; the impact of city-living and the Industrial Revolution on women's roles and family life; and the emergence, evolution, and impact of the modern feminist movement. [via]

It's Raining Frogs and Fishes, a lighthearted look at the world's weather, collects oddments and tidbits on climatological matters. Among the book's many high points are Jerry Dennis's natural history of mirages (there are many more than the usual desert variety) and his examination of the age-old question about whether the aurora borealis roars. At other points he looks into ancient Roman beliefs about lightning, the adaptive strategies of the Galapagos penguin, and the origins of dew. [via]

Listening to Lawrence Luckinbill read Annie Dillard's historical novel The Living takes a little getting used to. The very first sentence reveals a pronounced and distracting lisp, but don't let that dissuade you from continuing. Luckinbill's voice also exhibits a simple honesty, a gruffness that is perfectly suited to the steely pioneer spirit of Dillard's story. Surprisingly quickly, the vocal idiosyncrasy fades away, leaving only the emotional resonance of Luckenbill's obviously heartfelt connection to this powerful tale.

Dillard's finely crafted prose and Luckinbill's sincere voice carry you back to the early days of American expansion, into the truly Wild West and the stone-hard life these settlers would be forced to endure. "She had cried out to God all day and maybe all night, too, that he would lend her strength to bear affliction and go on. She was not aware that underneath she prayed another prayer as if to a power above God, or at least to his better nature, that he was finished with the worst of it." Of course, God isn't finished, and neither are these brave souls. Dillard opens their world slowly, stretching the horizon generation by generation, tethering the fate of one small family to that of the struggling town that they are helping to build and, ultimately, to the inexorable rise of the emerging nation. (Running time: six hours, four cassettes) --George Laney [via]

Unlike other guides that focus on how to make relationships work, this groundbreaking book teaches couples how their relationships can make their lives work. Combining the practical advice of Harville Hendrix with the spiritual guidance of Thomas Moore, it shows couples how their relationships can help them discover their sacred selves in such chapters as "The Power of Truth-Telling", "The Inner Marriage", "Men In Relationship" and "Soulwork and Sacred Combat". Along the way, it provides a wealth of practical guidance on how to deal with difficult problems and includes lively dialogues from Welwood's workshops that dynamically illustrate his core ideas.

Men and women are searching for deeper meaning and purpose in their everyday lives and relationships. Love and Awakening fills this need. It is a book couples will want to read together. [via]

On January 15, 1990, the AT&T long-distance phone network crashed. Although it was eventually ruled an accident, the event was a wake-up call to telephone companies and law enforcement agencies everywhere, exposing the fragility of the systems that we all heavily depend on. The feds decided that the time had come to crack down on the handful of computer hackers they had been monitoring for several years in connection with the phone companies. The term "hacker" is about to become a household word, and not in the sense of "great programming."

Set against this backdrop, two rival gangs--The Legion of Doom and The Masters of Deception--are about to go to war. What sounds like a clash of comic-book supervillains is actually a feud between factions of teenagers, fueled by misunderstandings and adolescent testosterone. The events leading up to the conflict and its climax are riveting and fun. The book features great depictions of some of the earliest celebrities of hackerdom, including Acid Phreak and Phiber Optik, as well as tales of their exploits and rivalries. Slatalla and Quittner do a great job of portraying the principals as both the powerful cyberspace masters they want to be and the scared, emotional young men they really are.

There is also a nostalgic attraction at work in Masters of Deception. Anyone who remembers their first Commie 64 or TRS-80 will long for those golden days and be thankful that they were elsewhere when the Secret Service came calling. [via]

Moments of Truth [Paperback] by Carlzon, Jan [via]

Mary Catherine Bateson, author of Composing a Life, is our guide on a fascinating intellectual exploration of lifetime learning from experience and encountering the unfamiliar. Peripheral Visions begins with a sacrifice in a Persian garden, moving on to a Philippine village and then to the Sinai desert, and concludes with a description of a tour bus full of Tibetan monks. Bateson's reflections bring theses narratives homes, proposing surprising new vision of our own diverse and changing society and offering us the courage to participate even as we are still learning.

This collection of work spans Annie Leibovitz's career, beginning with early shots of John Lennon for "Rolling Stone Magazine" and moving onto recent shots of Jodie Foster. The photographs range from a relaxed shot of Keith Richards to Susan Sontag modelling beachwear and from David Lynch posing with Isabella Rosellinin in black to Roseanne Barr wallowing in mud with Tom Arnold. [via]

In a timely, groundbreaking guide, two family therapists explore how to use rituals to make the happy moments in life more joyous, the sad moments more comforting, the important moments more memorable, and the intimate moments more cherishable. Line drawings. [via]

Our society is in trouble and we all know it. Most of us know the symptoms. And now it isn't ourselves we worry about so much as our country. What symptoms tell us our society is ill? There are many alarming symptoms. The reflect widespread, systematic dislocations and failures. This book has been written to explore what is wrong and what we might do about it. [via]

In the bestselling tradition of The Dance of Anger, a compassionate and insightful guide that shows women how they can learn to feel good about who they are and what they do.