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LaGuardia Library Book of the Week: The Snowden Files

cover of ''The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the Worldâ€™s Most Wanted Man ''

The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the Worldâ€™s Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding

"A newsworthy, must-read book about what prompted Edward Snowden to blow the whistle on his former employer, the National Security Agency, and what likely awaits him for having done so. â€¦ The author casts the prime motivation as a kind of revulsion born of Snowden's experience as an analyst knee-deep in material that-it is very clear-was none of the NSA's business, reinforced by Snowden's time stationed in the relative freedom of Switzerland. It is also clear that Snowden's act was premeditated, though not out of anti-Americanism (he's a Ron Paul-type libertarian, it seems) and not for monetary impulse, though he could have sold the documents to any one of a number of foreign powers.

...

Harding closes with the thought that Snowden may have no other home for some time to come-but that even wider implications remain to be explored, including the possibility that British activists might be able to introduce something like the First Amendment to protect its press in the future. Whether you view Snowden's act as patriotic or treasonous, this fast-paced, densely detailed book is the narrative of first resort."

"The Snowden Files: The Inside Story Of The World's Most Wanted Man." Kirkus Reviews 82.5 (2014): 310. Library & Information Science Source. Web. 8 July 2014.

This book will be shelved at JF 1525 .W45 .H37 2014, with other books on government intelligence, once it is no longer a "New Book.

Ask a librarian to help you find this or other books.

See our previous Books of the Week here.



LaGuardia Library Book of the Week: Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation

cover of ''Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation''

Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation by Dan Fagin

"What was in the water in Toms River? A seemingly high number of childhood cancer cases in the New Jersey town prompted the question, but there turned out to be no easy answer. As Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2010) investigated the tragic impact that unethical scientific pursuits had on a family, Toms River unravels the careless environmental practices that damaged a community. The book goes beyond the Toms River phenomenon itself to examine the many factors that came together in that one spot, from the birth of the synthetic chemical industry to the evolution of epidemiology to the physicians who invented occupational medicine.

Former Newsday environmental journalist Fagin's work may not be quite as riveting in its particulars as Skloot's book, but it features jaw-dropping accounts of senseless waste-disposal practices set against the inspiring saga of the families who stood up to the enormous Toms River chemical plant. The fate of the town, we learn, revolves Thoreson around the science that cost its residents so much."

Thoreson, Bridget. "Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation." Booklist 15 Feb. 2013: 23. Academic OneFile. Web. 8 July 2014.

This book is shelved in the nonfiction leisure collection by the author's last name (Fagin).

Ask a librarian to help you find this or other books.

See our previous Books of the Week here.



LaGuardia Library Book of the Week: Fatherhood: Rising to the Ultimate Challenge

cover of ''Fatherhood: Rising to the Ultimate Challenge''

Fatherhood: Rising to the Ultimate Challenge by Etan Thomas with Nick Chiles

"Thomas, a star in the NBA as a center for the Atlanta Hawks as well as a participant in President Obama's Fatherhood Initiative, states upfront that he's "not a fatherhood expert." But having collected essays offering insights and experiences about fatherhood from a fascinating and diverse range of individuals—including Bill Cosby, John King, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Andre Agassi, and others—Thomas has produced an insightful book that provides "a manual for fathers new and old."

Many of the pieces address the experience of fatherless kids in African-American communities. But from rapper Ice Cube to filmmaker Michael Moore, the book's message is one of hope. As Moore states, "One of the 'Big Lies' that we are told in our society is that there's something wrong with you if you come from a 'broken home' or a home with a single mother." Thomas also offers a moving tribute to the many single mothers "who are forced to take on the role of the father in the household." While Thomas's "Tao of fatherhood" is a wonderful distillation of all the book's insights—"Be there"— his book also contains a plethora of memorable and eloquent advice for all fathers, such as that from Dr. Cornel West: "To be a great father, you must be a militant for tenderness, an extremist for love, a fanatic for fairness, and, in the larger society, a drum major for justice.""

"Fatherhood: Rising To The Ultimate Challenge." Publishers Weekly 259.13 (2012): 73-74. Library & Information Science Source. Web. 8 July 2014.

This book will be shelved at at HQ756 .T476 2013 with other books on parenting once it is not a new book.

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See our previous Books of the Week here.



LaGuardia Library Book of the Week: Walkable City

cover of ''Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time''

Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time by Jeff Speck

"Jeff Speck has dedicated his career to determining what makes cities thrive. And he has boiled it down to one key factor: walkability. Making downtown into a walkable, viable community is the essential fix for the typical American city; it is eminently achievable and its benefits are manifold.

Walkable City — bursting with sharp observations and key insights into how urban change happensâ€”lays out a practical, necessary, and inspiring vision for how to make American cities great again."

from the publisher's website

This book will be shelved at at HT 175 S64 2013 with other books on urban studies once it is not a new book.

Ask a librarian to help you find this or other books.

See our previous Books of the Week here.
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