The Girls Who Went Away

The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades before Roe v. Wade
By Ann Fessler
HV875.55 .F465 2006

The author of this probing work, herself an adoptee, interviews several women who, under immense social and family pressure, gave up their newborn children. These cases profiled in The Girls Who Went Away took place between 1945 and 1973. Many speaking out for the first time tell of how as single pregnant women they were treated with contempt in a world of demoralizing double standards and even in some instances shunned by family and friends, cast out from schools, and sent away to maternity homes to have their children alone. These women tell of the grief and shame the have lived with their entire adult lives. The accounts found within these pages set forth a haunting yet illuminating oral history of adoption and the long-term effects on women unfairly judged the “bad girls” of their day.

The Future of the Family

The Future of the Family
Edited by Daniel P. Moynihan, Timothy M. Smeeding, and Lee Rainwater
HQ536 .F98 2004

The editors of this book have compiled a wide range of perspectives concerning the challenges and changes to the structure of the family. The book looks at important issues which have affected the family structure in the past, and reviews family and household trends over the latter part of the 20^th century. It also discusses the impact of significant current issues such as demography, public policy, the marginalization of the father, and the welfare state. Each interesting chapter contains excellent charts and graphs, and ends with supporting references.

The Entrepreneurial Engineer

The Entrepreneurial Engineer: Personal, Interpersonal, and Organizational Skills for Engineers in a World of Opportunity
By David E. Goldberg
TA190 .G68 2006

According to the tagline for this book, “Entrepreneurial times call for The Entrepreneurial Engineer”. Such a person would have strong technical know-how and an aptitude for business. This work by a distinguished professor in the field of Entrepreneurial Engineering covers core competencies such as goal setting, time management, organization, writing, presenting, teaming, assessment, selling and leadership that can help today’s engineers have a more productive and innovative career. The author also emphasizes the importance of acting ethically, possessing strong interpersonal skills, understanding the culture and organization of the workplace, and above all retaining a passion for the job and a love of bringing ideas to life. This handy guide includes exercises at the end of each chapter to as the author puts it: “engage the material and put it into practice”. For current and future engineers who want to remain at the forefront of the field, this text has the information you need to succeed.

Eat That Frog!

Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
By Brian Tracy
BF 637 .P76 T73 2001

Do you need help to get everything on your daily-to-do list accomplished? Eat That Frog! helps you organize and prioritize your most important tasks and make sure they get done. The title comes from an old saying that if the first thing you do each morning is eat a live frog, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that it is probably the worst thing you will do all day. The book is organized into short chapters and provides an action box at the end of each chapter to get you started. If you do not have time to read the entire book but still need help the conclusion outlines the entire book for you in just five short pages!

Success Through Failure: The Paradox of Design

Success Through Failure: The Paradox of Design
By Henry Petroski
TA 174 .P4739 2006

Petroski, an engineer, has written a book that will appeal to engineers, architects, and designers about design and what makes a great design. He notes that the most successful improvements made ultimately are those that focus on the limitation – on the failures – of a specific design; “success and failure in design are intertwined” (3). Petroski even speculates when the next major bridge failure will most likely occur. To find out this and many other interesting facts about the evolution of design and where it is headed in the future read Success Through Failure.

A Research Guide for Undergraduate Students

A Research Guide for Undergraduate Students: English and American Literature
By Nancy L Baker and Nancy Huling
PR56 .B34 2006

Baker and Huling’s research guide addresses the unique issues of the undergraduate library user. The focus of this sixth edition is the electronic environment which has become a critical component of the undergraduate research process. The guide discusses basic research strategy, and stresses close to thirty useful research tools as it walks the student through searching the library’s catalog, bibliographic databases, and the Web. The appendix lists seventy references and resources which is extremely helpful.

Prophets in the Quran

Prophets in the Quran: An Introduction to the Quran and Muslim Exegesis
By Brannon M. Wheeler
BP134.P745 W48 2002

In the divided and heterogeneous world of today complete peace on a global scale may elude us. However, each of us can take steps to develop a better understanding and acceptance of others, including the personal beliefs that define so much of ourselves. If you have interest in gaining more insight into the Muslim religion, this book by distinguished Professor of History and Politics Wheeler offers an accessible introduction and translation of text found within the pages of the Quran. The author focuses his examination and commentary on the prophets cited within its pages, many of whom are also found in the Old Testament. This interesting and illuminating book draws from Arabic commentaries and aims to present a core of varied Muslim perspectives – present and past. It highlights the shared “past” of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity and highlights the parallels among these religions. A concluding bibliography references primary Jewish and Christian sources that readers can use for further study and comparison of the Bible with the Quran and its interpretations.

Stutter

Stutter

By Marc Shell

RC 424 .S564 2005

Marc Shell, someone who has struggled with stuttering all his life along with fifty million people worldwide including some famous stutterers such as Porky Pig, Marilyn Monroe and Moses, has written this book about stuttering. Shell discusses the important role stuttering plays in literature and comments on why stuttering disappears when the speaker chants and what can a stutterer do to cope with the unspeakable.

Us and Them: Understanding Your Tribal Mind

Us and Them: Understanding Your Tribal Mind

By David Berreby

HM 753 .B47 2005

It is easy to group humans into specific categories by using qualifiers such as male / female, professor / student, SUV owner / minivan owner. David Berreby explains in his book why we do this and why these groups matter so much to us. According to Berreby these tribal senses alter our thoughts, affect our health and even affect our society. We are “capable of both tribal good and tribal evil” (4). What makes the difference between our choice of good and evil? Why did an experiment in the early 1970s change male college students’ behavior into guards and prisoners? (Quiet Rage: The Stanford Prison Study Video HV 6089 .Q54 2003) Berreby comes to the conclusion, “the Us-Them code does not own you; you own it” (331). If you want to better understand your tribal mind check out Us and Them.

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats

By Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio
TX353 .M43 2005

Have you ever wondered what people around the world eat? Where do they shop or dine out? What tasty delicacies are common staples in Asia, Africa, and other international locales that Americans find a rare and exotic treat? How have globalization, mass tourism, and giant agribusiness impacted the global diet? Menzel and D’Aluisio answer these questions and more in this detailed and captivating photographic study of the eating habits of thirty families in twenty-four countries. Follow each family as they go to market and enjoy meals in their homes and on the town (or in some cases country or seaside). Compare costs for one weeks’ food and eating habits from Bosnia to Turkey. You may also enjoy collecting the recipes shared by each family and trying out some new fare.

This survey of food around the world also includes some edifying statistics from the number of McDonald’s restaurants to health-related data on life expectancy, obesity, and daily caloric intake per day. You can also learn which county consumes the most meat, alcohol or cigarettes per person per year. If you find this topic especially interesting and want to learn more the book closes with a list of further reading. To start your tour of world cuisine come pick up Hungry Planet at the TSU library today! First come, first served.

Generation Debt

Generation Debt: Why Now Is A Terrible Time To Be Young
By Anya Kamenetz
HQ 799.7 .K36 2006

Kamenetz, a twenty-four-year-old free lance journalist confronts and rejects the negative economic stigma she believes the 18-34 generation has been branded with. Through her interviews with young people across the country she finds the same economic problems being faced- the rising cost of higher education, narrowing job opportunities, and growing material debt. She believes that "our debt precludes us from taking the kinds of entrepreneurial risks on which American success depends" (p.xv), and that the problem is the gulf which has "grown between ideal and reality" (p.xiv).

Each chapter of Kamenetz's book addresses important issues such as: credit cards, college debt, low wage jobs, government policies and social security, and impact on family and independence. In the last chapter of the book, she suggests some solutions for young people who are dealing with the stress and frustration from these problems. Although the book at times has a pretty ominous tone, anyone who is college age, has children who are 18-34, or who knows someone this age would benefit from reading it. While her book at times requires a very open minded perspective, it rings a wake up call for the next generation.