Princess by Jean Sasson
You'll read this in a whirlwind, it's so compelling. It's the true story of Sultana, a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family, who gives a first hand account of how women are treated in that part of the world. Although Sultana lives a  life of privilege, it is within the confines of a male-dominated society in which women are denied education, forced into marriages at young ages, and suffer horribly if they cross the lines of strict Saudi Arabian custom. Sultana's story is interwoven with true accounts of other women, some relatively wealthy, some not. Some of them manage to survive. One is drowned by her father in the family pool for "shaming her family". Another is forced into isolation for the rest of her life for falling in love. Throughout the book, Sasson reminds us that these abuses are not the hallmark of Islam and that it is a misinterpretation of the Koran that leads to this kind of oppression. This is an eye-opening read...for everyone, not just the Women's Studies major.  
Cinnamon's Review ∆

 
The Devil's Teeth by Susan Casey
Thirty miles west of San Francisco in the Pacific Ocean lie the Farallon Islands, also known as The Devil's Teeth. Coincidentally, it is one of the best places in the world to view great white sharks up close in the wild, as Susan Casey relates in her book, The Devil's Teeth. The title is apt as it describes both the habitat and the underwater denizens. Although great white sharks were her main interest in visiting the Farallones, Casey does a remarkable job with the other inhabitants: sea lions, killer whales, cassin auklets, cormorants, and the few humans that brave living there for research or sea urchins. In fact, the Farallon Islands themselves play a key role in this cast of characters. Casey outlines the history of human interaction with the Islands, in which the humans tend to lose.
I think I expected a single-issue book about sharks. What I got was an ecosystem that was fascinating and rich with context. Silly me: I should remember that nothing in nature is simple, and that nothing exists in a vacuum. This book was a very rewarding reminder.   
Katherine's Review ∆

 
Out of Flames: The Remarkable Story of a Fearless Scholar, a Fatal Heresy, and One of the Rarest Books in the World by Lawrence Goldstone and Nancy Goldstone
I was drawn to Out of Flames by two words: heresy and book. I was elated to find that it met my expectations. Unlike The Devil in the White City, which I enjoyed but sometimes felt bogged down by its too many historical references, Out of Flames surprised and delighted me on every page. Telling a 16th century story of the early roots of the Unitarian Church, we learn about Michael Servetus, a heretic. Unlike other heretics, he not only challenged the Catholic Church but also John Calvin and he discovered how blood circulates in the human body. The story is not simple, weaving Church history, early science experiments, and politics, but the book is knowledgeable and the story remarkable. Of Servetus� original writings, only three books remain�powerful books that preserved early scientific discoveries and contributions to church reformation. An engaging, historical read. 
Carolyn's Review ∆
 

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Cadavers lead a very active life. When else can you be in three or more places at one time? You think your body would just by lying about, doing nothing, but there are so many processes and stages going about, and Mary Roach tackled this precarious subject with a good balance of respect, candor, objectivism, and humor. She interviews anatomy students, practicing plastic surgery techniques on cadaver heads, on how they cope with working on a person's decapitated corpse. Roach relates how ancient and Victorian medical practitioners used human remains as medicinal remedies...sometimes the cures were worse than the maladies. She also discusses the new, "eco" ways of disposing of our remains when we pass away. When the question is put to Roach of what will become of her remains, she has come to the conclusion that it is for the surviving to decide, as they are the ones that will have to live with the decision. This is an entertaining, if sometimes morbid book, spiced throughout with just the right amount of humor.
Julie's Review ∆
 

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
If you enjoy books like Krakauer's Into the Wild, consider picking up this work of non-fiction. It tells the tale of the  Gloucester fishermen who died aboard the Andrea Gail, which was lost at sea during the 1991 Storm of the Century. Originally published in much-abbreviated form in "Outside" magazine, it retains a journalistic feel. Overall, I like this book for the sense of culture and place that it provides, which is far different than what I know as a land-locked Nebraskan. In my largely indoor life, it can be easy to forget what a beautiful and sometimes terrifying force weather can be. Clearly, in the fishing village of Gloucester, sea-changes have real meaning. This is a great "stay-cation" book. Get into it and go someplace completely different.
Cinnamon's Review ∆
 

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis chronicles the experience of a young girl in Iran in the wake of the Islamic Revolution.  In this autobiography that takes the form of a graphic novel (storyboarded like a comic strip), we see how Marjane's world of relative freedom shrinks under the restrictions of the new regime that requires women and girls to wear the veil.  It's a fantastic book, reminiscent of Art Spiegelman's Maus (graphic novel about the holocaust) but wholly its own in terms of how it portrays the frustrations of a teenager forbidden by law to express teenage angst in the usual ways.  Marjane offers tragedy but also humor - as well as a historical view of Iran from someone who lived it.  If you liked Reading Lolita in Tehran, you'll devour this book in a single night.  (Also appropriate for mid-late teens.)
Cinnamon's Review ∆

The Conservative Mind from Burke to Eliot, by Russell Kirk
While all of us may have had our fill of politics lately, I promise this is not one of *those* books.  Mr. Kirk does a great job of bringing the reader through the evolution of conservatism, the paradigms ingrained within, and offers a rational look at how this political philosophy has gone askew in modern times.  This is an excellent, enlightening and educational read; a must-read for anyone (conservative, liberal, progressive, etc) interested in continuing to expand their philosophical, political and intellectual experience.
Matthew's Review ∆

Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science, by  Charles Wheelan
I can hear the groans erupting when you read the title.  Economics, especially now, is not a popular subject.  However, Mr. Wheelen does a wonderful job of addressing common Economic concepts in a light-hearted and entertaining way. 

From the lay person to the expert I can guarantee you will find this tome an enjoyable read and useful resource.  Interest rates to inflation, supply to demand, Naked Economics tackles this ideas in a thoroughly academic and accessible way.  It is the only Economics text that has caused me to laugh out loud while reading.
Matthew's Review ∆

The Long Death, by Ralph K Andrist
In The Long Death, Ralph K. Andrist chronicles the demise of the Plains Indians as a result of western expansion through the United States. Andrist focuses on the decades between 1840 and 1900 when the Native tribes were systematically dislocated and decimated by Eastern settlers as they sought new territory. Using specific details of events, Andrist illustrates larger themes of imperialism and, indeed, a cultural genocide. This is a cogent and very engaging narrative by a well-respected journalist, and it compares favorably with Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown, who wrote the introduction to the Bison Books edition of The Long Death.         
Katherine's Review ∆

Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson
One day in 1993, high up in the world's most inhospitable mountains, Greg Mortenson wandered lost and alone, broken in body and spirit, after a failed attempt to climb K2, the world's deadliest peak. When the people of an impoverished village in Pakistan's Karakoram Himalaya took him in and nursed him back to health, Mortenson made an impulsive promise: He would return one day and build them a school. Although he was a homeless "climbing bum" living out of his aging Buick in Berkeley, California, Mortenson sold what few possessions he had to launch one of the most remarkable humanitarian campaigns of our time. Three Cups of Tea traces Mortenson's decade-long odyssey to build schools, especially for girls, throughout the region that gave birth to the Taliban and sanctuary to Al Qaeda. While he wages war with the root causes of terrorism-- poverty and ignorance-- by providing both girls and boys with a balanced, nonextremist education, Mortenson must survive a kidnapping, fatwas issued by enraged mullahs, death threats from Americans who consider him a traitor, and wrenching separations from his family. Today, as the director of the Central Asia Institute, Mortenson has built fifty-five schools serving Pakistan and Afghanistan's poorest communities. And as this real-life Indiana Jones from Montana crisscrosses the Himalaya and the Hindu Kush fighting to keep these schools functioning, he provides not only hope to tens of thousands of children, but living proof that one passionately dedicated person truly can change the world. ∆
 

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary , by Simon Winchester
This book was suggested to me by one of my librarian friends.  The OED is often spoken about in tones of awe and extreme reverence by those who know of it.  Currently, there are several editions of the OED.  The two-volume set, which I had the opportunity of seeing once, is printed on the finest paper, and comes with its own magnifying glass!  Winchester is a wonderful writer, blending the bazaar story of one of the OED�s contributors with the background story of the creation and production of the OED.  I warn you though � unless you are an erudite sesquipedalian, have a dictionary handy while reading.  The book is almost justification to go out and buy a version of the OED yourself; so many words that are not used in everyday language are sprinkled throughout.  It�s a very enjoyable read, and I suggest it to anyone that wants to perhaps feel a little smarter as they read a bit of non-fiction.
Julie's Review ∆

  The Coming Plague, by Laurie Garret
Although written in 1991, The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett remains pertinent in this day of the West Nile virus, bird flu, and antibacterial "fever." Garrett takes on plague in all of its ugly varieties, drawing together factors affecting its genesis and spread including global economics, nationalism and war, biological (and political) science, and culture. She succeeds in bringing a dizzying array of variables into a cohesive whole. This is a large and ambitious study, but don't be intimidated by its size: it is an immensely (no pun intended) readable book.         
Katherine's Review   ∆
 

A Gathering of Zion, by Wallace Stegner
The history of the Mormon faith is entwined with the history of westward expansion in this country, as Wallace Stegner asserts in A Gathering of Zion. Stegner chronicles the development of Mormonism from Joseph Smith in the eastern United States across the Mormon trail and on to Brigham Young and the founding of the state of Utah. Along the way he elaborates on shifting church doctrines and the trials of the faithful. I found Stegner's writing informative yet informal, making this a page-turner even for those of us who have found history dull in the past. In fact, this book led me to other Mormon and western histories, and I have read other Stegner titles which I found delightful.         
Katherine's Review ∆
 

Into Thin Air, by John Krakauer
Mount Everest continues to fascinate climbers and armchair travelers alike, especially after the 1993 disaster when a number of people lost their lives trying to reach the summit. Several books have been written about this event, but my favorite remains Into Thin Air by John Krakauer. As both a participant (a climber) and an observer (a journalist covering the ascent), Krakauer was in a unique position to relate the event and its aftermath. A veteran explorer and writer, Krakauer not only reports the details of the disaster and introduces us to the people involved, but brings up the question: Why do we feel compelled to conquer the unconquerable? Katherine's Review ∆
 

If I Had To Live My Life Over Again... I Would Wear More Purple (Martz ed.)
Taking its theme from the Jenny Joseph poem ( which also influenced the Red Hat Society), the women in this anthology combine artwork and poetry to explore their own and others' aging. It's a beautiful book and a perfect gift for the special woman in your life who is concerned about aging or who is celebrating her own process and progress.         
Katherine's Review ∆
 

And the Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic, by Randy Shilts
The AIDS epidemic is older than I am. I was -3 when the tall ships sailed into New York Harbor in 1976, and by the time I started listening to what was on the news, Ryan White was getting kicked out of school. I tell my mother that this twisted time is one of the reasons that I find such offensiveness as South Park so funny... but as sick as my sense of humor may be, nothing about this book is even remotely amusing. Beginning with the first diagnosed human cases of HIV and tracking the rise of the epidemic into the 1980's, Randy Shilts' masterpiece presents a jarringly scientific and thoroughly alarming study of the biggest embarrassment of my lifetime. Very few things have ever inspired as much anger in my heart as reading of America's complete refusal to protect its own from what it selfishly declared to be a threat only to those for which it could care less. What chain of events led to innocent children and cultural icons, people far from the dregs of society, dying of AIDS? Check this out: "By the time President Reagan had delivered his first speech on the epidemic of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, 36,058 Americans had been diagnosed with the disease; 20,849 had died." And that was in 1987, four years after Isaac Asimov contracted HIV from a blood transfusion, more than ten years after the virus landed in the US. Now, read the whole book - there are things in here that we all ought to know, as appalling as they may be.           
Kirsten's Review ∆
 

Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission, by Hampton Sides
Okay: I have to say, I really did only read this because I've seen Back to Bataan like, 24 times*. And it had been sitting on my father's desk for a couple of weeks, which is usually a good sign. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the ABSOLUTE HORROR contained within its pages. That's pleasantly surprised by the way the author tells the story, not pleasantly surprised that this horror itself was actually visited upon actual people. That would be cruel of me. Frankly, it totally blows my mind that this actually happened to people. Over 70,000 American and Filipino soldiers began the Bataan Death March, which makes up the background of Sides' story, and 10,000 of them had died by the time 160 kilometers had been covered. Not only did they have dysentery, dehydration, malnutrition, and really really mean Japanese soldiers to deal with, these fellows even managed to be shelled by the remaining Allied forces defending Corrigedor. It's like they were utterly cursed from the get-go. I mean, what do you do when your enemy finally surrenders, and you end up with an island full of starving prisoners who outnumber you? Well, torture them, apparently. By the time the Rangers liberated the prison camp at Cabanatuan, the focal point of Ghost Soldiers, only 500 survivors of the march remained. This is a scary lil' bit of history, frighteningly relevant in the age of Gitmo.          
Kirsten's Review ∆
 

Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs
The next time you're at a family dinner and you get slightly uncomfortable when your little brother, while spending about two hours on the toilet suddenly asks your father where babies come from, take comfort in the fact that there is no way in the universe that anyone's family can be nearly as weird, unconventional, or screwed up as the Finch family. In this striking memoir, young Augusten Burroughs' psychotic mother gives him up to be raised by her psychiatrist. "Raised" is too loose a term, however, as there is a complete lack of structure in Dr. Finch's household of squalor. Hilarious, tragic, and above all shocking, this book is a definite page turner; it will grab hold of your most morbid curiosity and not let go until every microscopic cell of your body is grateful that you were never obligated to gather around the toilet to look at your father's bowel movement as a way of determining when financial prosperity would next fall upon the family.           Molly's Review ∆
 

A Natural History of the Senses, by Diane Ackerman
A good non-fiction read, Diane Ackerman takes her skills as a poet to write a very lyrical scientific and historic account of the body's five senses. It is quite challenging to use writing to describe things as abstract and individualized as scent or sight, yet Ackerman manages this, and the result is a very pleasant synesthesia filled with personal and historical anecdotes.           
Molly's Review ∆
 

The Liars Club, by Mary Karr
This is a delightful, often poignant memoir of a girl who grows up in a dysfunctional family living in the eastern part of Texas, a place which we can deduce, by Karr's careful description, is more or less Hell on earth. Karr tells her story in a way which shows how rampant alcoholism, seven different step-fathers, and maternal psychotic rages were all just a normal part of growing up. However, Karr stresses that there was a lot of love in her family. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to recommend it.          
Molly's Review ∆
 

  Notes from a Small Island, by Bill Bryson
I love Bill Bryson, but it's best not to read him in a public place lest you want people to look at you in fear while you laugh your brains out. Seriously, Bryson doesn't always let you see the humor coming. Having forewarned you, Notes from a Small Island details Bryson's final trip around the United Kingdom before moving his family to the United States. He resided in the UK for some twenty years, and fills this travel-log with all the hilarious quirks he encounters from the natives. From formidable B&B hostesses to place names like "Pinhead", Anglophiles will get the most out of Notes, but I have a notion anyone who likes to laugh will enjoy it.          
 Molly's Review ∆
 

Stasiland:  True Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall, by Anna Funder
This is perhaps the best nonfiction book I have ever read. Stasiland is a collection of interviews from both the spies (Stasi) and the victims of the German Democratic Republic, where it seems every citizen was under surveillance. It reads remarkably like a novel, almost postmodern at times. The author, a native Australian who spends several years in the former GDR, shows a remarkable amount of knowledge and compassion for her subject material. Showcasing triumphs and failures of communist Eastern Germany, this book should appeal to anyone, history buff or not. It is beautifully written.          
Molly's Review ∆
 

Greek Science, by Benjamin Farrington
Those Greek dudes, they were pretty smart, you know? It's really pretty cool to see just how much these ancient guys were able to come up with without any of the modern technology and research that we so take for granted these days. Benjamin Farrington has put together a great selection of writings with commentary from brilliant classical thinkers like Pythagoras, Anaxagoras, Hippocrates, Empedocles and so on, covering a huge range of ancient science concerning medicine, physics, mathematics and just about everything under the sun. It's a great bit of mind food that should be an awesome starting point for anyone interested in science before the modern era. It's quick and easy to read and chock full of goodies.           James' Review ∆
 

Apocalypse Pretty Soon, by Alex Heard
The sky is falling! The sky is falling! At least, that's what a wide range of Americans living today are saying, either in public or simply muttering it to themselves. Alex Heard is on the job, trekking across the nation and giving us the 411 on the numerous religious, secular, and just plain strange groups of folks that are dead certain that the end times (or at least a completely unorthodox social upheaval) are just over the horizon. Fascinating, hilarious and terrifying (for entirely the wrong reasons); If you though Scientology was a wacky, you've not seen anything yet! Pretty Soon can be taken in bits at a time, with each chapter focusing on an entirely different phenomena or group from that which preceded it. It's got UFOs, secret militants, die hard conspirators, futurists, new-agers, everything you can think of at the absolute fringes of Americana.          
James' Review ∆
 

Cosmos, by Carl Sagan
Pardon if I'm a bit opinionated, but Carl Sagan's Cosmos is probably the coolest television series ever to come along. Even though it was a bit before my time (thank the Gods for Google Video!), the information presented is still just as relevant and riveting today as it was in 1980. Much like the recent "Planet Earth" documentary, Sagan tackles almost every facet of astronomy in this printed recap/companion to the show. Cosmos is filled with full color illustrations and offers a crash course in basically the entire history of the universe; the physics of bodies in space, how and when we will travel to other worlds, how space has contributed to evolution of life on Earth, the list is almost endless.          
James' Review ∆
 

Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi
I first read this book during a course examining cultural literacy and its importance: Reading Lolita in Tehran is the account of Iranian professor Azar Nafisi during her time teaching English in the nation's capital, particularly the private lectures she gave to her best, female students concerning banned western novels. As they discuss Jane Austen, Vladimir Nabokov, Henry James and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Reading Lolita shows not only the student's reactions to the texts but also delves into their personal lives and Nafisi's own reflections concerning the political and cultural climate in Iran. This is a phenomenal book to read if you're interested in textual criticism or simply the power of books, and it also sheds a great deal of light on the world Iranian's have lived in since the rise of the Ayatollah.          
James' Review ∆
 

  A Short History of Nearly Everything , by Bill Bryson
Much like Sagan's book mentioned earlier, Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything tackles much of the same issues. Like Cosmos Bryson serves up damned near every nook and cranny of scientific interest, but instead focuses not so much on the hows and whys of these discoveries but rather the whens and wheres. Bryson, in his typical sense of humor serves up in a very light text just how mankind came to realize the inner-workings of the universe. I find it is a great companion to Cosmos, in that it shares the same exuberance for the scientific realm as well and also offers a much broader range of topics. If you A) like to laugh and B) find science even remotely interesting, you owe it to yourself to track this one down.           
James' Review ∆
 

Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, by Douglas Hoftstadter
Oh man, this one's a doozy of a book. If you've been keeping up with this page you probably have an idea that I'm a sucker for dense, sprawling, "crush-a-small-animal-if-dropped" tomes of literature: this is no exception. This is an absolutely brilliant book but it certainly takes some work to complete. Hoftstadter's thesis on mathematics and philosophy blends the ideas of the three namesake figures with his own prose, wit and conclusions. You'll solve puzzles, catch hints, smile at a few jokes, learn a thing or two about mathematics and in the end, regardless of what background you come from, you'll feel like a pretty smart cookie.          
James' Review ∆
 

Hyperspace, by Michio Kaku
Michio Kaku is probably the coolest theoretical physicist in the world right now. As one of the leading supporters for superstring theory, it should make sense that he would be the person to go to in order to learn about this strange new concept. Hyperspace is an amazingly easy read, using simple analogies like fish underwater and purely layman's vocabulary to explain complicated ideas. Kaku has a bright sense of humor and deep love & fascination for the material at hand, and has the ability to teach any reader a thing or two.          
James' Review ∆