General Topics
Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books
by Aaron Lansky
A man’s vision and quest to save a literature
002.075 L
Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper
by Nicholson Baker
Attack on libraries for destroying newspaper archives
025.2832 B
The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime
by Miles Harvey
The theft of scores of valuable, centuries-old maps from some of the most prominent research libraries
025.82 H
Philosophy and Psychology
Genius: A Mosaic of One Hundred Exemplary Creative Minds
by Harold Bloom
A thought provoking look at 100 geniuses
153.98 B
Blank Slate: the Modern Denial of Human Nature
by Steven Pinker
Nature versus nurture, an argument for a more honest science of human nature
155.234 P
Religion
Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths
by Bruce Feiler
The historically elusive man who embodies three religions
222.1109 F
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
by Jon Krakauer
Mormon fundamentalism
289.33 K
Social Sciences
The Future of the Past
by Alexander Stille
"You study it, you kill it."
303.4 S
Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill
by Jessica Stern
Who does God love the most?
303.625 S
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America
by Barbara Ehrenreich
Working poor in America
305.569 E
Botany of Desire: A Plant's Eye View of the World
by Michael Pollan
How the plant world uses seduction to survive and reproduce
306.45 P
Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail
by Rubén Marténez
Illegal immigrant family’s life in the U.S.
306.8508 M
From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Cultural Life, 1500 to the Present
by Jacques Barzun
The title says it all.
940.2 B
Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy
by Diana Preston
A gripping account of the tragedy that propelled the U.S. into the Great War
940.4514 P
Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran
by Elaine Sciolino
A balanced and compassionate picture of life in Iran since 1979
955.054 S
Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds
by Stephen Kinzer
The secular versus sacred challenge to Turkey’s future
956.1 K
Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World's Most Precious Stones
by Greg Campbell
The human cost of the diamond trade
966.404 C
Triangle: The Fire That Changed America
by Dave Von Drehle
A tenement fire brings together a disparate group of politicians and reformers
974.7104 V
Beyond the River: The Untold Story of the Heroes of the Underground Railroad
by Ann Hagedorn
An abolitionist family in 19th century Ohio
973.7115 H
Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World after September 11
by Thomas L. Friedman
A reporter's perspective on the world from outside U.S. borders
973.931 F
Random Family: Love, Drugs, and Coming of Age in the Bronx
by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
Firsthand account of growing up in one of the roughest environments in America
974.7275 L
Literature
Aztec Treasure House: Selected Essays
by Evan S. Connell
Advances in anthropology
814.54 C
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare
by Stephen Greenblatt
A blend of scholarship, insight, and conjecture
822.33 G
Selected Essays
by John Berger
Essays on art and life
824.914 B
The Complete Works of Isaac Babel
by Isakc Babel
Stories and screenplays
891.7342 B
Geography and History
Barrows' Boys
by Fergus Fleming
English mapmakers
910.941 F
River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze
by Peter Hessler
Two years teaching as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fuling province China
915.138 H
Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found
by Suketu Mehta
"The biggest, fastest, richest city in India"
915.4792 M
An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan
by Jason Elliot
Reminiscence of travel in war torn Afghanistan
915.81 E
Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: Reflections on Death, Rebirth, and a Hunger for a Faith
by Studs Terkel
Interviews with 60 people and their encounters with death
306.9 T
War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals
by David Halberstam
Military intervention
327.73 H
The Future of Life
by Edward O. Wilson
Loss of bio-diversity
333.9522 W
Candyfreak: a Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America
by Steve Almond
A road trip through American candy
338.4766 A
Flat Broke with Children: Women in the Age of Welfare Reform
by Sharon Hays
The negative impact of welfare reform
362.8392 H
Food Inc.: Mendel to Monsanto--The Promises and Perils of the Biotech Harvest
by Peter Pringle
Genetically modified food
363.192 P
Going Up the River: Travels in a Prison Nation
by Joseph T. Hallinan
American prison industrial complex
365.973 H
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
by Eric Schlosser
The social impact of the fast food industry
394.1097 S