Non Fiction Staff Picks

Lent Hirsch weaves her own harrowing experiences together with stories from other women, perspectives from sociologists on structural inequality, and insights from neuroscientists on misogyny in health research. She shows how health issues and disabilities amplify what women in general already confront: warped beauty standards, workplace sexism, worries about romantic partners, and mistrust of their own bodies. By shining a light on this hidden demographic,...

"For the first time ever, legendary singer-songwriter Dolly Parton brings you behind the lyrics of 175 of her songs to reveal the personal stories and vibrant memories that have inspired sixty years of songwriting. Lushly illustrated and told in Dolly's inimitable voice, this rich collection offers an intimate, exclusive look at the colorful life, prolific career, and rags-to-rhinestones journey of one of the most revered entertainers of our time"--...

World history has been made by countless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals -- and you've never heard of many of them. Queer author and activist Sarah Prager delves deep into the lives of 23 people who fought, created, and loved on their own terms. From high-profile figures like Abraham Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt to the trailblazing gender-ambiguous Queen of Sweden and a bisexual blues singer who didn't make it into your...

Desde su pequeño pueblo en El Salvador hasta llega a la frontera con Estados Unidos, la aventura de Javier Zamora es un viaje de tres mil millas. Va a reunirse con sus padres, una travesía que en su imaginación infantil durará solo dos semanas, pero que en realidad le tomará dos meses. Viajará solo y, como cualquier niño de nueve anos, será incapaz de preveer el peligro que acecha: los arriesgados viajes en bote, el implacable desierto, las...

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer and viruses; helped lead to in vitro...

"Vastly informative and vastly entertaining...A scholarly and fascinating book." —Los Angeles Times

With dazzling wit and astonishing insight, Bill Bryson explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience and sheer fun of the English language.

From the first descent of the larynx into the throat (why you can talk but your dog can't), to the fine lost art of swearing, Bryson explores English grammar

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"David Icke's The biggest secret, first published in 1998, has been called the 'Rosetta Stone' of the conspiracy movement for the way it exposed how the pieces fit and the nature of the force behind human control. The trap is the 'Rosetta Stone' of illusory reality and opens the door to freedom in its greatest sense. Read this book and the 'world' will never look the same again. The veil of illusion shall be swept aside and the amazing truth this...

Elegant and wise meditations on youth and age, love and marriage, solitude, peace and contentment. In Gif from the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh shares her meditations on youth and age; love and marriage; peace, solitude and contentment as she set them down during a brief vacation by the sea. Drawing inspiration from the shells on the shore, Lindbergh's musings on the shape of a woman's life bring new understanding to both men and women at any stage...

"Bill Bryson, bestselling author of A Short History of Nearly Everything, takes us on a head-to-toe tour of the marvel that is the human body. As compulsively readable as it is comprehensive, this is Bryson at his very best, a must-read owner's manual for everybody. Bill Bryson once again proves himself to be an incomparable companion as he guides us through the human body--how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and (unfortunately)...

"More women than ever are starting businesses -- side businesses, home-based businesses, hobby businesses and small businesses," says Wright. "With increasing social media platforms and online tools, it's never been easier. But there are also many challenges and questions that come along with starting a business. By giving these women a step-by-step plan, they're able to take the guesswork out of running a business and have the confidence to make...