Waste; Uncovering The Global Food Scandal

By Tristam Stuart
"British author Stuart (The Bloodless Revolution: A Cultural History of Vegetarianism from 1600 to Modern Times, 2007) knows firsthand that in one day a supermarket in a major city can throw out enough food to feed 100 people. A practitioner of the anti-consumerist "freegan" lifestyle, he has salvaged discarded, unspoiled food from store dumpsters in many countries. Here he shows how developed nations treat food as a "disposable commodity" at every step of the journey from farm to dinner table. In the United States alone, "around 50 per cent of all food is wasted." Farmers discard misshapen produce; fishermen throw back fish that are too small or the wrong species (killing most in the process). Supermarkets overstock to keep their shelves full and ensure they always have shoppers' favorite products; others simply predict sales badly. Consumers overbuy out of a "primeval hoarding instinct" and discard about one quarter of their food purchases in the form of leftovers or unopened packages. If all the waste stopped, Stuart argues, it would free up food for the world's hungry and reduce the greenhouse-gas emissions from agriculture that contribute to global warming. The global impact is such that the UN has called for a halving of food waste by 2025. Thus far, few governments and industries have acted. " (Kirkus Reviews)
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Stones Into Schools; Promoting Peace With Books, Not Bombs, In Afghanistan and Pakistan

By Greg Mortenson
"In this follow-up to his phenomenal best seller, Three Cups of Tea, Mortenson continues to explore his efforts to bring education to girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan while dodging bullets and building relationships with Islamic clerics, commandants, and tribal leaders." (LJ Reviews)
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When China Rules The World; The End Of The Western World And The Birth Of A New Global Order

By Martin Jacques
"A British journalist with experience reporting from China and Japan, Jacques explores the increasing influence of a strengthening China on international relations. Citing economic statistics in abundance, Jacques depicts China's booming economy in relative ascendance over those of Europe, Japan, and the U.S. The author argues, however, that China's civilization rather than its GDP will be the crucial impact on the international system, which he sees as Western-created, U.S.-dominated, and—given Jacques' certainty that the U.S. is a declining power—destined to be modified by China. Essentially, Jacques refutes that Western theories of modernization and democratization apply to China and predicts a Chinese style of modernity characterized by a revival of a Chinese historical sense of civilizational superiority." (Book list Reviews)
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The Audacity To Win: The Inside Story And Lessons Of Barack Obama's Historic Election

By David Plouffe
"The 44th president's campaign manager reveals the strategies that he credits with Obama's successful primary and general elections, explaining how a combination of technology and grassroots organization is revolutionizing politics." (Baker & Taylor"
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Googled; The End Of The World As We Know It

By Ken Auletta
"A corporate upstart just over a decade old, Google has wormed its way into our lives, our vocabulary, and even the hallowed halls of academe, with Internet dominance and multibillion-dollar advertising revenues that make it one of the largest media entities of all time. New Yorker media critic Auletta (Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way), who spent several years researching Google and interviewing hundreds of company and industry players, delivers the real scoop on how this Internet giant fits into the larger media landscape. His fascinating examination illuminates Google's world from just about every conceivable angle: competitive, legal, regulatory, cultural, and ethical. He wraps up with an assessment of where the behemoth might be headed but provides enough insight to allow readers to draw their own conclusions about Google and whether its emergence really does spell the end of the world as we know it. VERDICT While the Google phenomenon has spawned dozens of books, Auletta's years of research and firsthand access to insiders, critics, competitors, and commentators give readers a well-rounded perspective on the company and how it fits into the wider milieu." (Library Journal)
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Too Big To Fail: The Inside Story Of How Wall Street And Washington Fought To Save The Financial System From Crisis --And Themselves

By Andrew Ross Sorkin
"A real-life thriller about the most tumultuous period in America’s financial history by an acclaimed New York Times Reporter.

Andrew Ross Sorkin delivers the first true behind-the-scenes, moment-by-moment account of how the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression developed into a global tsunami. From inside the corner office at Lehman Brothers to secret meetings in South Korea, and the corridors of Washington, Too Big to Fail is the definitive story of the most powerful men and women in finance and politics grappling with success and failure, ego and greed, and, ultimately, the fate of the world’s economy." (Barnes & Noble)

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