Busted; Life Inside The Great Mortgage Meltdown

By Edmund Andrews
"As I write in February 2009, I am four months past due on my mortgage and bracing for foreclosure proceedings to begin.” Thus begins this cautionary and critical examination of the housing crisis, a story that turned personal when New York Times economics reporter Andrews got caught up in the housing bubble after falling in love with a woman and a house...... Because of his economics journalism background, Andrews says he “should have avoided the mortgage catastrophe,” and he castigates himself as well as fellow borrowers, the financial industry that took advantage of them and a government that didn't put the brakes on the crisis that many economists warned about but that Alan Greenspan, the Bush administration and others ignored. This deeply personal expos is timely and sobering in its candor."
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How Barack Won; A State By State Guide To The Historic 2008 Election

By Chuck Todd

"From NBC's political director and elections director. Readers who pick this up for, say, a quick check of McCain's margin of victory in Montana will find themselves tempted to embark on a full cross-country trip through these pages. States here are divided into four categories: "Battleground States," "Receding Battleground States," "Emerging Battleground States," and "Red and Blue States" (not clear why that wasn't two separate lists). Entries are from two to five pages long, more for states in flux than the true Blue or Red ones, with a clear format of both textual and tabular information on the state's 2008 presidential choice, its party support in the past, and what to keep an eye on in future elections. A final section of tables analyzing the 2008 electorate is fascinating."

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Great Jobs In The President's Stimulus Plan

By Laurence Shatkin

"President Obama's huge economic stimulus plan aims to create or save 3 to 4 million jobs for recession-weary Americans and for a nation in need of rebuilding, modernization, and recovery. But which jobs, exactly, offer the most opportunity for workers? This new book covers the best occupations that are in demand from this bold initiative, including jobs in infrastructure, energy, green technology, health care, education, and manufacturing." Check Our Catalog

If That Ever Happens To Me: Making Life and Death Decisions After Terry Schiavo

By Lois Shepherd

"..Admitting that decisions relating to permanent vegetative states are different from those surrounding terminally ill or minimally conscious patients, Shepherd (law & public health sciences, Univ. of Virginia) considers some of the tough ethical and emotional considerations involved and how existing laws may be strengthened. Pointing out weaknesses related to living wills and offering suggestions on alternative ways to ensure that a patient's rights and wishes are respected, she also expresses concern for the need to respect patients' privacy and gives careful consideration to whether nutrition and hydration should be considered "basic care."
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The Blue Sweater: Bridging The Gap Between Rich And Poor In An Interconnected World

By Jacqueline Novogratz
"Novogratz (founder, CEO, Acumen Fund) presents an insider's view of charitable foundations and microfinance institutions, including her own venture capital firm for the poor. Her greatest critique of philanthropic efforts is that despite their best intentions, they often focus more on making donors feel good than on actually doing good for those in need. . ....Philanthropies, she says, should focus on bringing the poor into the global economic system in a sustainable way. Novogratz is most effective when examining the organizations and people with whom she works,... ...the book valuably highlights the importance of accountability in charity and of social responsibility in business. "
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The Age Of The Unthinkable: Why The New Global Disorder Constantly Surprises Us And What To Do About It

By Joshua Cooper Ramo

" Former foreign editor of Time, Ramo pushes the reader into uncomfortable yet exhilarating places with controversial ways of thinking about global challenges (e.g., studying why Hezbollah is the most efficiently run Islamic militant group). His book, which lays bare the flaws in current thinking on everything from American political influence to the economy, is designed to change the physics of the way we think. Analyzing the failure of the Bush administration's Democratic Peace Theory and the fruitless efforts at a Mideast peace process, Ramo suggests that people must change the role they imagine for themselves from architects of a system they can control to gardeners in a living ecosystem. Ramo's message—that the most dynamic forces emerge from outside elite circles: geeks, iconoclasts and maligned populations—is persuasively argued. "

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No Right To Remain Silent; The Tragedy At Virginia Tech

By Lucinda Roy

"Chronicles one teacher's efforts to reach out and help the extremely troubled Seung Hui Cho, which were hampered by the school's rules regarding student confidentiality, leading to the April 2007 massacre of thirty-two students at Virginia Tech."

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