John D. Vairo Library   Brandywine

Age:

"Despite living in a youth-oriented society, many of the aged patients seen by Dr. Levine have kept their emotional zest, intellectual zeal, and empowering dignity. And this neurologist author shows steps we can take to age while retaining these qualities in defiance of a society that challenges this quest. Living longer is not enough for most of us; we don't want to just survive. The quality of our life as we age is most important, and much of that depends on our attitudes and approach” (Amazon product description). Learn more in Aging with attitude : growing older with dignity and vitality by R. Levine.

American Dream:

In the book The American Dream: a short history of an idea that shaped a nation by Jim Cullen, you will learn of the several different interpretations of this concept that have shaped our nation’s history. Also, this book explores the fact that the “United States, unlike most other nations, defines itself not on the facts of blood, religion, language, geography, or shared history, but on a set of ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence and consolidated in the Constitution” (Amazon book description).

Anime:

“Suddenly anime is . . . exploding. But where did Japanese animation come from, and what does it all mean? Written for fans, culture watchers, and perplexed outsiders, this is an engaging tour of the anime megaverse, from older arts and manga traditions to the works of modern directors like Miyazaki and Otomo. Read about anime standbys like giant robots, samurai, furry beasts, high school heroines, and gay/girl/fanboy love-even war and reincarnation, plus all of anime's major themes, styles, and conventions” (Amazon Book Description). For more information check out Anime explosion! : the what? why? & wow! of Japanese animation by Patrick Drazen.

Apology:

The book The One Minute Apology: a powerful way to make things better by Ken Blanchard is “an enlightening business parable. Presents a concept that, implemented properly, is one of the most powerful actions for improving company and employee moral. Step by step, Blanchard teaches readers how to accept responsibility for their errors and deal with the cause of the damage while maintaining integrity” (Amazon book description).

Beliefs / Superstitions

The book Why people believe weird things : pseudoscience, superstition, and other confusions of our time by Michael Shermer “covers Holocaust denial and creationism in considerable detail, and has chapters on abductions, Satanism, Afrocentrism, near-death experiences, Randian positivism, and psychics. Shermer has five basic answers to the implied question in his title: for consolation, for immediate gratification, for simplicity, for moral meaning, and because hope springs eternal. He shows the kinds of errors in thinking that lead people to believe weird (that is, unsubstantiated) things, especially the built-in human need to see patterns, even where there is no pattern to be seen” (Amazon Review).

Binocular rivalry

“Researchers today in neuroscience and cognitive psychology increasingly turn their attention to binocular rivalry and other forms of perceptual ambiguity or bistability. The study of fluctuations in visual perception in the face of unchanging visual input offers a means for understanding the link between neural events and visual events, including visual awareness. Some neuroscientists believe that binocular rivalry reveals a fundamental aspect of human cognition and provides a way to isolate and study brain areas involved in attention and selection” (Amazon Book Description). Check out Binocular Rivalry by David Alais for more information.

Biological Clocks:

"Why can't teenagers get out of bed in the morning? How do bees tell the time? Why do some plants open and close their flowers at the same time each day? Why do so many people suffer the misery of jet lag? In this fascinating book, Russell Foster and Leon Kreitzman explain the significance of the biological clock, showing how it has played an essential role in evolution and why it continues to play a vitally important role in all living organisms” (Amazon product description). Read more in Rhythms of life : the biological clocks that control the daily lives of every living thing by Russell Foster and Leon Kreitzman.

Boyhood:

The book Boyhood in America by Priscilla Clement and Jacqueline Reinier, “focus[es] on the life and history of American boyhood through the centuries-on the plains and farms, in the cities and factories. Coverage spans education, ethnicity, sports, work, religion, health issues, and more” (Amazon book description).

Childhood:

"Being a child in American society can be problematic. Twenty percent of American children live in poverty, parents are divorcing at high rates, and educational institutions are not always fulfilling their goals. Against this backdrop, children are often patronized or idealized by adults. Rarely do we look for the strengths within children that can serve as the foundation for growth and development” (Amazon product description). Find out more in Rethinking childhood by P. B. Pufall and R. P. Unsworth.

Children’s Television Programming:

“Sesame Street… aimed to demonstrate how television could help all preschoolers, including low-income urban children, prepare for first grade. In this engaging study Robert W. Morrow explores the origins and inner workings of CTW…, Morrow tells the story of Sesame Street's creation; the ideas, techniques, organization, and funding behind it; its place in public discourse; and its ultimate and unfortunate failure as an agent of commercial television reform” (Amazon Book Description). Find out more in Sesame Street and the reform of children's television.

Computer Game Culture:

“Even though computer games are essentially entertainment, they are in fact important mediating agents for the broad exercise of socio-political power. The author highlights the ways in which ideology is coded into games. Computer games, he argues, have transformative effects on the consciousness of players, like poetry, fiction, journalism, and film, but the implications of these transformations are not always clear” (Book cover/jacket). For more information check out Game work : language, power, and computer game culture by Ken McAllister.

Conflict:

The book The art of managing everyday conflict : understanding emotions and power struggles . by E. A. Fisher “ discuss[es] the "hows" and "whys" of conflict and provide solutions to conflict for most situations. They help readers understand how emotions move us into playing one of the classic roles in conflict (Victim, Persecutor, Instigator, or Rescuer) and describe how emotions can be used to minimize and remove serious conflict from our lives” (Book News review).

Conscience:

More of an anecdotal book than a research study, the author's main premise is: “When confronted with a choice, we should always choose the right thing…. The author illustrat[es] the benefits of making the right choice - performing an act of conscience” (Booklist review). Read more in The Light of Conscience: How a Simple Act Can Change Your Life by Bill Shore.

Copyright law:

In Copyright’s highway: from Gutenberg to the celestial jukebox , Paul Goldstein “offers a lively explanation of the concepts of copyright as it has evolved in relation to new technologies for the reproduction and transmission of intellectual property” (Amazon book description).

The Creative Class :

"Members of this group include scientists, engineers, architects, educators, writers, artists, and entertainers. He defines this class as those whose economic function is to create new ideas, new technology, and new creative content… [this group] profoundly influences work and lifestyle issues. The purpose of this book is to examine how and why we value creativity more highly than ever and cultivate it more intensely” (Booklist review). Read more in: The rise of the creative class : and how it's transforming work, leisure, community and everyday life by Richard Florida.

Culture:

Does the world culture mean today what it meant before this modern era? How has technology and the times we live in changed our culture? Learn more in Culture in the Communication Age by James Lull.

Darwinism:

In Uncommon dissent : intellectuals who find Darwinism unconvincing , “mathematician and philosopher (author) William A. Dembski brings together essays by leading intellectuals who find one or more aspects of Darwinism unpersuasive” (Amazon product description).

Deaf Culture / Being Deaf:

“In this absorbing story of the changing life of a community, the authors reveal historical events and forces that have shaped the ways that Deaf people define themselves today. Inside Deaf Culture relates Deaf people's search for a voice of their own, and their proud self-discovery and self-description as a flourishing culture” (Amazon Book Description). Check out Inside Deaf Culture by Carol Padden and Tom Humphries for more information.

Dollar, value of:

How much did your money buy you in the year 1689? What about 1725? And 1854? The value of a dollar : colonial era to the Civil War, 1600-1865 by Scott Derks “is an engaging statistical summary that looks at the history of the American people through the eyes of everyday workers and consumers”.

Drinking Culture:

Drinking cultures : alcohol and identity by Thomas Wilson “looks at the meanings of alcohol consumption across cultures. Contributors look at the interplay of culture and power in bars and pubs, the significance of advertising symbols, the role of drink in day-to-day rituals and much more. The result is the first sustained, cross-cultural study of the profound impact alcohol has on national identity throughout the world today” (Amazon Book Description).

E-business:

With information changing so rapidly, it is hard to keep up with this thing called “e-business” or “e-commerce.” However, this is the business concept of the future. For an in-depth overview about how to manage and implement such an idea, read Pushing the Digital Frontier: insights into the changing landscape of e-business by Nirmal Pal and Judith Ray.

Emotion:

In Emotion: the science of sentiment by Dylan Evans, you will learn that “although social scientists once held that the emotions were the product of cultural conditioning, it is now apparent that they're hard-wired into the human psyche, universal and constant” (Amazon review).

Equality:

The differences between men and women, especially at the workplace, are glaringly obvious. How do we define equality and why are things still so unequal? Learn more in Women, Gender, and Work: what is equality and how do we get there? by Martha Loutfi.

Exuberance:

In Exuberance : the passion for life . Kay Jamison “ describes [exuberance] as a desirable and nonpathological state of heightened awareness that gives rise to courage, discovery and creativity… Exuberance can transform mere curiosity into the quest for knowledge and, ultimately, the discovery of new worlds. She also argues for a genetic predisposition for the exuberant personality” (Washington Post Book World review).

Forgiveness:

Although Forgiveness is a Choice: a step-by-step process for resolving anger and restoring hope by Robert D. Enright is a self-help book, it can give important insight into this concept that all of us desire, but few know how to ultimately achieve.

Friendships (Children):

“This book is a beautifully written account of children's early friendships from Judy Dunn, the leading international authority on childhood development. Drawing on evidence from studies on both sides of the Atlantic, it considers the nature and significance of such relationships for children's development and well-being” (Amazon Book Description). Check out Children's friendships: the beginnings of intimacy for more information.

Fundamentalism (religion):

“Why do fundamentalist movements turn violent? Are fundamentalisms a global threat to human rights, security and democratic forms of government? What is the future of fundamentalism? This book draws on the results of the Fundamentalism Project, a decade-long interdisciplinary study of antimodernist, antisecular militant religious movements on five continents” (Amazon book description). Check out Strong Religion: the rise of fundamentalisms around the world by Gabriel A. Almond.

Gambling:

“Is it a harmless pastime or a dangerous addiction? Does it corrupt government at all levels and undermine the social fabric or has gambling contributed much-needed funds to local communities? Whether we like it or not, gambling is now a major economic force in the United States” (Amazon book description). Answers to these questions can be found in Gambing: who wins? who loses? by Gerda Reith.

Good and Evil:

Why are some people kind and others murder or hurt? Do good people do bad things? What in society makes us this way? Or, are humans like this just due to genetics and human nature? All these questions will be answered in the book The social psychology of good and evil by Arthur G. Miller.

Happiness:

What is happiness and how does one achieve it? In the book Authentic happiness by Martin Seligman, he says that “happiness is not the result of good genes or luck. It can be cultivated by identifying and nurturing traits that we already possess -- including kindness, originality, humor, optimism, and generosity” (Amazon product description).

Hate:

"Why do people hate to such an extent that they will commit violence? [The authors] explore hatred, whether it is inborn or learned behavior, what triggers it, and how it can be curbed. They examine how hatred is provoked by envy, frustration, or the need to control. They examine the rising anti-Muslim feelings in the wake of the terrorist attacks, America's troubled history of hatred toward blacks and Jews, and ethnic hatred that has spurred continued violence in nations around the world” (Booklist book review). Find out more in Why we hate by J. Levin and G. Rabrenovic.

Heavy metal music:

This book gives a very detailed history of this particular musical genre, starting in the early 1970’s with the group Black Sabbath. Any rock music fan should consider this as a topic. Check out Sound of the Beast: the complete headbanging history of heavy metal by Ian Christe.

Holiday symbols/customs:

Want to explore a holiday tradition or custom? Start with the book Holiday Symbols and Customs by Jill Ellen Briscoe and Sue Ellen Thompson. “This guide describes more than 1,000 well-known holidays, customs, and traditions from around the world, including major sporting events such as the Indy 500, perennial favorites such as St. Patrick's Day, and lesser-known customs such as Nigeria's Ogun Festival” (Barnes and Noble Website).

Human Individuality:

In No two alike : human nature and human individuality, “Judith Harris offers a "scientific detective story" aimed at uncovering the secret of human individuality. Armed with new psychological theories and cutting-edge, high-tech tools, Harris takes a multidisciplinary approach to answering the nagging question of why identical twins raised in the same household often differ, sometimes dramatically, in personality” (Booklist review).

Human Nature:

The book The Origins of Human Nature: evolutionary developmental psychology by David Bjorklund and Anthony Pellegrini “provide[s] an overview of the field of evolutionary developmental psychology, applying the principles of Darwinian evolution to contemporary human development” (Book News).

Human Rights (technology):

“The challenges of the information age open on to the need for a wider rationality or reasonableness and raise profound questions about the possibilities of human trust, mutuality and social solidarity” (book cover). Read Human Rights in an Information Age: a philosophical anaylsis by Greggory Walters for more information.

Humor:

In Humor: the psychology of living buoyantly, Herbert Lefcourt  “examines humor as a mechanism for coping with adversity. Chapters address topics like: the experience of humor in everyday life; early conceptions of humor in religion, medicine, philosophy, and psychology” (Book News).

Identity Theft:

Your evil twin : behind the identity theft epidemic by Bob Sullivan “covers this exploding crime from every possible angle. It includes exclusive whodunit details from mastermind identity thieves who have pilfered money from half the members of the Forbes 400, as well as exclusive interviews with a myriad of criminals in the Internet's underground, such as Russian hackers who have extorted money from U.S. banks. The book also issues a scathing indictment of the credit granting industry, from credit card issuers to the secretive credit reporting agencies, who have misunderstood the crime from the start, have been slow to respond, and bear much of the responsibility for the epidemic” (Amazon Book Description).

Inequality/injustice:

“This book uses a human rights framework to analyze how group-level social inequalities and injustices are socially constructed and maintained through violations of human rights on grounds of race, gender, sexuality, etc., and how human rights legislation can help such violations to effectively be redressed. Although it focuses primarily on democratic nations, it uses international case material to highlight key global issues (Amazon product description).” Check out more in Social inequality and social injustice : a human rights perspective by E. Kallen.

Intelligent Design:

The authors “take intelligent design's two most famous claims––irreducible complexity and information-based arguments––and show that neither challenges Darwinian evolution. They also discuss thermodynamics and self-organization; the ways human design is actually identified in fields such as forensic archaeology; how research in machine intelligence indicates that intelligence itself is the product of chance and necessity; and cosmological fine-tuning arguments” (Amazon product description). Find out more in Why Intelligent Design Fails: A Scientific Critique of the New Creationism by Matt Young and Taner Edis.

Internet:

The book Society online : the Internet in context by Philip Howard and Steve Jones “ examines how new media technologies have not simply diffused across society, but how they have rapidly and deeply become embedded in our organizations and institutions… this unique text is organized by how these new technologies mediate the community, political, economic, personal, and global spheres of our social lives” (Amazon product description).

Jihad:

“Through several years of primary field research, the author unravels the story of the jihadist movement and explores how it came into being, the philosophies of its founding fathers, its structure, the rifts and tensions that split its ranks, and why some members, like Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, favored international over local strategies in taking the war to the West” (Amazon Book Description). Find out more in The far enemy : why Jihad went global by Fawaz A. Gerges.

Knowledge:

What is knowledge, philosophically speaking, that is? In What Can We Know?: an introduction to the theory of knowledge, Louis Pojman,“ analyzes the central topics of truth, justification ranging from skepticism to religious belief” (Barnes and Noble website).

Leadership:

In The nature of leadership by J. Antonakis, A. T. Cianciolo and R. J. Sternberg, you will be provided “ compelling answers to the most vexing questions surrounding leadership: Is leadership measurable? Are there traits that reliably distinguish leaders from nonleaders? Does the situation matter? Are there differences in women's and men's leadership styles? Is ethical leadership effective leadership? Are elements of leadership culturally bounded whereas other elements are universal? Does vision really matter?  Can leadership be developed?” (Amazon product review).

Liberal Media:

The book What Liberal Media? The truth about bias and the news by Eric Alterman, argues this point: “the conservatives in the newspapers, television, talk radio, and the Republican party are lying about liberal bias and repeating the same lies long enough that they've taken on a patina of truth” (Amazon review).

Living Forever:

“The idea behind Kurzweil and Grossman's Fantastic Voyage: live long enough to live forever is that if you can make it through the next 50 years, you might become immortal. How will that be possible? Through some rather science fictional steps, it turns out, including taking advantage of the latest in biotechnological breakthroughs and not-yet-invented nanotechnology. Whether or not you think that science will find a way to keep our bodies or our disembodied minds alive forever, this book is full of diet and lifestyle tips” (Amazon Review).

Marriage:

“Stephanie Coontz's fascinating study places current concepts of marriage in broad historical context, revealing that there is much more to "I do" than meets the eye. In ancient Rome, no distinction was made between cohabitation and marriage; during the Middle Ages, marriage was regarded less as a bond of love than as a " 'career' decision"; in the Victorian era, the increasingly important idea of true love "undermined the gender hierarchy of the home" (Publisher’s Weekly Review). Learn more in Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage.

Misogyny:

In Misogyny: the male malady, David Gilmore contends that “males are both drawn to female's sources of life, pleasure and heirs and fearful of their power” (Publisher's Weekly).

Monogamy:

"The unfaithful behavior displayed by so many in our culture is natural and that, in truth, the unnatural behavior is the attempted practice of monogamy” (Amazon book description). For much more insight, read The Myth of Monogamy: fidelity and infidelity in animals and people by David Barash and Judith Lipton.

Moods:

Mind, Stress and Emotions: the new science of mood by Gene Wallenstein "describes research into the genetic, biological, psychological, and environmental bases of emotions; and links new discoveries in brain science with novel treatment strategies for mood and anxiety disorders” (Book News).

Online culture:

While cyberspace is hyped as a disembodied cultural arena where physical reality can be transcended, the author finds that to understand how people experience the internet, she must learn how to be embodied there-a process of acculturation and immersion which is not so different from other anthropological projects of cross-cultural understanding. Both new and not-so-new, cyberspace provides a context in which we can ask new sorts of questions about all cultural experience” (Amazon Book Description). Find out more in Life online : researching real experience in virtual space by Annette Markham.

Personality:

In No two alike : human nature and human individuality, “Judith Harris offers a "scientific detective story" aimed at uncovering the secret of human individuality. Armed with new psychological theories and cutting-edge, high-tech tools, Harris takes a multidisciplinary approach to answering the nagging question of why identical twins raised in the same household often differ, sometimes dramatically, in personality” (Booklist review).

Poverty:

The Persistence of Poverty in the United States by Garth Magnum et al. discusses an “overview of the facts of poverty in the United States, its underlying causes, and the reasons for its persistence in the richest nation in the world” (Amazon book description).

Poverty / the "Working Poor”:

In the book The working poor : invisible in America by David K. Shipler, you will learn that there are “citizens for whom the American Dream is out of reach despite their willingness to work hard. Struggling to simply survive, they live so close to the edge of poverty that a minor obstacle, such as a car breakdown or a temporary illness, can lead to a downward financial spiral that can prove impossible to reverse” (Amazon review).

Reality TV:

Television is inundated with reality shows – but do people still want more or do they still value “regular” TV shows? If you still haven't had enough and want to learn more, read Reality Squared: televisual discourse on the real by James Friedman.

Reasoning:

“Reasoning to the mind is like breathing to the lungs. We are constantly doing it, but rarely take notice. If it fails, however, we are paralyzed. Imagine being unable to infer conclusions from a conversation or being unable to reach a solution to an important life problem. This book focuses on how people draw conclusions from information and discusses the roles that the brain, our memory, and our knowledge play in drawing conclusions in everyday life” (Amazon Product Description). Find out more in The nature of reasoning by R. J. Sternberg and J. P. Leighton.  

Reverence:

In Reverence: renewing a forgotten virtue Paul Woodruff  “probes the meaning of reverence and tries to recover it as an essential component of a moral life. He defines reverence very simply as ‘the well-developed capacity to have the feelings of awe, respect, and shame when these are the right feelings to have'” (Publisher's Weekly).

Reverse discrimination:

In Reverse Discrimination: dismantling the myth , Fred Pincus “traces the evolution of the idea that affirmative action in itself amounts to a form of discrimination. He then examines the empirical evidence. He finds that, contrary to conventional wisdom, white males' experiences of discrimination have little relation to affirmative action policies” (Barnes and Noble website).

Rock music:

All Shook Up: How rock ‘n’ roll changed America by Glenn Altschuler poses this question and answer: “The birth of rock 'n roll ignited a firestorm of controversy… but if it generated much sound and fury, what, if anything, did it signify? This book reveals how rock 'n roll challenged and changed American culture and laid the foundation for the social upheaval of the sixties” (Amazon book description).

Shyness:

The book Understanding Shyness: Psychological Perspectives by Ray Crozier "examines the nature of shyness and its implications for everyday social encounters and relationships, and traces its origins and development in infancy and childhood. He also discusses approaches to modifying shyness and the treatment of more severe forms of social anxiety are also discussed" (Amazon product review).

Singularity:

In The singularity is near : when humans transcend biology, author “Ray Kurzweil further expounds his conviction that the human being will be succeeded by a superintelligent entity that is partly biological, partly computerized. Welcoming this prospect, and regarding it as inevitable, Kurzweil plunges into contemporary technological arenas, particularly genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics. Citing examples from medical devices to military weapons in which human control is increasingly detached from the autonomy of machines, Kurzweil stresses that trends are accelerating in terms of miniaturization and computational power. Eventually, smallness and speed reach a point of development, a "singularity," with implications Kurzweil says even he cannot imagine” (Booklist Review).

Stigmas:

This is a concept that affects many of us, whether we are the perpetrators or the victims. Find out the whys and hows of this in Stigma: how we treat outsiders by Gerhard Falk.

Suicide:

Suicide is an act, but it is also a concept in our culture that has a particular meaning, depending on who you are or what you believe. For more insight, check out Leaving You: the cultural meaning of suicide by Lisa Leiberman.

Superstitions / Beliefs:

The book Why people believe weird things : pseudoscience, superstition, and other confusions of our time by Michael Shermer “covers Holocaust denial and creationism in considerable detail, and has chapters on abductions, Satanism, Afrocentrism, near-death experiences, Randian positivism, and psychics. Shermer has five basic answers to the implied question in his title: for consolation, for immediate gratification, for simplicity, for moral meaning, and because hope springs eternal. He shows the kinds of errors in thinking that lead people to believe weird (that is, unsubstantiated) things, especially the built-in human need to see patterns, even where there is no pattern to be seen” (Amazon Review).

The Tango (dance):

The tango in the United States : a history by C. G. Groppa “chronicles the history of the tango in the United States, from its antecedents in Argentina, Paris, and London to the present day. It covers the dancers, musicians, and composers who were promoting it, and the tango's influence on American music” (Amazon product description).

Theory of Relativity:

It's about time : understanding Einstein's relativity by N. David Mermin is a “readable and complete exposition of the nature of time as addressed in Einstein's special theory of relativity is accessible to readers without training in the sciences. It assumes only competency in simple high school algebra and a bit of elementary plane geometry. The premise of the book is that relativity ought to be an important part of everyone's education because it is largely about time, a subject with which all are familiar. The book reveals that some of our most intuitive notions about time are shockingly wrong, and that the real nature of time discovered by Einstein can be rigorously explained without advanced mathematics” (Amazon Book Description).

TV Talk Shows:

The author looks at these shows from the inside – she did a year long internship with two talk shows, and she interviews the employees, as well as the guests, of the shows. Read The Money Shot: trash, class, and the making of TV talk shows by Laura Grindstaff.

“Virtual State”:

There is an idea that there should/will be a website or “portal” that people could access all areas of government and its offices and programs. This idea has much potential, but how will the government actually do this? Check out more in Building the Virtual State : information technology and institutional change by Jane Fountain.

Whistleblowing:

“Whistleblowers can ruin lives--and can save them. Is it worth it? In Whistleblowing: when it works- and why, Roberta Ann Johnson explores when and how--and to what effect--people make the choice to blow the whistle” (Amazon book description). 

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