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RC 36896 ABLAZE: THE STORY OF THE HEROES AND VICTIMS OF CHERNOBYL by Piers Paul Read
Focuses on the human side of the tragedy that hit Chernobyl, Ukraine, on April 26, 1986, when a reactor exploded at the nuclear plant. Read had access to newly declassified documents and talked with survivors, scientists, and officials affected by the accident. He also recounts what happened to those persons held responsible for the disaster.
RC 25945 AIDS: DEADLY THREAT by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein
A straightforward, concise account of the AIDS virus. Includes discussions of the controversy surrounding its discovery, why it is a serious threat, why it developed and spread at such an alarming rate, myths about the disease, and efforts toward finding a cure.
RC 41623 AIDS: WHAT THE GOVERNMENT ISN’T TELLING YOU by Lorraine day
A surgeon says that medical colleagues and government officials have not told the truth about AIDS. Day reveals well-documented facts about the AIDS epidemic. She speaks out on matters of general concern, such as the safety of blood banks, ways that the virus can survive and be transmitted, and how to protect oneself from this fatal disease.
RC 32656 ALLERGIES by Edward Edelson
“Allergy is the body’s defense system gone wrong.” Examines the causes of allergies, including foods, drugs, plants, animals, and insects. Explains how to detect and treat allergies and discusses their relationship to other diseases of the immune system, such as hay fever, asthma, and AIDS. Also describes research efforts and provides a list of sources for more information about allergies, asthma, and immunology.
RC 26042 AND THE BAND PLAYED ON: POLITICS, PEOPLE, AND THE AIDS EPIDEMIC by Randy Shilts
This reporter for the “San Francisco Chronicle” has been covering the AIDS epidemic full-time since 1982. He presents the apathy and politics displayed by the government, the media, the medical establishment, and the gay community before they realized the magnitude of the crisis, as well as the tragic human toll.
RC 33438 AWAKENINGS by Oliver Sacks
Account of the people who fell ill during the great sleeping-sickness epidemic just after World War I. These people with encephalitis lethargica, a form of Parkinson’s disease, were frozen in a catatonic state for decades. But with the introduction of L-DOPA in 1969, they began to experience astonishing “awakenings.” Provides case histories on twenty patients.
RC 38934 BIRTHDAY BOYS by Beryl Bainbridge
Captain Robert Scott and four members of his team each give their fictionalized version of the Antarctic expedition of 1912. The three-year trip aboard a converted whaler had a dual purpose—as a scientific mission and as a race to the South Pole. Individual narratives reveal how pleased each man was with their joint accomplishments and their endurance. But such pride was not enough to overcome disappointment, foolhardiness, and eventual death.
RC 35288 BLOODY DAWN: THE CHRISTIANA RIOT AND RACIAL VIOLENCE IN THE ANTEBELLUM NORTH by Thomas P. Slaughter
In 1851, Maryland slave owner Edward Gorsuch joined a federal posse to reclaim four of his slaves who had escaped to Pennsylvania. The company was met by a group of neighboring blacks and whites banded together to prevent kidnapping of free blacks. When Gorsuch was killed in the ensuing “riot,” the neighbors were tried for treason.
RC 38764 BURIED IN ICE by Owen Beattie and
John Geiger
In 1845 Sir John Franklin set out with two ships and more than 125 men on a well-planned, well-supplied, well-commanded expedition in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. No one returned alive. In this account, an anthropologist and a journalist describe how they solved the 147-year-old mystery.
RC 25895 CHALLENGER: A MAJOR MALFUNCTION by Malcolm McConnell
An expose of what went wrong with the space shuttle “Challenger.” Asserts that while it appeared to be a technological marvel before its disastrous take-off, the “Challenger” was “the ultimate product of blatant congressional pork barreling, bureaucratic duplicity, and corporate deception.”
RC 42430 “CHALLENGER” LAUNCH DECISION: RISKY TECHNOLOGY, CULTURE, AND DEVIANCE AT NASA by Diane Vaughan
Examines the 1986 space shuttle “Challenger” explosion that shocked the nation. Sociologist Vaughan’s interpretation of the event focuses on the NASA environment, organizational culture, and decision-making process that resulted in an “incremental descent into poor judgment.”
RC 41165 COMING PLAGUE: NEWLY EMERGING DISEASES IN A WORLD OUT OF BALANCE
by Laurie Garrett
Using examples such as HIV, tuberculosis, and the Ebola virus, science writer Garret explores the recent history of disease emergence, examines the biology of viral evolution at the microbial level, looks at how humans are aiding and abetting the microbes, and offers some solutions.
RC 24282 DAY OF THE BOMB: COUNTDOWN TO HIROSHIMA by Dan Kurzman
Recounts the events leading to the decision to drop the first atomic bomb, preparations for delivery over the target, and the aftermath as it affected the officials involved. Detailed portraits of American and Japanese scientists, politicians, and military personnel are interwoven in this analysis.
RC 27658 DECEMBER 7, 1941: THE DAY THE JAPANESE ATTACKED PEARL HARBOR
by Gordon Prange, et. al.
Starts on Saturday, December 6, 1941, and closes with “congressional ratification of a fait accompli,” not a declaration of war, on Monday, December 8. Cutting back and forth between civilian, diplomatic, and military venues in Hawaii, Tokyo, Washington, and elsewhere, the author offers a vivid log of individual actions on both sides at a historic flash point. Eyewitness tales of smaller episodes define the human scale of the clash.
RC 29457 DESPERATE JOURNEYS, ABANDONED SOULS: TRUE STORIES OF CASTAWAYS AND OTHER SURVIVORS by Edward E. Leslie
Tells the stories of twenty men and women involved in shipwrecks, earthquakes, plane crashes, and other disasters. Each chapter covers one person’s story, often from diaries, and salutes that person’s courage, resourcefulness, and perseverance.
RC 42833 DISAPPEARANCE: A MAP; A MEDITATION ON DEATH AND LOSS IN THE HIGH LATITUDES
by Sheila Nickerson
The Alaska poet reflects on the ways people have disappeared into her state’s vast wilderness beginning with a colleague whose plane vanished over glaciers in Alaska’s “Bermuda Triangle.” Includes many other accounts: notably those of Sir John Franklin, who disappeared in 1845 with 128 men and two ships, and of Louisiana congressman Hale Boggs, whose plane was lost in 1972.
RC 35517 DISEASE OF SOCIETY: CULTURAL AND INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES TO AIDS
by Dorothy Nelkin
Essays examining the response to AIDS from the perspective of ten years duration of the epidemic. Some essays explore the impact of AIDS on legal and cultural issues, such as discrimination laws and the arts. Others describe the disease’s effect on social institutions, including the family, prisons, and the medical profession.
RC 42018 DYING OF THE TREES: THE PANDEMIC IN AMERICA’S FORESTS by Charles E. Little
A columnist for “Wilderness” and leader of conservation and environmental groups describes tree death in various regions of the United States. He blames policymakers who refuse to see the damage because of their allegiances to commercial interests, and suggests that it may be too late to save the trees.
RC 47531 ENDURANCE: SHACKLETON’S LEGENDARY ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION
by Caroline Alexander
Chronicles the survival of Ernest Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men marooned on ice floes off the coast of Antarctica in 1915. Recounts the entrapment and later destruction of their ship, the “Endurance,” by pack ice and the hardships the men suffered before their rescue in 1916.
RC 31555 EXPLORING THE TITANIC
by Robert D. Ballard
Precisely and dramatically relates the story of the “Titanic’s” fateful voyage in 1912, and her rediscovery and exploration 74 years later.
RC 32616 FALL OF PAN AM 103: INSIDE THE LOCKERBIE INVESTIGATION by Steven Emerson and Brian Duffy
These investigative reporters were given unprecedented access to the officials and their findings regarding the 1988 crash of Pan Am 103. This account discusses warnings the airline received, the ability of terrorists to circumvent security systems, and the work of more than 10,000 agents piecing together countless scraps of information to identify the terrorists.
RC 30337 FINAL WARNING: THE LEGACY OF CHERNOBYL by Robert Peter Gale and
Thomas Hauser
A story of the struggle for survival in the wake of the 1986 nuclear accident at Chernobyl. Dr. Gale, an authority on the treatment of radiation victims, recounts his mission to Russia and describes the cooperation among those helping the victims. Also offers suggestions on preventing further disasters, and a medical program in the event that one does occur.
RC 30012 FIRE ON THE RIM: A FIREFIGHTER’S SEASON AT THE GRAND CANYON
by Stephen J. Pyne
Pyne has spent fifteen summers working for the park Service as a “longshot” firefighter on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. He recounts his firefighting adventures and uses those experiences to illustrate some of the ideological and environmental issues that emerged as a result of the fires of 1988.
RC 32880 FIVE AGAINST THE SEA: A TRUE STORY OF COURAGE AND SURVIVAL by Ron Arias
On January 19, 1988, five fishermen set out in the “Cairo III,” a 29-foot craft, from a Costa Rican village. Six days later, after a particularly good catch, a sudden storm battered their small ship and drove them off course. This is the story of their fight to survive 142 days adrift, and their families’ attempts to get the government to search for the ship.
RC 37430 FORGOTTEN PLAGUE: HOW THE BATTLE AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS WAS WON—AND LOST
by Frank Ryan
Tracing the history of tuberculosis (consumption) and describing the nature of the disease, British physician Ryan discusses the breakthroughs of the scientists involved in the successful search for a cure. Ryan then explains how the combination of AIDS and multiple-drug-resistant tuberculosis strains may turn the disease that can be acquired by breathing into a plague once more.
RC 16141 HIROSHIMA by John Hersey
Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s account of the tragedy of the world’s first atomic bomb, August 6, 1945. Hersey traveled to Japan while the ashes of Hiroshima were still warm to interview the survivors, whose individual stories articulate the devastating aftermath.
RC 23370 HIROSHIMA MAIDENS: A STORY OF COURAGE, COMPASSION, AND SURVIVAL
by Rodney Barker
Barker’s family befriended two of the “Hiroshima Maidens,” women who underwent surgery in the United States to repair the ravages of the atomic blast. After thirty years, he assesses how some of them have fared and documents the unique medical, humanitarian, and diplomatic undertaking that brought them to this country.
RC 35571 HUGH GLASS, MOUNTAIN MAN
by Robert M. McClung
In this fictionalized biography the legendary Hugh Glass, nearly 50, signs on with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. Glass is severely mauled by a huge grizzly bear, and two young men in the hunting party stay behind with Glass to bury him after he dies. Afraid of an Indian attack, the men leave their dying friend, taking his rifle and supplies. But Glass, fueled by his fury, determines to live.
RC 41123 IN THEIR NAME: DEDICATED TO THE BRAVE AND THE INNOCENT, OKLAHOMA CITY, APRIL 1995 by Clive Irving
Official “Project Recovery OKC” commemorative volume describes events surrounding the April 19, 1995 bombing of Oklahoma City’s Murrah Federal Building. Victims of the 9:02 AM blast included workers in the building, clients in the social security office, and children in the daycare center. Rescue workers poured in from around the country to supplement the Oklahoma forces.
RC 41823 INTO THE WILD by Jon Krakauer
Discusses a fatal trek by a young man named Chris McCandless. After graduating from college in 1990, McCandless abandoned his car, gave away his money, and cut off contact with his family. Exactly 112 days after he wandered into the Alaskan wild, McCandless was found dead of starvation. The author looks to himself and other adventurers for an explanation.
RC 44525 INTO THIN AIR: A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF THE MOUNT EVEREST DISASTER
by Jon Krakauer
A journalist’s first-hand report on the ill-fated Mt. Everest expedition of May, 1996 in which a freak storm claimed the lives of nine adventurers. Describes the grueling ascent of the climbers, their sense of elation at reaching the peak, and the tragic events that followed. Strong language.
RC 27443 KILLING WIND: INSIDE UNION CARBIDE AND THE BHOPAL CATASTROPHE by Dan Kurzman
An hour-by-hour account of the 1984 chemical factory disaster that killed 8,000 people in Bhopal, India. The author, who conducted hundreds of interviews and had unlimited access to company documents, concentrates less on the technical aspects of the tragedy and more on the individual suffering. He reveals the agony of the victims, the conflicting emotions of union Carbide chairman, Warren Anderson, and the battle among the key lawyers involved in the settlement case.
RC 27651 LAST CRUSADE: THE WAR ON CONSUMPTION 1862-1954 by Mark Caldwell
An account of what people thought about tuberculosis, how they pictured it and wrote about it, from the time the American public first discovered consumption as a national scourge in the 1870s, until its partial defeat in the 1950s.
RC 34333 LEGACY OF CHERNOBYL
by Zhores A. Medvedev
An exiled soviet scientist explains how ten times the amount of radiation from the Hiroshima bomb came to be released from the Chernobyl nuclear plant in 1986. In his discussion of the devastating results and the attempted cover-up by Soviet officials, Medvedev claims the accident helped accelerate glasnost.
RC 41508 LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH: TUBERCULOSIS AND THE SOCIAL EXPERIENCE OF ILLNESS IN AMERICAN HISTORY
by Sheila M. Rothman
Studies how generations of individuals, families, and communities responded to people with consumption, later called tuberculosis. Using diaries and letters, a medical researcher presents patients’ perspectives, tracing the disease once thought hereditary through its successful treatment with drugs to its resurgence in the late 1900s.
RC 35443 LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO WAR: DECEMBER 7, 1941 by Stanley Weintraub
Details events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Begins with a kaleidoscopic view of a world suddenly plunged into global conflict. Focuses on communications between Tokyo and Washington; examines European, African, and pacific war fronts; and eavesdrops on conversations of ordinary citizens. Some strong language.
RC 27775 MASS EXTINCTIONS: ONE THEORY OF WHY THE DINOSAURS VANISHED
by Christopher Lampton
Explains the controversial theory called catastrophic mass extinction, particularly as regards the disappearance of the dinosaurs. Presents arguments for and against the theory, which holds that mass extinctions occur every 26-million years, caused probably by a massive comet or asteroid shower.
RC 33285 MY HIROSHIMA by Junko Morimoto
The author was born in a beautiful city facing the sea and surrounded by green mountains, with seven lovely rivers flowing through it. On the morning of August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on the city and all was destroyed. Over the next five years 200,000 people would die from the effects of that bomb. The author shares her childhood memories of her city and its destruction.
RC 42623 NO DOWNLINK: A DRAMATIC NARRATIVE ABOUT THE “CHALLENGER” ACCIDENT
by Claus Jensen
An overview of the American space program leading up to the fatal launch of space shuttle “Challenger” in 1986. Jensen sees the accident as a symbol of adverse forces in bureaucracies and corporations that undermine personal judgment and integrity.
RC 26071 NUCLEAR WAR: FROM HIROSHIMA TO NUCLEAR WINTER by Laurence Pringle
Traces the development of nuclear warfare from early research on atomic energy and the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, to the present-day arms race and the prospect of “nuclear winter.” Includes a scenario of the effect of a one-megaton explosion on Detroit and a discussion of recent studies on limited and large-scale nuclear war.
RC 42240 OSLER’S WEB: INSIDE THE LABYRINTH OF THE CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME EPIDEMIC
by Hillary Johnson
Chronicles identification and research of chronic fatigue syndrome from 1984 through 1994. Reports of the puzzling medical condition were met with skepticism and even hostility, as shown in assigning the nickname “Yuppie Flu.” Tells how the disease affected patients’ lives as well as what the reaction of the established medical community was toward sympathetic doctors.
RC 44751 PERFECT STORM: A TRUE STORY OF MEN AGAINST THE SEA by Sebastian Junger
Recounts the 1991 loss at sea of the New England fishing boat “Andrea Gail” in the “perfect storm” that resulted from the explosive convergence of several high-energy weather fronts. Depicts a fisherman’s harsh life and gives a likely account of the vessel’s final hour before sinking. Vividly portrays failed rescue efforts and people drowning.
RC 39818 PLAGUE MAKERS: HOW WE ARE CREATING CATASTROPHIC NEW EPIDEMICS AND WHAT WE MUST DO TO AVERT THEM
by Jeffrey A. Fisher
Dr. Fisher asserts that, due to several factors, resistance to antibiotics has been developing for more than fifty of the sixty years the drugs have been in use. Describes fatal infectious diseases no longer responsive to antibiotics and warns that the drugs may play a detrimental role regarding AIDS. Includes suggested steps to avert the catastrophe and a guide to proper antibiotic use.
RC 36165 PREPARING FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY by Paul Kennedy
Historian Kennedy reflects on the probable combined effects of such global issues as continuing population growth, the spread of the AIDS epidemic, the replacement of human labor by technology, and the ongoing destruction of the earth’s natural environment. He emphasizes three key elements in dealing with these issues: the role of education, the place of women, and the need for enlightened political leadership.
RC 19468 SEVEN CAME THROUGH: RICKENBACKER’S FULL STORY
by Edward Rickenbacker
Courageous story of war and men against the sea as Captain Rickenbacker relates his ordeal of 21 days adrift on the Pacific Ocean during World War II.
RC 46507 SHIP OF GOLD IN THE DEEP BLUE SEA
by Gary Kinder
Interweaves an account of the 1857 sinking of the “SS Central America” carrying a cargo of gold bullion and minted coins with the story of the shipwreck’s discovery in 1988 by Tommy Thompson. Describes Thompson’s feat of developing technology to locate and retrieve artifacts from a wooden-hulled ship in 8000 feet of water.
RC 36272 SPILL! THE STORY OF THE “EXXON VALDEZ” by Terry Carr
In the spring of 1989, one of the worst ecological disasters in the nation’s history occurred. The oil tanker “Exxon Valdez” spilled 11-million gallons of oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound, one of the richest wildlife habitats on the continent. The author tells of the carelessness that led to the spill, of the cleanup efforts, and of the impact of the spill on the environment and on the law.
RC 36458 SUMMER OF FIRE: YELLOWSTONE, 1988 by Patricia Lauber
The land within Yellowstone National Park, shaped by volcanic eruptions more than 600,000 years ago, lies across Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. In 1988 the worst forest fire in over 200 years was caused by lightning. The author describes the ravaging by fire of more than 150,000 acres of lush forest and the renewal and enrichment of the area that resulted from the fire.
RC 45898 VIRAL SEX: THE NATURE OF AIDS by Jaap Goudsmit
A history of the AIDS epidemic by a leading researcher in the field. Tracing the origins of the virus from ancient times and its transfer from animals to humans in the twentieth century, the author maintains that disruptions of Africa’s rain forests led to the global spread of the disease. He also speculates about the possible development of a vaccine against AIDS.
YOUNG MEN AND FIRE
by Norman Maclean
Montana, 1949. The profession of smoke jumping—parachuting to trench around forest fires—is less than a decade old. A crew of young smoke jumpers lands for a routine job in Mann Gulch. Within two hours the fire escalates into a “blowup,” and thirteen men are killed. Author Maclean spent the last years of his life investigating the fateful fire and the accusations that the crew leader’s actions caused the deaths. Violence.
Focuses on the human side of the tragedy that hit Chernobyl, Ukraine, on April 26, 1986, when a reactor exploded at the nuclear plant. Read had access to newly declassified documents and talked with survivors, scientists, and officials affected by the accident. He also recounts what happened to those persons held responsible for the disaster.
RC 25945 AIDS: DEADLY THREAT by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein
A straightforward, concise account of the AIDS virus. Includes discussions of the controversy surrounding its discovery, why it is a serious threat, why it developed and spread at such an alarming rate, myths about the disease, and efforts toward finding a cure.
RC 41623 AIDS: WHAT THE GOVERNMENT ISN’T TELLING YOU by Lorraine day
A surgeon says that medical colleagues and government officials have not told the truth about AIDS. Day reveals well-documented facts about the AIDS epidemic. She speaks out on matters of general concern, such as the safety of blood banks, ways that the virus can survive and be transmitted, and how to protect oneself from this fatal disease.
RC 32656 ALLERGIES by Edward Edelson
“Allergy is the body’s defense system gone wrong.” Examines the causes of allergies, including foods, drugs, plants, animals, and insects. Explains how to detect and treat allergies and discusses their relationship to other diseases of the immune system, such as hay fever, asthma, and AIDS. Also describes research efforts and provides a list of sources for more information about allergies, asthma, and immunology.
RC 26042 AND THE BAND PLAYED ON: POLITICS, PEOPLE, AND THE AIDS EPIDEMIC by Randy Shilts
This reporter for the “San Francisco Chronicle” has been covering the AIDS epidemic full-time since 1982. He presents the apathy and politics displayed by the government, the media, the medical establishment, and the gay community before they realized the magnitude of the crisis, as well as the tragic human toll.
RC 33438 AWAKENINGS by Oliver Sacks
Account of the people who fell ill during the great sleeping-sickness epidemic just after World War I. These people with encephalitis lethargica, a form of Parkinson’s disease, were frozen in a catatonic state for decades. But with the introduction of L-DOPA in 1969, they began to experience astonishing “awakenings.” Provides case histories on twenty patients.
RC 38934 BIRTHDAY BOYS by Beryl Bainbridge
Captain Robert Scott and four members of his team each give their fictionalized version of the Antarctic expedition of 1912. The three-year trip aboard a converted whaler had a dual purpose—as a scientific mission and as a race to the South Pole. Individual narratives reveal how pleased each man was with their joint accomplishments and their endurance. But such pride was not enough to overcome disappointment, foolhardiness, and eventual death.
RC 35288 BLOODY DAWN: THE CHRISTIANA RIOT AND RACIAL VIOLENCE IN THE ANTEBELLUM NORTH by Thomas P. Slaughter
In 1851, Maryland slave owner Edward Gorsuch joined a federal posse to reclaim four of his slaves who had escaped to Pennsylvania. The company was met by a group of neighboring blacks and whites banded together to prevent kidnapping of free blacks. When Gorsuch was killed in the ensuing “riot,” the neighbors were tried for treason.
RC 38764 BURIED IN ICE by Owen Beattie and
John Geiger
In 1845 Sir John Franklin set out with two ships and more than 125 men on a well-planned, well-supplied, well-commanded expedition in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. No one returned alive. In this account, an anthropologist and a journalist describe how they solved the 147-year-old mystery.
RC 25895 CHALLENGER: A MAJOR MALFUNCTION by Malcolm McConnell
An expose of what went wrong with the space shuttle “Challenger.” Asserts that while it appeared to be a technological marvel before its disastrous take-off, the “Challenger” was “the ultimate product of blatant congressional pork barreling, bureaucratic duplicity, and corporate deception.”
RC 42430 “CHALLENGER” LAUNCH DECISION: RISKY TECHNOLOGY, CULTURE, AND DEVIANCE AT NASA by Diane Vaughan
Examines the 1986 space shuttle “Challenger” explosion that shocked the nation. Sociologist Vaughan’s interpretation of the event focuses on the NASA environment, organizational culture, and decision-making process that resulted in an “incremental descent into poor judgment.”
RC 41165 COMING PLAGUE: NEWLY EMERGING DISEASES IN A WORLD OUT OF BALANCE
by Laurie Garrett
Using examples such as HIV, tuberculosis, and the Ebola virus, science writer Garret explores the recent history of disease emergence, examines the biology of viral evolution at the microbial level, looks at how humans are aiding and abetting the microbes, and offers some solutions.
RC 24282 DAY OF THE BOMB: COUNTDOWN TO HIROSHIMA by Dan Kurzman
Recounts the events leading to the decision to drop the first atomic bomb, preparations for delivery over the target, and the aftermath as it affected the officials involved. Detailed portraits of American and Japanese scientists, politicians, and military personnel are interwoven in this analysis.
RC 27658 DECEMBER 7, 1941: THE DAY THE JAPANESE ATTACKED PEARL HARBOR
by Gordon Prange, et. al.
Starts on Saturday, December 6, 1941, and closes with “congressional ratification of a fait accompli,” not a declaration of war, on Monday, December 8. Cutting back and forth between civilian, diplomatic, and military venues in Hawaii, Tokyo, Washington, and elsewhere, the author offers a vivid log of individual actions on both sides at a historic flash point. Eyewitness tales of smaller episodes define the human scale of the clash.
RC 29457 DESPERATE JOURNEYS, ABANDONED SOULS: TRUE STORIES OF CASTAWAYS AND OTHER SURVIVORS by Edward E. Leslie
Tells the stories of twenty men and women involved in shipwrecks, earthquakes, plane crashes, and other disasters. Each chapter covers one person’s story, often from diaries, and salutes that person’s courage, resourcefulness, and perseverance.
RC 42833 DISAPPEARANCE: A MAP; A MEDITATION ON DEATH AND LOSS IN THE HIGH LATITUDES
by Sheila Nickerson
The Alaska poet reflects on the ways people have disappeared into her state’s vast wilderness beginning with a colleague whose plane vanished over glaciers in Alaska’s “Bermuda Triangle.” Includes many other accounts: notably those of Sir John Franklin, who disappeared in 1845 with 128 men and two ships, and of Louisiana congressman Hale Boggs, whose plane was lost in 1972.
RC 35517 DISEASE OF SOCIETY: CULTURAL AND INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES TO AIDS
by Dorothy Nelkin
Essays examining the response to AIDS from the perspective of ten years duration of the epidemic. Some essays explore the impact of AIDS on legal and cultural issues, such as discrimination laws and the arts. Others describe the disease’s effect on social institutions, including the family, prisons, and the medical profession.
RC 42018 DYING OF THE TREES: THE PANDEMIC IN AMERICA’S FORESTS by Charles E. Little
A columnist for “Wilderness” and leader of conservation and environmental groups describes tree death in various regions of the United States. He blames policymakers who refuse to see the damage because of their allegiances to commercial interests, and suggests that it may be too late to save the trees.
RC 47531 ENDURANCE: SHACKLETON’S LEGENDARY ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION
by Caroline Alexander
Chronicles the survival of Ernest Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men marooned on ice floes off the coast of Antarctica in 1915. Recounts the entrapment and later destruction of their ship, the “Endurance,” by pack ice and the hardships the men suffered before their rescue in 1916.
RC 31555 EXPLORING THE TITANIC
by Robert D. Ballard
Precisely and dramatically relates the story of the “Titanic’s” fateful voyage in 1912, and her rediscovery and exploration 74 years later.
RC 32616 FALL OF PAN AM 103: INSIDE THE LOCKERBIE INVESTIGATION by Steven Emerson and Brian Duffy
These investigative reporters were given unprecedented access to the officials and their findings regarding the 1988 crash of Pan Am 103. This account discusses warnings the airline received, the ability of terrorists to circumvent security systems, and the work of more than 10,000 agents piecing together countless scraps of information to identify the terrorists.
RC 30337 FINAL WARNING: THE LEGACY OF CHERNOBYL by Robert Peter Gale and
Thomas Hauser
A story of the struggle for survival in the wake of the 1986 nuclear accident at Chernobyl. Dr. Gale, an authority on the treatment of radiation victims, recounts his mission to Russia and describes the cooperation among those helping the victims. Also offers suggestions on preventing further disasters, and a medical program in the event that one does occur.
RC 30012 FIRE ON THE RIM: A FIREFIGHTER’S SEASON AT THE GRAND CANYON
by Stephen J. Pyne
Pyne has spent fifteen summers working for the park Service as a “longshot” firefighter on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. He recounts his firefighting adventures and uses those experiences to illustrate some of the ideological and environmental issues that emerged as a result of the fires of 1988.
RC 32880 FIVE AGAINST THE SEA: A TRUE STORY OF COURAGE AND SURVIVAL by Ron Arias
On January 19, 1988, five fishermen set out in the “Cairo III,” a 29-foot craft, from a Costa Rican village. Six days later, after a particularly good catch, a sudden storm battered their small ship and drove them off course. This is the story of their fight to survive 142 days adrift, and their families’ attempts to get the government to search for the ship.
RC 37430 FORGOTTEN PLAGUE: HOW THE BATTLE AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS WAS WON—AND LOST
by Frank Ryan
Tracing the history of tuberculosis (consumption) and describing the nature of the disease, British physician Ryan discusses the breakthroughs of the scientists involved in the successful search for a cure. Ryan then explains how the combination of AIDS and multiple-drug-resistant tuberculosis strains may turn the disease that can be acquired by breathing into a plague once more.
RC 16141 HIROSHIMA by John Hersey
Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s account of the tragedy of the world’s first atomic bomb, August 6, 1945. Hersey traveled to Japan while the ashes of Hiroshima were still warm to interview the survivors, whose individual stories articulate the devastating aftermath.
RC 23370 HIROSHIMA MAIDENS: A STORY OF COURAGE, COMPASSION, AND SURVIVAL
by Rodney Barker
Barker’s family befriended two of the “Hiroshima Maidens,” women who underwent surgery in the United States to repair the ravages of the atomic blast. After thirty years, he assesses how some of them have fared and documents the unique medical, humanitarian, and diplomatic undertaking that brought them to this country.
RC 35571 HUGH GLASS, MOUNTAIN MAN
by Robert M. McClung
In this fictionalized biography the legendary Hugh Glass, nearly 50, signs on with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. Glass is severely mauled by a huge grizzly bear, and two young men in the hunting party stay behind with Glass to bury him after he dies. Afraid of an Indian attack, the men leave their dying friend, taking his rifle and supplies. But Glass, fueled by his fury, determines to live.
RC 41123 IN THEIR NAME: DEDICATED TO THE BRAVE AND THE INNOCENT, OKLAHOMA CITY, APRIL 1995 by Clive Irving
Official “Project Recovery OKC” commemorative volume describes events surrounding the April 19, 1995 bombing of Oklahoma City’s Murrah Federal Building. Victims of the 9:02 AM blast included workers in the building, clients in the social security office, and children in the daycare center. Rescue workers poured in from around the country to supplement the Oklahoma forces.
RC 41823 INTO THE WILD by Jon Krakauer
Discusses a fatal trek by a young man named Chris McCandless. After graduating from college in 1990, McCandless abandoned his car, gave away his money, and cut off contact with his family. Exactly 112 days after he wandered into the Alaskan wild, McCandless was found dead of starvation. The author looks to himself and other adventurers for an explanation.
RC 44525 INTO THIN AIR: A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF THE MOUNT EVEREST DISASTER
by Jon Krakauer
A journalist’s first-hand report on the ill-fated Mt. Everest expedition of May, 1996 in which a freak storm claimed the lives of nine adventurers. Describes the grueling ascent of the climbers, their sense of elation at reaching the peak, and the tragic events that followed. Strong language.
RC 27443 KILLING WIND: INSIDE UNION CARBIDE AND THE BHOPAL CATASTROPHE by Dan Kurzman
An hour-by-hour account of the 1984 chemical factory disaster that killed 8,000 people in Bhopal, India. The author, who conducted hundreds of interviews and had unlimited access to company documents, concentrates less on the technical aspects of the tragedy and more on the individual suffering. He reveals the agony of the victims, the conflicting emotions of union Carbide chairman, Warren Anderson, and the battle among the key lawyers involved in the settlement case.
RC 27651 LAST CRUSADE: THE WAR ON CONSUMPTION 1862-1954 by Mark Caldwell
An account of what people thought about tuberculosis, how they pictured it and wrote about it, from the time the American public first discovered consumption as a national scourge in the 1870s, until its partial defeat in the 1950s.
RC 34333 LEGACY OF CHERNOBYL
by Zhores A. Medvedev
An exiled soviet scientist explains how ten times the amount of radiation from the Hiroshima bomb came to be released from the Chernobyl nuclear plant in 1986. In his discussion of the devastating results and the attempted cover-up by Soviet officials, Medvedev claims the accident helped accelerate glasnost.
RC 41508 LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH: TUBERCULOSIS AND THE SOCIAL EXPERIENCE OF ILLNESS IN AMERICAN HISTORY
by Sheila M. Rothman
Studies how generations of individuals, families, and communities responded to people with consumption, later called tuberculosis. Using diaries and letters, a medical researcher presents patients’ perspectives, tracing the disease once thought hereditary through its successful treatment with drugs to its resurgence in the late 1900s.
RC 35443 LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO WAR: DECEMBER 7, 1941 by Stanley Weintraub
Details events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Begins with a kaleidoscopic view of a world suddenly plunged into global conflict. Focuses on communications between Tokyo and Washington; examines European, African, and pacific war fronts; and eavesdrops on conversations of ordinary citizens. Some strong language.
RC 27775 MASS EXTINCTIONS: ONE THEORY OF WHY THE DINOSAURS VANISHED
by Christopher Lampton
Explains the controversial theory called catastrophic mass extinction, particularly as regards the disappearance of the dinosaurs. Presents arguments for and against the theory, which holds that mass extinctions occur every 26-million years, caused probably by a massive comet or asteroid shower.
RC 33285 MY HIROSHIMA by Junko Morimoto
The author was born in a beautiful city facing the sea and surrounded by green mountains, with seven lovely rivers flowing through it. On the morning of August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on the city and all was destroyed. Over the next five years 200,000 people would die from the effects of that bomb. The author shares her childhood memories of her city and its destruction.
RC 42623 NO DOWNLINK: A DRAMATIC NARRATIVE ABOUT THE “CHALLENGER” ACCIDENT
by Claus Jensen
An overview of the American space program leading up to the fatal launch of space shuttle “Challenger” in 1986. Jensen sees the accident as a symbol of adverse forces in bureaucracies and corporations that undermine personal judgment and integrity.
RC 26071 NUCLEAR WAR: FROM HIROSHIMA TO NUCLEAR WINTER by Laurence Pringle
Traces the development of nuclear warfare from early research on atomic energy and the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, to the present-day arms race and the prospect of “nuclear winter.” Includes a scenario of the effect of a one-megaton explosion on Detroit and a discussion of recent studies on limited and large-scale nuclear war.
RC 42240 OSLER’S WEB: INSIDE THE LABYRINTH OF THE CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME EPIDEMIC
by Hillary Johnson
Chronicles identification and research of chronic fatigue syndrome from 1984 through 1994. Reports of the puzzling medical condition were met with skepticism and even hostility, as shown in assigning the nickname “Yuppie Flu.” Tells how the disease affected patients’ lives as well as what the reaction of the established medical community was toward sympathetic doctors.
RC 44751 PERFECT STORM: A TRUE STORY OF MEN AGAINST THE SEA by Sebastian Junger
Recounts the 1991 loss at sea of the New England fishing boat “Andrea Gail” in the “perfect storm” that resulted from the explosive convergence of several high-energy weather fronts. Depicts a fisherman’s harsh life and gives a likely account of the vessel’s final hour before sinking. Vividly portrays failed rescue efforts and people drowning.
RC 39818 PLAGUE MAKERS: HOW WE ARE CREATING CATASTROPHIC NEW EPIDEMICS AND WHAT WE MUST DO TO AVERT THEM
by Jeffrey A. Fisher
Dr. Fisher asserts that, due to several factors, resistance to antibiotics has been developing for more than fifty of the sixty years the drugs have been in use. Describes fatal infectious diseases no longer responsive to antibiotics and warns that the drugs may play a detrimental role regarding AIDS. Includes suggested steps to avert the catastrophe and a guide to proper antibiotic use.
RC 36165 PREPARING FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY by Paul Kennedy
Historian Kennedy reflects on the probable combined effects of such global issues as continuing population growth, the spread of the AIDS epidemic, the replacement of human labor by technology, and the ongoing destruction of the earth’s natural environment. He emphasizes three key elements in dealing with these issues: the role of education, the place of women, and the need for enlightened political leadership.
RC 19468 SEVEN CAME THROUGH: RICKENBACKER’S FULL STORY
by Edward Rickenbacker
Courageous story of war and men against the sea as Captain Rickenbacker relates his ordeal of 21 days adrift on the Pacific Ocean during World War II.
RC 46507 SHIP OF GOLD IN THE DEEP BLUE SEA
by Gary Kinder
Interweaves an account of the 1857 sinking of the “SS Central America” carrying a cargo of gold bullion and minted coins with the story of the shipwreck’s discovery in 1988 by Tommy Thompson. Describes Thompson’s feat of developing technology to locate and retrieve artifacts from a wooden-hulled ship in 8000 feet of water.
RC 36272 SPILL! THE STORY OF THE “EXXON VALDEZ” by Terry Carr
In the spring of 1989, one of the worst ecological disasters in the nation’s history occurred. The oil tanker “Exxon Valdez” spilled 11-million gallons of oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound, one of the richest wildlife habitats on the continent. The author tells of the carelessness that led to the spill, of the cleanup efforts, and of the impact of the spill on the environment and on the law.
RC 36458 SUMMER OF FIRE: YELLOWSTONE, 1988 by Patricia Lauber
The land within Yellowstone National Park, shaped by volcanic eruptions more than 600,000 years ago, lies across Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. In 1988 the worst forest fire in over 200 years was caused by lightning. The author describes the ravaging by fire of more than 150,000 acres of lush forest and the renewal and enrichment of the area that resulted from the fire.
RC 45898 VIRAL SEX: THE NATURE OF AIDS by Jaap Goudsmit
A history of the AIDS epidemic by a leading researcher in the field. Tracing the origins of the virus from ancient times and its transfer from animals to humans in the twentieth century, the author maintains that disruptions of Africa’s rain forests led to the global spread of the disease. He also speculates about the possible development of a vaccine against AIDS.
YOUNG MEN AND FIRE
by Norman Maclean
Montana, 1949. The profession of smoke jumping—parachuting to trench around forest fires—is less than a decade old. A crew of young smoke jumpers lands for a routine job in Mann Gulch. Within two hours the fire escalates into a “blowup,” and thirteen men are killed. Author Maclean spent the last years of his life investigating the fateful fire and the accusations that the crew leader’s actions caused the deaths. Violence.
