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Blood Orchid: An Unnatural History of America
by Charles BowdenThe renowned author explores the violent and corrupt history of America in “a haunted, often brilliant journey into the heart of our darkness” (Frederick Turner).Blood Orchid is the first volume in Charles Bowden’s Unnatural History of America sextet. It is a deeply personal and bracingly sharp chronicle of his quest to unearth our ugly truths. Through stark observations and visceral experiences, Bowden presents a dizzying excavation of the systemic violence and corruption at the roots of American society. Bowden visits dying friends in skid row apartments in Los Angeles, traverses San Francisco byways lined with clubs and joints, and roams through village bars and streets in the Sierra Madre mountains. In these wanderings resides a yearning for the understanding of past and present sins, the human penchant for warfare, abuse, and oppression, and the true war between humanity, the industrialized world, and the immense tolls of our shared land.
Blood Orchid: An Unnatural History of America
by Charles BowdenThe renowned author explores the violent and corrupt history of America in “a haunted, often brilliant journey into the heart of our darkness” (Frederick Turner).Blood Orchid is the first volume in Charles Bowden’s Unnatural History of America sextet. It is a deeply personal and bracingly sharp chronicle of his quest to unearth our ugly truths. Through stark observations and visceral experiences, Bowden presents a dizzying excavation of the systemic violence and corruption at the roots of American society. Bowden visits dying friends in skid row apartments in Los Angeles, traverses San Francisco byways lined with clubs and joints, and roams through village bars and streets in the Sierra Madre mountains. In these wanderings resides a yearning for the understanding of past and present sins, the human penchant for warfare, abuse, and oppression, and the true war between humanity, the industrialized world, and the immense tolls of our shared land.
Blood Moon: Poems
by Patricia Kirkpatrick&“Why would I expect to feel blameless?&”Troubled and meditative, Blood Moon is an examination of racism, whiteness, and language within one woman&’s life. In these poems, words are deeply powerful, even if—with the onset of physical infirmity—they sometimes become unfixed and inaccessible, bringing together moral and mortal peril as Patricia Kirkpatrick&’s speaker ages. From a child, vulnerable to &“words / we learned / outside and in school, / at home, on television&”: &“Some words you don&’t say / but you know.&” To a citizen, reckoning with contemporary police brutality: &“Some days need a subject and an action / or a state of being because it&’s grammar. / The cop shot. The man was dead.&” And to a patient recovering from brain surgery: &“I don&’t have names. / Words are not with me.&”Throughout the collection, the moon plays companion to this speaker, as it moves through its own phases, disappearing behind one poem before appearing fully in the next. In Kirkpatrick&’s hands, the moon is confessor, guide, muse, mirror, and—most of all—witness, to the cruelty that humans inflict upon one another. &“The moon,&” she reminds us, &“will be there.&”Compassionate, contemplative, occasionally wonderstruck, Blood Moon is a moving work of moral introspection.
Blood Memory: The Tragic Decline and Improbable Resurrection of the American Buffalo
by Ken Burns Dayton DuncanThe epic story of the buffalo in America, from prehistoric times to today—a moving and beautifully illustrated work of natural historyThe American buffalo—our nation&’s official mammal—is an improbable, shaggy beast that has found itself at the center of many of our most mythic and sometimes heartbreaking tales. The largest land animals in the Western Hemisphere, they are survivors of a mass extinction that erased ancient species that were even larger. For nearly 10,000 years, they evolved alongside Native people who weaved them into every aspect of daily life; relied on them for food, clothing, and shelter; and revered them as equals.Newcomers to the continent found the buffalo fascinating at first, but in time they came to consider them a hindrance to a young nation&’s expansion. And in the space of only a decade, they were slaughtered by the millions for their hides, with their carcasses left to rot on the prairies. Then, teetering on the brink of disappearing from the face of the earth, they would be rescued by a motley collection of Americans, each of them driven by different—and sometimes competing—impulses. This is the rich and complicated story of a young republic's heedless rush to conquer a continent, but also of the dawn of the conservation era—a story of America at its very best and worst.
Blizzards (Learn About)
by Natasha VizcarraLearn about wild weather events, including how to prepare for them, with this new series of fascinating books! A blizzard is a storm with high winds that blow snow around. It lasts for more than three hours. Experts say climate change is making these storms even fiercer. Discover why blizzards happen, how they are measured, and how we can prepare for them in Blizzards, a perfect first introduction to the topic for young readers.About This Series:In the era of climate change, wild weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, heat waves, and blizzards are becoming more frequent and more destructive. Now more than ever, education around these topics is essential. Using age-appropriate language and easy-to-understand science, the books in this series will offer a first exploration of different wild weather events that can be unleashed on Earth: why they happen, how they are measured, and how we can prepare for them. Illustrated with arresting full-color photography and sprinkled with fascinating facts, these books will follow pioneering climate change curricula for early elementary grades across the United States.
Blizzards (Dangerous Weather)
by Michael AllabyRemain where you are . . . Dig a cave in the snow and shelter in it until conditions improve"-- this is Michael Allaby's advice to anyone caught outdoors in severe blizzard conditions known as "whiteouts." Wandering in search of shelter in such a storm would subject the pursuer to a featureless, disorienting whiteness, rendering senses useless and familiar landmarks unidentifiable. Blizzards describes what distinguishes a blizzard from an ordinary snowstorm, explains how blizzards develop and how they can deliver building-crushing volumes of snow, and chronicles dramatic blizzards of the past and the peculiar counter-intuitive measures required to survive these great white storms. The Dangerous Weather series imparts fundamental weather science to readers through author Michael Allaby's vivid descriptions of extreme weather systems. The series focuses on the five most dangerous kinds of weather activity; diagrams related meteorological, climatological, and environmental basics in clear, compelling language; chronicles the history of each form of dangerous weather; and offers safety precautions for extreme weather conditions. Fully illustrated and indexed, the Dangerous Weather series is an invaluable tool for student research. Other volumes include: hurricanes, tornadoes, floods droughts. Michael Allaby is the author of more than 40 books, mainly on science, natural environmental topics. A few of his previous works include Basics of Environment, The Weather: How It Works, The Environment, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ecology.
Blizzard's Wake
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor<P>Ever since fifteen-year-old Kate Sterling's mother died four years ago, nothing has been the same. <P>Filled with resentment and sadness, and trying to fill the void left by her mother, Kate has shut herself off from the world and her family. <P>Zeke Dexter is heading home to begin a new life after completing his prison term, but he is filled with anxiety. <P>Will anyone in his small town be able to forget his shameful past -- or the crime he committed -- and let him start anew? <P>And if he's not welcomed at home, where else could he go? <P>Phyllis Reynolds Naylor weaves a taut, gripping story about grief, determination, and healing as the lives of the Sterling family and Zeke Dexter bind together. <P>Set against the actual events of the March 1941 blizzard, Naylor's touching new period novel will be welcomed by her many fans.
Blizzard! Sudden Storm! (Fountas & Pinnell LLI Red #Level M)
by Anne PhillipsBlizzard!: A sister gets her brother home from school during a blizzard. Sudden Storm: In this true event many duck hunters perish in a sudden storm.
Blizzard Night: Blizzard Night (Disaster Strikes #3)
by Marlane KennedyWhen disaster strikes, the only thing you can count on is yourself!A winter trip in the remote Michigan wilderness seemed like the perfect way for Jayden to get to know his new foster family. Though he doesn't have much in common with siblings Maggie and Connor, he's hoping they'll get to like each other over snow mobile races and steaming mugs of cocoa.But when the snow really starts to come down, the family van crashes and the three kids must go out into the bleak, white storm to search for help. Soon the wind is howling and night is starting to fall. Jayden, Maggie, and Connor will have to think fast, find shelter, watch out for bears, and somehow stay warm if they don't want to end up frozen in their tracks....
Blizzard (The Heights)
by The Editors at the Saddleback Educational PublishingThis book that talks about Latino family--who have an uncanny knack for finding humor, hope, and colorful personalities--even in unusual circumstances. The light snow got heavier. The road was slippery. Soon snow covered the ground. The car struggled to get up the hill. It got hard to see. Everything was white.
Blizzard
by John RoccoBlizzard is based on John Rocco's childhood experience during the now infamous Blizzard of 1978, which brought fifty-three inches of snow to his town in Rhode Island. Told with a brief text and dynamic illustrations, the book opens with a boy's excitement upon seeing the first snowflake fall outside his classroom window. It ends with the neighborhood's immense relief upon seeing the first snowplow break through on their street. In between the boy watches his familiar landscape transform into something alien, and readers watch him transform into a hero who puts the needs of others first. John uses an increasing amount of white space in his playful images, which include a gatefold spread of the boy's expedition to the store. This book about the wonder of a winter storm is as delicious as a mug of hot cocoa by the fire on a snowy day.
Blitzed by a Blizzard! (Disaster Survivors)
by Joyce MarkovicsOn December 29, 2007, a fierce blizzard hit Olympia National Park in Washington State. Cross-country skier Randy Kraxberger, traveling alone, was caught by himself in the severe winter storm. Park rangers knew they had to save the lost skier. Could their daring rescue effort succeed through blinding snow, high winds, freezing temperatures, and the threat of avalanches? Safety tips show young readers how to stay out of harms way during a blizzard.
Blind Reef: A Nautical Adventure Set In North Africa (The Richard Mariner Nautical Adventures #30)
by Peter TonkinA couple&’s quest to rescue a kidnapped girl leads them into the perilous heart of the Sinai desert: &“A sure bet for adventure fans&” (Booklist). Nautical entrepreneurs Richard and Robin Mariner are relaxing off the coast of Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt when their boat flounders on Shaab Ruhr Siyoul—known as the Blind Reef—and they suddenly find themselves saving the lives of several refugees. One of the survivors, Nahom, tells them that his twin sister Tsibekti has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom by smugglers. Shocked by Nahom&’s story, Richard and Robin travel into the heart of the Sinai in a quest to find the lost girl. Now they must evade Egyptian police, Bedouin smugglers and militant Islamists in order to rescue Tsibekti and get out of the desert alive . . . Blind Reef is a ripped-from-the-headlines installment in a seafaring thriller series that &“resembles a mixture of Ian Fleming and Hammond Innes&” (Publishers Weekly).
Blind Mountain
by Jane Resh ThomasUnsure of himself and annoyed at having to spend a day climbing a Montana mountain with his bossy father, twelve-year-old Sam must become the guide on their perilous journey down when his carelessness temporarily blinds his father. This story deals with father son conflict. Ages 9-12. This book would appeal to boys age 11-13. The boy in the story uses a few swear words, but it is not adult content.
Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth
by James M. TaborThe deepest cave on earth was a prize that had remained unclaimed for centuries, long after every other ultimate discovery had been made. This is the story of the men and women who risked everything to find it, earning their place in history beside the likes of Peary, Amundsen, Hillary, and Armstrong.In 2004, two great scientist-explorers attempted to find the bottom of the world. Bold, American Bill Stone was committed to the vast Cheve Cave, located in southern Mexico and deadly even by supercave standards. On the other side of the globe, legendary Ukrainian explorer Alexander Klimchouk - Stone's opposite in temperament and style - had targeted Krubera, a freezing nightmare of a supercave in the Republic of Georgia.Blind Descent explores both the brightest and darkest aspects of the timeless human urge to discover - to be first. It is also a thrilling epic about a pursuit that makes even extreme mountaineering and ocean exploration pale by comparison. These supercavers spent months in multiple camps almost two vertical miles deep and many more miles from their caves' exits. They had to contend with thousand-foot drops, deadly flooded tunnels, raging whitewater rivers, monstrous waterfalls, mile-long belly crawls, and much more. Perhaps even worse were the psychological horrors produced by weeks plunged into absolute, perpetual darkness, beyond all hope of rescue, including a particularly insidious derangement called 'The Rapture'.Blind Descent is a testament to human survival and endurance - and to two extraordinary men whose relentless pursuit of greatness led them to heights of triumph and depths of tragedy neither could have imagined.
Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic
by Emily MonossonWinner of the 2024 Phi Beta Kappa Award for Science A New York Times Editors' Choice A Science News Favorite Book of 2023 "Fungi sicken us and fungi sustain us. In either case, we ignore them at our peril." —Elizabeth Kolbert, New York Review of Books A prescient warning about the mysterious and deadly world of fungi—and how to avert further loss across species, including our own. Fungi are everywhere. Most are harmless; some are helpful. A few are killers. Collectively, infectious fungi are the most devastating agents of disease on earth, and a fungus that can persist in the environment without its host is here to stay. In Blight, Emily Monosson documents how trade, travel, and a changing climate are making us all more vulnerable to invasion. Populations of bats, frogs, and salamanders face extinction. In the Northwest, America’s beloved national parks are covered with the spindly corpses of whitebark pines. Food crops are under siege, threatening our coffee, bananas, and wheat—and, more broadly, our global food security. Candida auris, drug-resistant and resilient, infects hospital patients and those with weakened immune systems. Coccidioides, which lives in drier dusty regions, may cause infection in apparently healthy people. The horrors go on. Yet prevention is not impossible. Tracing the history of fungal spread and the most recent discoveries in the field, Monosson meets scientists who are working tirelessly to protect species under threat, and whose innovative approaches to fungal invasion have the potential to save human lives. Delving into case studies at once fascinating, sobering, and hopeful, Blight serves as a wake-up call, a reminder of the delicate interconnectedness of the natural world, and a lesson in seeing life on our planet with renewed humility and awe.
Blessed Unrest
by Paul HawkenOrganizations working to restore the environment and foster social justice collectively comprise the largest movement on earth. This movement with no name, leader, or location is a creative expression of people's needs worldwide.
Bless the Earth: A Collection of Poetry for Children to Celebrate and Care for Our World
by June Cotner Nancy Tupper LingA beautifully illustrated collection of poems and prayers to help children develop an appreciation for the natural worldBless the Earth, our faithful friend,her mountain range and river bend,her forest green and canopy,the hidden world of bended trees. Bless the Earth shows the miracle of our planet Earth through beautiful imagery and delightful poetry, calling all people, young and old, to care for our wonderful world. This sweet and welcoming anthology for children ages 3-7 knits together our common humanity and the natural world in an engaging way that is simple for young readers to understand.Bless the Earth contains approximately sixty selections of original as well as classic poems, divided into five chapters each:Dreams for My WorldEarth and SkyAll Creatures, Big and SmallSeasonsCaring for Our World Bless the Earth calls us again and again to understand how important it is to care for our world, respect our neighbors—humans, plants, and animals alike—and reimagine a world that is healthy and whole.
Bless Ye the Lord: Praise Song of the Three Holy Children
by Frances TyrrellHere is the song of three children who are calling upon all of creation—the angels, heavenly bodies, seasons, waters, hills, plants, animals, birds, and men—to exalt and glorify the Lord. &“Bless ye the Lord; praise Him, and magnify Him forever . . .&” Their lyrical song of praise and gratitude—reminiscent of St. Francis of Assisi's &“Canticle of the Sun&”—appears in the Book of Daniel in the oldest versions of the Christian Bible, and in the Apocrypha of later editions. Their Hebrew names were Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, and they were also known by their Babylonian names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Radiant illustrations by artist Frances Tyrrell show scenes of their idyllic childhood days, when the three children were free to explore the hills, fields, and streams of their homeland.
Blackjack: A Ranch Dog
by Thomas C. HinkleBlackjack's mother was a huge black dog, probably part Newfoundland, and so Jack was also a huge dog. Clark Preston claimed Jack as his own and the pair did a lot of hunting together. Wild dogs were a menace to the cattlemen in the area and Blackjack proved that he could stand up to any of them on the day of reckoning.
Blackhearts: Ecology in Outback Australia
by Richard SymanskiThis fascinating book is a firsthand account of the adventures of an ornithological field team studying long-tailed finches in outback Australia. In 1991, Nancy Burley, a noted behavioral ecologist, and her husband, Richard Symanski, went to Australia with their one-year-old son and four American students hired as field assistants and babysitter. The social relationships and problems that developed among these individuals in confined and exotic settings and the scientific discoveries that did -- and did not -- take place form the heart of the book. Symanski begins by telling how he and his wife set up this elaborate field expedition -- including the hiring of what seemed to be qualified, compatible, and knowledgeable field assistants. He then describes the harsh realities of their circumstances in Australia: primitive living conditions on an outback cattle station; field sites and subjects for study that were not as expected; and students who were not prepared for the rigors of field life and who became unenthusiastic about the work for which they had been hired. And he tells how he and his wife strove to overcome all the different challenges with which they were confronted. The book provides insight into the demands of professor-student-based fieldwork, particularly when generational conflicts, differing expectations, and culture shock complicate the "business" of doing science.
Blackbeard's Aliens
by Robert T. Jeschonek Ben BaldwinCannonballs and laser beams fly as blazing battle rages between a fleet of pirate ships and a squadron of alien fighters. Demonic aliens board the ships and let loose high-tech ray beams on hardened pirates armed with pistols and cutlasses. In the heart of the flame and fury roars fearless Blackbeard himself, commanding his men in a last-ditch struggle to save all humankind from bloodthirsty conquerors from another world. Perhaps Blackbeard's own dark connection to the aliens will give him an edge against them, if his own closest ally, Stede Bonnet, does not mount a mutiny against him first. Can Blackbeard and the greatest pirates of his day use their seafaring savagery to win the war for the future of humanity? It all comes down to pirates versus aliens as the greatest battle ever to rock the seven seas rushes toward an explosive finale. Don't miss this exciting tale by award-winning storyteller Robert T. Jeschonek, a master of hard-hitting science fiction that really packs a punch.Reviews"Robert Jeschonek is a towering talent..." - Mike Resnick, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author"Robert Jeschonek is the literary love child of Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman..." - Adrian Phoenix, critically acclaimed author of The Maker's Song series and Black Dust Mambo"Jeschonek´s stories are delightfully insane, a pleasure to read..." - Fabio Fernandes, Fantasy Book Critic
Black, Bay and Chestnut
by C. W. AndersonThis book gives profiles of twenty of the most famous horses of the day. From Man O'war, king of the race track, to Heatherbloom horse able to jump like Pegasus, to Bob the great milk horse these stories bring to light the personality and beauty of our four footed equine friends.
Black to Nature: Pastoral Return and African American Culture
by Stefanie K. DunningIn Black to Nature: Pastoral Return and African American Culture, author Stefanie K. Dunning considers both popular and literary texts that range from Beyoncé’s Lemonade to Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones. These key works restage Black women in relation to nature. Dunning argues that depictions of protagonists who return to pastoral settings contest the violent and racist history that incentivized Black disavowal of the natural world. Dunning offers an original theoretical paradigm for thinking through race and nature by showing that diverse constructions of nature in these texts are deployed as a means of rescrambling the teleology of the Western progress narrative. In a series of fascinating close readings of contemporary Black texts, she reveals how a range of artists evoke nature to suggest that interbeing with nature signals a call for what Jared Sexton calls “the dream of Black Studies”—abolition. Black to Nature thus offers nuanced readings that advance an emerging body of critical and creative work at the nexus of Blackness, gender, and nature. Written in a clear, approachable, and multilayered style that aims to be as poignant as nature itself, the volume offers a unique combination of theoretical breadth, narrative beauty, and broader perspective that suggests it will be a foundational text in a new critical turn towards framing nature within a cultural studies context.
Black Wave
by Jean Silverwood John SilverwoodThe heart-pumping true story of one family's terrifying battle for survival after disaster strikes on the high seas. It was a case of now or never for Jean and John Silverwood when they decided to give their four young children a taste of adventure on the high seas. Their bold decision to leave behind their everyday lives to sail across the world on a catamaran tested them all in ways they could never have imagined. Living off the grid could be paradise one day, a race to escape pirates the next, but perhaps the most difficult challenge of all in this brave new world was living and working together in such close quarters. Their voyage of discovery ended suddenly and tragically almost two years later on a remote atoll in French Polynesia. On a calm and moonless night, without warning their beloved floating home Emerald Jane suddenly crashed onto a jagged coral reef. Within minutes, the seemingly indestructible twin-hulled yacht was being smashed to pieces. Gradually, in the dark crucible of the sea, the Silverwoods became a crew. Then they became a family again. But just as it seemed that they had mastered every challenge, their world was shattered in a split second of unimaginable horror. Now the real test began, forcing them to fight for their lives.