September Nonfiction

The invincible microbe: tuberculosis and the never-ending search for a cure / Jim Murphy & Alison Blank

“Crisp, clinical writing . . . discusses medical discovery, technology, art and how people from all walks of life have dealt with a deadly disease that pays no attention to social distinctions.” (www.amazon.com; 8/27/2012)

Temple Grandin : how the girl who loved cows embraced Autism and changed the world / Sy Montgomery

When Temple Grandin was diagnosed with autism, her doctor recommended a hospital; instead, her parents sent her to school. Today, Dr. Grandin is professor of animal science at Colorado State University whose work has revolutionized the livestock industry. This biography takes the reading inside Dr. Grandin’s extraordinary mind and opens the door to a broader understanding of autism. (from Amazon.com;8/25/2012)

We’ve got a job : the 1963 Birminghams children’s march / Cynthia Levinson

The little-known story of the 4,000 black elementary-, middle-, and high school students who voluntarily went to jail in Birmingham, Alalama, between May 2 and May 11, 1963. Focused on extensive interviews with four of the original participants. (www.amazon.com; 8/27/2012)

On the social contract / Jean-Jacques Rousseau

"Man was born free, but everywhere he is in chains." Thus begins Rousseau's influential 1762 work, in which he argues that all government is fundamentally flawed and that modern society is based on a system of inequality. The philosopher proposes an alternative system for the development of self-governing, self-disciplined citizens.(www.amazon.com ; 9/7/2012)

     

The Second treatise of government and A Letter concerning toleration / John Locke

In The Second Treatise, Locke answered two objectives: to refute the concept of the monarchy's divine right and to establish a theory reconciling civil liberties with political order. His Letter Concerning Toleration rests on the same basic principles as his political theory; Locke's main argument for toleration is a corollary of his theory of the nature of civil society. (www.amazon.com ; 9/7/2012)

On liberty / John Stuart Mill

Contains "On Liberty", "Utilitarianism", "Considerations of Representative Government", and "The Subjection of Women". The works delve into the implications of independence from the state and what it means to be truly free -- the sovereignty of man over his own body and mind, Mill's famous "Harm Principle," true and false democratic government, and equality of the sexes. (www.amazon.com ; 9/7/2012)