Freedom: A Novel / by Jonathan Franzen

St. Louis native Jonathan Franzen attended Swarthmore College and was a Fulbright Scholar priveleged enough to study in Germany. He's stuck close to his midwestern roots as an author though, setting many of his stories and characters places like Minnesota or Wisconsin and highlighting many of the themes inherent of the region. In addition to writing novels, he’s been a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and Harper’s where his talent as an essayist is well-known. His 2001 novel The Corrections won the National Book Award and became an Oprah’s Book Club selection despite Franzen’s personal opposition to the choice; he felt the ‘Oprah’s’ tag might designate the book for a predominately female audience whereas he'd personally hoped to reach more male readers. Freedom, his first novel since The Corrections, observes a family of progressive-minded Midwesterners through the latter decades of the twentieth century up until the most recent presidential election.
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The Berglunds of St. Paul, MN like to see themselves as making a difference. The liberal-minded couple, Walter and Patty, and their two children Jessica and Joey, are one of the first families to move back into the city from the suburbs, intent on renovating their “project” of a house and spearheading other urban renewal initiatives. From the neighbors’ perspective, the Berglunds are alright. Patty is the energetic mom, Walter is the level-headed lawyer promoting environmentalist causes, Jessica likes school and Joey, well, Joey likes his independence. From early on, Joey demonstrates his desire to do things his own way and with time develops severe rebellious streak, one which ironically fits well with his intense relationship with Connie Monaghan. Connie, the single-parent girl from down the street, starts a romance with Joey which sparks a rift between Joey and his parents. Tension escalates to an alarming level within the Berglund household and with their neighbors, so much so that Walter and Patty decide to relocate to Washington, D.C., a move forging a bitter physical and emotional rift with their son Joey.
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This period allows Patty to take into account her life up until now. Transcribing her autobiography at the request of her therapist, Patty pens down the events leading to the current situation and how the child she once was grew and changed into the woman she is now. In her youth Patty had been quite the athlete, a basketball star in high school seemingly destined for greatness. Breaking the mold of her more un-athletic, artistic minded family who want her to follow a more mapped-out Ivy League path, Patty attended the local state school on scholarship where she first met the hunky and ecologically consicious Richard Katz. A soulful musician with a passionate desire to help the environment, Richard became the object of Patty’s affection, increasingly more so when a knee injury ended her basketball career. The feeling wasn’t quite mutual though and a devastated Patty turned to Richard’s nerdy but available roommate Walter who ultimately became her husband. Walter, the man she thinks she still loves, has been a good provider and a loving father. But it all changes when Richard Katz reenters their lives and the drama of the Berglunds takes on a wholly different twist.
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Reminiscent of Updike with his thoroughly realist take on the American family and yet innovative in his approach to life in the contemporary sphere, Franzen has an adroitness about his writing which distinguishes him from other, similar writers. At times funny, lighthearted and satirical while at others dour, cynical and even morbid, Freedom introduces an archetype which is unlike any other in fiction. Here we have family in the modern generation with characters who've never really lacked for anything but aren't overly spoiled or inordinately warped, just unsure of themselves and their limitations. The Corrections was like this: a similar snapshot of nuclear family dynamics in the modern era where an overabundance of choices tends to cause problems. Characters have imbedded in them seemingly unbreakable convictions and yet aren't invulnerable to rash decisions and drastic changes of heart (Patty's marrying Walter, the Berglunds moving on a whim from the house they'd worked so hard on, Joey's switches in loyalty, etc.). It befits the title with its distinction of 'freedom', meant to connote the freedom felt within individual identity rather than the non-committal free-to-do-whatever mentality. (FIC FRANZEN)

Arctic Drift: A Dirk Pitt Novel / by Clive Kussler & Dirk Cussler

Clive Cussler has lived a lifestyle almost to match his adventure-seeking, thrill-getting protagonist Dirk Pitt. Currently the chairman of NUMA (National Underwater & Marine Agency), Cussler has been searching for sunken and buried treasure for about as long as he's been writing bestselling novels--he holds the record for discovered shipwrecks at over 60. He collects rare antiques and custom-made automobiles, has lead gold mining expeditions and is on the board of both the Royal Geographic Society and the American Society of Oceanographers. His latest Dirk Pitt caper (the 20th in the series) places the hero in the midst of an environmental caper where some dastardly deeds are threatening the future of the planet.
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As global warming threatens to doom planet earth, a new research discovery near the North Pole is being looked at which could actually help put a stop to the problem. But Canadian oil tycoon Mitchell Goyette has a very vested interest in the Arctic region currently under scrutiny and cares nothing for such environmental concerns. It's strongly hinted that he may be at the bottom of a current pollution epidemic, some contaminated water samples recently having been found in British Columbia by none other than Dirk Pitt Jr. and sister Summer. Goyette could also be linked to a series of unexplained deaths which has sparked something of an international incident of late, the heated war of words between the US and Canadian delegates in Washington reaching powers that be who call upon Dirk Pitt Sr. to intervene on the situation. But when a deadly explosion catches him off guard at his own D.C. post, obviously intended to dissuaed any plans he may have, Dirk knows he needs to find answers and soon.

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One thing which may be linking everything together is a mysterious, unidentified metallic mineral substance recently unearthed, thought to have been originally discovered on a 19th century Arctic voyage in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. Only that expedition never reached its destination, never even got close as every last man perished in cryptic fashion. Pitt and his loyal sidekick and lifelong colleague Al Giordino set off on their deadliest voyage yet to search for answers hopefully concealed within the tundra region near the Arctic circle. But they'll have to weather more than just frigid temperatures and glaciers as Goyette is firm with his own sly, treacherous maneuvers and will do everything to see his interests sustained. Does the same destiny await Dirk and his gang which doomed the ill-fated voyage over a century ago? Cussler's latest won't disappoint his loyal fans with this thriller which features the author's trademark suspense and breakneck pace. As adventure novels go, it's win-win all the way. (FIC CUSSLER)

In Defense of Food: an eater’s manifesto by Michael Pollan

From the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food: an eater’s manifesto looks at the history of Nutritionism and reductive science and their effects on the Western Diet. The first two sections of the book examine how the Western diet developed into a diet based largely on processed foods. Pollan explains the science and the politics behind this journey and the potential devastating effects it can have on our physical health.

The third and final section of the book suggests how we may modify our diet in order to lead a healthier life. Pollan is an advocate for a whole foods diet that limits the amount of processed foods and meat in the diet. He also recommends that people in the Western world, specifically North Americans, need to change their relationship to food. Eating shouldn’t be about eating as much as possible for the lowest cost in the shortest amount of time. Instead, eating should be an experience of preparation, reflection, and socializing like the diets of the French, Japanese, and those living in Mediterranean communities.

Don’t let the “manifesto” in the title deter you from reading or listening to this book. Pollan uses a factual approach to explain his case for adjusting the Western diet. The book does not preach at the reader, but rather suggests adjustments that need to be made to the modern diet in order to sustain a more healthy lifestyle.

In Defense of Food is available at the library in large and regular print, as well as in audio format. The Omnivore’s Dilemma is also available in regular print. These books are shelved in the general non-fiction area of the library. People interested in food and its context in social history may also want to read Paradox of Plenty: a social history of eating in modern America by Harvey Levenstein, Fast Food Nation: the dark side of the all-American meal by Eric Schlosser, and An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage.

Heated Topic: Global Warming and Climate Change

Censoring Science: Inside the Political Attack on Dr. James Hansen and the Truth of Global Warming / by Mark Bowen
Arguably one of the earliest scientists to seriously view global warming as a threat to our way of life and one of the world’s leading climatologists, Dr. James Hansen has been advocating the perils of global warming and climate change for decades. This new book investigates the alleged censorship of Hansen’s advocacy efforts during the Bush administration and the political reasons behind the cover-up.

Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World / by Gary Braasch
Award-winning photojournalist Gary Braasch visually details the effects of global warming over a six year period in this book. Wonderfully illustrated and well-annotated with scientific explanations backing up the images, this pictorial shows the striking effects that global warming has had and is having on our world.

An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It / by Al GoreBasically a companion book to Al Gore’s award winning documentary of the same name, An Inconvenient Truth: A Global Warning examines how industry-induced greenhouse gases and diminishing glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica pose a viable and imminent threat to our way of life. [DVD documentary also available]
 he “quasi-religion” it has become, Lord Nigel Lawson says that the pervading notion on global warming should be re-evaluated and that it is in no way the widely-alleged disastrous threat to the planet many see it as. Lawson, a former energy commission chairperson, further forecasts that proposed remedies to the situation could be more damaging than the threat itself.
Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics and the Battle Over Global Warming / by Chris Mooney
Is global warming causing more hurricanes? The issue raises questions not only among scientists, but also with the media, politicians and various special interest groups. In his new book, veteran newsman Chris Mooney investigates recent major hurricanes, the debate over global warming and any correlation—theoretical or fact-based—which may exist between the two.

An Appeal to Reason: A Cool Look at Global Warming / by Nigel Lawson
Far from t