New Non-Fiction: Friday, April 16

The library currently has two ways to borrow books: “Grab and Go” service allows you to choose your books online in the online catalog (you’ll need to log into your account to place a hold on the books you want). Staff members will pull them and leave them in the cabinet outside the library doors. You can find more detailed instructions here. We are also allowing appointments for in-person browsing for individuals or families. If you’d like to make an appointment to browse in person, call us at 315-986-5932.

Here are a few of the new books that have come in to the library recently. We invite you to check them out!

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A Little Devil in America

A Little Devil in America is an urgent project that unravels all modes and methods of black performance, in this moment when black performers are coming to terms with their value, reception, and impact on America. With sharp insight, humor, and heart, Abdurraqib examines how black performance happens in specific moments in time and space — midcentury Paris, the moon, or a cramped living room in Columbus, Ohio. At the outset of this project, Abdurraqib became fascinated with clips of black minstrel entertainers like William Henry Lane, better known as Master Juba. Abdurraqib uncovered questions and tensions that help to reveal how black performance pervades all areas of American society. Abdurraqib’s prose is entrancing and fluid as he leads us along the links in his remarkable trains of thought. A Little Devil in America considers, critiques, and praises performance in music, sports, writing, comedy, grief, games, and love.

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The Secret Life of Groceries (large print)

Benjamin Lorr pulls back the curtain on this highly secretive industry. Combining deep sourcing, immersive reporting, and sharp, often laugh-out-loud prose, Lorr leads a wild investigation, asking what does it take to run a supermarket? How does our food get on the shelves? And who suffers for our increasing demands for convenience and efficiency? We learn the secrets of Trader Joe’s success from Trader Joe himself / Drive with truckers caught in a job they call “sharecropping on wheels” / Break into industrial farms with activists to learn what it takes for a product to earn certification labels like “fair trade” and “free range” / Follow entrepreneurs as they fight for shelf space, learning essential tips, tricks, and traps for any new food business / Journey with migrants to examine shocking forced labor practices through their eyes. The product of five years of research and hundreds of interviews across every level of the business, The Secret Life of Groceries is essential reading for those who want to understand our food system.

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Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate world of the Windsor Sisters

Perfect for fans of The Crown, this captivating biography from a New York Times bestselling author follows Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Margaret as they navigate life in the royal spotlight. They were the closest of sisters and the best of friends. But when, in a quixotic twist of fate, their uncle Edward Vlll decided to abdicate the throne, the dynamic between Elizabeth and Margaret was dramatically altered. Forever more Margaret would have to curtsey to the sister she called ‘Lillibet.’ And bow to her wishes. From the idyll of their cloistered early life, through their hidden war-time lives, into the divergent paths they took following their father’s death and Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne, this book explores their relationship over the years. Andrew Morton’s latest biography offers unique insight into these two drastically different sisters — one resigned to duty and responsibility, the other resistant to it — and the lasting impact they have had on the Crown, the royal family, and the ways it adapted to the changing mores of the 20th century.

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