These titles were recently added to the collection of Yakima Valley Libraries
Jailbreak of sparrows : poems
Espada, Martín, 1957- author.
The poems in Jailbreak of Sparrows reveal the ways in which the ordinary becomes monumental: family portraits, politically charged reports, and tributes to the unsung. Espada’s focus ranges from the bombardment of his family’s hometown in Puerto Rico amid an anti-colonial uprising to the murder of a Mexican man by police in California, from the poet’s adolescent brawl on a basketball court over martyred baseball hero Roberto Clemente to his unorthodox methods of representing undocumented migrants as a tenant lawyer. We also encounter “love songs” to the poet’s wife from a series of unexpected voices: a bat with vertigo, the polar bear mascot for a minor league ballclub, a disembodied head in a jar. Jailbreak of Sparrows is a collection of arresting poems that roots itself in the image, the musicality of language, and the depth of human experience. “Look at this was all he said, and all he had to say,” the poet says about his father, a photographer who documented his Puerto Rican community in Brooklyn and beyond. The poems of Martín Espada tell us: Look.....
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The life-changing art of self-brain surgery : connecting neuroscience and faith to radically transform your life
Warren, W. Lee, 1969- author.
What if it were possible for you to make structural changes to your own brain so it's healthier and less prone to depression, anxiety, grief, worry, and other issues that make you unhappy and keep you stuck? In this neuroscience-based, faith-infused, and immensely practical guide, Dr. W. Lee Warren, a practicing neurosurgeon, trauma survivor, and award-winning writer, reveals how to take control of your own mental, emotional, and physical healing by reordering your mind to change your brain-resulting in a radically transformed life that is healthier, happier, and more hopeful. Since the development of functional brain imaging in the early 2000's, we now know that thoughts can direct structural changes in the brain as or more effectively than medicines or surgery and can do so more quickly. That means, whether we know it or not, we're all brain surgeons. The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery will help you learn and master several types of "self-brain surgery" operations to move from floundering to flourishing, heal from trauma, tragedy, and other types of hardship, overcome anxiety, depression, loneliness and other emotional struggles, conquer limiting or negative thinking, and become an empowered, hopeful person no matter what you're facing.....
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One helluva ride
Douglas, Michael, 1944- author.
Beginning with his fractured childhood and a complex relationship with his superstar father, Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas finally gives the full and uncensored account of a remarkable life. One Helluva Ride reveals incredible behind-the-scenes stories featuring a Who's Who of Hollywood, many of them never revealed before and some outrageously funny, with an unflinching honesty about his sometimes bad-boy life. Initially dismissed as just the handsome son of a legendary movie star, at age thirty-one he shook up Hollywood when he won his first Oscar for producing the five-time Academy Award-winning classic film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Told he would never be more than a "TV actor," he quit the hit series The Streets of San Francisco to become an international movie star, with a list of classic films that have grossed billions of dollars, winning a second Oscar for his riveting performance as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. "I can't think about my life without thinking of my movies," Douglas says, and he recounts his career through twelve of his most iconic films, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The China Syndrome, Romancing the Stone, Jewel of the Nile, Fatal Attraction, Wall Street, War of the Roses, Basic Instinct, Falling Down, The American President, Traffic and Behind the Candelabra. These movies not only captured the cultural zeitgeist but often defined it. Yet as Douglas's fame grew, so did his personal struggles. He recounts the full, unfiltered story of his turbulent first mar-riage; infidelity and affairs with some of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood; his own serious struggle with alcohol, drugs and rehab; the heartbreaking fight to save his son from an addiction that sent him to prison; and his against-all-odds battle with stage IV cancer. He saw Catherine Zeta Jones on a movie screen and instantly fell for her. Their incredible love story transformed his life and proved all the tabloids wrong, enduring after twenty-five years of marriage. Father, son, husband, actor, producer, brother and friend. This is the real, raw, deeply honest and vulnerable Michael Douglas you didn't know -- until now.....
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Fictional selves : a memoir
MacLachlan, Kyle, 1959- author.
In this highly anticipated memoir, Yakima's beloved actor and star of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Sex and the City, Fallout, and more shares his utterly original account of his offbeat journey in Hollywood, his battles with fear and fame, and the projects that shaped him — and created a cult icon... "Everywhere I go I am followed by a mystery man. He looks like me but--not quite. On talk shows, I sip coffee on couches and pretend to be him; on social media, I put on his mask to engage in suburban silliness. And of course, we work together. But for him, the movies and TV shows never end. Where does this guy -- this Kyle MacLachlan -- end and where do I begin? And is he even real? And, holy mackerel... am I?" To be in the black suit, or not to be? Kyle MacLachlan's funny, moving, and playfully self-aware memoir charts a career that could belong to no other. Plucked from obscurity to star in David Lynch's Dune, the Hollywood blockbuster that never was, MacLachlan rebounded with a startling performance in Lynch's provocative masterpiece Blue Velvet, which would mark him as a master of the unusual and ultimately lead to his career-defining role as Agent Dale Cooper on the TV sensation Twin Peaks. Fictional Selves is a book of doppelgangers, with MacLachlan mirrored by his own prodding ego ("Other Kyle"), the iconic characters he inhabited, and the ones that eluded his grasp but gave him a profound and surprising lens onto himself as a person and a performer. Taking us from the heights of critical success for Blue Velvet to the depths of the backyard pool in his infamous (and delightful) Showgirls love scene, MacLachlan brings us into the mind of one of the most distinctive actors of his generation, offering profound insights on collaborators like David Lynch, Laura Dern, Dennis Hopper, Anthony Hopkins, and more. Featuring lessons learned the hard way about ambition, love, and fatherhood, this memoir is an honest look into the remarkable -- and often unpredictable -- life of an enduring and endearing Hollywood icon.....
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Blockers
Lewis, Michael (Michael M.), author.
An inside look at the early days of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency... Blockers. It wasn’t a compliment. In the new Washington, it was the worst thing you could be ― especially if you worked in the federal government and wanted to keep your job. A Blocker was a holdover, an impediment, someone who didn't get the message ― and, most of all, someone who didn't belong. Michael Lewis found six of them. Blockers is the story of people who believed they had a calling, who were convinced they were doing something the country couldn’t do without, and then discovered they were no longer wanted. One kept Americans’ most sensitive tax data out of the wrong hands and another made sure that politicians and civil servants played by the rules. One figured out how to stop wildfires from destroying suburban neighborhoods, another helped uncover the mysteries of cystic fibrosis. There was also a security guard. It should come as no surprise that the writer who made subprime mortgages gripping (The Big Short) and who turned baseball statistics into poetry (Moneyball) could transform the first two years of the second Trump administration into a thriller about federal employees. But he does. And he does something else. He puts before us a clear question: If these public servants can’t survive in government today, then what does that say about us?....
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Brady : an American story and the price of greatness
Anderson, Lars, author.
Based on years of in-depth reporting and sources from every corner of his life, Brady is the definitive biography of the life, career, and retirement of one of football's most legendary figures, Tom Brady. New York Times best-selling author and Sports Illustrated journalist Lars Anderson plunges into Tom Brady's childhood to discover the origins of what Brady would later describe as his "sickness": His category-five obsession with the game. The obsession dictated every choice Brady would make in his life, from what foods he put into his mouth to how he managed his day-to-day schedule to how he viewed his role as a father and husband to supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Through intensive reporting, Anderson paints a detailed psychological portrait of Brady, a self-described loner whose life was defined by discipline, resilience, a fascination with preparation, an intolerance for wasted time, a relentless pursuit of the extraordinary. What he found was a man riddled with contradiction and a man defined by both a prolific career of unmatched successes on the field, and the agony of realizing the true cost of greatness in his personal life. Brady: An American Story and the Price of Greatness is a comprehensive view of the life of the most accomplished player in the history of America's game. Anderson digs deep behind the headlines to provide a richly detailed answer to one of the most vexing questions in sports: Who, really, is Tom Brady?....
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The counterrevolution : the fall and rise of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement
Hanson, Victor Davis, author.
When Donald Trump left office in January 2021, most observers thought his political career was over. Silenced on social media, pilloried by the press, and targeted for prosecution, the ex-president's future appeared bleak. But in the months and years that followed, Trump staged a historic political comeback, rising from disgrace to win a second presidential term that launched a social, cultural, political, and economic transformation for America. Here, best-selling author Victor Davis Hanson pinpoints how Trump regained power and came to lead an American counterrevolution. As Hanson reveals, the success and aggressiveness of Trump's second-term agenda can only be fully understood as the product of his four years in the political and legal wilderness. Hanson details the tactical errors and overreaches of Trump's opponents, as well as how Trump took note of those persecuting him and shaped his renewed agenda around striking back. Packed with indispensable insight into the larger patterns behind Donald Trump's rise, fall, and victorious return, The Counterrevolution is the definitive account of how a reelection transformed contemporary American history.....
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All the presidents' wars : twenty-five years of America's war on terror
Bergen, Peter, 1962- author.
2026 is the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, the most devastating attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Within days, the United States began to declare its war on terror: 'Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists,' President George W. Bush proclaimed. The resulting war on terror cost trillions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of lives, a series of misguided wars, and the damaged perception of American power. And yet despite its blunders, this campaign has kept America safe from large-scale foreign attack. Based on hundreds of interviews, All the Presidents' Wars focuses on critical decisions of four successive presidents--Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump--and their global consequences . . . All the Presidents' Wars also explores the innovations and unintended consequences of each presidency's military and political decisions, including debates over military intervention and withdrawal; the tactics of special operations units, armed drones, and armies of counterterrorism partners; and whether the idea of war ever properly captured the defining conflict of recent American foreign policy.....
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Call it evil : understanding the Trump era
Neiman, Susan, author.
Call It Evil is a bold reckoning with one of the most fraught words in our vocabulary. Far from being a religious or outdated concept, evil is a vital lens, Susan Neiman argues, through which to understand the threats we face today. Neiman is one of our most important philosophers, and one of the world's leading thinkers on the nature and question of evil. She opens this sharp, revelatory work with the idea that the reelection of Donald Trump is the outcome not simply of political and economic forces but the erosion of values that have been subject to derision for more than a century. She goes on to show how we have been quietly bombarded from all sides with messages that undermine basic moral principles. Misreadings of Adam Smith and Charles Darwin have led to a view of human nature we now accept as common sense: ideals are for losers, or for politicians who wish to deceive them. Neiman then explores how that ancient view, first formulated by pre-Socratic philosophers, has been steadily promoted by corporate interests and (pseudo) scientists in the modern era. Drawing on history -- from European fascism to the moral failures of recent U.S. leaders -- she demonstrates how the normalization of evil corrodes trust, destroys justice, and endangers our future. This is a book for readers who refuse to accept moral confusion as the price of political life, and who believe that confronting evil is the first step toward renewing it.....
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Lost in curiosity : field notes from scientists' adventures into the unknown
Kwok, Roberta, author.
"The real story of science isn't a triumphant breakthrough. It's messy, mysterious, and deeply human. In Lost in Curiosity, award-winning journalist Roberta Kwok pulls back the curtain on what scientific discovery actually looks like...not a Eureka moment, but a fraught, often chaotic pursuit of truth. Chronicling researchers' struggles and hopes in the field and lab, Kwok documents it all: fending off relentless snowfall on a remote Greenland glacier, desperately searching for an elusive frog in the rainforests of Borneo, and scrambling to capture fleeting signals of a faraway moon outside our solar system. These are the untold stories of devoted young scientists and restless minds who are chasing nature's riddles, without knowing what they'll uncover. Through vivid reporting and moments of unexpected emotion, Kwok reveals the inner lives of researchers who care profoundly about understanding our world and saving what's left of it. From enigmatic fossils and mind-bending physics to the puzzling behavior of wild animals, Lost in Curiosity is a journey through the questions that keep scientists up at night-and the sometimes strange, always illuminating paths they take to answer them"--....
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Story telling : a writing life
Allende, Isabel, author
The author delves into her creative process, reflecting on half a century of writing. For Allende, writing is more than a craft--it is an addiction, a means of preserving memory, and a way to make sense of life. She offers readers a glimpse into her creative world.....
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Profits, prophets, coaches, and kings : (when) do leaders matter?
Diamond, Jared M., author.
Can one person change the world? In his acclaimed and influential books Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond transformed our understanding of what makes civilizations rise and fall. Now, in Profits, Prophets, Coaches and Kings, he studies leaders throughout time to answer the question: do the actions of individuals truly influence history? Or is humanity subject to larger historical, technological, cultural, geographical forces, far beyond the influence of individuals, no matter how powerful they may seem?....
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Going further : the incomparable Clarence Thomas
Cruz, Ted, 1970- author.
From Senator Ted Cruz, a timely, authoritative exploration of Clarence Thomas's life, ideas, and lasting impact on constitutional law... For over three decades, Clarence Thomas has stood at the center of American law, enduring withering criticism and personal attacks while writing some of the most brilliant, accessible, transformational opinions in the Supreme Court's history. His insistence that the Constitution, not merely judicial precedent, is the highest authority has reshaped American jurisprudence, and his lasting impact on the trajectory of constitutional law is undeniable. In this powerful and timely book, Senator Ted Cruz draws on his own Supreme Court clerkship, on his many years as a Supreme Court advocate, and on his now decades-long friendship with Justice Thomas to paint a portrait of one of the most consequential -- and misunderstood -- Americans in our nation's history. Drawing on nine hours of exclusive, wide-ranging, and deeply personal one-on-one interviews with the Justice, Cruz reveals how Thomas's most formative early experiences -- like growing up in crushing poverty in segregated Georgia, his early encounters with extreme racism, and his brief stint in radical left-wing politics -- forged a lifelong commitment to independence, self-reliance, and truth. From Thomas's early years studying to be a priest to his role today as the intellectual force behind some of the Court's most significant decisions, Going Further traces the formation of one of our Constitution's staunchest defenders and makes a rousing argument about why his life, his ideas, and his courage matter now more than ever.....
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The beginner's guide to dressmaking : easy techniques and 8 fun projects
Hincks, Julia, author.
In this complete course, popular sewing guru Julia Hincks covers everything you need to get going: discover the essential tools and materials, how to read and use a sewing pattern, choose fabrics, make seams and understand dressmaking terminology. Clear step-by-step photographs and easy-to-follow instructions make it accessible for all, whether you are creating your first garments or revisiting the basics. The 8 projects are carefully chosen by Julia to teach you new skills each time, so that you can build up your confidence through practice. Each of the stunning projects will teach you new techniques and terminology, and will gradually develop your skills as you work through the book.....
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In the realm of the last man : a memoir
Fukuyama, Francis, author.
Francis Fukuyama's In the Realm of the Last Man is an intellectual and political memoir tracing his development over five decades. It recounts his education, work in government and at RAND, encounters with political leaders, family history, and changing views on neoconservatism, particularly his opposition to the Iraq War. Fukuyama connects these experiences to his ideas about democracy, liberalism, identity, human nature, institutions, and political order.....
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