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Powell's Staff:
Five Book Friday: In Memoriam
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Every year, the booksellers at Powell’s submit their Top Fives: their five favorite books that were released in 2023. It’s a list that, when put together, shows just how varied and interesting the book tastes of Powell’s booksellers are. I highly recommend digging into the recommendations — we would never lead you astray — but today...
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Brontez Purnell:
Powell’s Q&A: Brontez Purnell, author of ‘Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt’
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Rachael P.:
Starter Pack: Where to Begin with Ursula K. Le Guin
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Customer Comments
PilotJDS has commented on (2) products
How We Got to Now Six Innovations That Made the Modern World
by
Steven Johnson
PilotJDS
, January 05, 2015
"How We Got to Now" is a compelling read, as book critics proclaim. This book works by connecting a fairly narrow exploration of six individual technical concepts writ large and extrapolating what effects these have had on global human society as we, in a rather western-centric view, find it today. What is new to me as a reader of science, technology, and society texts is Johnson's facility with exploring technical concepts as they manifest across many different scales and uses. As an example, in the case of "Cold", Johnson explores how societies have found utility in capturing the absence of energy across several technical forms. Is is a unique contribution to the growing interest in cooling established by scholarly books including Ackerman's "Cool Comfort", Cooper's "Air-Conditioning America;" and Cox's more argumentative "Loosing Our Cool." These authors create compelling approachable academic analyses of the development and impact of the specific technology of compressor-based air-conditioning on human societies. Johnson's "How We Got to Now" builds arguments around the broad concept of "cold" as made evident from technologies as various as ice trade and modern medical procedures. In this way "How We Got to Now" is akin to Crowley's "The Invention of Comfort" which explores the trajectory of a cultural concept through several cultural meanings, socio-technical manifestations, and economic mechanisms. While many of the sweeping claims built among and within Johnson's chapters are likely sound, there is a disappointing lack of citation within the text for the interested reader. For instance, Johnson suggests that India proved to be the largest market in the global ice trade of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, the reader is left without direction with which to track this down and ask new questions. Is this claim drawn from shipping manifests? Might I uncover how this ice bound for India was used? Though a bibliography and chapter notes are provided in the book, Johnson provides no path to explore this and many other such claims further. Because of this limitation, I recommend this book with some regret that the book is not as useful for future exploration as it is compelling.
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You Choose Oregon Trail An Interactive History Adventure
by
Matt Doeden, Timothy J Griffin
PilotJDS
, December 30, 2014
My family and I read this book aloud during our holiday road trip to see the family this Christmas. This interactive reading adventure mixed history with decision-making challenges that were well-gauged for a young child learning not only about history but also responsibilities, risks, and planning. The book provided my niece with a positive reading experience. She was able to generate a full-car discussion around the various journeys because the content was compelling to all passengers while also accessible to her reading level. I'd think the age range for interest is roughly 6-limitless for an interactive reading with several people. If reading alone, I'd say the age level might be 6-11. The book includes a short glossary, critical thinking questions, and further reading resources in the closing sections.
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