Synopses & Reviews
Award winner Albert Marrin answers the question: "What's eating you?" - literallyFrom nonfiction master Albert Marrin, here is the shocking story of the longest running war of all time: man versus parasite. From fleas, ticks, lice, and bedbugs to worms, mites, leeches, and maggots, Marrin explains what parasites are, how they invade our bodies, and their effects for good or ill. At their best, parasites have saved limbs and lives; at their worst, they've been responsible for the deaths of billions of people and altered the course of human history. With photographs and illustrations throughout, this exploration of the hidden world exposes the creatures responsible for making our skin crawl - since the beginning of time.
Review
"Lively text complemented by excellent, well-placed reproductions of photographs, drawings, flyers, woodcuts, posters and ads . . . . Who knew the biography of a germ could be so fascinating?" and#8212;Kirkus Review, starred review "This is a solid and timely addition to nonfiction resources on sickness and human history."and#8212;VOYA, 4Q 3P J S "An engaging read."and#8212;Horn Book "The writing is crisp and clinical . . . Students researching diseases or medical breakthroughs will find this book both informative and interesting."and#8212;School Library Journal, starred review "Wide ranging in breadth, yet always well focused on the topic at hand, this fascinating book offers a sharply detailed picture of tuberculosis throughout history."and#8212;Booklist, starred review
Synopsis
Before global warming, there was dust. In the 1930s, dangerous black storms swept through the Great Plains. Created by drought and reckless farming, these lethal storms were part of an environmental, economic, and human catastrophe that changed the course of American history. In riveting, accessible prose, an acclaimed historian explains the causes behind the disaster and explores the Dust Bowl's impact, from a rich cultural legacy to the visionary conservation that would finally offer hope to the Plains.
Synopsis
We knew toil and hardship and hunger and thirst . . . but we felt the hardy life in our veins, and ours was the glory of work and the joy of living. ?Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt is one of America?s liveliest and most influential figures. He was a scholar, cowboy, war hero, explorer, and a brilliant politician. As president, Roosevelt?s far-reaching policies abroad and at home forever changed both our nation?s place in the world and the life of every modern American.
Fascinating details and an intimate, fast-paced narrative explore the heroic life and complex world of an American icon.
Synopsis
Able to claw straight up a brick wall, squeeze through a pipe the width of a quarter, and gnaw through iron and concrete, rats are also revealed in this fascinating book to be incredibly intelligent and capable of great compassion. Weaving science, history, culture, and folklore, awardwinning writer Albert Marrin offers a look at rats that goes from curious to repulsive, horrifying to comic, fearsome to inspiring. Arresting blackand- white scratchboard illustrations with bold red accents add visual punch to this study of a creature that has annoyed, disgusted, nourished, and intrigued its human neighbors throughout the centuries.
Synopsis
In the 1930's, great rolling walls of dust swept across the Great Plains. The storms buried crops, blinded animals, and suffocated children. It was a catastrophe that would change the course of American history as people struggled to survive in this hostile environment, or took the the roads as Dust Bowl refugees.
Here, in riveting, accessible prose, and illustrated with moving historical quotations and photographs, acclaimed historian Albert Marrin explains the causes behind the disaster and investigates the Dust Bowl's imact on the land and the people. Both a tale of natural destruction and a tribute to those who refused to give up, this is a beautiful exploration of an important time in our country's past.
Synopsis
From one of the most acclaimed writers of nonfiction for children, Invincible Microbe illuminates the seemingly unstoppable killer thatand#8217;s been haunting us for centuries: tuberculosis. Well-researched and including over 100 archival photos and prints, this compelling and#8220;biographyand#8221; of a deadly germ is a must-read.
Synopsis
*andquot;Who knew the biography of a germ could be so fascinating?andrdquo;andmdash;Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewand#160;This is the story of a killer thatand#160;has beenand#160;striking people down for thousands of years: tuberculosis.and#160;After centuries ofand#160;ineffective treatments,and#160;the microorganism that causes TB was identified and the cure was thought to beand#160;within reachandmdash;but drug-resistant varieties continue to plague and panic the human race. The andquot;biographyandquot; of this deadly germ and the social history of an illness that could strike anywhere are woven together in an engrossing, carefully researchedand#160;narrative.
About the Author
"I grew up in a large, eccentric family in the San Francisco Bay Area. My grandmother was photographer Imogen Cunningham, and my grandfather, Roi Partridge, was an etcher. There were five kids in my family, and we lived in an enormous house full of dogs and cats, chameleons, fish, tortoises, and even a pet tarantula.
My father, Roi Partridge, grew up loving photography and helping his mother, Imo, in the darkroom. When he was just seventeen she sent him to apprentice with her friend, photographer Dorothea Lange. Over the next few years he was gradually drawn into Dorothea's family. When he married and my parents had kids, we were included in the diverse bunch of children, step-children and grandchildren that made up Dorothea's family. Thanksgiving, Christmas and Fourth of July were all made magical by Dorothea's extraordinary celebrations and rituals.
In 1974, I was the first student to graduate with a degree in Women's Studies from the University of California at Berkeley. A year later I went to Great Britain to study Chinese medicine, earning a Licentiate of Acupuncture in 1978 and returning to the Bay Area to practice acupuncture and herbal medicine.
In the early nineties I began writing books as well as practicing medicine. I love the wide array of genres within the field of children's books, and especially enjoy writing biographies, historical fiction, and picture books.
My first book, Dorothea Lange: A Visual Life (Smithsonian, 1993) was followed by a middle grade novel, Clara and the Hoodoo Man (Dutton, 1996), and Restless Spirit: the Life and Work of Dorothea Lange (Viking, Fall 1998), a photo biography for young adults. Pig's Eggs came out last year (Golden Books, Spring 2000). Oranges on Golden Mountain has just been released (Dutton, Spring 2001), and will soon be followed by an easy reader, Annie and Bo (Spring 2002) and my biography on Woody Guthrie (Viking, Spring 2002).
I still live in the San Francisco Bay Area with my husband and two sons, practicing Chinese medicine and writing books."
copyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.