UDM Libraries Book of the Week

bu Serko Kirmanc   Sherko Kirmanj offers a balanced, critical analysis of the evolution of Iraqi national identity and the process of national integration, tracing a history of antagonisms and violence from the creation of the state in 1921 to mid-2012. Challenging approaches that variously blame the legacy of the Baathist regime or the US invasion for the sectarian violence that plagues Iraq, Kirmanj delves into the political and social dynamics involved across the decades. His focus is on the...

Directed by Rob Reiner Morgan Freeman plays Monte Wildhorn, a famous Western novelist whose passion for writing hits an impasse. He takes a lakeside cabin for the summer in picturesque Belle Isle, befriending the family next door–an attractive single mom (Virginia Madsen) and her young daughters–who help him find inspiration again. “THE PERFECT SUMMER FILM. ONE OF ROB REINER’S BEST. Morgan Freeman is superb. A wonderful family story you won’t soon forget.”  -Pete Hammond, Boxoffice Magazine CATALOG PAGE...

by Charles Wheelan The best-selling author of Naked Economics defies the odds with a book about statistics that you’ll welcome and enjoy. Once considered tedious, the field of statistics is rapidly evolving into a discipline Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, has actually called “sexy.” From batting averages and political polls to game shows and medical research, the real-world application of statistics continues to grow by leaps and bounds. How can we catch schools that cheat on standardized tests? How...

by W. Bernard Carlson Nikola Tesla was a major contributor to the electrical revolution that transformed daily life at the turn of the twentieth century. His inventions, patents, and theoretical work formed the basis of modern AC electricity, and contributed to the development of radio and television. Like his competitor Thomas Edison, Tesla was one of America’s first celebrity scientists, enjoying the company of New York high society and dazzling the likes of Mark Twain with his electrical demonstrations. An...