The Truth Behind Manufactured Meats

Quinlan, Julia J. and Stephanie Watson. The Truth Behind Manufactured Meats. Part of the From Factory to Table: What You’re Really Eating series. 2018. 48p. ISBN 978-1499439328. Available at 641.3 QUI on the library shelves.

At some point in time, we’ve all heard the expression, “it’s like making sausage, you’re better off not knowing how it’s made.” Referring to the fact that most people would rather not know what is in the food they eat, this book explores the process of manufacturing meats for human consumption. Unlike a steak purchased at the grocery store, items such as chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and deli meats are all processed foods made from scraps and other fillers, along with sodium to enhance the taste, preservatives to ensure a long shelf life, and food coloring to make them more appetizing.

Though every food item sold in the grocery store contains a list of ingredients, most of us neither know what these ingredients are, nor what role they play in affecting human health. Ingredients such as nitrates, used to preserve food, have been linked to cancer. Food coloring is also linked to cancer. Sodium is linked to high blood pressure and heart attacks. Manufactured meats are engineered to be delicious and attractive to the eye, but they may not be the best and healthiest option available.

The Truth about Manufactured Meats informs the reader about what is in their plate, and encourages us to limit our consumption.

Other books in this series include:

• The Truth Behind Manufactured Foods
• The Truth Behind GMOs
• The Truth Behind Soft Drinks
• The Truth Behind Antibiotics, Pesticides, and Hormones
• The Truth Behind Snack Foods
• The Truth Behind Factory Foods

The Nameless City

Hicks, Faith Erin. The Nameless City. Book 1 of the Nameless City series. 2016. 232p. ISBN 978-1-62672-156-2. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Kaidu is on his way to the great city of Daidu, capital of the Dao empire. Having lived with his tribal chief mother out on the wide plains, he is astonished to see the sheer size of the city. Ready to join the Dao military, Kaidu is looking forward to meeting his father, General Andren, for the first time. An advisor to the General of All Blades, leader of the Dao, Andren hopes to convince the general to agree to share power in the city with the other clans from the plains, to ensure that Daidu remains at peace.

Only the Dao name the city Daidu. Conquerors before them have given it different names, but the residents refer to it as the Nameless city, and themselves as the Named people. The city is often conquered, for it sits at the base of the Hole in the Sky, a large tunnel that has been carved through mountains to reach the ocean on the other side. Whomever controls the city controls the trade between the hinterland and the nations beyond the sea.

While walking the streets with his general father, Kaidu meets Rat, a street urchin. When he returns the next day to purchase more delicious treats, he sees her again, but this time she steals his knife. He gives chase, and, to her amazement, manages to catch her and retrieve his knive even though she traveled on the many roofs of the city and even jumped over a canal. Rat asks for a rematch, and soon the two of them become unlikely friends as she tries to teach Kaidu how to run like her.

As they spend time together and get in trouble, Rat stumbles upon a conspiracy aimed at assassinating the General and forcing the Dao out of the Nameless City. Only she and Kaidu can stop the attempt, but no one believes them. Can two friends overcome the obstacles in their path so they can warn the General before it is too late?

The story continues in The Stone Heart.

Girls Like Us

Giles, Gail. Girls Like Us. 2014. 210p. ISBN 9780763662677. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Quincy and Biddy just graduated from high school in Texas. Biddy’s brain lacked oxygen at birth. Quincy was assaulted by her stepfather, who slammed a brick in her face, breaking an eye socket and leaving her permanently disfigured. Both of them have difficulty learning. Quincy can read slowly, but can’t write. Biddy can’t even read. Just because they are special ed students doesn’t mean that they don’t understand what is going on around them.

Since both of them are 18, they lose access to the foster care system for Quincy, and for her unforgiving grandmother for Biddy. In needs of housing, their social worker places them in the house of Miss Elizabeth, who has a small apartment for them next to her mansion. In exchange for food and lodging Biddy will help Elizabeth with her exercises and will keep house. Quincy will work at the market, and cook. Whereas Biddy is thrilled with the arrangement, Quincy is not enthralled. Everyone at school knew that Biddy was a “slut,” and she’s concerned that boys will come around calling on her.

A fighter, Quincy doesn’t put up with crap, but she is a hard worker. When she is raped by a co-worker who had previously assaulted her and gotten fired, Quincy doesn’t know how to deal. But Biddy does, because it happened to her too back in 7th grade. As both girls share details of their attacks, Quincy realizes that Biddy and Miss Elizabeth have truly become her family, and that she will never be alone again, moved from one foster home to another.

Told through diaries that both girls are keeping on recording devices, the reader is exposed to the bittersweet existence of those who think differently through no fault of their own. Compassion goes a long way to support those growing up in a violent and cruel world that doesn’t look beyond the superficial.

Police Technology: 21st Century Crime-Fighting Tools

Forrest, Glen C. Police Technology: 21st Century Crime-Fighting Tools. Part of the Law Enforcement and Intelligence Gathering series. 2017. 104p. ISBN 978-1-50810379-0. Available at 363.23 POL on the library shelves.

Technology has changed the way we live and work, and it has also affected how police departments throughout the world operate. A hundred years ago, investigations would have been conducted by detectives using their judgement and little else to solve crimes. Today, a dizzying array of tools provide more effective ways to trace and arrest criminals. Computers have enabled the creation and searching of massive databases containing fingerprints, biometrics, DNA, and other information. Computers can also be used to identify areas where criminal activities are likely to occur by mapping locations and analyzing the patterns that result.

Communications are another area where technology provide an edge to law enforcement. In the past, police officers might have two way radios or access to call boxes, but now information is at the fingertips of officers, who can quickly retrieve licence plates and driving records. Dispatch centers have become more efficient and are able to monitor larger areas with security cameras, drones, and other devices. Officers are also better able to withstand attack, with the development of effective body armor and other gear designed to defend them.

Finally, the role of law enforcement officers has also changed with technology, with new roles such as forensics specialists, toxicologists, and crime scene investigators. Readers interested in law enforcement will appreciate the tools that can be used to fight crime.

Titles in this series include:

• To Serve and Protect: The History of Policing
• Police Technology: 21st Century Crime-Fighting Tools
• The Spy Game: International and Military Intelligence
• Working the Case: Law Enforcement, Police Work and Police Organizations

The Disappearance

Chan, Gillian. The Disappearance. 2017. 197p. ISBN 978-1-55451-982-8. Available at FIC CHA on the library shelves.

Mike McCallum has been spending time in group homes ever since he assaulted his stepfather because that vile man had killed his brother in a fit of anger after he had bumped into him and spilled his glass. With no one to look out for him, Mike, or Mutt as his enemies call him, has learned to care for himself. Disfigured by the attack, Mike has a scary face that repels or fascinates strangers. Now in this new group home in Hamilton, Ontario, Mike makes the acquaintance of Jacob Mueller. Jacob is very quiet and never talks. He lays in bed and stares at the ceiling all night. No one quite knows what’s wrong with him, only that he was found in the woods with only one shoe and missing most of his clothes. Unwilling or unable to defend himself, Jacob is mercilessly harassed and picked on by the bullies in the group home and at school.

Not intimidated by Pat, the resident group home bully, Mike violates his oath to only protect himself. When he realizes that Jacob can talk to the dead and has had conversations with his brother, Mike is even more keen on protecting Jacob. Trying to solve the boy’s puzzle, Mike discovers that Jacob is indeed from the area, but from about 130 years ago. Now he has to find a way to send the boy back to his time, before the bullies send Jacob to the hospital, or worse. Will Mike sacrifice himself to protect this strange boy, something he wasn’t able to do with his brother.

Marching off the Map: Inspire Students to Navigate a Brand New World

Elmore, Tim. Marching off the Map: Inspire Students to Navigate a Brand New World. 2017. 256p. ISBN 978-0-9966970-6-4. Available at 371.1 ELM on the library shelves.

For more than 150 years, education has not changed much, and a classroom in 2010 would have been recognizable to a student from the 1860s. However, as we have transitioned from the industrial age to the information age, we are once again transitioning from the information age to the age of knowledge, and there are no maps available that can help guide this transition. In this book, Elmore argues that, as Alexander the Great and his armies literally walked off the maps they had and explored the greater world as he conquered it, educators, policy makers, and students need to boldly step off the map by developing tools that will allow them to function in this new age.

Elmore reviews how the three previous generations diverge from the current crop of students and explains how each generation perceives the others. He discusses how the world has changed through the arrival of a widespread and accessible internet, and how the rise of mobile devices allows for an interconnected but always on world. Reaching these new learners require a different set of skills than was previously available to teachers. Several strategies are reviewed, and universal elements of teaching are explored. The move away from tests to more meaningful contents is necessary to reach and break through the apathy students currently display to get to what they are passionate about. Teachers also need to realize that students will continue to struggle with current societal expectations, but that two universal challenges, anxiety and amorality, will need to be addressed by teachers and parents to help them develop into productive members of society.

The Case Study of Vanitas, Vol. 4

Mochizuki, Jun. The Case Study of Vanitas, Vol. 4. 2018. 236. ISBN 978-1-975381-06-6. Available in the Graphic Novels section of the library.

Having infiltrated the Chasseurs’ underground headquarters underneath Paris, Noé and Vanitas manage to convince Captain Roland and his soldiers that they are on the same side. Vanitas reveals some information about his past, including the fact that he spent time with Dr. Moreau, a mad scientist who has been experimenting on vampires, trying to create the best hybrid human / vampire. Their plan to bring Moreau to justice is undermined, however, when the Doctor manages to escape, leaving a deadly curse-bearer behind.

With Vanitas on an errand, Noé meets Lord Ruthven, who binds him to his will after he discusses Vanitas’ old master, whom vampires consider a threat. Meanwhile, Vanitas and Jeanne are spending time together. Convinced that she hates Vanitas, Jeanne has come up with a clever plan to make him dislike her. She will make herself available, and proposes a date. Unfortunately, things don’t turn out the way Jeanne was expecting ...

The story continues in The Case Study of Vanitas, Vol. 5.

Saving Montgomery Sole

Tamaki, Mariko. Saving Montgomery Sole. 2016. 228p. ISBN 978-1-62672-271-2. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Montgomery Sole is interested in the strange and the weird, and finds paranormal mysteries fascinating. She co-created the Mystery Club at her high school with her best friend Thomas, and they were joined by quirky Naoki. They explore such topics as ESP and travel projection, and they spend an inordinate amount of time discussing movies. Mystery Club is the highlight of Montgomery’s high school experience. For her, high school is hard. Not so much academically, but rather because of her unique family. See, Montgomery and her younger sister have two moms, and they live in a small Californian town where not everyone is accepting of her parents’ “lifestyle choices.”

While researching information for the Mystery Club, she discovers a website selling the Eye of Know. Montgomery is immediately intrigued, and the cost, less than 10 dollars, is attractive enough that she purchases the Eye. When she gets it, she begins to wear it. Harassed at school by a boy named Matthew, Montgomery gets angry and wishes him dead. He collapses on the field right in front of her, and has to be taken to the hospital. People begin whispering about her. When she overhears teens mocking her parents at a soccer game, she wishes them harm, and the stands collapses, swallowing one of the girls. Is the Eye of Know giving her these powers?

As Montgomery struggles with what to do, the arrival of a controversial reverend and church increases her anxiety. Hoping to save the town from from sinners and misguided individuals like her parents, Montgomery decides to fight back. Kenneth, the reverend son, becomes the target of her ire. But as she becomes consumed with protecting her family from the reverend using the Eye of Know, Montgomery risks losing sight of what’s most important to her, her friends and her family.

The Crusades

DeCarlo, Carolyn. The Crusades. Part of the Empires in the Middle Ages series. 48p. ISBN 978-1-68048-781-7. Available at 909.07 DEC on the library shelves.

Christianity claims to be a religion of peace, but in its name many atrocities have been committed. During the Middle Ages, Islam had spread and conquered the birthplace of Christianity, and was confronting the Byzantine Empire, heir to the Roman Empire. In Europe, religious revivals emphasized piety and holy war to spread the name of Christ throughout the world.

When the Byzantine Empire requested military help from the Pope to push back against invading Seljuq Turks, which had already conquered Jerusalem and Antioch, the Pope agreed to help. At a Council in 1095, it was agreed to come to the aid of fellow Christians and fight against the Muslims as well as seize the holy places. Thus the First Crusade got started in August 1096, and successfully captured Antioch and Jerusalem, setting up what became the Latin Kingdoms and the Knight orders, such as the Templars and the Knights Hospitallers. These orders in particular were very successful in accumulating money and power, and spread throughout Europe before they were decimated by European kings interested in seizing their assets.

The Second Crusade, in 1145, led by European nobility, failed spectacularly to meet its objectives and made the political situation in the Middle East even worse. The Third Crusade, in 1189, was moderately more successful but failed to accomplish its main goal of capturing Jerusalem, which had fallen back into Muslim hands. Several other crusades took place over the following century, none of them meeting with much success. Despite the horrors of war and the lack of success, the Crusades transformed European society by providing new contacts and opportunities for people, as well as increasing the sharing of knowledge and unifying kingdoms and states. This led the way to European colonization a few centuries later.

Titles in the Empires in the Middle Ages series include:

• The Byzantine Empire
• The Holy Roman Empire
• The Islamic Caliphate
• The Mongol Empire
• The Ottoman Empire

The Boy Who Swallows Flies

Stewart, Michael F. The Boy Who Swallows Flies. 2018. 163p. ISBN 9780993757983. Available at FIC STE on the library shelves.

Known as Bug Boy, Jarrod has been fascinated by insects of all kind and owns a real menagerie, much to his parents’ dismay. Unfortunately, Jarrod also suffers from unexplained fainting spells. Hospital visits and numerous tests have been unable to provide a medical reason, so Jarrod has had to wear a helmet to protect his head from the numerous falls he suffers when he becomes unconscious.

Wearing a helmet all day makes one’s social life very complicated, especially when entering 8th grade. Thankfully Jarrod has a best friend, GG, who’s the smartest kid at the school. It’s a fortunate thing because Jarrod himself is not that smart. On the first day of school, Jarrod meets a new girl, who is covered in dog hair and smells like wet dog. He immediately refers to her as Dog Girl, but he doesn’t know how to approach her.

Riding his bicycle back home after hanging out with GG, Jarrod accidentally swallows a bug on his way back home, and he immediately has a fainting spell. Only this time he hears, sees, and feels what has happened in the neighborhood. The smells and the sights indicates there is a puppy mill nearby. When he comes to, Jarrod realizes his blackouts happen every time he swallows a bug. There’s no way the police will believe this evidence. Jarrod loves bugs, but is he willing to sacrifice them so he can find the location of this puppy mill? Can he use bugs to figure out how to talk with Dog Girl?

World War I and the Rise of Global Conflict

Morgan, Elizabeth. World War I and the Rise of Global Conflict. 2017. 104p. ISBN 978-1534560581. Available at 940.4 MOR on the library shelves.

When nations went to war in August of 1914, it was believed that the conflict would be short-lived and contained to Europe. As countries mobilized their armed forces and as battle plans failed to achieve a breakthrough in the first few weeks of the war, however, it became clear to the generals that this would become a war of attrition. On the Western front a stalemate develops as trenches reach from the North Sea to Switzerland, and armies shoot at each other over a desolated No Man’s Land. In the East, the war is more mobile, but the vastness ensures that no triumphant battles are wedged.

As the participants seek to gain the advantage over their enemies, the conflict grows until it encompasses the entire globe, becoming a true world war. Innovations and weapons are developed at a breakneck pace. Curiosities such as the plane and the machine gun now prove deadly. Ever larger battleships cruise the oceans’ waters, hurling massive shells at each other. Lumbering assault vehicles known as tanks crush everything along the way, including barbed wires and trenches, while poison gas causes thousands of victims on both sides.

In the end, the war to end all war only postponed a more violent reckoning two decades. The harsh conditions imposed on Germany by the victors led to resentment, and the despair caused by Great Depression led to Adolf Hitler’s election and march towards the Second World War. This book presents the origins of the conflict, discusses how it became a global conflict, and examines what impacts it had on the world following the 1918 armistice. Fans of history will appreciate the conciseness yet detailed presentation of information, and will be forewarned that such a large conflict could arise out of seemingly small incidents.   

Black Butler, Vol 15

Toboso, Yana. Black Butler, Vol 15. 2013. 158p. ISBN 978-0-316-25419-9. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

In Black Butler, Vol. 14, the Queen commanded Ciel Phantomhive to discover why some students at an elite boarding school have cut off all contact with their families. Phantomhive enrolls in the school, but quickly realize that privilege and titles mean nothing here. As a new student, he is severely limited in his movements, and must serve at the whim of upperclassmen. The only way to investigate these disappearances is to build a relationship with the P4, the leaders of each of the four houses of the school. Unfortunately, he is set up Maurice Cole, one of the P4’s assistants, who embarrasses him in front of the P4s when he shows up two hours late to an appointment.

Sebastian, meanwhile, joined the school as a new faculty member. Working with Phantomhive, they track down students who have a grievance against Maurice, and Phantomhive sets up a trap were he hopes to trick Maurice into reveal his perfidious nature. Can Phantomhive navigate the treacherous halls of this elite school?

The story continues in Black Butler, Vol. 16.

Caraval

Garber, Stephanie. Caraval. 2017. 407p. ISBN 978-1-25009525-1. Available at FIC CAR on the library shelves.

Scarlett Dragna’s life has been confined to a small island for as long as she can remember. Her father, the island’s governor, is a cruel and vindictive man, and does not shy away from physically abusing Scarlett and her younger sister, Tella, when he deems them disobedient. The only hope Scarlett has is her upcoming wedding, an arranged marriage to a man whose name she hasn’t been told. Scarlett believes nothing could be worse than her current living conditions, so she eagerly awaits her wedding day.

Her younger sister Tella, however, also desires to leave the island. Over the last seven years, they wrote letters to Legend, the mythical organizer of a once-a-year traveling performance, Caraval, where the audience gets to participate in a fantastic competition, and the winner gets a wish. Back then, both Tella and Scarlett would have wished to get off the island. Legend, however, never wrote back… until this year.

Armed with tickets to Caraval, Scarlett and Tella run away with Julian a peculiar sailor, and they reach the island of Caraval just in time to join in the performance. Unfortunately, Scarlett quickly realizes that this year’s performance involves saving her Tella from death, and whomever discovers her whereabouts through solving five riddles will win Legend’s wish. The rules on Caraval are simple. Everything is part of the performance. Players can leave their residence only at sunset, and must be back safely inside at sunrise. And the game lasts five nights only. With Scarlett’s wedding day only a week away, she must find her sister and return to her island before her father finds her. As time runs out, however, Scarlett becomes deeply involved in a deadly game of chase, with her seeking her sister while avoiding her father’s agents and suffering through betrayals from those closest to her. When does a performance become reality?

A wonderful read, fans of fantastic worlds and a little magic will enjoy the Caraval setting and will be cheering Scarlett on.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Albertalli, Becky. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. 2015. 303p. ISBN 978-0-06-234867-8. Available at FIC ALB on the library shelves.

Simon is gay. When he was younger he thought it might just be a phase, but now he knows for sure. What he doesn’t know is how to come out and break it to his family and friends. It’s not that he’s afraid of what they will think, or of what the rest of the school will think, per se, but rather that it’s just going to be awkward. And possibly dramatic. And it could change everything. His solace, and the only person he has shared this information with, is a teenager he has only meet online, named Blue. Like Simon, Blue is also gay and dealing with how to announce it to his family. Both of them go to the same high school, but because they don’t share names of friends and other revealing details they are able to remain anonymous. They share messages about their lives and the struggles they encounter.

Simon couldn’t wait to check his emails, however, so he used the school library’s computer, and forgot to log out. Martin, the juniors’ class clown, begins to blackmail Simon into getting a date with Addy, one of his best friends. Simon doesn’t want to do it, but he doesn’t want to be outed out by Martin, and, more importantly, doesn’t want people looking for Blue, so he goes along with it.

Unfortunately, Martin reveals Simon’s sexual orientation to the whole school after Simon is unable to secure a date for him, and bullying starts in earnest. Even the theatre, Simon’s refuge, offers no relief. His communications with Blue are the only things he looks forward to, but even these are getting strained. And his group of friends is breaking apart before his very eyes. For someone who doesn’t like to be in the limelight, Simon must now step on life’s stage and become its star in his own performance, before he wrecks everything with his friends and misses a chance at love with Blue.

Constantine

Baum, Margaux and Julian Morgan. Constantine. Part of the Leaders of the Ancient World series. 2017. 112p. ISBN 978-1-5081-7252-9. Available at B CON on the library shelves.

A century of civil strife in Rome had led to the Empire’s weakening. The separation of the Roman Empire in two sections, each ruled by an Augustus and a Caesar, caused further destabilization. When Constantine finally ascended the throne after putting down challenges from several other contenders to the title of Emperor, he reunited the Roman world under the leadership of one man. A military genius, Constantine set out to reform the Empire by reorganizing its military and its civilian structures. Keen to avoid further bloodshed, Constantine created a plan to ensure an orderly succession when the time came.

Attracted to Christianity, either through belief or through seeing the advantages that membership in the Church would bring, Constantine actively supported Christians and advocated for their protection from persecution. He believed that the structures of the Church could be used to administer large parts of the Roman Empire, and he promoted the Christian faith, making it the Empire’s own.

Constantine had no real love for the city of Rome, and only visited it for the first time after becoming Emperor. With settled and generally peaceful western borders, Constantine decided to create a new capital closer to the Empire’s eastern borders. He settled on the straits of Bosphorus, and called the new city Constantinople (today’s Istanbul).

Despite his efforts, or perhaps because of them, Constantine’s reign led to further division of the Empire and eventually the fall of Rome in 476 C.E, but it can be argued that he saved the Eastern half of the Empire, which continued for another thousand years.

Titles in the Leaders of the Ancient World include:

• Julius Caesar
• Cleopatra

• Augustus

• Cicero

• Nero

• Hadrian

• Constantine