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Take it Personally: How to Make Choices to Change the World, by Anita Roddick, HarperCollins, 2001, $24.95, 256 pp.
By the founder of The Body Shop, Take it Personally seeks to inspire and assist the citizen resistant to globalization. Includes
a vibrant collection of photographs, activist essays and quotes.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter, Dover Publications, 1972, $1.25, 55 pp.
Originally published in 1903, Potter has been loved by generations on both sides of the Atlantic.
In this, perhaps her most famous story, she follows the adventuresome Peter Rabbit as he gets into trouble in Mr. McGregor's
garden. Potter's exquisite watercolors grace each page of this classic tale.
Tales of the South Pacific, by James A. Michener, Bantam Books, 1967, .95, 370 pp.
These stories, for which Michener won a Pulitzer, inspired a Broadway musical and gained him millions of readers worldwide. Set against the
backdrop of a South Pacific paradise, these are the often funny and poignant tales about the men and women - enlistees and natives alike - during World War II, living life to the fullest
in anticipation of the arrival of war.
Taming the Tiger Within: Meditations on Transforming Difficult Emotions, by Thich Nhat Hanh, Riverhead Books, 2004, $19.95, 295 pp.
Call it Tiger, Shrew, or just plain Dark Emotions, this jewel - the latest from popular scholar and peacenik Thich Nhat Hanh - focuses on transforming the inner ugly into the inner (and outer) beauty.
A Taste of Honey, by Shelagh Delaney, Grove Press, 1959, $1.45, 87 pp.
This play in two acts explores the life of Jo, an adolescent working-class girl, and the incredibly strong characters
who inhabit her world. There's her mother, a saloon-frequenting semi-whorish "lady" (they don't get along), and her roommate, a generous homosexual (they get along too well), just to name a few.
These characters are cut from the cloth of life.
The Teen Guide to Global Action: How to Connect With Others (Near & Far) to Create Social Change, by Barbara A. Lewis, Free Spirit Publishing, 2007, $12.95, 135 pp.
A former teacher, Lewis gets teens and knows how to reach them without lectures. Teen Guide is filled with practical advice, inspiring stories and useful websites.
Ten Nights in a Bar Room, adapted by Fred Carmichael, Concord Theatricals, 1969, $9.95, 68 pp.
This is the musical comedy version of William W. Pratt's famous temperance drama. The evils of vice -
drinking, gambling and dancing - are addressed. In the end, the town mill re-opens eliminating
idle hands of the devil's work, and everybody that's left to live happily ever after does. The
comic elements of this play barely save it from its moralizing.
Ten Nights in a Bar-room - And What I Saw There, by T. S. Arthur, Audubon Press, 2008, $12.00, 244 pp.
The 1854 temperance novel that spawned a play, a musical, and no fewer than eight film adaptations. Drinking has never been so wickedly portrayed.
Texasville, by Larry McMurtry, Simon and Schuster, 1987, 542 pp.
In this sequel to The Last Picture Show, all the familiar characters are back. Boom and bust have come to Thalia, leaving her
citizens high and dry of their bankrolls. It's a generous story about tested friendships.
The Thanksgiving Visitor, by Truman Capote, Random House, 1968, 63 pp.
The Thanksgiving Visitor explores the nature of friendship, likes, hates, and common decency. When Miss Sook - an older, distant cousin with the mind and spirit of a child - invites the school bully to attend
Thanksgiving dinner, Buddy doesn't think too much of it except that it's a bad idea. When the bully arrives, his presence registers with Buddy before he's even set eyes on him with a sense of peril he likens to that of encountering a bobcat or rattle snake.
Buddy schemes to humiliate the boy, which backfires brilliantly, teaching him an invaluable lesson.
That Takes Ovaries!: Bold Females and Their Brazen Acts, edited by Rivka Solomon, Crown Publishing, 2002, $13.00, 192 pp.
That Takes Ovaries! is a collection of tales about real women who do brazen things. From acts of nerve to acts of bravery, this book is filled with spirits-a-soaring.
Thich Nhat Hanh: Essential Writings, by Thich Naht Hanh, Orbis Books, 2001, $15.00, 163 pp.
A Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh has collected writings from over twenty of his books and compiled them here.
His aim: To help people live mindfully in the present in order to achieve relationships of love and understanding. Can't fault
that.
Thieves in High Places: They've Stolen Our Country and It's Time to Take it Back, by Jim Hightower, Viking, 2003, $24.95, 270 pp.
Popular populist Jim Hightower is back, taking aim this time at the "kleptocrats" he believes are robbing America blind. Lest he be labeled a rabble-rouser, he follows up criticism with a brave vision of
what America could be, including success stories of underdogs who have taken fat-cats to the mat.
This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader, by Joan Dye Gussow, Chelsea Green Publishing Co., 2001, $22.95, 273 pp.
In this memoir/gardening manual, Gussow shares the joys and challenges of organic gardening. In a world of thoughtless consumption, she offers a refreshing
perspective.
Three Strikes: Miners, Musicians, Salesgirls, and the Fighting Spirit of Labor's Last Century, by Dana Frank, Robin D.G. Kelley and Howard Zinn, Beacon Press, 2001, $15.00, 174 pp.
What have miners, musicians and salesgirls in common? They have all at one time or another been the center of labor disputes. Three Strikes chronicles three separate labor strikes which - each in their own way -
exemplify the power and dignity of the labor movement of the early twentieth century. While labor comes off smelling like roses, in the end these accounts serve to point out how eroded the modern labor movement has become.
Tom Jones, by David Rogers, The Dramatic Publishing Co., 1964, 94 pp.
Based upon the novel by Henry Fielding, this play is a classic gem of romantic comedy. It
follows the adventures of Tom as he pursues Sophia - the object of his affection - across the English countryside. Three acts.
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man, by Mary L. Trump, PhD, Simon & Schuster, $28.00, 225 pp.
2020 saw several court battles over books featuring the Trump administration's missteps and personal vindettas. One highly anticipated title was written by Mary L. Trump, PhD, the president's niece. Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Dangerous Man sold over a million copies its first day. Born the fourth child of five to Fred and Mary Trump, Mary writes Donald Jonathan Trump did not have a normal start to life. When he was still a toddler, his mother fell ill and was never able to provide the nurturing child psychologists say is crucial for healthy development. Add to that a father who didn't see the need - or have the time - to fill the void left by a mother in absentia, Donald was left to figure out life for himself. Mary L. Trump holds a PhD in psychology. She writes from the perspective of: 1) a member of the Trump inner circle; and 2) a trained psychologist. The majority of events in Too Much take place at the family home in Queens, New York. The House,
as it's referred to, is a character in itself. The House is where everything that matters to the Trump clan occurs. It's where fortunes are won or lost, determined by a father's critical eye for winners. Losers are not tolerated.
Torch Song Trilogy, by Harvey Fierstein, Villard Books, 1983, 149 pp. Originally presented in 1982, Fierstein's trilogy received international acclaim
in 1983 when it won Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Actor. The play (or plays) is about growth and independence, and that this work about
gay relationships held such mass appeal is a testament to how successfully
Fierstein hit his mark. Though it contains three distinct plays, it is a congruent mix
that after taken together, hardly seem complete apart.
A Tragic Legacy: How a Good vs. Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency, by Glenn Greenwald, Crown Publishing, 2007, $24.95, 303 pp.
A Tragic Legacy chronicles the successes and failures of G. Dubya's administration. It portrays a presidency crippled by its own convictions. The real tragedy here is not the damage done to the man,
but that done to the office, American democracy.
The Tree, by Dana Lyons, Illumination Arts, 2002, $16.95, 32 pp.
Written from the perspective of an 800-year-old Douglas Fir, this charming tale is a wake-up call for environmentalists grown complacent by complicated laws and corporate double-speak. It
also makes for a great children's story. Illustrated by David Danioth with forewords by Julia Butterfly Hill and Pete Seeger.
Trees: A Guide to Familiar American Trees, by Herbert S. Zim, PhD, ScD and Alexander C. Martin, PhD, Western Publishing
Co., 1956, $2.95, 160 pp. First Published in 1952, Trees aids in the identification of 143 North American species. Along with their common names, each entry lists features such as leaves,
bark, buds, flowers, fruit, form, height and the family the tree belongs to. Easy-to-comprehend maps of each tree's range are also provided. The full-color illustrations by artists Dorothea and Sy Barlowe
make tree identification a breeze, turning every page into a visual delight and joy to read.
The Trial of Henry Kissinger, by Christopher Hitchens, Verso Publishing, 2001, $12.00, 159 pp.
Henry Kissinger has no friend in Christopher Hitchens. The Trial of Henry Kissinger is Hitchens'
answer to the hypothetical question: What if Henry Kissinger were put on trial? In Hitchens' world, the
blame for such hot spots as East Timor, Indochina, and Bangladesh would be laid squarely on the former
National Security Advisor's shoulders. It makes for compelling reading.
Trifles, by Susan Glaspell, Walter H. Baker Co., 1951, 19 pp.
The year is 1900. A murder in a rural farmhouse brings out the county attorney,
the local sheriff, a neighbor and their wives. The chauvinistic attitudes of the men
sets the women to sympathizing with their prime suspect, and the investigation is
thwarted. This one act play is a stealthy placard for women's equality.
The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien, Ballantine Books, 1984, $2.95, 447 pp.
In this, Part Two of The Lord of the Rings, we follow Frodo and Sam on a quest to destroy
the Ring of Power. Guided by Gollum - not the most trustworthy character - their adventure is fraught with
vagaries of deceit.
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