Nonfiction
WINNER! The Geography of Bliss by Eric WeinerSelf-appointed cartographer of contentment Eric Weiner navigates the globe in search of a truly happy culture. From Switzerland's meticulous railway system to Thailand's sybaritic dropouts, Weiner navigates the human condition and discovers some not-so-surprising truths about the relationship between desire and happiness. |  The Alchemy of Air by Thomas HagerBoth individual winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918 and 1931 respectively, scientists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch were driven and ultimately haunted by their world-changing work. Their discoveries saved lives and keep people alive to this day, yet were responsible for the deaths of millions in both world wars and threaten the environment and the health of millions today. Brilliant but sad, their stories are told for the first time by Thomas Hager in The Alchemy of Air.  Excerpt |
 The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8 LeeNot only are there more Chinese restaurants in the U.S. than McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's combined, but the fortune cookie itself—that iconic Chinese restaurant treat—is an American invention. New York Times columnist Jennifer 8. Lee delves into these and other fascinating facts in her engaging history of the Chinese restaurant in American culture. Excerpt |  The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate SummerscaleIn 1860, Scotland Yard sent Jonathan "Jack" Whicher to investigate the murder of a three-year-old boy. With his suspicions yielding little evidence, the case was virtually closed, leaving Whicher a near-broken man. A truly lurid Victorian-era crime story, Kate Summerscale's The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is an enthralling book of historical scholarship. Q&A with Kate Summerscale: Murder, Victorian Style |
 We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin MeeLions and tigers and bears, oh yes. A twist on running off to join the circus, Benjamin Mee and his young family ran off to the English countryside and bought a zoo. When Mee learned about the chance to purchase the run-down Dartmoor Wildlife Park English, he pounced on it. The arduous 10-month task of renovating the zoo wasn't the only strain on Mee, his wife, and two young children, but theirs remains a story of kindness and hope. Excerpt |  The House at Sugar Beach by Helene CooperRecalling her flight from the wealth and comfort of her family's mansion in Liberia during the violent overthrow of the government in 1980, New York Times reporter Helene Cooper combines her keen sense of journalistic description with the lyrical heart of a poet. The House at Sugar Beach is the story of her turbulent homeland and the foster sister that stayed behind. Cooper describes the poignant pull of her childhood home despite the life she has built in America. Excerpt |
See All the 2008 Winners & Finalists
Borders.com Accepts:
