Nonfiction
Faster!: A Racer's Diary by
Legendary Formula 1 driver Sir Jackie Stewart recounts the 1970 season, between his first and second championships, and during which two of his close friends and fellow drivers lost their lives on the track
Call Number: General Collection ; GV1032.S74 A25 1972Publication Date: 1972
High Performance: The Culture and Technology of Drag Racing, 1950-1990 by
For those who love high drama and high-powered machinery, there is nothing to top big-time drag racing. High Performance is a dramatic, firsthand history of this daring sport, from the earliest "legal" drags run on rural airfields to the spectacular--and sometimes tragic--careers of drag racing's boldest innovators. Post, a former drag racer himself, has interviewed most of drag racing's legends and superstarssuch as "Pappy" Hart, who opened the first commercial strip in Santa Ana, California; Florida's "Big Daddy" Don Garlits, the first person to define himself as a professional drag racer; and Shirley Muldowney, who was nearly killed in a 250-MPH crash and returned to the cockpit two years later with the simple explanation, "It's what I do." Post looks at all aspects of drag racing: the sport, the business, the means of personal affirmation. But most of all he explores it as an example of technological enthusiasm, tracking the innovations that permitted racers to disprove on pavement the "laws of physics" that experts had laid out on paper. "By writing about the combination of talent and technology that make drag racing the most exciting sport in the world, Bob Post has finally given us the credit and credibility we deserve. This book has been a long time coming."--Shirley Muldowney "All the roar and smell of rubber that one finds at drag races is present in this comprehensive study of the sport."--Ray Browne, Journal of Popular Culture
Call Number: General Collection ; GV1029 .P675 1994Publication Date: 1994
Hard Driving: The Wendell Scott Story: The American Odyssey of NASCAR's First Black Driver by
Hard Driving is the dramatic story of one man's dogged determination to live the life he loved, and to compete, despite daunting obstacles, at the highest level of his sport. Wendell Scott figured he was signing up for trouble when he became NASCAR's version of Jackie Robinson in the segregated 1950s. Some speedways refused to let him race. "Go home, nigger," spectators yelled. And after a bigoted promoter refused to pay him, Scott appealed directly to the sport's founder, nascar czar Bill France Sr. France made a promise Scott would never forget - that NASCAR would never treat him with prejudice. For the next two decades, Scott chased a dream whose fulfillment depended on France backing up that promise. Persevering through crashes, health problems, and money troubles, Scott remained convinced he had the talent to become one of NASCAR's best. Hard Driving documents a previously untold chapter in the history of integration, politics, and sports in America. It reveals how France, founder of the multibillion-dollar nascar empire, reneged on his pledge and allowed repeated discrimination against Scott by racing officials and other powerful figures. It details France's alliances with leading segregationist politicians such as George Wallace, the reluctance of auto executives such as Lee Iacocca to sponsor a black driver; and the inspiring support Scott received from white drivers such as nascar champions Ned Jarrett and Richard Petty, who admired his skill and tenacity.
Call Number: General Collection ; GV1032.S36 D66 2008Publication Date: 2008
Major: A Black Athlete, a White Era, and the Fight to be the World's Fastest Human Being by
Balf presents this fascinating story of cyclist Major Taylor, Americas first African-American sports mega-celebrity and his quest to beat out his white, racist rival for the title of Fastest Man in the World. 18 b&w photos.
Call Number: General Collection ; GV1051.T3 B35 2008Publication Date: 2008
Developing Speed by
Athletes in all sports rely on speed. Whether it involves sprinting down the court on a fast break or chasing a loose ball, speed often contributes to overall athletic ability. Developing Speed teaches you how to elevate your speed in a scientifically based manner that will have you blowing by the competition. Written by eight of the top National Strength and Conditioning Association experts, Developing Speed is your guide to elite-level speed development, regardless of your sport. In addition to the scientific coverage of speed development, this guide helps you assess your current ability and identify your areas of greatest need. Using this information, along with the most effective drills and exercises, you'll have the tools and information for creating your own speed development program. If increasing your athletic speed is what you're seeking, then look no further. With the cutting-edge information packed into this one resource, you'll achieve new personal bests and reach your most aggressive goals. Developing Speed is the only tool you need to develop your personal program and take your speed to the highest level!
Call Number: General Collection ; GV711.5 .D477 2013Publication Date: 2013
Racing Ace: The Fights and Flights of 'Kink' Kinkead DSO, DSC, DFC by
Samuel 'Kink' Kinkead won two DSCs with the Royal Naval Air Service, two DFC with the fledgling RAF and the DSO in Russia.A brilliant pilot, postwar he was a long range aviation pioneer and leading racing ace selected for the international Schneider Trophy in Venice in 1927. Tragically, he was killed in 1928 when he was only 31 during his attempt to shatter the World Air Speed record. He is honored by several memorials, at Cranwell, the RAF Club in Piccadilly, at Fawley and a permanent exhibition in the Kinkead Room at Calshot from where he set out on his final flight.Julian Lewis MP has pieced together Kink's extraordinary story of achievement during his short but eventful and glamorous life. A fascinating account of flying derring-do in war and peace.
Call Number: General Collection ; TL540.K515 L49 2011Publication Date: 2011
Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History by
A New York Times Bestseller * An Amazon Best Book of the Year * A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice * A Time Best Book for Summer Between the world wars, no sport was more popular, or more dangerous, than airplane racing. While male pilots were lauded as heroes, the few women who dared to fly were more often ridiculed--until a cadre of women pilots banded together to break through the entrenched prejudice. Fly Girls weaves together the stories of five remarkable women: Florence Klingensmith, a high school dropout from Fargo, North Dakota; Ruth Elder, an Alabama divorcée; Amelia Earhart, the most famous, but not necessarily the most skilled; Ruth Nichols, who chafed at her blue blood family's expectations; and Louise Thaden, the young mother of two who got her start selling coal in Wichita. Together, they fought for the chance to fly and race airplanes--and in 1936, one of them would triumph, beating the men in the toughest air race of them all.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2018
High heat : The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time by
What is it about a quality fastball that brings us to the edge of our seats? How is it humanly possible to throw more than 100 mph? And the big question: Who is the fastest pitcher ever?
Drawing on interviews with current and former players, managers, scouts, experts, and historians, Tim Wendel delivers the answers to some of the most intriguing questions about the fastball, providing insight into one of baseball's most exhilarating yet mystifying draws. In High Heat he takes us on a quest to separate verifiable fact from baseball lore, traveling from ballparks across the country to the Baseball Hall of Fame, piecing together the fascinating history of the fastball from its early development to the present form while exploring its remarkable impact on the game and the pitchers who have been blessed (or cursed) with its gift.
From legends such as Nolan Ryan, Walter Johnson, Steve Dalkowski, and Satchel Paige to present-day standard bearers like Tim Lincecum, Billy Wagner, and Randy Johnson, Wendel examines the factors that make throwing heat an elusive ability that few have and even fewer can harness. Along the way he investigates the effectiveness of early speed-testing techniques (including Bob Feller's infamous motorcycle test), explains why today's radar gun readings still leave plenty of room for debate, and even visits an aerodynamic testing lab outside of Birmingham, Alabama, in order to understand the mechanics that make throwing heat possible in the first place.
At its heart, High Heat is a reflection on our infatuation with the fastball--the expectation it carries, the raw ability it puts on display, and, most of all, the feats and trials of those who have attempted to master it. As Wendel puts it, "The tale of high heat can lead in several different directions at once, and the real story has more to do with triumph and tragedy that with the simple act of throwing a baseball."
Call Number: General Collection ; GV871 .W46 2011Publication Date: 2011
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by
From the author of the runaway phenomenon Unbroken comes a universal underdog story about the horse who came out of nowhere to become a legend. Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail. Three men changed Seabiscuit's fortunes: Charles Howard was a onetime bicycle repairman who introduced the automobile to the western United States and became an overnight millionaire. When he needed a trainer for his new racehorses, he hired Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from the Colorado plains. Smith urged Howard to buy Seabiscuit for a bargain-basement price, then hired as his jockey Red Pollard, a failed boxer who was blind in one eye, half-crippled, and prone to quoting passages from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Over four years, these unlikely partners survived a phenomenal run of bad fortune, conspiracy, and severe injury to transform Seabiscuit from a neurotic, pathologically indolent also-ran into an American sports icon. Praise for Seabiscuit "Fascinating . . . Vivid . . . A first-rate piece of storytelling, leaving us not only with a vivid portrait of a horse but a fascinating slice of American history as well."--The New York Times "Engrossing . . . Fast-moving . . . More than just a horse's tale, because the humans who owned, trained, and rode Seabiscuit are equally fascinating. . . . [Laura Hillenbrand] shows an extraordinary talent for describing a horse race so vividly that the reader feels like the rider."--Sports Illustrated "REMARKABLE . . . MEMORABLE . . . JUST AS COMPELLING TODAY AS IT WAS IN 1938."--The Washington Post
Call Number: General Collection ; SF355.S4 H55 2001Publication Date: 2001
Science of Swimming Faster by
In a sport where victory is often determined by a fraction of a second, it's obvious why one of the most sought-after secrets is how to swim faster. However, as the world's most renowned coaches, athletes, trainers, and researchers know, there is no secret--just science. Science of Swimming Faster is a remarkable achievement--one that embraces, explains, and applies the latest science and research that has and continues to set new performance benchmarks in the sport. It is a one-of-a-kind resource: * An easily understood repository of swimming research * Insights distilled from great sport and exercise scientists, coaches, and swimmers * A do-it-right reference for a host of techniques and tactics * The most credible and widely used training principles and programs * An analysis identifying key factors contributing to elite and world-record swimming performance * An insider's access to the strategies for training, tapering, fueling, recovery, and mental preparation being used with some of the world's most successful swimmers. With editors Scott Riewald and Scott Rodeo and a who's-who list of international experts on the sport, Science of Swimming Faster offers you an unprecedented wealth of advanced yet accessible information on excelling in the sport.
Call Number: General Collection ; GV837.7 .S45 2015Publication Date: 2015
Indy: Racing Before the 500 by
Documents the early history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Covers the years of 1909 and 1910 (before the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911). Covers the building of the track, balloon races, an aviation meet featuring the wright Brothers, the Grick testing session and over 80 auto races. Includes complete statistics of all events and over 200 photographic from the time period.
Call Number: General Collection ; GV1033.5.I55 S37 2005Publication Date: 2005
Hummingbirds: A Life-Sized Guide to Every Species by
Hummingbirds have always held popular appeal, with their visual brilliance, extraordinary flight dexterity, jewel-like color, and remarkably small size. This is the first book to profile all 338 known species, from the Saw-billed Hermit to the Scintillant Hummingbird. Every bird is shown life-size in glorious full-color photographs. Every species profile includes a flight map and key statistics, as well as information about behavior, plumage, and habitat. This authoritative guide has been annotated by the world's leading experts on hummingbirds and features a foreword by renowned birding author Pete Dunne.
Call Number: General Collection ; QL696.A558 F64 2014Publication Date: 2014
Into the Unknown: The X-1 Story by
"For more than forty years, the story of the record-breaking flights of the world's first supersonic aircraft - the Bell X-1 - has fueled the American imagination and has been embellished by myths and faulty recollections. Challenging the accepted story of the X-1, Into the Unknown describes the complete history of the X-1 program - from the origins of high-speed research in the 1930s to Chuck Yeager's pioneering flight through the sound barrier on October 14, 1947." "Rotundo examines the complex factors that shaped the process of breaking new ground in aviation research, as well as the inner decision making of the three major participants: Bell Aircraft, the Air Force, and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). He reveals the divergent views and the competing objectives of the NACA and the Air Force on policy decisions, aircraft design and capability, and program direction." "The first airplane constructed solely for high-speed research, the X-1 not only broke the sound barrier, but also was distinct as one of the few aircraft to complete its test program without a significant aerodynamic or structural alteration. Rotundo details each of the fifty test flights of the X-1 and each new test procedure, many of which became standard for research on the later X-series aircraft and provided the foundation for the techniques later used by the space program." "The final chapters of Into the Unknown analyze the veil of secrecy and correct the factual errors surrounding Yeager's supersonic flight. Rotundo details how the Air Force tried to control the release of the story for national security purposes, and how many of the resulting news accounts contained inaccuracies. The book includes previously unpublished material, rare photographs, interviews with the participants, and original NACA, Air Force, and Bell Aircraft archival files."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Call Number: General Collection ; TL551.5 .R68 1994Publication Date: 1994
Disqualified: Eddie Hart, Munich 1972, and the Voices of the Most Tragic Olympics by
American Olympian Eddie Hart recounts his disqualification from the 100-meter race at the 1972 Munich Olympics, his team's victory in the 400-meter relay, and the killings of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches and one West German policeman by members of the terrorist group Black September.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2017
Rail, Steam, and Speed by
From October 6 through 14, 1829, in a small village just outside Liverpool, England, ten thousand spectators gathered to witness one of the most remarkable events of the Industrial Age: a battle among locomotives that became known as the Rainhill Trials. Five machines were entered in the competition: the horse-powered Cycloped attained a top speed of only five miles per hour, while Perseverence--which looked like a giant iron bottle standing upright atop four wagon wheels--creaked along at a walking pace. But the three-way race between Robert Stephenson's Rocket, Timothy Harworth's Sans Pareil, and the crowd favorite, John Braithwaite and John Ericson's Novelty, astonished the gathered crowds. The unfamiliar clank of machinery, huge billows of steam, and unprecedented speeds of thirty miles per hour thrilled the crowds during the trials'carnival-like atmosphere. The Rocket won the competition, though it had been claimed that the machine was not the superior locomotive. Rail, Steam, and Speed explains why and offers an absorbing account of the trials, people, and science that gave birth to steam locomotion. The purpose of the trials had been to find a locomotive that could maintain a speed of ten miles per hour for a round trip totaling thirty-five miles, the distance separating Liverpool and Manchester, which were soon to be linked by the world's first passenger railway. But what was achieved during those nine days became a benchmark of the Industrial Revolution. Bringing the excitement of this great drama to life, Christopher McGowan introduces us to such pioneers as George Stephenson, who started as a colliery boy and finished as the father of the railways; John Ericsson, a Swedish Army officer who invented a new kind of locomotive in England but spent most of his life in the United States, where he built the Monitor for the Union Navy; and Richard Trevithick, whose eleven-year adventure in South America included winning and losing several fortunes, deserting Bolivar's army, and escaping the jaws of a crocodile. He encountered George Stephenson's son Robert in a Colombian hotel in one of the most bizarre meetings of the age. But the real stars are the locomotives themselves. McGowan shows how locomotives work and how they were developed--from the gargantuan beam engines condensing low-pressure steam inside enormous cylinders to the small, high-pressure-driven engines of the maverick miner Trevithick. He adapted the engines to power road carriages, but atrocious roads led him to build an engine that could run on rails. And so was born the world's first steam locomotive and modern transportation.
Call Number: General Collection ; TJ603.4.G7 M43 2004Publication Date: 2004
The Story of American Railroads: From the Iron Horse to the Diesel Locomotive by
This richly comprehensive history by a self-proclaimed "low-brow" historian features more than 100 photographs and contemporary prints of America's railway system. Stewart H. Holbrook presents a dramatic, highly readable chronicle of the development of the backbone of the country's commerce and industry. Abounding in episodes of ingenuity and achievement, the growth of the railway system required constant improvements in techniques, devices, and machines, from the first wood burner that traveled on wooden rails to modern streamliners and diesel-powered giants. In addition to technological innovations, the colossal enterprise required courage and resolve to battle challenges posed by nature as well as by political maneuvering and corruption. This fascinating survey draws upon many hitherto unknown original sources and new data, in addition to firsthand accounts from hundreds of brakemen, conductors, engineers, and other railroad employees. Sound and authoritative, it constitutes a definitive history of America's railroads.
Call Number: General Collection ; HE2751 .H44 2015Publication Date: 2016
Interstate: Highway Politics and Policy Since 1939 by
This new, expanded edition brings the story of the Interstates into the twenty-first century. It includes an account of the destruction of homes, businesses, and communities as the urban expressways of the highway network destroyed large portions of the nation''s central cities. Mohl and Rose analyze the subsequent urban freeway revolts, when citizen protest groups battled highway builders in San Francisco, Baltimore, Memphis, New Orleans, Washington, DC, and other cities. Their detailed research in the archival records of the Bureau of Public Roads, the Federal Highway Administration, and the U.S. Department of Transportation brings to light significant evidence of federal action to tame the spreading freeway revolts, curb the authority of state highway engineers, and promote the devolution of transportation decision making to the state and regional level. They analyze the passage of congressional legislation in the 1990s, especially the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), that initiated a major shift of Highway Trust Fund dollars to mass transit and light rail, as well as to hiking trails and bike lanes. Mohl and Rose conclude with the surprising popularity of the recent freeway teardown movement, an effort to replace deteriorating, environmentally damaging, and sometimes dangerous elevated expressway segments through the inner cities. Sometimes led by former anti-highway activists of the 1960s and 1970s, teardown movements aim to restore the urban street grid, provide space for new streetcar lines, and promote urban revitalization efforts. This revised edition continues to be marked by accessible writing and solid research by two well-known scholars. Raymond A. Mohl is distinguished professor of history at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is the author of South of the South: Jewish Activists and the Civil Rights Movement in Miami, 1945-1960 and co-editor of The Making of Urban America, 3rd edition. Mark H. Rose is professor of history at Florida Atlantic University. He is the author of Cities of Light and Heat: Domesticating Gas and Electricity in Urban America and coauthor of The Best Transportation System in the World: Railroads, Trucks, Airlines and American Public Policy in the Twentieth Century. Praise for the previous edition of Interstate "The tale that Mark Rose relates in great detail is an illuminating one of pressure politics, revealing aspects of the fragmentation of social and political life rarely examined by scholars." --Richard Lowitt, American Studies "The best researched, most readable single document on the formation of U.S. auto-dominant policy. . . ." --Robert C. Stuart, Policy Studies Journal "Rose has done pioneering work in highway history. This is a small book but an important one. We are becoming more acutely aware that in our world technology and politics are inextricably intertwined. Here is an excellent case study."--John B. Rae, ISIS "An extensively researched, brief, and important study that adds to our knowledge of interest group politics and the impact of the motor vehicle in the United States." --Blaine A. Brownell, American Historical Review "An excellent contribution to political and transportation history. . . . an extremely useful account of the various hearings, conferences, and behind-the-scenes maneuverings that finally led to federal absorption of 90 percent of construction costs through the instrumentality of the Highway Trust Fund. . . . an impressive beginning to historical scholarship on a vastly important topic." --Kenneth T. Jackson, Journal of American History "A remarkably thorough, objective survey and analysis of the role of various interest groups in fashioning highway policies in the 1940s and 1950s. . . . a pioneer, definitive examination of highway development and transportation policy-making from the standpoints of various special interest groups." --Michael Robinson, Public Works Historical Society "This volume will fill an important area in many collections that probably have several volumes on transportation development after 1956. Persons interested in political processes, policy formation, and urban history will find this volume a useful and important contribution toward understanding the post-World War II period." --Choice
Call Number: General Collection ; HE355.3.E94 R67 2012Publication Date: 2012
Fiction
The Fastest Hound Dog in the State of Maine by
Part fable, part folklore, The Fastest Hound Dog in the State of Maine is Yankee story telling at its very best. A man needs a dog to catch long-legged rabbits, so he buys a hound with longer legs than the rabbits. It's the fastest dog he's ever seen--the fastest dog anyone has ever seen. The dog is so fast, in fact, the man takes on the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad in some friendly competition. Hilarity ensues. Based on Maine folklore, and told as only John Gould can tell it, this story rightfully belongs to the times before television, before radio, when folks sat and talked and told stories. Yet it is a story for all times with its humor--warm as a Maine hearth--and distinct Yankee voice.
Call Number: General Collection ; PS3513.O852 F3Publication Date: 1953
Metro Girl by
A spectacular new novel, complete with high stakes, hot nights, murder and graft--not to mention car chases, car races, car explosions, and car--well, you get the idea Alexandra Barnaby got the brains in her family. The little gray cells certainly bypassed Barney's younger brother, Wild Bill. Now Bill's missing, so Barney is dispatched to Florida in the middle of summer with the bugs and the heat and the bad-hair-day humidity. Barney's thinking things can't get too much worse as she makes the rounds of South Beach, unemployed and sunburned, following her brother's trail of broken-hearted bimbos. Too bad for Barney--she's wrong about the getting worse part. Enter Sam Hooker. Somebody's stolen his boat and the trail leads to--you guessed it--Wild Bill. Hooker decides to follow Barney and see if she can lead him to his boat. In the world of Evanovich, Sam Hooker and Alexandra Barnaby, in their quest to reclaim what's theirs, blast through Florida from Daytona straight on to Key West, exposing a plot to grab Cuban land and to lay waste the people involved. Cussing and tasteless sexual innuendo included.
Call Number: Garnett Mystery Collection ; E92MPublication Date: 2004
The Way to Dusty Death by
Formula 1 driver Johnny Harlow tries to get to the bottom of a series of apparent mishaps on the circuit.
Call Number: General Collection ; PR6063.A248 W3Publication Date: 1973
Hugger Mugger by
"It's easy to see why Parker's snappy banter and cynical eye have kept fans turning pages for 25 years . . . his wisecracks, combined with Parker's shorthand flair for scathing characterization, make for a satisfying read," said Entertainment Weekly of last year's Hush Money. Now Parker presents Spenser with a deceptively dangerous and multi-layered case: Someone has been killing racehorses at stables across the south, and the Boston P.I. travels to Georgia to protect the two-year-old destined to become the next Secretariat. When Spenser is approached by Walter Clive, president of Three Fillies Stables, to find out who is threatening his horse Hugger Mugger, he can hardly say no: He's been doing pro bono work for so long his cupboards are just about bare. Disregarding the resentment of the local Georgia law enforcement, Spenser takes the case. Though Clive has hired a separate security firm, he wants someone with Spenser's experience to supervise the operation. Despite a veneer of civility, Spenser encounters tensions beneath the surface southern gentility. The case takes an even more deadly turn when the attacker claims a human victim, and Spenser must revise his impressions of the whole Three Fillies organization--and watch his own back as well. With razor-sharp dialogue, eloquently spare prose, and some of the best supporting characters to grace the printed page, Hugger Mugger is grand entertainment.
Call Number: General Collection ; PS3566.A686 H85 2001Publication Date: 2001
Horse Heaven by
"It's not true," says a character in Jane Smiley's funny, passionate, and brilliant new novel of horse racing, "that anything can happen at the racetrack," but many astonishing and affecting things do -- and inHorse Heaven, we find them woven into a marvelous tapestry of joy and love, chicanery, folly, greed, and derring-do. Haunting, exquisite Rosalind Maybrick, wife of a billionaire owner, one day can't quite decide what it is she wants, and discovers too late that her whole life is transformed . . . Twenty-year-old Tiffany Morse, stuck in her job at Wal-Mart, prays, "Please make something happen here . . . This time, I mean it," and something does . . . Farley, a good trainer in a bad slump; Buddy, a ruthless trainer who can't seem to lose even though he knows that his personal salvation depends upon it; Roberto, an apprentice jockey who has "the hands" but is growing too big for his dream career with every passing day; Leo the gambler and his earnest son, Jesse, who understands everything about his father's "system" except why it doesn't work; Elizabeth, the sixty-two-year-old theorist of sex and animal communication, and her best friend, Joy, the mare manager at the ranch at the center of the universe--all are woven together by the horses that pass among them: two colts and two fillies who begin with the promise of talent and breeding, and now might or might not achieve stardom. There are the geldings -- Justa Bob, the plain brown horse who always wins by a nose, a lovable claimer who passes from owner to owner on a heart-wrenching journey down from the winner's circle; and the beautiful Mr. T., raced in France and rescued in Texas, who is discovered to have some unusual and amazing talents. And then there is the Jack Russell terrier, Eileen, a dog with real convictions -- and the will to implement them. The strange, compelling, sparkling, and mysterious universe of horse racing that has fascinated generations of punters and robber barons, horse-lovers and wits, has never before been depicted with such verve and originality, such tenderness, such clarity, and, above all, such sheer exuberance.
Call Number: General Collection ; PS3569.M39 H67 2000Publication Date: 2000
The Flamethrowers by
Reno, so-called because of the place of her birth, comes to New York intent on turning her fascination with motorcycles and speed into art. Her arrival coincides with an explosion of activity--artists colonize a deserted and industrial SoHo, stage actions in the East Village, blur the line between life and art. Reno is submitted to a sentimental education of sorts--by dreamers, poseurs, and raconteurs in New York and by radicals in Italy, where she goes with her lover to meet his estranged and formidable family. Ardent, vulnerable, and bold, Reno is a fiercely memorable observer, superbly realized by Rachel Kushner.
Call Number: General Collection ; PS3611.U7386 F57 2014Publication Date: 2014
Nine Shiny Objects by
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2021 PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FOR FICTION "In this extraordinary novel, Castleberry brilliantly hopscotches from person to person, from era to era, while somehow making all this fancy footwork look effortless and essential." - Jenny Offill, author of Department of Speculation and Weather A luminous debut novel in the tradition of DeLillo and Egan, chronicling the eerily intersecting lives of a series of American dreamers whose unforeseen links reveal the divided heart of a haunted nation--and the battered grace that might lead to its salvation June 26, 1947. Headlines across America report the sighting of nine pulsating lights flying over the Cascade Mountains at speeds surpassing any aircraft. In Chicago, inspired by the news, Oliver Danville, a failed actor now reduced to a mediocre pool hustler, hitchhikes west in a fever-dream quest for a possible sign from above that might illuminate his true calling. A chance encounter with Saul Penrod, an Idaho farmer, and his family sets in motion the birth of "the Seekers"--a collective of outcasts, interlopers, and idealists devoted to creating a society where divisions of race, ethnicity, and sexuality are a thing of the past. When Claudette Donen, a waitress on the lam from her suffocating family, encounters the group, she is compulsively drawn to Oliver's sister Eileen, but before she is able to join the enigmatic community, it has vanished. Reunited across the country, the Seekers attempt to settle in the suburbs of Long Island. One night, their purpose suddenly revealed, a stranger emerges, and a horrific crime ensues. In the decades that follow, the perpetrators, survivors, and their children will be forced to face the consequences of what happened--a reckoning that will involve Charlie Ranagan, a traveling salesman; Max Felt, a dissolute late-1960s rock star; Alice Linwood, an increasingly paranoid radio host; Stanley West, a struggling African American poet; Marly Feldberg, a Greenwich Village painter; and Debbie Vasquez, a Connecticut teenager trapped by an avalanche of midnight legacies. Each will prove to be a piece of a puzzle that, when assembled, reveals a shocking truth about the clash between the optimism of those who seek inspiration from spacious skies, and the venom of others who relish the underworld--not only via conspiratorial maneuverings, but the literal unearthing of the dead. The result is one of the most exciting, and unforgettable, debut novels in recent memory, and the launch of a major career in American letters.
Call Number: General Collection PS3603.A883 N56 2020Publication Date: 2020
Youth and children's books
Born to Fly: The First Women's Air Race Across America by
Born to Fly is the gripping story of the fearless women pilots who aimed for the skies--and beyond.Just nine years after American women finally got the right to vote, a group of trailblazers soared to new heights in the 1929 Air Derby, the first women's air race across the U.S. Follow the incredible lives of legend Amelia Earhart, who has captivated generations; Marvel Crosson, who built a plane before she even learned how to fly; Louise Thaden, who shattered jaw-dropping altitude records; and Elinor Smith, who at age seventeen made headlines when she flew under the Brooklyn Bridge. These awe-inspiring stories culminate in a suspenseful, nail-biting rate across the country that brings to life the glory and grit of the dangerous and thrilling early days of flying, expertly told by the master of nonfiction history for young readers, National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin.Featuring illustrations by Bijou Karman.
Call Number: Education, Music and Media Youth Collection ; 797.5 S543boPublication Date: 2019
Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive by
In 1936, America was years away from war with Nazi Germany. But long before the first battle of World War II, a starter's gun fired the first shot in our battle against the Nazis. Adolf Hitler viewed the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a chance to show the superiority of the German "race" over the rest of the world. He never expected that an American, let alone a black American, would dash his dreams. Jesse Owens grew up during an age when segregation laws forced him to eat at separate restaurants and stay at different hotels. But Jesse never let it slow him down while setting world records and winning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Once in Berlin, the triumph of Jesse's will helped him run through any barrier, winning not only Olympic gold, but countless fans.
Call Number: Education, Music and Media Youth Collection ; 92 O97WEPublication Date: 2006
Built for Speed: The Extraordinary, Enigmatic Cheetah by
The cheetah is the world's fastest land animal. But even this high-speed hunter is threatened by predators, disease, and humans. As a result, the cheetah is considered an endangered species. In this book, the cheetah's unique way of life, the physical adaptations that make it so fast, and the dangers it faces are described.
Call Number: Education, Music and Media Youth Collection ; 599.74 T476BUPublication Date: 1998
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman by
Before Wilma Rudolph was five years old, polio had paralyzed her left leg. Everyone said she would never walk again. But Wilma refused to believe it. Not only would she walk again, she vowed, she'd run. And she did run--all the way to the Olympics, where she became the first American woman to earn three gold medals in a single olympiad. This dramatic and inspiring true story is illustrated in bold watercolor and acrylic paintings by Caldecott Medal-winning artist David Diaz.
Call Number: Education, Music and Media Youth Collection ; 92 R9175KRPublication Date: 1995
Racing Cars by
Describes the cars used in Formula One, stock car, and drag racing and briefly discusses the development of racing cars.
Call Number: Education, Music and Media Youth Collection ; 629.228 R516RAPublication Date: 1998
The Fantastic Cutaway by
These striking large-format books feature multi-layered cross-sections and detailed illustrations that reveal hidden technology.
Call Number: Education, Music and Media Youth Collection Oversize ; 629.04 R516FAPublication Date: 1997
Cheetahs by
A basic exploration of the appearance, behavior, and habitat of cheetahs, Earth's fastest land animals. Also included is a story from folklore explaining why cheetahs have tear lines.
Call Number: Education, Music and Media Youth Collection ; 599.74 R569CHPublication Date: 2011
When the Whistle Blows by
Jimmy lives in Rowlesburg, West Virginia, during the 1940s. He does all the things boys do in the small mountain town: plays a mean game of football, pulls the unforgettable Halloween prank with his friends in ?the Platoon,? and promises to head off into the woods on the first day of hunting season? no matter what. He also knows his father belongs to a secret society, and is determined to uncover the mysteries behind it! But it is a midnight encounter with a train that shows Jimmy the man his father really is. Newcomer Fran Cannon Slayton's powerful first novel captures the serendipity of boyhood by shining a spotlight on the peak adventures of Jimmy's life. But at its heart, this is a story about a boy and his father in a time when trains reigned supreme. ?When the Whistle Blows is reminiscent of classic tales by Jack London, William Golding and Robert Louis Stevenson, yet carries the remarkable, fresh voice of its author. Fran Cannon Slayton should be extremely proud of this, her debut novel.'?Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank and Identical.
Call Number: Education, Music and Media Youth Collection ; 800 S6315WHPublication Date: 2009
