Stuff White People Like

Based on the blog of the same name, this collection of witty posts pokes gentle(and often achingly true) fun of the quirks of caucasionness. A great gift idea--since we are rapidly approaching that season!--for a college student or any witty trendster you may know.

Skinny Bitch by Kim Barnouin and Rory Freedman

I read this book intending to give it the benefit of the doubt. It wasn't as vapid as I thought. Barnouin and Freedman spend a good amount of time encouraging health over skinniness--though obviously if you are healthy, you will also be the proper weight and overall the book is too shallow to be of any real benefit.
The authors also pay lip service to everyone making their own choices and doing what's right for them but any actual science is clouded by their own political opinions. (If you do read it, skip the PETA driven Chapter 6). The recipes aren't bad but the science is largely outdated. Buy yourself a subsription to "Cooking Light" magazine instead. Better yet, read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan!

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

I hope Oprah talks about this book on her show so it reaches the audience it deserves! I honestly believe that this should be required reading for everyone in America. Pollan calls for common sense and advises that we listen to our bodies to find what we need to feel good and healthy. He gives honest statistics, presented with no agenda. He uses enough science to help understand the issues but not so much that the layman is overwhelmed.
We are so inundated with food information it's wonderful to hear a calm and reasoned voice above the din.

Book Smart: Your Essential Reading list for Becoming a Literary Genius in 365 Days by Jane Mallison

Every few years one of these types of books comes out. This one is interestingly subdivided and includes quite a few modern writers to balance the classics. Mallison's subtitle notwithstanding, the book is worth a glance.
Skip the Preface. Mallison's writing shows quite clearly why she teaches writing rather than writes herself. And, really, do we need to have the concept spelled out for us?

Outstanding in the Field by Jim Denevan

As the interest in local food continues to grow, Jim Denevans beautiful cookbook is perfectly timed. The photography alone is worth the cover price of the book. But much more than that, the recipes are wonderful (and give the home cook ideas for all those unusual veggies one can find at farm stands!) and he includes lots of references about how to find Community Farms.
Much more than a cookbook, this is an eaters manifesto. Don't miss.

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins is an exposé of international corruption— and an inspired plan to turn the tide for future generations. Suggested reading from a Peace and Conflict Studies course, this work does take a hard look at the U.S. military in Iraq to infrastructure development in Indonesia, from Peace Corps volunteers in Africa to jackals in Venezuela, Perkins exposes a conspiracy of corruption that has fueled instability and anti-Americanism around the globe, with consequences reflected in our daily headlines. John Perkins passionately addresses how Americans can work to create a more peaceful and stable world for future generations. Today the author serves as a founder and board member of Dream Change and The Pachamama Alliance, two nonprofit organizations dedicated to creating a stable, sustainable, and peaceful world. How inspiring to think each and every one of us has a role in creating a more peaceful and stable world.
Aurora

Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume

Growing up, Judy Blume was one of my favorite authors and one who accompanied me, physically and emotionally, as I passed through adolescence: I learned about having a period from Margaret, commiserated with Peter about the problems of spoiled, destructive younger brothers, and cried with Davey after her father's death. So, I was attracted to this collection of essays from authors (they are mainly YA or chick-lit writers) who also grew up with Judy Blume from the time I first saw it reviewed. It didn't disappoint. The essays discuss the impacts of Blume's works on everything from their developing sexuality to their perspectives on intrafamily conflict to how they handled a parental divorce. Though the essays focus on only a few of Blume's books (including Deenie, Are You There God . . . , and Forever), they are sure to touch and evoke flowing memories from anyone who considered themselves a fan. --Inanna

Escape

by Carolyn Jessop and Laura Palmer

A memoir of Jessop's life with and eventual escape from the breakaway Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) sect, this book reads more like a thriller. Beginning with the story of how she fled with her eight children in the dead of night (Jessop broke ground not only by being the first woman to escape the FLDS with all her children but also by being awarded custody through a court system that traditionally had closed its eyes to FLDS abuses). From there, the storyline returns to Jessop's childhood and moves forward chronologically, finally returning the reader to her current life. Hers is a fascinating story of indoctrination, dreams and attempts for personal growth in a restrictive life and culture, and accessing reservoirs of strength as danger grows around her. This book would be a strong followup to readers who enjoyed Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven, with its perspective of an FLDS insider. -Inanna

A Charmed Life(Growing Up in MacBeth's Castle) by Liza Campbell

Though I'm a bit over the child-of-an-alcoholic breed of memoir, I found this one truly gripping. Admittedly, I was initially interested because I am of Scottish descent and I was hoping for lots of history and descriptions of Scottish scenery. I was not disappointed. Campbell's own story is so intricately woven into the history of Scotland and her family that it is hard to see sometimes where the Cawdors end and she begins--a truly Scottish quality. Campbell asks for no sympathy; in fact, she barely asks the reader for understanding. She seems to be aware that her coming of age was so wildly different from that of anyone reading her book, there can be little common ground... After all, how many of us came of age in the British Aristocracy in the 60s and 70s?
Don't miss.