Welcome to Teen-tober!

 This week we are featuring Young Adult nonfiction titles you may have missed during the COVID lockdowns.

Careers for People Who Love Comics, Animation, and Manga is by Siyavush Saidian. "There are many different forms of entertainment, but comics, animation, and manga are among the most popular. Many people dream of working in these fields, but some may find the prospect of finding a job without a college education daunting. However, there are countless opportunities awaiting those with a passion for these crafts, whether they're artists or simply enthusiasts. This guidebook helps your readers lay a solid foundation for entry into roles across these exciting fields, many of which they may already posses the skills for, without college." (from Amazon.com)

"Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever. Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice." (from Amazon.com)

"Deborah Ellis, activist and award-winning author of My Story Starts Here interviews young people involved in the criminal justice system and lets them tell their own stories. Jamar found refuge in a gang after leaving an abusive home where his mother stole from him. Fred was arrested for assault with a weapon, public intoxication and attacking his mother while on drugs. Jeremy first went to court at age fourteen (“Court gives you the feeling that you can never make up for what you did, that you’re just bad forever”) but now wears a Native Rights hat to remind him of his strong Métis heritage. Kate, charged with petty theft and assault, finally found a counselor who treated her like a person for the first time. Many readers will recognize themselves, or someone they know, somewhere in these stories. Being lucky or unlucky after making a mistake. The encounter with a mean cop or a good one. Couch-surfing, or being shunted from one foster home to another. The kids in this book represent a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations and ethnicities. Every story is different, but there are common threads ― loss of parenting, dislocation, poverty, truancy, addiction, discrimination. The book also includes the points of view of family members as well as “voices of experience” ― adults looking back at their own experiences as young offenders. Most of all, this book leaves readers asking the most pressing questions of all. Does it make sense to put kids in jail? Can’t we do better? Have we forgotten that we were once teens ourselves, feeling powerless to change our lives, confused about who we were and what we wanted, and quick to make a move without a thought for the consequences?" (from Amazon.com)

"Welcome to the Human Body Theater, where your master of ceremonies is going to lead you through a theatrical revue of each and every biological system of the human body! Starting out as a skeleton, the MC puts on a new layer of her costume (her body) with each "act." By turns goofy and intensely informative, the Human Body Theater is always accessible and always entertaining. Maris Wicks is a biology nerd, and by the time you've read this book, you will be too! Harnessing her passion for science (and her background as a science educator for elementary and middle-school students), she has created a comics-format introduction to the human body that will make an expert of any reader -- young or old!" (from Amazon.com)

Learn Something New With Our New Adult Nonfiction!

"In 2001 Mo Gawdat realized that despite his incredible success, he was desperately unhappy. A lifelong learner, he attacked the problem as an engineer would: examining all the provable facts and scrupulously applying logic. Eventually, his countless hours of research and science proved successful, and he discovered the equation for permanent happiness. Thirteen years later, Mo’s algorithm would be put to the ultimate test. After the sudden death of his son, Ali, Mo and his family turned to his equation—and it saved them from despair. In dealing with the horrible loss, Mo found his mission: he would pull off the type of “moonshot” goal that he and his colleagues were always aiming for—he would share his equation with the world and help as many people as possible become happier. In Solve for Happy Mo questions some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence, shares the underlying reasons for suffering, and plots out a step-by-step process for achieving lifelong happiness and enduring contentment. He shows us how to view life through a clear lens, teaching us how to dispel the illusions that cloud our thinking; overcome the brain’s blind spots; and embrace five ultimate truths. No matter what obstacles we face, what burdens we bear, what trials we’ve experienced, we can all be content with our present situation and optimistic about the future." (from Amazon.com)

"The world's most precise scientific illustrations of the human body. Packed with astonishing facts and superb quality 3-D illustrations, Illustrated Human Anatomy by Dr. Sharat Vayttaden PhD and Dr. Dana Gustafson is a state-of-the art guide to the human body that is destined to become the definitive illustrated human anatomy reference. Accessible text and detailed annotations give the names of organs and structures throughout the skeletal, muscular, lymphatic, cardiovascular, nervous, and reproductive systems, with focus features reviewing disorders of each system. Illustrated Human Anatomy features the same precise 3-D illustrations used by medical schools and hospitals -- the accuracy is without par. Spreads feature a variety of body parts, such as muscle, bone, soft tissue and vascular, with explanatory text by Dr. Milnes, as well as sidebars and boxes. All images are fully annotated and may be shown in a variety of presentations: cross-sections; views (front, top, side); projections; and overlays. Focus facts appear in balloons and other call-outs, and there are feature spreads throughout, such as one on fetal development. The illustrations are from SciePro, the world's pre-eminent medical science graphics studio of its kind. It has compiled a library of 50,000 scientific illustrations, animations and 3-D digital animated models of the human body, the most detailed and medically accurate available. To date they are have been used in more than 700 projects by pharmaceutical, medical, and scientific clients around the globe, such as Stanford University and Ohio State University, Swiss Surgery, Proctor and Gamble, NextBio, St. Jude Medical, Pfizer and Endostim. Illustrated Human Anatomy is an exciting addition to our catalog. It meets the highest standards demanded by medical schools and hospitals yet it is easily understood by lay readers. It is a superb choice for professional use, and is an essential, affordable purchase for general circulation and for science and medical reference desks as well as personal libraries." (from Amazon.com)

Larry Mellichamp brings us The Southeast Native Plant Primer: 225 Plants for an Earth-friendly Garden. "Bring your garden to life—and life to your garden. Do you want a garden that makes a real difference? Choose plants native to our Southeast region. The rewards will benefit you, your yard, and the environment—from reducing maintenance tasks to attracting earth-friendly pollinators such as native birds, butterflies, and bees. Native plant experts Larry Mellichamp and Paula Gross make adding these superstar plants easier than ever before, with proven advice that every home gardener can follow. This incomparable sourcebook includes 225 recommended native ferns, grasses, wildflowers, perennials, vines, shrubs, and trees. It’s everything you need to know to create a beautiful and beneficial garden. This must-have handbook is for gardeners in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia." (from Amazon.com)

The latest from America's Test Kitchen is called Air Fryer Perfection. "Get the best possible results from your air fryer and discover the best ways to use it (not just frying!) with 75 fast, convenient, great-tasting recipes. Air fryers promise crisp fried food without actual deep frying. Was it too good to be believed? And what can you cook in them besides French fries? In truth, air fryers cook food by blasting it with circulated hot air. The method is fast, convenient, and can be surprisingly good--if you have the right recipe. We cooked more than 70 pounds of potatoes to create the perfect air fryer French fry, with an evenly crisp exterior and creamy center. But what really drew us to this appliance was the variety of what you can make in it, effortlessly and without having to enlist numerous pots and pans. In addition to crispy fried chicken and fries, you'll turn out evenly cooked steaks, such as Spice-Rubbed Steak with Snap Pea and Cucumber Salad (the spice rub gives them a bold crust), Sweet and Smoky Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Butternut Squash (the pork cooks directly on top of the squash to save time), and Tandoori Chicken Thighs. Many of the recipes yield both a main and a side for a complete meal. Most recipes take only 45 minutes or even less time, and all come with complete nutrition information. Frozen foods cook up crisp in the air fryer, but the results are so much better when you start with homemade. So we offer freeze-it-yourself Chicken Nuggets, Southwestern Beef Hand Pies, and more that go straight from freezer to air fryer and cook to perfection. And we share plenty of kid-friendly meals and snacks, from Better-Than-Boxed Fish Sticks to Zucchini Fries." (from Amazon.com)