Vairo Blog

Book: The Lion Cooks Tonight!

The campus cook book The Lion Cooks Tonight! is available in the library to checkout. As a part of Penn State Brandywine's 40th anniversary celebration, The Lion Cooks Tonight! is a collection of the favorite recipes submitted by members of the campus community.

Recipes featured include:
- Pot luck dishes (such as Chicken & Rice Casserole a la "Doc" Paul Orlov and Sally Ent's Pineapple Stuffing)
- Savory soups & salads (Connie Kirker's Zesty Pumpkin Soup and Lisa Krol's Santa Fe Bean Salad)
- 40th Anniversary cakes (Dava Murray's ORE-OH! Cheesecake and Arnold Markley's Delaware County Fresh Apple Cake)
- Other delicious desserts (Wayne McMullen's Chocolate Chip Cookies and Melissa Dawson's Fruit Pizza)

Celebrate the 40th and show your Penn State pride this holiday season by cooking these delectable dishes! WE ARE...PENN STATE BRANDYWINE!
(Vairo Library TX714.L56 2007)

Book: Race, Class, and Hurricane Katrina

"There is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster: Race, Class, and Hurricane Katrina spells out how and why natural events like Hurricane Katrina become social catastrophes. While the storm itself was devastating, it was the deeper forces of structural racism and social inequality that caused the poor and people of color to suffer disproportionately. Chester Hartman and Gregory D. Squires have gathered over a dozen scholars and policy activists to put forth a multifaceted and critical portrait of the social implications of the disaster. Stressing the central role of race and class throughout, the book covers the historical context of disasters in urban America, post-Katrina housing policy, education policy, urban planning, politics, and the future of economic development in New Orleans." (back cover)
(Vairo Library HV636 2005.L8T44 2006)

Book: 50 Best Sights in Astronomy

Fred Schaaf, writer of 11 popular astronomy books, guides amateur stargazers through the heavens in The 50 Best Sights in Astronomy and How to See Them. Schaaf picked these 50 sights based on "the width of the field of view necessary to enjoy the sight best", from widest to narrowest (1). That's why the first section includes the starry sky, total eclipse of the sun, and the northern lights---all sights you can see with the naked eye. It progresses to sights that require binoculars and then telescopes, such as Orion's Belt and the surface of the moon. The book features explainations of each sight, several beautiful color pages of the night sky, and a glossary of terms. This is a great introductory manual if you're looking for a new hobby.
(Vairo Library QB63.S389 2007)

Book: What Was Asked of Us

If you only have time to read one book right now, make sure it's What Was Asked of Us: An Oral History of the Iraq War by the Soldiers Who Fought It. Author and investigative reporter Trish Wood worked with Iraqi War veterans for more than two years compiling in-depth interviews for this emtionally powerful book. In the introduction, Bobby Muller (a marine infantry officer in the Vietnam War and cofounder of Veterans for America) clearly states that this book is not politically motivated, but "a simple recounting of experiences that are very personal" to soldiers who served in Iraq (XVI).

As the book jacket states: "They tell us about their lives and careers, their families back home, their days and nights, the Iraqis they've encountered, the fear and the courage, and the challenges of fighting a war when the enemy is everywhere and nowhere at once."

What Was Asked of Us is a book everyone should read.
(Vairo Library DS79.76.W47 2006)