Even though all of our new books are exciting, below are just some of the books recently added to the Durham Tech library collection. Check them out! More new books are noted in a new books list.

A Bit of Difference by Sefi Atta

At thirty-nine, Deola Bello, a Nigerian expatriate in London, is dissatisfied with being single and working overseas. She works as a financial reviewer for an international charity. When her job takes her back to Nigeria in time for her father’s five-year memorial service, she finds herself turning her scrutiny inward. In Nigeria, Deola encounters changes in her family, the urban landscape of her home, and new acquaintances who offer unexpected possibilities. Deola’s journey is as much about evading others’ expectations to get to the heart of her frustration as it is about exposing the differences between foreign images of Africa and the realities of contemporary Nigerian life.

Diaries of an Unfinished Revolution: Voices from Tunis to Damascus by Layla Al-Zubaidi, Matthew Cassel, Naomi Craven Roderick, editors

With unrest in so many areas of the world right now, this may be a timely book for reflection. Focusing on the revolution that swept through the Arab world in spring of 2011, the book brings together testimony from people who were on the ground at the time. These essays and profoundly moving, often harrowing, firsthand accounts span the region from Tunisia to Syria and include contributors ranging from student activists to seasoned journalists—half of whom are women. This unique collection explores just how deeply politics can be held within the personal and highlights the power of writing in a time of revolution.

Do It Anyway: The Next Generation of Activists by Courtney E. Martin

If you care about social change but hate feel-good platitudes, Do It Anyway is the book for you. Courtney Martin’s rich profiles of the new generation of activists dig deep, to ask the questions that really matter: How do you create a meaningful life? Can one person even begin to make a difference in our hugely complex, globalized world?

From Moon Cakes to Mao to Modern China: An Introduction to Chinese Civilization by Zhu Fayuan, Wu Qixing, Xia Hanning, Gao Han

To understand China, we need to step into the palace of her culture and explore her rich history. With this in mind, a group of scholars from China and America have put this book together as a kind of primer on all things China, from art and science to religion and society. They have tried to offer here a panoramic view of the totality of Chinese culture, using only the most representative material, to introduce to the West the most typical aspects of Chinese civilization and life.

Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster by David Lochbaum, Edwin Lyman, Susan Q. Stranahan, and the Union of Concerned Scientists

In the first definitive account of the Fukushima disaster, two leading experts from the Union of Concerned Scientists, David Lochbaum and Edwin Lyman, team up with journalist Susan Q. Stranahan, the lead reporter of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Pulitzer Prize–winning coverage of the Three Mile Island accident, to tell this harrowing story. Fukushima combines a fast-paced, riveting account of the tsunami and the nuclear emergency it created with an explanation of the science and technology behind the meltdown as it unfolded in real time. Bolstered by photographs, explanatory diagrams, and a comprehensive glossary, the narrative also extends to other severe nuclear accidents to address both the terrifying question of whether it could happen elsewhere and how such a crisis can be averted in the future.

How Serious Is Teen Drunk and Distracted Driving? (In Controversy series) by Patricia D. Netzley

This series is very good if you’re writing a pros and cons paper or thinking about a debate! This particular book examines the controversy surrounding the issue of dangerous driving, including how cell phones impact teen driving habits and whether teen drivers are more susceptible to distractions than adult drivers.