Non-Fiction

The great charm of books that are “true and not given to idle fancy” is that our element of trust is with the author, his research, his point of view and we like the manner in which he expounds, that is, puts forward his ideas and, at least to him, his point of righteousness/viewpoint/ "this-is-the- way-to-look-at-this." Many times, the author doesn’t particularly care whether everyone—or even the majority of readers—agrees with him—he’s not running a popularity contest in his writing and stated opinions to support his theories but he does care that the readers at least consider the points he raises. I think all of us do, when the point is, to us, clear and obvious and needing to be recognized as its own authority. Fine. I can trust an author’s intelligence and messianic spirit as well as the next person, but I do reserve—as is my right, to disagree with a theory or “point”-- yet still see the author’s point of view. "Civil discourse" was, I think, the idea of the Founding Fathers, the right to disagree but not become bitterly personal and use vicious verbal or written attacks. Ah well, you can see how well our country is doing now vis a vis with the president and Congress “communicating” and “discussing strong opinions”, but I digress from the realm of Non-Fiction books.


So, let’s look at a selection of books that are available in the library and I hope you find one to suit your mood and tastes from it. To begin: “Life Everlasting; The Animal Way of Death”, by Bernd Heinrich, who, according to the literary experts at the “New York Times Book Review”, says about this book, “Heinrich, who combines his keen scientific eye with the soul of a poet, glimpses an entirely different realm, one filled with wondrous activities both above and below the seemingly lifeless countryside.” So there—now you know. For those of you still reading, with slightly glazed eyes, thinking there has to be more to be said—pay attention.

This author has a hunting camp in Maine, and when a friend asked to be buried there so that he might have “a green burial”, it got Heinrich to asking lifelong questions, i.e. “How exactly does the animal world deal with the flip side of the life cycle and what lessons can be learned from a close look at the animal world?”  His work/field research (literally out in the fields and observing) focused on “the fascinating doings of creatures most of us would turn away from”, as in the field mouse burials conducted by carrion beetles (do they have a way to play the perennial “Amazing Grace” on leaves?), “the communication strategies of ravens” and the teamwork displayed by wolves. Foxes and Weasels (animal not human, that is)and bald eagles in the dispersal of their prey in the harsh cold winters and the author talks about and proves that humans still play out “ancient and important as scavengers, thereby turning life to life.”

The details are thoroughly written about, the decay, the smell, what each animal body taught him, from bees to elephant dung, but there’s no denying that the subject has its rules and methods and the outcome always in the genes.  To the tiny mites, for example, beetles are simply a vehicle for hitchhiking to more fresh fly eggs, and, I must admit, his adventures with the large animal carcasses was fascinating and I’m sure the odor, after 5 days, was daunting.  An interesting book, by a very smart man who is a contributor to national publications and is professor emeritus of Biology and the Univ. of Vermont. Check it out from the library.

“Be a Great Single Parent; Be Stress-Free and  Happy”, Susie Hayman, has some really common-sense advice combined with smarts and humor. There are, today, so many single parents with so many hurdles to jump both with their children and looking at their own wants and needs, that I’d think this book would have appeal and support.

Some of the topics are very personal and these topics are talked about, i.e.Getting Over Feelings of Guilt and Failure; Helping Your Children Cope; Going Alone; New Partners, Dating and Mating; and, in my opinion, a powerful thought/weapon is the “I” statement, which are all about to say “what I want”, “what bothers me is” and “I need”—they help both the person speaking and the one being spoken to and makes it clear as to what is going on and what can be done to help. All behavior experts agree that using the “I” pronoun is always non-confrontational, expresses your feelings, you can –and should—explain why you feel that way, and , at the end, you express what you would like to see happen. “You” is usually the percursor to being antagonistic and will not resolve the issues---but, as I’ve said, simply changing some wording is helpful.  A most sensible book and written in an easy, conversational tone, not a lecturing one.  Go find a copy!

“Osa and Martin; For the Love of Adventure”, is the story of an extremely well-known couple who lived an adventurous life, were world movie wildlife pioneers and, “on Osa’s initiative took their wildlife series onto the vaudeville stage to raise money for expeditions to the South Seas, her decisions were usually valid and valuable and they were together until Martin’s tragic death in a plane crash in 1937”.

Martin had been so well thought of that he was offered membership in the world-famous Explorer’s Club, but, at the time of course, women were not admitted to that select group.  They honeymooned in cannibal country and did early, dangerous safaris into lion country and they explored and were delighted with the world around them. Their mission was to bring Africa to Americans, and they did well, but the KKK were deeply suspicious of them. A wonderful life, inhabited with their “pets” and they were almost continually exhausted, traveling all over America , but “did it for Africa” and their next big expedition was to also be using the movies’ newest thing of “sound”. I really enjoyed this story and loved, particularly, reading about a couple who completely agreed on what they wanted to do with their lives—and did it. You’ll enjoy it, too, and it’s amazing how far we’ve all come in how we regard Africa, adventures, lions, and other cultures. A most delightful book.

I had never heard of “Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain: How to Retrain Your Brain to Overcome Pessimism and Achieve a More Positive Outlook”, by Elaine Fox, which certainly includes those people who are prone for depression, anxiety, fears, and addiction for those on one end of the scale while the pleasure seekers, who want to stay “up”, “are inclined towards risky or destructive behavior can learn to take control of their lives.”

I find it encouraging that she feels that we can retrain our brains to brighten up our lives, feel more positive and in control, and that, in essence, we can influence our own personalities—rather than letting others tell us what we “should do” or “you need to get a grip and change things in your life”. It’s a more positive thought to feel you—just you—are responsible for your decisions. She and other researchers discovered, both with their patients and returning vets, that reliving the experiences of assault, rape, burglary can and will re-trigger the feelings of panic and helplessness, and the studies go on with how to help people conquer their fears—whether of spiders, or getting on an airplane, or clowns or ticking clocks—if you’re in a state of panic over your personal demon, this book really has some excellent helpful ideas.

One of the most interesting, cutting-edge technologies, is “extinction training” and, prior to that (it involved working with the brain’s cortex and mild electric shocks on the wrist as the bad memory was re-lived by the patient) being exposed over and over to what the person was afraid of i.e. spiders, barking dogs, etc. Fascinating book, not, however,an “easy read” but well worth sticking with.

Okay, Poppets, time to go  to the stores in the mall and force myself to look for a couple of things in Chico’s, so, walk the dog in early morning cool, call a friend you haven’t talked with in awhile, get a double-dip ice cream cone, and I’ll see you next column. Bye!