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Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism

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Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism by Safiya Umoja Noble

Format: Book

Who it’s for: Adults

If I asked you how you search for information, I bet your answer would be: “I Google it!” Safiya Umoja Noble’s book makes you take a long, hard look at how you find information, and who you trust to give you that information.

The author challenges the common belief that results are presented based on unbiased relevance.  She examines the algorithms that control the results, and discusses how the people who write those algorithms own biases can impact the results. The authors considers how racism and sexism are reinforces through these “algorithms of oppression” and why we should be critical of the search engines that have a monopoly on our information seeking habits.

This non-fiction book analyzes internet search results, focusing especially on Google, and what goes on behind the scenes to get you the results you see. You will never look at your search results the same way again.

 

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Ties That Tether

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Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

Nigerian-born, Canadian-raised Azere has always felt a conflict between what her family expects of her and what her own heart desires. At twelve years old, she made a promise to her dying father that she would marry another Edo man and to never forget her culture. She had always had every intention of keeping that promise, especially with her mother strongly encouraging Azere’s efforts by constantly matchmaking for her. However, one night Azere finds herself particularly frustrated with yet another of her mother’s failed setups and indulges in the company of Raphael Castellano: tall, handsome, and…white. Azere insists on leaving their relationship as a one-night-stand but their relationship suddenly and unexpectedly becomes extremely serious when she discovers she is pregnant with his child. Despite her mother’s strong disapproval, Azere is undeniably drawn to the charming Raphael and finds herself wrestling with a core question: can she successfully keep him in her life without compromising her Nigerian culture? Ties That Tether is a heartfelt examination of one woman’s struggle between what she thinks she is supposed to do and what her heart is telling her to do.

Find it in the catalog!

Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks

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Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds
Format: Book, eBook, Digital Audiobook
Who it’s for: Kids

Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds tells the story of ten different middle school students walking home from school and their adventures on ten different blocks. Each kid is dealing with their own struggles and are caught up in their own lives. So much so that no one sees the school bus falling from the sky. This  poignant story demonstrates how everyone is following their own path, home from school and in life.

I love Jason Reynolds, and I love this book. From a girl who just wants to skateboard but who is confronted by bullies, to a young boy hustling pennies so he can buy ice cream for his mom, this book includes small, slice-of-life tales from a variety of different point-of-views. It really demonstrates that everyone is going through something. Even the toughest boy in school has problems he is struggling with at home. Even the funniest girl in class is using humor to comfort herself and her family. Everyone in the story is connected. It was fun to hear about the same small moments told from different perspectives and hear small comments about characters from previous chapters.

I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook of this title. It has a full cast, and it really makes the story come alive and captures your attention.

Because the most important question still remains: did anyone see that school bus fall from the sky?

Find it in the catalog!

Anna Dressed in Blood

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Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Format: Book and Eaudiobook
Who it’s for: Teens

Tis the spooky season, which I believe calls for something about the things that go bump in the night. I found that in Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. It is the first of its ghostly series, and put eloquently: “It’s the old boy-meets-girls story. if the boy is a wry, self-destructive ghost hunter bent on avenging his father and the girl is a homicidal ghost trapped in a house full of everyone she’s ever murdered.” – Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of Red Glove.

It’s perfect for people who want a light and easy paranormal read that happens to be a teen urban fantasy, rather than a teen urban fantasy that has paranormal elements. I like ghost stories, and while this one isn’t particularly scary (in my opinion. You may find otherwise.), it does manage to be fun, full of magic, a bit of mystery, and interesting characters. Find it in the catalog!

The Song of Achilles

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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Format: eBook, Book, Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults, Teens

The Song of Achilles is a retelling of the story of Achilles from the point of view of Patroclus, his best friend and eventual lover. Miller takes the stories we know from The Iliad and fills in the blanks, starting with Achilles’ childhood and the beginnings of his relationship with Patroclus. Achilles is a complicated figure. More than the arrogant, brash man who fought in the Trojan War, he is depicted as often unsure of himself, kind, and capable of love. 

We follow Achilles and Patroclus from childhood to their adolescence, during which they travel to train under the centaur, Chiron, to young adulthood. Through it all, Achilles’ mother, Thetis, appears often to express her displeasure with her son’s relationship with Patroclus. We see Achilles and Patrolcus grow closer over the years, ultimately falling in love before the story turns to the more familiar Trojan War years. Although you may know what happens next, Miller’s writing makes the entire series of events gut-wrenching.

The Song of Achilles is for anyone with even a passing interest in Greek mythology, or anyone who likes a well-written romance with a dash of war and vengeful gods. Also recommended is Miller’s second novel, Circe, a retelling of the life of Circe, a daughter of Helios.

Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World

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Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World by Matt Parker
Format: Book, eBook
Who it’s for: Adults

What do you get when you cross a stand-up comedian with a math enthusiast? You get Matt Parker, and his chuckle-inducing book Humble Pi. Math typically works quietly behind the scenes of life, ensuring that your internet works, your train runs smoothly on its tracks, and the calendar marches steadily onward…until, suddenly, it doesn’t.

Parker reveals the math mistakes behind some of the world’s most spectacular failures, from a bridge collapse to a stock market meltdown to an election debacle. For an entertaining tour through humanity’s mathematical stumbling blocks, find it in the catalog.