New Books in the Spotlight: September
The Library at Dulwich International High School Suzhou is continually growing and evolving. In this (the first of what we hope will become a regular and ongoing series of articles) we are going to look at a small selection of new books that have recently arrived in the school library. In each article we’ll look at two fiction books and two nonfiction books.
TO SLEEP IN A SEA OF STARS
By Christopher Paolini
The first book this month is a Science Fiction novel by Christopher Paolini (who is perhaps more famous for his Eragon series of fantasy books about dragons). The novel is called “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars.
"Kira Navárez dreamed of life on new worlds. Now she's awakened a nightmare. During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first, she's delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move.
As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn't at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human.
While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity's greatest and final hope...”
The Musical Human
By Michael Spitzer
The first non-fiction book in the spotlight this month is “The Musical Human” by Michael Spitzer.
Today music fills our lives. How we have created, performed and listened to this music throughout history has defined what our species is and how we understand who we are. Yet music is an overlooked part of our origin story. The Musical Human takes us on an exhilarating journey across the ages – from Bach to BTS and back – to explore the vibrant relationship between music and the human species. With insights from a wealth of disciplines, world-leading musicologist Michael Spitzer renders a global history of music on the widest possible canvas, looking at music in our everyday lives; music in world history; and music in evolution, from insects to apes, humans to AI. Through this journey we begin to understand how music is central to the distinctly human experiences of cognition, feeling and even biology, both widening and closing the evolutionary gaps between ourselves and animals in surprising ways.
Miles Morales Spider-Man
By Jason Reynolds
Our second fiction book this month is an interesting one. It’s a novelisation of the adventures of the Miles Morales version of Spiderman who appeared in the most recent Spiderman game on the PlayStation 4 and 5.
Miles Morales is just your average teenager. Dinner every Sunday with his parents, chilling out playing old-school video games with his best friend, Ganke, crushing on brainy, beautiful poet Alicia. He’s even got a scholarship spot at the prestigious Brooklyn Visions Academy. Oh yeah, and he’s Spider Man.
But lately, Miles’s spidey-sense has been on the fritz. When a misunderstanding leads to his suspension from school, Miles begins to question his abilities. After all, his dad and uncle were Brooklyn jack-boys with criminal records. Maybe kids like Miles aren’t meant to be superheroes. Maybe Miles should take his dad’s advice and focus on saving himself.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
By Susan Cain
Our second nonfiction book (and final book in the Spotlight this month) is Quiet by Susan Cain:
In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.
We hope you have enjoyed this month’s books in the Spotlight. We will be back next month with another curated selection of the most interesting new books that we have in the school library.
