The World is Flat
By Thomas L. Friedman

If you have ever wanted to understand globalization and what it means for you and your children, then this book is for you. At 488 pages, The World is Flat is a book that requires commitment and is a bit daunting. However Friedman does a good job of making the technology related information understandable for the average reader, using layman’s terms and examples. The rise of the Internet is credited with much of the flattening of the world but Friedman also explains how several key world political events also influenced our current situation. The author also makes clear without taking a partisan stance why the US has seemingly missed its wake up call about globalization.

Unlike other recent publications which attempt to take on issues such as outsourcing, open source software and free trade policies, Friedman’s tome does not give simplistic answers. In fact readers will find themselves with some serious thinking to do about our national values as capitalists, consumers and citizens when they read the chapter titled “The Great Sorting Out.” This is a book that leads to a shift in how the business world is viewed. It will also make one look at their individual work habits differently. I highly recommend it to anyone willing to take the time to read it.

One copy available in Adult Nonfiction (303.48 FRI)

Jill Gray, Information Services, Kewanee Public Library.

Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley by Sally Walker

Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley
Sally M. Walker
6-10 grades
In 1863 the Union army had the busy Charleston Harbor surrounded. The Confederate army was in desperate need of gun powder and ship making supplies. If they did not reopen the harbor they were sure to lose the war. The Confederate army needed to find a way to attack the Unions ships without giving warning.
Down in Mobile Arkansas, James McClintock, with the financial support of Horace Hunley, started to work on a design for a submarine. After two failed attempts work began on the Hunley. The Hunley’s job was to transport a torpedo to the enemies’ ship unnoticed. After several disasters the Hunley was sent to bomb the USS Housatonic. The Hunley successfully destroyed the Housatonic but it never returned home.
The Union went on to win the war but what happened to the Hunley remains a mystery. Over the years many searched for the Hunley but nobody succeeded until May of 1995. Just 1,000 feet from where the Housatonic went down the remains of the Hunley were discovered. Using modern science and forensics many of the mysteries of the Hunley and the crew is revealed, but why did the ship go down?
All of this will be explored in Secrets of a Civil War Submarine by Sally M. Walker. Walker explains both the history of the Hunley and the science of going through the wreckage. The text is accompanied by many colorful pictures to explore. The ease of this book will be fun to read for kids interested in history or science and forensics. Kewanee Public Library has a copy of Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley available in the Juvenile Nonfiction section on the second floor.

Sarah Barth, Kewanee Public Library, Youth Services