Adult Braille Books – Non Fiction
Biography
BR74354
I feel bad about my neck: and other thoughts on being a woman by Nora Ephron.
2 v. of braille.
In a series of humorous vignettes, author Nora Ephron obsesses about being a woman in her sixties. Discusses her expensive regimen to camouflage signs of aging, her purse and its contents, parenting, ex-husbands, and former presidents. In "Serial Monogamy: A Memoir," Ephron admits her infatuation with famous chefs. Bestseller. 2006.
BR74362
Reluctant genius: the passionate life and inventive mind of Alexander Graham Bell by Charlotte Gray.
6 v. of braille.
Biography of Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), inventor of the telephone and champion of the deaf. Discusses his temperament; creativity; marriage to Mabel Hubbard, who was deaf; family life; and friendship with Helen Keller. Covers his many inventions, years living in Washington, D.C., and association with the National Geographic Society. 2006.
BR73768
Legends, liars, and lawbreakers: incredible tales from the Pacific northwest by Valerie Green.
1 v. of braille.
Throughout history some people have pushed the limit of what is acceptable to society. Those featured here lived in an era when smuggling was rife, liquor was plentiful, and murder was rampant. Many become legends in their own lifetimes and, although often feared and loathed, are remembered as colourful characters who were products of the times in which they lived. Some descriptions of violence. 2004.
BI00593
Legends, liars, and lawbreakers: incredible tales from the Pacific northwest by Valerie Green.
1 v. of braille, uncontracted.
Throughout history some people have pushed the limit of what is acceptable to society. Those featured here lived in an era when smuggling was rife, liquor was plentiful, and murder was rampant. Many become legends in their own lifetimes and, although often feared and loathed, are remembered as colourful characters who were products of the times in which they lived. Some descriptions of violence. 2004.
BR73532
Rebel women: achievements beyond the ordinary by Linda Kupecek.
1 v. of braille.
Many famous women of the west are celebrated elsewhere. In this book, we meet lesser known rebels, those who lived with passion, individuality, and courage. These are women who dared to follow their own path through life; women who dared to be different. 2003.
BR73910
Relative stranger: a life after death by Mary Loudon.
4 v. of braille.
The author's quest to find her sister Catherine, a schizophrenic, in Catherine's home, in her last hospital room, her paintings, her letters, her clothes. But in facing the truths about Catherine's life and death, she asks hard questions about sanity, family responsibility, love, and about what it means to say that a life is - or is not - worth living. 2006.
BR73524
Great Canadian love stories: romances, affairs, and passionate tales by Cheryl MacDonald.
1 v. of braille.
From the Irish princess, taken prisoner by pirates, who fell in love with one of her captors and settled in Newfoundland, to the ardent courtship of Alexander Graham Bell and his bride-to-be, Mabel, this book celebrates the passion, the pain, and the romance of Canadian lovers through the ages. 2003.
BR74562
Roughing it in the bush: or, life in Canada by Susanna Moodie ; introduction by Charlotte Gray.
6 v. of braille.
Set in the Peterborough area, these sketches are based on the Moodies' experiences as settlers in Upper Canada between 1832 and 1839. Originally published in 1852. 2006.
BR74276
My name is number 4: a true story by Ting-xing Ye.
2 v. of braille.
After the death of both her parents, Ting-xing and her four siblings endured the brutality of Red Guard attacks on their schools and even their house as they struggled against poverty and hunger. Then at sixteen, she was exiled to a prison farm far from home. This is the story of Ting-xing's tumultuous life, turned upside down by China's Cultural Revolution. Some strong language. 2007.
Crime
BR74471
Too late to say goodbye: a true story of murder and betrayal by Ann Rule.
6 v. of braille.
In 2004, Jenn Corbin, mother of two and wife of a successful dentist, was found dead in her home with a gunshot wound to her head. Neither her family nor the county sheriff believed she would end her own life, and so began a harrowing search for the truth. Some descriptions of sex, violence, and some strong language. 2007.
Disabilities
BR74024
To the left of inspiration: adventures in living with disabilities by Katherine Schneider.
2 v. of braille.
Millions of North Americans have chronic illnesses or disabilities requiring them to make accommodations in their lives. The author, a psychologist who has been blind since birth, hopes to help this adjustment with her own humorous life stories, as well as provide understanding of what life is really like for those with disabilities. 2006.
Disaster Non-Fiction
BR73823
The curse of the narrows: the Halifax explosion, 1917 by Laura Mac Donald.
6 v. of braille.
On December 7, 1917, in the heart of the World War I, two ships collided in Halifax harbour. The resulting explosion killed over 2,000 people and injured some 6,000 more. Macdonald presents the whole story of how the military, volunteers and ordinary citizens united to organize one of the most complex relief efforts in North American history. Some descriptions of violence. 2005.
Medicine
BR74376
The lonely patient: how we experience illness by Michael Stein.
2 v. of braille.
Despite years of medical training and practice, only when his brother-in-law Richard was diagnosed with a rare cancer did internist Stein contemplate the psychological effects of illness. During the next eight years, as Richard fought a losing battle, Stein witnessed how he and other patients dealt with chronic and terminal illnesses and how caretakers and loved ones were affected. He compares it to living in a strange, new place in which one experiences four emotional stages: betrayal, terror, loss, and loneliness. 2007.
Social Problems
BR74258
28: stories of AIDS in Africa by Stephanie Nolen.
5 v. of braille.
Stories of Africans and AIDS, including Andualam Ayalew, a commando who was kicked out of the army after testing positive for HIV, but came back to teach his former comrades about using condoms, and Agnes Munyiva, a prostitute for 30 years, who does not have HIV. Her natural immunity has brought doctors and researchers from all over the world to study her. 28 stories symbolize the estimated 28 million HIV-infected people in Africa. Some descriptions of sex. Some descriptions of violence. Some strong language. 2007.
War
BR74038
For honour's sake: the War of 1812 and the brokering of an uneasy peace by Mark Zuehlke.
6 v. of braille.
In the Canadian imagination, the War of 1812 looms large: it was a war in which British and Indian troops prevailed in almost all of the battles, Americans were unable to hold any of the land they fought for, and Canadians burned down the White House. Competing American claims insist that it was they who were triumphant. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, as revealed in this look at the war's major battles and the dramatic negotiations in Ghent that brought it to an unsatisfactory end for both sides. Some descriptions of violence. c2006.