Science

The anxious generation : how the great rewiring of childhood is causing an epidemic of mental illness

Jonathan Haidt

305.23 /Haidt
Nonfiction, Health, Science

"From New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Coddling of the American Mind, an essential investigation into the collapse of youth mental health--and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood. After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on most measures. Why? In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the "play-based childhood" began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the "phone-based childhood" in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this "great rewiring of childhood" has interfered with children's social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies. Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the "collective action problems" that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood. Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes--communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children--and ourselves--from the psychological damage of a phone-based life"--

This book was illuminating to say the least. As someone who is just beginning my journey into parenthood, as well as someone who part of the generation who had a mostly low-tech childhood, this book was an interesting and alarming deep dive into the the long-term effects of a "phone-based childhood." I work with children every day, and I easily see the differences as the years go by and we rely more and more on social connections and experiences via online versus in person, and the way it affects children is astounding. I think all parents should consider the concerns and calls to action suggested in this book, and rethink how they want to help frame the childhoods their children experience. I particularly hope that even as we lean more and more heavily on smart phones as a society, that we don't totally lose the emphasis on a play-based childhood to support healthy child development. Obviously I use my phone and connect online all day, but I really want to be conscious of the factors that come into play when parenting a child. -Mari

Papilio

jE Clanton
Humor, Kids, Picture Books, Animals, Nature, Science

"Told in three parts, Papilio transforms from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly"--

There's a new very hungry caterpillar in town, Papilio! This collaborative picture book has just enough information for young entomologists to gobble up and features a sweet story about finding your wings. Papilio is one big treat! -Casey

Atlas obscura : Wild life : an explorer's guide to the world's living wonders

Cara Giaimo

570 /Giaimo
Nonfiction, Animals, Nature, Science

"From the bestselling authors of Atlas Obscura and Gastro Obscura, comes Wild Life, an over-the-top, dazzling collection of the world's most fascinating, most unusual, and least-understood natural wonders. It's more than a field guide--it's an adventure. From the curious minds of Atlas Obscura, authors of #1 New York Times bestselling Atlas Obscura and Gastro Obscura, comes an unputdownable tour through the world's most extraordinary natural wonders and curiosities. Learn how dung beetles navigate by the stars and trees communicate through their roots. Meet one of the strongest animals in the world: the puny peacock mantis shrimp. Visit a 44,000 year old shrub, float along flying rivers, and explore a garbage dump teeming with endangered storks. There are first-person interviews: hear from a honey hunter and his avian partners, a scientist working to understand the hidden language of prairie dogs, an offshore radio DJ who is at the heart of the local fishing community. Examine old examples of bird song notation written on sheet music. Featuring over 500 extraordinary plants, animals, and natural phenomena with illustrations and photos on every page, first-person interviews, and engaging infographics, the book takes readers around the globe, with stops in every continent--from Arctic deserts to lush jungles, to the deepest fathoms of the ocean, and into the heart of our densest cities. In a time where the world that feels more knowable than ever, where can access anything with the click of a mouse or a swipe of a finger, and where nature documentaries are a dime a dozen, Wild Life finds a way to reinvigorate our send of wonder about the natural world"--

This book is gorgeous! I am the lucky cataloger who got to see this book before the labels were delicately affixed and it was placed on the Hold shelf. This book is perfect for the curious, for those who love indulging in wonder. Pick this book up if you want your mind to take a walk on the wild side. -Melody

The rise and fall of the dinosaurs : a new history of a lost world

Stephen Brusatte

567.9 /Brusatte
Nature, Science

A sweeping narrative scientific history that tells the epic story of the dinosaurs, examining their origins, their habitats, their extinction, and their living legacy.

For anyone who is still a child at heart and misses being asked what their favorite dinosaur is, "The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs" is the book for you! As someone who grew up wanting to be the next Dr. Alan Grant of paleontology, I can say with confidence that Steve Brusatte's book is the perfect fit for anyone fascinated by the wonders of paleontology and golden age of dinosaur discoveries. -Madison C