The following items are available at Hancock County Public Library, 900 W. McKenzie Road. For more information on the library’s collection or to reserve a title, visit hcplibrary.org.
Adult Fiction
“Golden Child” by Claire Adam
Rural Trinidad: A brick house on stilts surrounded by bush; a family, quietly surviving, just trying to live a decent life. Clyde, the father, works long exhausting shifts at the petroleum plant in southern Trinidad. Joy, his wife, looks after the home. Their two sons, 13 years old, wake early every morning to travel to the capital for school. They are twins but nothing alike: Paul has always been considered odd, while Peter is widely believed to be a genius and destined for greatness. When Paul goes walking in the bush one afternoon and doesn’t come home, Clyde is forced to go looking for him, this child who has caused him endless trouble already, and who he has never really understood. As the hours turn to days, Clyde begins to understand Paul’s fate. His world shatters, leaving him to face a decision no parent should ever have to make.
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Adult Nonfiction
"Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do” by Jennifer L. Eberhardt
You don’t have to be racist to be biased. Unconscious bias can be at work without our realizing it, and even when we genuinely wish to treat all people equally, ingrained stereotypes can infect our visual perception, attention, memory and behavior. This has an impact on education, employment, housing and criminal justice. With a perspective that is scientific, investigative and informed by personal experience, author Jennifer Eberhardt offers insights into the dilemma and a path forward. Eberhardt’s research takes place in courtrooms, boardrooms, in prisons, on the street and in classrooms and coffee shops. She shows us the subtle and sometimes dramatic repercussions of bias in how teachers grade students or managers deal with customers, in the criminal justice field from the rapid decisions police officers have to make to sentencing practices in court. The personal stories Eberhardt shares emphasize the need for change. She has helped companies address bias in their business practices and has led anti-bias initiatives for police departments across the country. Here, she offers practical suggestions for reform and new practices that are useful for organizations as well as individuals.
