Like many people, I grew up reading the witty and whimsical books by Roald Dahl. I loved the stories that cast unlikely children as heroes and mean-spirited adults as the villains. Dahl’s books were magical, yet relatable; they were fun to read and always had a generous dose of dark humor. A new collection of essays, Roald Dahl and Philosophy: A Little Nonsense Now and Then, reexamines Dahl’s work through a philosophical lens. What would Foucault have to say about Willy Wonka’s disciplinary techniques? Was Matilda an “existential superhero?” And what can she tell us about the nature and purpose of education? What does the fantastic Mr. Fox teach us about property rights and distributive justice? All these questions and more are investigated in this volume edited by Jacob M. Helm. A fantastic and nostalgia-inducing read for anyone who enjoys the works of Roald Dahl, check out Roald Dahl and Philosophy: A Little Nonsense Now and Then at the John T. Richardson Library, Call Number: 823.914 R6287.
The discovery of oil and its myriad uses has had an extreme and transformative impact on human society. From the emergence of “car culture” in the U.S. to global shifts in industrial production, the effects of oil are evident the world over. Edward Burtynsky examines the cumulative effects of this vital energy resource in a new book simply titled: Burtynsky: Oil. This beautiful collection of photographs and essays documents the entire lifecycle of oil, including images of oil fields, refineries, and automobile plants as well as scrap metal yards and oil-related pollution. Ten years in the making, Burtynsky: Oil is an illuminating and thought provoking book that is definitely worth checking out. Available at the John T. Richardson Library, Call Number: 779.092 B9749O2014.