"Books" Archive

 Cabby Potts : duchess of dirt / Kathleen Wilford

Housemaid? What a horrible word! Not that I’d ever actually seen a housemaid, but I could picture one: a meek, aproned, pale-faced girl who never saw the sun. When her parents force her to work at grand Ashford Manor, 12-year-old Cabby Potts will do anything to escape, including playing matchmaker between her sister and the rich young lord of the manor. If it succeeds, her scheme will save her family’s struggling homestead. If it fails . . . Can Cabby find the courage to stand up for her family, a Native American friend, and an entire community threatened by land-grabbers? Cabby Potts, Duchess of Dirt, is a tale of the prairie with humor, heart, and a dash of romance.

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Easy beauty : a memoir / Chloé Cooper Jones

Moving through the world in a body that looks different than most, Jones learned on to factor “pain calculations” into every plan, every situation. She was born with a rare congenital condition called sacral agenesis, which affects both the stature and gait, and so her pain is physical. But there is also the pain of being judged and pitied for her appearance, of being dismissed as “less than.” the ways she has been seen–or not seen–has informed her lens on the world for her entire life… But after unexpectedly becoming a mother (in violation of unspoken social taboos about the disabled body), she feels something in her shift, and Jones sets off on a journey across the globe, reclaiming the spaces she’d been denied and had denied herself.

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Hell’s half-acre : the untold story of the Benders, a serial killer family on the American frontier / Susan Jonusas

Susan Jonasus draws on extensive original archival material, and introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters, including the despairing families of the victims as well as the fugitives that helped the murderers escape. Hell’s Half-Acre is not simply a book about a mass murder. It is a journey into the turbulent heart of nineteenth century America, a place where modernity stalks across the landscape, violently displacing existing populations and wearily building new ones. It is a world where folklore can quickly become fact, and an entire family of criminals can slip right through a community’s fingers, only to reappear at the most unexpected of times.

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Justa’s escape : a journey from WWII Ukraine / Justina Neufeld with Russell Binkley

In this real-life adventure, Justa, youngest of ten children in a Mennonite family in WWII era Ukraine, revisits a childhood in totalitarian Stalinist USSR. When authorities swoop down in the middle of the night to seize neighbor’s fathers, Justa begins to dread the dark. Would her beloved papa be next? As both armies–German and Russian–approach, thirteen-year-old Justa and her family hurriedly pack their wagon to flee. What valuables should they take? What must they leave behind? How will the absent brothers find them? Will the family ever be whole again? What dangers do they face? In the end, who will survive?

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Kansas Speaks Out: Poems in the Age of Me, Too edited by Dennis Etzel, Jr and Jericho Hockett

A book of poems speaking out against sexual assault, written by poets from Kansas, Kansas City, or those who are Kansas-connected. There is a highlight of Kansas Poets Laureate and the current Missouri Poet Laureate from KC.

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Letters to Martin : meditations on democracy in Black America / Randal Maurice Jelks

Jelks’s meditations are written in the form of letter to Martin Luther King Jr. He speaks to the many public issues we presently confront in the United States: economic inequality, freedom of assembly, police brutality, ongoing social class conflicts, and geopolitics. The result is a contemporary revival of the literary tradition of meditative social analysis. These meditations on democracy provide spiritual oxygen to help readers endure the struggles of rebranding, rebuilding, and reforming our democratic institutions so that we can all breathe.

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The monster’s bones : the discovery of T. Rex and how it shook our world / David K. Randall

A gripping narrative of a fearless paleontologist, the founding of America’s most loved museums, and the race to find the largest dinosaurs on record. With a wide-ranging cast of robber barons, eugenicists, and opportunistic cowboys, New York Times best-selling author David K. Randall reveals how a monster of a bygone era ignited a new understanding of our planet and our place within it

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Native American stories for kids : 12 traditional stories from Indigenous tribes across North America / Tom Pecore Weso ; illustrations by Gloria Félix

Native Americans have a long tradition of storytelling. Now, you can easily introduce your children to these rich cultures with a compilation of powerful tales from multiple tribes like the Cheyenne and the Lenape. What sets this book apart from other Native American books for kids: Tales from 12 tribes–Kids will embark on a literary adventure with 12 stories from tribes around America, exploring lore about how the mountain Denali formed, why the North Star stays still, and more; Tribal history–Every story ends with a brief historical sketch of the tribe, providing context and offering a glimpse into their way of life and their traditions; Fun facts–The learning doesn’t stop with the stories; a collection of fascinating facts, suggestions for additional reading, and a glossary of important words give kids a deeper understanding and appreciation. Spark excitement in Native American history and culture with enchanting stories from tribes across the continent.

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A new guide to Kansas mushrooms / Sherry Kay, Benjamin Sikes, and Caleb Morse

This is a guide for active mushroomers in Kansas. Kay, Sikes, and Morse have accounted for the many ways mycology has changed in the last 25 years and the upheaval in taxonomy caused by advances in molecular genetics and have reflected changes in the field.

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Nothing but the dirt : stories from an American farm town / Kate Benz

In this work of creative nonfiction, Kate Benz provides an intimate look at the present-day residents of Courtland, Kansas (population 285), a town whose economy depends almost entirely on agriculture. Her narrative shows how macro-level issues, from rising tariffs and operation costs to sinking commodity prices and infusions of federal farm subsidies affect these Americans’ daily lives, and how their love of their community continues their collective efforts to keep Main Street open for business and Courtland on the map.

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One boy watching / Grant Snider

This lyrical picture book follows one boy’s early morning bus ride to school and the many things he observes.

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River of the gods : genius, courage, and betrayal in the search for the source of the Nile / Candice Millard

Set against the backdrop of the race to exploit Africa by the colonial powers, a story of courage and adventure brings to life the rivalry between two enemies-a decorated soldier and a young aristocrat/Army officer-as they set out to find the mysterious headwaters of the Nile River.

The undead truth of us / Britney S. Lewis

After her mother’s sudden death, sixteen-year-old dancer Zharie Young begins seeing zombies, and when she meets an undead boy, he helps her understand how love can change someone–for good or for dead.

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The vagabond’s way : 366 meditations on wanderlust, discovery, and the art of travel / Rolf Potts

Thought-provoking reflections on the power of travel to transform our daily lives-from the iconoclastic travel writer, scholar, and author of Vagabonding For readers who dream of travel-or long to get back out on the road-The Vagabond’s Way explores and celebrates the life-altering essence of travel. Each day of the year features a one-page meditation on a certain aspect of the journey, anchored by words of wisdom from a variety of thinkers-from Stoic philosopher Seneca the Younger and poet Maya Angelou, to Trappist monk Thomas Merton and Grover from Sesame Street.

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Winfield’s Walnut Valley Festival / Seth Bate

The Walnut Valley Festival was launched in 1972 when a guitar maker, a farmer and a businessman built their own music festival from the ground up. It has made the small town of Winfield into an annual destination for acoustic musicians and music lovers from around the world, and it has always been participatory, with the informal campsite pickin’ as much a part of the event as the stage shows and instrumental contests. The Walnut Valley Festival has always been proud of its deep-rooted traditions, but most of all, it is a community celebration. Local historian Seth Bate tells the Walnut Valley story, with reflections from festival staff, emcees, performers, campers and characters from throughout its history.

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