Andrew Bird once played the violin for swing-revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers, but his newest solo album, Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs, has an eclectic sound that leans more toward folk/rock than toward jazz. Bird puts on a great live show, so be sure to catch him when he performs at the Ark on November 9.

10 is a portrait of contemporary Iran as seen through the eyes of one woman as she drives through the streets of Tehran over a period of several days. Her journey is comprised of ten conversations with various female passengers, and sheds light on the lives of women whose voices are seldom heard. In Mystic Iran: The Unseen World, Aryana Farshad explores the religious rituals and traditions of her native Iran that have fascinated the Western world for centuries.

You've seen the capital A inscribed in a circle, but what does anarchism really stand for? Check out some of these books and CDs in the library's collection to learn more about anarchism. For a historical perspective, try something about Emma Goldman or Peter Kropotkin, or most anything written by historian Paul Avrich. If you're interested in more contemporary anarchist thought and activism, try Abbie Hoffman's Steal This Book or Corrinne Jacker's The Black Flag of Anarchy: Antistatism in the U.S. And if you'd like to listen to anarchist or other left-wing music, check out the following:

John T. Edge travels the country and food byways in these conflations of recipes, travelogue, social history, and food lore. Issued so far in this charming new series are Hamburgers and Fries : an American Story, Apple Pie : an American Story, and Fried Chicken : an American Story. Still to come is the volume on Donuts.

The award winning illustrator, E.B. Lewis brings this old negro spiritual to life with illustrations of a boy who spreads his own light by helping others.

Award winning author Walter Dean Myer’s new book, Autobiography of My Dead Brother, is a realistic, gritty, look at how even the smallest events and situations can have huge impacts. This book, which has already won the National Book Award for Young Adult Literature, combines elements of street lit, sketch book illustrations, and graphic novels, to create an accurate and compelling look into the lives of some of Harlem’s residents.
*Special Note – If you have read Adam Mansbach’s Angry Black White Boy, or met Mansbach at the Neutral Zone, check this book out! Different topics, same way of sticking with you days after you have finished.

Brother from Another Planet, starring Joe Morton and directed by John Sayles, comments on stepping outside color and observing culture simultaneously. This engenders the process that allows one to fully identify with what society deems adequate behavior. Even though the main character of the movie is unfamiliar with his new environment he quickly learns how to dress according to community standard and the consequences of reacting inappropriately. The most interesting part of the story includes the background graffiti. Harlem's graffiti allows the main character to exhibit his voice through tagging.

Adele Griffin tells a compelling story about two sisters, Jane and Lily. In alternating chapters, from Jane's, then Lily's point of view, it gradually becomes clear that Jane is telling the story after her death in a car accident. Lilly is telling hers from the present. Jane had struggled most of her life with mental illness, often having difficulty separating the real from the unreal and only found solace with her loving grandparents. Lilly is attractive and popular but with her loss, tightens her grip on Caleb, her understanding boyfriend.

And listen to some dang good westerns from William Johnstone. In Trek of the Mountain Man Smoke Jensen heads to his ranch – and so do a cutthroat bunch of bounty hunters determined to catch the legendary mountain man. When that ride’s over partner, give a listen to Vengeance of the Mountain Man and Warpath of the Mountain Man.

Like your westerns more modern? Then mosey on over to National Book Award winner Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy. All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain tell the story of young man’s magical and troubling journey to Mexico. McCarthy’s prose will stop your heart.

Stevie Wonder – A Time to Love: He’s back after 10 years away, and his music is still soulful and enjoyable.

Ricky Martin – Life: Shake Your Bon Bon again with the star who brought the Latin-pop movement to the U.S.

Liz Phair – Somebody’s Miracle: She has continued her new pop phase (which began in 2003 with her self-titled album Liz Phair) still steering clear of her 90’s cynicism.