This column was submitted by Evangeline Cessna, Local History Librarian at the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library.

This week, we are featuring titles from our New Adult Nonfiction collection.

Gregory S. LaBeet has penned “The End of Recidivism” to help those who are or have been incarcerated build a positive future. Make a mistake, land in jail and end up in a corrections system that creates offenders instead of reforming them. Once they’ve done their time, they leave prison smarter, fitter and with an expanded network of criminal friends that increase their chances of reoffending. This doesn’t have to be the end of the story. A better life can be had outside of the criminal justice system with the right guidance and a willingness to break old habits. Former inmate, mentor, and CEO LaBeet delivers practical advice to prepare inmates for their release. You’ll discover: How to replace negative, self-defeating beliefs with a new positive mindset, how positive thinking helps your growth during incarceration, how to see your true value, not be stuck in the past, and habits to sustain yourself initially, to prosper, and to find bigger dreams upon release.

Bruce Western helps former prisoners navigate re-entering society in his book “Homeward: Life in the Year After Prison.” Over 600,000 people are released from federal and state prisons each year. Many return to chaotic living environments full of violence. The author, drawing from in-depth interviews, describes the lives of the formerly incarcerated and demonstrates how poverty, racial inequality, and failures of social support trap many in a vicious cycle of vulnerability in spite of their efforts to rejoin society. For most, leaving prison is associated with material and financial hardship. In their first year after prison, most cannot afford housing and must rely on family support and government programs. Many struggle with deep poverty as well as chronic pain, mental illness, or addiction — the most important predictor of recidivism. Violence is common in their lives, and often preceded their incarceration. This violence cycle continues after release. The author concludes that boosting the social integration of former prisoners is key to both relieving deep disadvantages and strengthening public safety. He advocates policies that increase assistance to those in their first year following release from prison, including guaranteed housing and healthcare, drug treatment and transitional employment.

“Why Am I So Anxious?” written by YouTube star Dr. Tracey Marks is designed to help readers recognize the common signs and symptoms of anxiety and anxiety-related mood disorders, and then help them cultivate the coping skills or find other treatment options for their conditions. Dr. Marks helps you to understand many of the most common causes of anxiety, helps you identify what type of anxiety you may be experiencing and give you helpful insight on how you can self-manage before deciding if additional treatment options are needed. She includes detailed explanations for many of the most common anxiety disorders and tips for managing mild to moderate anxiety with recommendations that go beyond therapy and medication. She also provides helpful guidance for recognizing and preventing situations where anxiety may be triggered and exercises that will help you recognize your symptoms and triggers so you can better manage your anxiety.

Leah M. Webb has penned “The Seven-Step Homestead: A Guide for Creating the Backyard Microfarm of Your Dreams.” This book is perfect for aspiring backyard gardeners with its incremental approach to turning any yard into a primary food source with vegetables, fruits, chickens, pollinator plants and medicinal herbs. The idea is to build a diverse landscape that serves multiple functions but without intimidating or overwhelming the novice homesteader. The steps begin with establishing one or two raised beds for the easiest vegetable to grow, and gradually building up to the addition of fruit trees and berry bushes, then a coop full of chickens and a winter’s worth of storage crops. This one-of-a-kind guide is for anyone who aspires to be more self-sufficient and grow more of their own food.

“Franklin Smoke: Wood, Fire, Food” is by Aaron Franklin. This is the ultimate guide to live-fire grilling and smoking at home with recipes for meat, vegetables, fish and more. Author Aaron Franklin is the bestselling author and owner of Austin, Texas hotspot Franklin Barbecue. This complete resource, which is full of inspiring and helpful photos, proves that lighting a backyard grill is no problem even on a weeknight. The trick is treating fire as an ingredient, not merely the means to cook. There are details on how to execute meals over the full lifespan of a fire, how to employ both low and high-heat techniques, and how to use indirect cooking and smoking. Whether you’re a pro griller or a novice, this book shares techniques designed for any type of backyard grill, from the inexpensive to Big Green Eggs, and hand-built fire pits. Franklin also answers questions like “How do I smoke a whole turkey?” and “What kind of wood should I use?” This book offers delicious new ways to incorporate both fire and smoke into your everyday cooking.

Christopher Kimball and his James Beard Award-winning team at Milk Street bring you their latest cookbook called “Milk Street Noodles: Secrets to the World’s Best Noodles.” Whether you love to twirl and slurp bowls of pasta, ramen, spaetzle, or lo mein, this book contains 125 recipes for noodles from around the world. The world of noodles includes cool salads, steaming soups, plump dumplings, and bowls of well-sauced shapes of all kinds. Noodles are perfect for spring and summer vegetables, as well as hearty wintertime casseroles. So, if you are craving the best pad Thai, Italian ragu, spicy North African couscous or buttery Turkish noodles dotted with feta, then this is the guide for you. You will learn how to make real fettuccine Alfredo which is much lighter and simpler than the American version as well as quick noodle stir-fries, Vietnamese shrimp noodles, and Peruvian chicken and pasta. Also included are guides to using the noodles you have on hand and instructions on how to make classic noodles from scratch — from homemade udon and hand-cut wheat noodles to fresh egg pasta, orecchiette and potato gnocchi.