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History and Current EventsMay 2016
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"The very idea of prowling about beneath the water, attacking and destroying without direct confrontation, somehow seemed so ungentlemanly." ~ from Greg King and Penny Wilson's Lusitania
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| The Fever of 1721: The Epidemic That Revolutionized Medicine and... by Stephen CossIn The Fever of 1721, historian Stephen Coss compellingly recounts Zabdiel Boylston's attempts to deploy the newly developed smallpox inoculation method during a Boston epidemic. Coss then connects the inoculation controversy with the anti-British political sentiment that was building, highlighting the roles of several Massachusetts leaders. Pastor Cotton Mather supported Boylston's work -- and Mather's house was firebombed by angry Bostonians. Meanwhile, New-England Courant publisher James Franklin (Ben's older brother), fanned the flames of opposition to royal governor Samuel Shute -- and was jailed. Revolution was in the air, and a half-century later Ben Franklin, John Adams, and other Patriots would stoke the fires that were already smoldering in 1721. |
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| The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World's Most... by Joshua HammerVery few people suspected that the African country of Mali sheltered countless delicate manuscripts that recorded the country's history and intellectual heritage, until Islamic militants began destroying them in 2012. In this page-turning account, journalist Joshua Hammer traces the work of Abdel Kader Haidara, who traveled all over Mali in the 1980s in order to collect the documents and assure their preservation in a Timbuktu library. After Al Qaeda sympathizers invaded this ancient city, Haidara mobilized a plan to spirit the collection to safety in southern Mali. This is an irresistible chronicle of "a country under siege and one man's defiance" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Spain in Our Hearts: Americans in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 by Adam HochschildFrom 1936-39, news about the Spanish Civil War fired the imaginations of young men and women in other parts of the world, especially the U.S. and Britain. Thousands went to Spain to fight with the underdog Republicans, who were backed by the Soviet Union but ill-equipped and underfunded. Germany, Italy, and anti-Communist businessmen guaranteed the eventual success of Generalissimo Francisco Franco's Nationalists. In Spain in Our Hearts, acclaimed historian Adam Hochschild highlights the war's complexities and explores the personal perspectives of Americans who participated in the fighting. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly observes that Hochschild "tells their story beautifully." |
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| The Medici: Power, Money, and Ambition in the Italian Renaissance by Paul StrathernOne of the most influential families in history, the Medici dominated Florence and much of Europe for several generations, promoting the arts and sciences at the height of the Renaissance and transforming the economy through their banking system. In this detailed and engaging book, author Paul Strathern traces the origins, rise, and eventual collapse of this dynasty. He recounts the lives of individual family members, both great and inconsequential, as well as the artists and scientists they sponsored. If you enjoy fiction or nonfiction about the Renaissance, give this enthralling history a try. |
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| The Fight to Vote by Michael WaldmanIn The Fight to Vote, legal rights expert Michael Waldman explores the concept of the popular vote and details its history in the U.S., covering landmark events such as the inclusion of formerly enslaved men among qualified voters, women's suffrage, and competing factions' efforts either to restrict or to expand voting rights. Waldman's account profiles key figures, such as Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony, and discusses controversies that include gerrymandering, the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision, and contemporary efforts to restrict access to the polls. For additional information on recent voting rights controversies, take a look at Ari Berman's Give Us the Ballot. |
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Great Books You Might Have Missed
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| Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies, and Three Battles by Bernard CornwellAcclaimed author Bernard Cornwell is best known for his historical fiction; his Sharpe novels are set during the Napoleonic Wars. In this thoroughly researched, vividly described, and beautifully illustrated foray into nonfiction, Cornwell details the three-day Battle of Waterloo. His riveting account accessibly explains military tactics while relating the triumphs and failures of the commanders -- not just France's Napoleon and Britain's Lord Wellington, but also Dutch and German generals whose armies fought with the British. Fans of Waterloo history may also want to read David Crane's Went the Day Well?, which focuses on civilians in Britain as well as on the conflict itself. |
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| Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann HariLeading up to the centenary of the 1915 Harrison Narcotics Tax Act, credited with starting the War on Drugs, British journalist Johann Hari spent two years investigating the current status of international drug regulation and prohibition. In Chasing the Scream, he provides scientific evidence about how drugs work and the nature of addiction. He also examines the politics driving the war, which many agree has already been lost. This eye-opening account unfolds through the author's narration, in which he recounts the stories of dealers, addicts, enforcement agents, health care professionals, and ordinary people. Publishers Weekly calls this history a "powerful case for radical reform." |
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| Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy, and the End of the Edwardian Age by Greg King and Penny WilsonUnlike the Titanic's loss in 1912, the 1915 sinking of the Lusitania was no accident. In this thoroughly researched and absorbing account, authors Greg King and Penny Wilson examine the politics and financial motivations that influenced the last transatlantic passage of the Cunard line's celebrated liner. Focusing on the passengers in addition to the details of the ship's progress, this account offers an informative view of one of the last major social events of the Edwardian era. For a complementary look at the tragedy that also includes personal and military elements but emphasizes the suspense of the fatal voyage, try Erik Larson's Dead Wake. |
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| American Ghost: A Family's Haunted Past in the Desert Southwest by Hannah NordhausJournalist Hannah Nordhaus' great-great-grandmother, Julia Staab, lived in a grand mansion in Santa Fe, NM, that later became a hotel, now called La Posada. Reports that La Posada had a ghost -- possibly Julia's -- began to appear nearly a century after her 1896 death. In this combination of family memoir and Southwestern history, Nordhaus relates her own recollections of the ghost tales she heard as a girl, her research into her ancestor's life and the possibility of social scandal, and her efforts to learn more about her German-Jewish roots. This moving, wittily narrated account concludes that the truth about Julia -- ghost or not -- may not be in the hard data, but "in the spaces between" (Booklist). |
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| Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I by Charles SpencerWhat happens to the king-killers when the king's heir is restored to the throne? That's what historian Charles Spencer explores in Killers of the King, which recounts the defeat and execution of Britain's King Charles I after Oliver Cromwell's Glorious Revolution and follows up on the 59 men who signed his death warrant. After he became king, Charles II showed no mercy on the regicides. Though some escaped into exile, many were tortured and executed. Spencer traces the fates of these mostly forgotten men, providing sympathetic details as he relates their reasons for adding their names to the warrant. For more on the royal Stuart family, check out Peter Ackroyd's Rebellion. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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