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History and Current Events April 2018
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| The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South by Radley Balko and Tucker Carrington What it is: A deeply searing exposé detailing how a Mississippi medical examiner and a forensic dentist successfully gamed the criminal justice system to falsely imprison two innocent men.
Why you should read it: The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist is timely in its examination of how professional misconduct, junk science, structural racism, and broken institutions deny justice to American citizens. |
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| Jefferson's Daughters: Three Sisters, White and Black, in a Young America by Catherine KerrisonWhat it is: A finely detailed portrait of Thomas Jefferson's daughters and the tumultuous times in which they lived.
Reviewers say: "Incisive and elegant, Kerrison's book is at once a fabulous family story and a stellar work of historical scholarship" (Publishers Weekly).
You might also like: Virginia Scharff's The Women Jefferson Loved, which explores how Jefferson was shaped by the women in his life. |
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| The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to... by Charles C. MannWhat it's about: In this dual biography, award-winning author Charles C. Mann explores how scientists Norman Borlaug and William Vogt's contributions to -- and opposing views of -- modern environmentalism reflect the challenges of maintaining a viable future.
Why you should read it: Mann's stimulating account reveals the achievements of these overlooked contemporaries, masterfully examining both viewpoints without taking sides. |
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| The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War by Benn SteilWhat it is: A lively and accessible survey of the historical, political, and economic impact of the Marshall Plan, a $13 billion postwar rebuilding effort that provided aid to Western European nations from 1948-1952.
About the author: Benn Steil is the director of international economics at the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations.
Reviewers say: The Marshall Plan "will be the definitive account for years to come" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote by Elaine WeissWhat it is: A page-turning and uplifting chronicle of the women's suffrage movement, culminating in the struggle to ratify the 19th Amendment in 1920.
Why you might like it: Elaine Weiss dramatically conveys hair-raising suspense in a story where the outcome is already well-known, while also noting how echoes of suffragettes' compromises on racial equality are still felt today. |
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Focus on: The Holocaust and Resistance
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| Why? Explaining the Holocaust by Peter HayesWhat it's about: Historian Peter Hayes expertly synthesizes the circumstances that led to the Holocaust, utilizing numerous historical sources to dispel common misconceptions surrounding the atrocity.
What's inside: Topical, rather than chronological, chapters, framed by complex and frequently asked questions about the Holocaust.
What sets it apart: Why? is the result of over three decades of research and presents a refreshing take on an exhaustively analyzed subject. |
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| The Cost of Courage by Charles KaiserWhat it is: A nerve-wracking, remarkably rendered portrait of the Boulloche family, Parisian Catholics who bravely fought in the French Resistance during World War II.
About the author: Charles Kaiser, a former New York Times and Wall Street Journal reporter, is the first author with whom the Boulloche family has collaborated to share their astounding story.
Further reading: Stephen Grady's memoir Gardens of Stone, which recounts his boyhood in the French Resistance.
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| Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning by Timothy SnyderWhat it's about: In this provocative analysis of the lessons to be learned from the Holocaust, historian Timothy Snyder argues that the weakening of national states opens up the possibility of history repeating itself -- and for genocides like the Holocaust to happen again.
Who it's for: Readers familiar with Holocaust history and discourse.
Further reading: Snyder's critically acclaimed Bloodlands, to which Black Earth serves as a companion volume. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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