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History and Current Events February 2018
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Busted : An Illustrated History of Drug Prohibition in Canada
by Susan C. Boyd
What it's about: an illustrated history of Canadian drug prohibition and resistance to that prohibition. Susan Boyd shows how Canada’s drug prohibition policies evolved and were shaped by race, class and gender discrimination.
Why you'll want to read it: As Canada heads towards the government regulation of cannabis products, Canadians can learn more about our history of prohibition and its effects.
Also by this author: Killer Weed : Marijuana Grow Ops, Media, and Justice
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Ya Ha Tinda : A Home Place. Celebrating 100 Years of the Canadian Government's Only Working Horse Ranch
by Kathy Calvert
What it's about: An illustrated history celebrating the 100th anniversary of this historic, working horse ranch located along the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies.
Why you'll want to read it: Ya Ha Tinda is the only continuously operating federal government horse ranch in Canada. This is much more than the story of the people who worked and lived there. Its ancient history is an amalgam of geological evolution, with archaeological evidence of ancient indigenous people’s use of the land for over 9,400 years and a biophysical inventory of flora and fauna unique to this particular landscape.
Also by this author: June Mickle: One Woman's Life in the Foothills and Mountains of Western Canada; Guardians of the Peaks: Mountain Rescue in the Canadian Rockies and Columbia Mountains
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| 1917: Lenin, Wilson, and the Birth of the New World Disorder by Arthur HermanWhat it is: a dual biography of two different yet equally important world leaders -- Vladimir Lenin and Woodrow Wilson -- and how their actions at the outset of World War I had long-lasting geopolitical effects.
Why you might like it: Historian Arthur Herman’s unusual pairing provides a fresh look at a pivotal moment in world history.
Further reading: Check out March 1917 by Will England for another study of this critical period, or try Herman’s Gandhi and Churchill for another dual biography of world leaders. |
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| Fortress America: How We Embraced Fear and Abandoned Democracy by Elaine Tyler MayWhat it's about: Author Elaine Tyler May argues that the current American political climate can be traced back to fearful citizens who have embraced personal security (gun ownership, gated communities, and socially isolated lifestyles) – despite the fact that crime rates continue to trend downward.
Why you should read it: This thought-provoking and sobering book not only attempts to explain our polarized world but also warns of the potentially lasting effects of these divisions on American society. |
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One Hundred Years of Struggle : The History of Women and the Vote in Canada
by Joan Sangster
What it's about: Historian Joan Sangster shows that the struggle for equality included gains and losses, inclusions and exclusions, depending on a woman’s race, class, and location in Canada. One Hundred Years of Struggle begins with Mary Shadd Cary’s demands for rights for women and blacks in the 1850s and ends with Indigenous women’s achievement of the vote in the 1960s.
This book is for: Canadians who want to know more about our history, the history of women, and the state of our democratic traditions.
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12 Strong : The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers
by Doug Stanton
What it's about: In the weeks following the attacks of September 11, a small band of Special Forces soldiers secretly entered Afghanistan. They pursued the Taliban on horseback, over the stark and mountainous Afghanistan terrain. After a series of intense battles, they captured the strategically essential city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn. The Horse Soldiers were ambushed. If the soldiers perished or were captured, the entire effort to outmaneuver the Taliban was likely doomed.
Why you'll want to read it: 12 Strong is a thrilling, inspiring tale of a group of men on horses who did the impossible and an incredible account of real life bravery and heroism in the face of insurmountable odds.
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| Improv Nation: How We Made a Great American Art by Sam WassonWhat it is: a sweeping, behind-the-scenes history of American improv comedy, which was born during the McCarthy era and counts Tina Fey and Steve Carell among its current stars.
Why you might like it: As you might expect, this is a funny and fast-moving read that will delight and entertain as it informs.
Reviewers say: “A remarkable story, magnificently told” (Booklist). |
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