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History and Current Events August 2018
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| Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation by Robert W. FieselerWhat it's about: In June 1973, 32 people died after an arsonist set New Orleans' Up Stairs Lounge ablaze. The tragedy remained the deadliest attack on a gay club in the United States until the Pulse shooting in 2016.
Why it's significant: Debut author Robert W. Fieseler's vivid account of the attack's aftermath -- in which indifferent authorities failed to identify the perpetrator -- spotlights a forgotten moment in the gay rights movement and the costly toll of the uphill battle to equality. |
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A Deal With the Devil : The Dark and Twisted True Story of One of the Biggest Cons in History
by Blake Ellis
What it's about: A CNN investigative journalist team presents an account exposing the activities of a French psychic at the center of a decades-long, multimillion-dollar international con targeting the elderly and other vulnerable individuals.
What reviewers are saying: "This entertaining account expands on a 2016 CNN five-part series and will be enjoyed by lovers of real-life con stories."—Deirdre Bray Root, formerly with MidPointe Lib. Syst., OH
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| Conan Doyle for the Defense: The True Story of a Sensational British Murder, a Quest for... by Margalit FoxWhat it is: a page-turning true crime account of the 1908 wrongful murder conviction of Jewish German immigrant Oscar Slater, featuring an unlikely hero at its center -- Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle.
Don't miss: New York Times writer Margalit Fox's extensive research richly reconstructs how Doyle used his famous creation's deduction methods to exonerate Slater. |
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An American Quilt : Unfolding a Story of Family and Slavery
by Rachel May
What it's about: After the discovery of an unfinished 1830s quilt in a box of family correspondence, the author investigates the history of the women who made it and uncovers the overlooked history of Northern slavery and the women's role in the growth of mercantile America.
What reviewers are saying: "Deeply researched and vividly written...casts new light on the often ignored contributions enslaved people made to American society." -- Booklist
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Murder by Numbers : Fascinating Figures Behind the World's Worst Crimes
by James Moore
What it is: A unique, number-crunching history of the crime of murder. Each entry starts with a number and leads into a different aspect of murder, be it a fascinating angle to a case or revealing insights into murder methods, punishments and, of course, the chilling figures behind the most notorious killers from our past.
Is it for you? From the grizzly death toll of the world’s worst serial killer to your own odds of being murdered, this guide will appeal to the connoisseur of true crime and the casual reader alike.
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| Squeezed: Why Our Families Can't Afford America by Alissa QuartWhat it is: an in-depth and ambitious look at the systemic hardships faced by the American middle class, offering policy-based solutions.
About the author: Alissa Quart is the executive editor of the nonprofit Economic Hardship Reporting Project.
Book buzz: Nickel and Dimed author Barbara Ehrenreich calls Squeezed "a keen, elegantly written, and scorching account of the American family today." |
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| Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History... by Lynn Vincent and Sara VladicWhat it's about: On July 30, 1945, a Japanese submarine torpedoed and sank the USS Indianapolis, with all but 317 of the 1,196 crew perishing after the initial attack and in the four days before help arrived.
Did you know? The Indianapolis was torpedoed mere days after the completion of its highly classified mission to deliver the atomic bomb "Little Boy" to the Pacific Islands. Little Boy, the first atomic bomb to be used in warfare, was dropped on Hiroshima one week after the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. |
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| A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker... by Paul FischerWhat it's about: In 1978, South Korean actress Choi Eun-Hee and her ex-husband, director Shin Sang-Ok, were abducted under the orders of Kim Jong-Il and forced to create North Korean propaganda films to help bolster the country's lagging film industry.
Is it for you? This gripping exploration of North Korean filmmaking history offers an illuminating glimpse into a secretive culture, sure to satisfy true crime fans, cinephiles, and Korean history enthusiasts. |
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| Playing Dead: A Journey Through the World of Death Fraud by Elizabeth GreenwoodWhat it is: a fascinating and lighthearted survey of "pseudocide" (faking one's death), inspired by author Elizabeth Greenwood's frustrations with mounting student loan debt.
Don't miss: Greenwood's attempt to stage her death in the Philippines, a country known for having high rates of death fraud.
For fans of: Mary Roach and Susan Orlean. |
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| Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier by Tom KizziaWhat it's about: In 2002, the fundamentalist Pilgrim family squared off against the National Park Service after their 420-acre homestead infringed on land owned by Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The initial skirmish kicked off an investigation that uncovered the Pilgrim family's chilling history -- and the fact that its patriarch was not what he seemed.
About the author: A longtime Alaska journalist (and Pilgrim family neighbor), Tom Kizzia had unparalleled access to the secretive family throughout the course of his reportage. |
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| 17 Carnations: The Royals, the Nazis, and the Biggest Cover-Up in History by Andrew MortonWhat it is: a revelatory chronicle of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's close ties to Adolf Hitler, who planned to install the pair as puppet monarchs after his invasion of Britain.
Chapters include: "Sex, Drugs, and Royal Blackmail;" "A Shady Royal in a Sunny Place;" "The Hunt for Pirate Gold."
Reviewers say: "reads like a good spy thriller" (Booklist); "hard to put down" (Library Journal). |
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| American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey ToobinWhat it is: a propulsive account of Patty Hearst's 1974 kidnapping by the radical Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), an organization she later claimed to have joined in earnest, famously robbing a bank with them.
What sets it apart: Legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin offers a balanced view of Hearst's subsequent federal trial, demonstrating both sides' incompetence and opportunism.
Why you might like it: Though Toobin never states whether he believes Hearst acted of her own accord, he provides plenty of detailed research for readers to draw their own conclusions. |
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