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History and Current Events September 2017
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| The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II by Svetlana Aleksievich; translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa VolokhonskyIn this absorbing oral history, Nobel Prize-winning author Svetlana Aleksievich compiles firsthand reports of Russian women's military service in World War II. Noting that the women she interviewed were reluctant to discuss their experiences, she also reveals that their perceptions differ significantly from those of men, even though the women often performed similar duties (for example, as snipers or tank drivers). Evocatively weaving their accounts into a vivid tapestry, The Unwomanly Face of War brings previously unnoticed ordeals and achievements to light. |
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Propaganda and Persuasion : The Cold War and the Canadian-Soviet Friendship Society
by Jennifer Anderson
Canadian. During the early Cold War, thousands of Canadians attended events organized by the Canadian-Soviet Friendship Society (CSFS) and subscribed to its publications. The CSFS aimed its message at progressive Canadians, hoping to convince them that the USSR was an egalitarian and enlightened state. Attempting to soften, define and redirect the antagonistic narratives of the day, the CSFS story is one of propaganda and persuasion in Cold War Canada.The CSFS was linked to other groups on the Canadian political left and was consistently lead by Canadian communists. For many years, its leader and best known member was the enigmatic Dyson Carter. Raised in a religious family and educated as a scientist, Carter was a prolific author of both popular scientific and pro-Soviet books, and for many years was the editor of the CSFS’s magazine, "Northern Neighbours". Subtitled “Canada’s Authoritative Independent Magazine Reporting on the U.S.S.R.” the magazine featured glossy photo spreads of life in the Soviet Union and upbeat articles on science, medicine,cultural life, and visits to the USSR by Canadians. "Propaganda and Persuasion" looks at the CSFS as a blend of social and political activism, where gender, class, and ethnicity linked communities, and ideology had significance.
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Fifty Years of 60 Minutes : The Inside Story of Television's Most Influential News Broadcast
by Jeff Fager
Fifty Years of 60 Minutes tells the inside story of the legendary program, from its almost accidental birth through five decades of in-depth reporting by talented producers and beloved correspondents, including fatherly Harry Reasoner, hard-charging Mike Wallace, writer’s-writer Morley Safer, soft-but-tough Ed Bradley, relentless Lesley Stahl, and illuminating storyteller Steve Kroft. Executive producer Jeff Fager zeroes in on the stories that changed history—from the tobacco industry exposé to the revelatory interview with scandal-plagued Bill Clinton—the ones that set the standard in nonfiction storytelling, what the program learned from its mistakes, and the human drama that made it all possible. Fifty Years of 60 Minutes shares the secret of what’s made the program exceptional for all these years and how it has maintained such high quality to this day: why founder Don Hewitt believed “hearing” a story is more important than seeing it (and thus why he closed his eyes in the screening room), why competition was encouraged to preserve a sense of urgency, why the “small picture” is the best way to illuminate a larger one, and why the most memorable stories are almost always those with a human being at the center.
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The Beaverton Presents Glorious and or Free : The True History of Canada
by Luke Gordon Field
Canadian. The Beaverton has quickly become the funniest--and most biting--source of Canadian satire. Its headlines have been misinforming Canadians across the country (and world), while also providing some of the most insightful social commentary found anywhere. Now, in its first book, The Beaverton looks back over Canada's past to tell the story of how we became the ridiculous nation we are today. Through the lens of the venerable Beaverton, one of the country's oldest and proudest newspapers, the editors share the headlines and news stories that defined the times. From the earliest days of independence ("Paternity Test Confirms John A. Actual Father of Confederation") to war heritage ("Vimy Ridge: Canada Becomes a Nation After Killing Germans for Britain on French Soil") and right up to the 21st century ("Peter McKay sends Make-Up, High Heels to Oppressed Women in Afghanistan")--this is history like you've never seen it. Part mock-history, part fake-scrapbook, Glorious and/or Free is a hilarious and entertaining stab at our national myths and legends. And, like all great satire, it's funny because it's true.
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| Sons and Soldiers: The Untold Story of the Jews Who Escaped the Nazis... by Bruce HendersonOffering a riveting closeup of a specialized group of U.S. Army personnel in World War II, Sons and Soldiers brings to life the stories of German Jews who escaped the Nazi regime in the 1930s and subsequently made significant contributions to the Allied victory. Called the "Camp Ritchie Boys" from the camp where they were trained as interrogators, they were deployed in Europe with major combat units from D-Day on. Featuring six of the men, historian Bruce Henderson chronicles the Ritchie Boys' service. World War II buffs and readers interested in Jewish history shouldn't miss this inspiring account. |
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| American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica HesseBeginning in November 2012, an arson spree terrorized a rural county in Virginia for six months. In American Fire, journalist Monica Hesse traces the fiery trail of Charlie Smith and Tonya Bundick, who torched unoccupied buildings near where they lived in economically depressed but tightly knit Accomack County. Like Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, the deadly pair were romantically entwined; their motives remained elusive until after their capture. True crime aficionados and those interested in the economic fates of rural communities will want to pick up this compelling story. |
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Lace Up : A History of Skates in Canada
by Jean-Marie Leduc
Canadian. Throughout our 150-year history, and even longer, people have braved the treacherous Canadian winters and taken to the ice for the purposes of transportation, competition, exercise, and just plain fun. Canadian culture has developed around ice and the recreational opportunities it provides, and much has been written about our love affair with hockey, figure skating, and speed skating. However, one crucial element has always been left out of the discussion. The skate—that piece of metal underneath your foot that allows you to move on ice—is much more than the sum of its few simple parts. Indeed, the people, the rules, and the games all have stories, but they have also been shaped by the equipment. In ancient times, skates with blades made from animal bones were used to facilitate travel during the winter. Today, the newest models of skates are constantly being tweaked and improved to allow athletes to push themselves in the face of international competition.
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| Putin: His Downfall and Russia's Coming Crash by Richard LourieIn Putin, Russian affairs expert Richard Lourie offers a sobering analysis of Vladimir Putin's rise to power and the reasons why Lourie predicts disaster for Putin's regime. Cataloguing Putin's failure to assure the diversification of Russia's economy, his craving for personal power, and his desire to recreate the Russian empire, Lourie proposes a variety of possible outcomes while arguing that Putin's leadership is making the Russian economy unsustainable. This is a thought-provoking and eye-opening discussion for Russia-watchers. For additional insight into Putin and Russia, try Steven Lee Myers' The New Tsar. |
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Is Canada Even Real? : How a Nation Built on Hobos, Beavers, Weirdos, and Hip Hop Convinced the World to Beliebe
by J. C. Villamere
Canadian. Is Canada even real? It’s a question that’s being asked more and more, thanks to our waterproof, see-through, supposedly maple-scented currency and our improbably hot prime minister’s assertion that Santa lives here. In the age of Google Maps and #factcheck, how could the existence of Canada be questioned? And yet how could a nation that’s the home of toboggans, Drake, and KD exist in the same realm as, say, Belgium or Niger? Is Canada Even Real? examines the cultural factors behind the twenty-first-century monolithic myth of Canada, a nation that is lovable and real — if only in your imagination. Is Canada Even Real? is a funny nostalgia trip for Canadians and those poor, tobboganless souls outside our maple-scented borders. This book handily stitches together a fresh national identity based on Canada’s true modern icons. It’s a fun history lesson, and a quirky ode to a quirky land.
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Bunk : The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-facts, and Fake News
by Kevin Young
Award-winning poet and critic Kevin Young tours us through a rogue’s gallery of hoaxers, plagiarists, forgers, and fakers—from the humbug of P. T. Barnum and Edgar Allan Poe to the unrepentant bunk of JT LeRoy and Donald J. Trump. Bunk traces the history of the hoax as a peculiarly American phenomenon, examining what motivates hucksters and makes the rest of us so gullible. Disturbingly, Young finds that fakery is woven from stereotype and suspicion, race being the most insidious American hoax of all. He chronicles how Barnum came to fame by displaying figures like Joice Heth, a black woman whom he pretended was the 161-year-old nursemaid to George Washington, and What Is It?, an African American man Barnum professed was a newly discovered missing link in evolution. Bunk then turns to the hoaxing of history and the ways that forgers, plagiarists, and journalistic fakers invent backstories and falsehoods to sell us lies about themselves and about the world in our own time, from pretend Native Americans Grey Owl and Nasdijj to the deadly imposture of Clark Rockefeller, from the made-up memoirs of James Frey to the identity theft of Rachel Dolezal.
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