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History and Current Events June 2017
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| Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America by James Forman, Jr.In Locking Up Our Own, author James Forman Jr. offers historical background to the U.S. War on Crime's aggressive policing and long criminal sentences. African American leaders welcomed these approaches, which began in the 1970s, but now they seem to be disproportionately targeting poor black men. Forman, a Yale law professor and former public defender, offers an "important new perspective" (Kirkus Reviews) on combating drugs and violent crime. |
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| Last Hope Island: Britain, Occupied Europe, and the Brotherhood That Helped Turn... by Lynne OlsonDuring the first few months of World War II, Britain became the operations center for several continental governments in exile. Their ability to exchange information and coordinate efforts with each other, British officials, and Free French champion Charles de Gaulle enhanced the Allies' strategies against the Axis powers. This well-researched history reads like a spy thriller, chronicling mishaps and triumphs in terms of the individuals involved. |
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| Double Bind: Women on Ambition by Robin Romm, editorHow does a feminist reconcile her desire to succeed with the negative social connotations associated with "ambition"? This volume assembles essays on the topic penned by a socially, professionally, and ethnically diverse selection of women, including the well-known (Francine Prose, Molly Ringwald, Roxane Gay) and the less famous (psychologist and mother Yael Chatav Schonbrun, dogsledder Blair Braverman). Double Bind provides a thought-provoking measurement of the pulse of today's feminism. |
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| An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take it Back by Elisabeth RosenthalCasual conversations about health care often turn to its cost and inaccessibility, the difficulty of dealing with insurance companies, and personal horror stories. In An American Sickness, journalist Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD, employs an informal style to explain how the American medical-industrial complex evolved to this point. |
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| Enduring Vietnam: An American Generation and Its War by James WrightDrawing on written sources and interviews with veterans and families of personnel who died, Enduring Vietnam evokes the war, the politics that swirled around it, its unpopularity on the home front, and -- poignantly -- the experiences of those most involved. This powerful reminder of the conflict's grim legacy will be especially compelling to members of the Baby Boom generation. |
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| The Nixon Defense: What He Knew and When He Knew It by John W. DeanIn June 1972, burglars broke into the Democratic National Committee's headquarters in the Watergate office building in Washington, DC. As evidence emerged that the burglary was connected to the White House, Watergate came to symbolize the unraveling of Richard Nixon's presidency. In this historic page-turner, former White House Counsel John Dean chronicles the slow-motion disaster that ended with Nixon's unprecedented resignation from the presidency in 1974. |
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| Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air by Richard HolmesThe launch of the Montgolfier brothers' balloon in the French Alps on June 4, 1783, marked the beginning of human flight. Tracing the subsequent history of ballooning enthusiasts, author Richard Holmes introduces aerial pioneers whose motives range from scientific discovery to military applications to exploration -- and even poetry. If aeronautics fascinates you, take flight with the engaging prose of Falling Upwards. |
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Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea
by Sheila Miyoshi Jager
Brothers at War is a compelling, comprehensive history of the Korean War: how it started, why it hasn't technically ended, and how North Korea continues to stockpile weapons with assistance from China, while its people go without the basic necessities of life. The armistice signed on July 27, 1953 largely stopped the hostilities, but a peaceful settlement of the conflict remains elusive. Historian and journalist Sheila Miyoshi Jager provides a long view of the war, chock-full of insights and impeccably researched detail, depicting the roots of internal conflict in World War II and continuing through the 2011 funeral of leader Kim Jong Il.
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Omaha Beach on D-Day
by Jean David Morvan
The first volume of a new series dedicated to exploring iconic moments in World War II history, Omaha Beach on D-Day is a fresh and captivating new take on one of the most important moments in World War II: the Allied forces storming the beach at Normandy. The photograph at the heart of this book is Robert Capa's world-famous shot of the Allied landing in 1944, and the authors of this remarkable work have gathered interviews, testimonials, contact sheets, and over forty pages of photographic archives from the Magnum Photos agency to fill in the history behind a single moment, captured forever on film. Using a combination of traditional comics narrative, photography, and nonfiction text, Omaha Beach on D-Day is a rich and accessible fresh take at a crucial moment in 20th century history.
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| The Longest Afternoon: The 400 Men Who Decided the Battle of Waterloo by Brendan SimmsIn this well-researched account of the Battle of Waterloo, historian Brendan Simms reviews Napoleon's campaigns up to Waterloo, then spotlights a specific location in the sprawling conflict: La Haye Sainte farmhouse. His narrative provides riveting close-ups of the fighters' intense efforts on both sides. Military history buffs will find Simms' focus intriguing; for another unusual perspective on Waterloo, try David Crane's Went the Day Well? |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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