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History and Current EventsJanuary 2015
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"The most important thing Paris gave me was a perspective on Latin America. It taught me the differences between Latin America and Europe and among the Latin American countries themselves through the Latins I met there." ~ Gabriel García Márquez (1927-2014), Colombian writer
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New and Recently Released!
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| The Perfect Kill: 21 Laws for Assassins by Robert B. BaerLong-serving CIA agent Robert Baer (now a news commentator on intelligence affairs) was directly involved in attempts to find and assassinate Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was responsible for several terrorist attacks, including the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. Though The Perfect Kill's subtitle (21 Laws for Assassins) suggests it's a do-it-yourself guide for would-be professional killers, the narrative focuses primarily on efforts to eliminate Mughniyeh. Adding anecdotes from his career that illustrate techniques for covert assassination operations, Baer offers compelling insight into a world in which political murder may be all in a day's work. |
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| Isabella: The Warrior Queen by Kirstin DowneyWhen Europe was beginning its transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, one of the most powerful monarchs was Isabella I of Castile. Though she's typically named second in the pair "Ferdinand and Isabella," she was queen in her own right, unifying Spain in an era of frequent wars, banishing Moors and Jews who refused to convert to Catholicism, and funding Columbus' voyages to the Western Hemisphere. In Isabella, historian Kirstin Downey demonstrates why she was one of the most significant women in history. This detailed, engaging portrait displays "Isabella's fingerprints on Renaissance culture and religion" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| When Lions Roar: The Churchills and the Kennedys by Thomas MaierIn When Lions Roar, journalist Thomas Maier details the many connections between two prominent families: the Churchills in England and the Kennedys in America. Focusing on Winston Churchill and Joseph P. Kennedy, Maier spins a compelling narrative that illuminates a major portion of 20th century history. While the dual biography of Winston and Joseph forms the book's framework, Maier relates information about 14 people in the Churchill family and 15 Kennedys, giving due attention to the more prominent family members. Politics and gossip from the 1930s to the 1960s fuel this fascinating book, which "cannot be put down" (Library Journal). |
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| Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery by Robert M. PooleSection 60 of Arlington National Cemetery receives the remains of soldiers from the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In this poignant and informative book, author Robert Poole details the circumstances of many of these fallen soldiers, expanding from accounts of their deaths and of their loved-ones' grief into larger reports of battles and discussions of the nature of modern warfare. Since there's no official monument, Section 60 serves as a memorial to those who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Poole's book illuminates and honors that function. For another moving tribute to those who are buried at Arlington, read Poole's On Hallowed Ground. |
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| Hitler's First Victims: The Quest for Justice by Timothy W. RybackEarly in 1933, Adolf Hitler began to escalate his campaign to eliminate Jews and suppress dissent in Germany. A prison camp in Dachau began receiving large numbers of inmates (most of whom were Jews), and Bavarian state prosecutors received reports of suspicious deaths. Joseph Hartinger, a young lawyer in the prosecutor's office, investigated the killings despite warnings from higher-ups to leave the matter alone. Several SS guards at the camp were subsequently dismissed. Hitler's First Victims provides a compelling account of one man's remarkable attempt to block Hitler, and asks the question, what if more people had taken a stand like Hartinger did in 1933? |
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| Murder City: Ciudad Juárez and the Global Economy's New Killing Fields by Charles BowdenCiudad Juárez, Mexico, has the highest murder rate in the world. In Murder City, journalist Charles Bowden portrays the city's culture of violence, fueled by poverty, drug lords, apathetic or corrupt military and police, and ineffective local and federal governments. As Bowden recounts interviews with local residents, drug dealers, and officials, he elegantly presents a wealth of information -- but no answers. This moving and disturbing portrait is a "potent book that readers won't soon forget," says Kirkus Reviews in a starred review. For more on Juárez, read Teresa Rodriguez' Daughters of Juárez and Ricardo Ainslie's Fight to Save Juárez. |
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| Fidel Castro, My Life: A Spoken Autobiography by Fidel Castro and Ignacio RamonetFidel Castro led a revolution in Cuba that overthrew Fulgencia Batista in 1959 and replaced his pro-U.S. administration with a left-wing government aligned with major Communist nations. Castro's Cuba has been perceived as a political threat to the U.S. since then, with Castro himself the primary symbol of that antagonism. Fidel Castro presents a series of interviews conducted by Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet that offer insight into his personality, coherent political commentary, and engaging anecdotes about his life. This intriguing book, a Booklist Best Biography choice for 2008, relates 85 years of important Latin American history in engaging conversational style. |
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| Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City by Greg GrandinAutomobile manufacturer Henry Ford wanted to secure a rubber supply for tire production, so in 1928 he decided to establish his own rubber plantation with a model factory town for his workers -- in the heart of an unsettled Amazonian rain forest. Author Greg Grandin recounts the bizarre true story of Ford's high-minded, utterly wrong-headed efforts to establish small-town America in a hostile jungle environment. From his failure to consult botanists on how rubber trees should be cultivated to his mistaken expectations that indigenous Brazilians would welcome North American living, this compelling narrative demonstrates that Ford's visionary ambition and arrogant folly were two sides of the same coin. |
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| The Last Days of the Incas by Kim MacQuarrieIn The Last Days of the Incas, Emmy-winning film maker and author Kim MacQuarrie offers a balanced and engaging account of the Incas, who ruled a 2500-mile-long stretch of western South America at the time the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in 1526. MacQuarrie examines Spanish correspondence that depicts their encounters with the Incas, and he traces the explorations of 20th-century archaeologists, including Hiram Bingham and Gene Savoy. His riveting narration brings to life the Incas' civilization, their fatal clashes with the Conquistadors, and the dramatic discoveries of the ruins of Machu Picchu and Vilcabamba. |
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| Panama Fever: The Epic Story of the Building of the Panama Canal by Matthew ParkerAfter 400 years of dreaming (starting with Balboa's exploration), the man-made Panama Canal opened for traffic in 1914, finally linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The canal's construction began with a failed French attempt in the late 1800s, followed by the ultimately successful American effort. Author Matthew Parker notes the political maneuvers that awarded the project to the U.S. and describes the mistreatment of laborers, but the focus of his "engrossing narrative" (Publishers Weekly) is the fever to succeed called "canalitis," which resulted in this engineering triumph. For another thorough account of the canal's history, try David McCullough's The Path Between the Seas. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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