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History and Current Events August 2018
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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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| The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke by Andrew LawlerWhat it is: Part detective story, part archaeological exploration, this inquisitive study examines the disappearance of 115 colonists from the Roanoke Colony in 1590.
Why you might like it: With an accessible narrative that will appeal to both history buffs and general readers, The Secret Token is an engrossing mystery.
Want a taste? "If you look at the maps long enough, Roanoke Island can begin to take on the shape of a question mark." |
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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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| 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 Kizzia
Documents the story of Robert "Papa Pilgrim" Hale and the antiestablishment family settlement in remote Alaska that was eventually exposed as a cult-like prison where Hale brutalized and isolated his wife and 15 children, describing the torturous abuse endured by the family before his older children escaped and reported Hale to authorities.
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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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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Twin Falls Public Library201 4th Ave. ETwin Falls, Idaho 83301208-733-2964
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