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History and Current Events March 2020
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Chanel's Riviera : glamour, decadence, and survival in peace and war, 1930-1944
by Anne De Courcy
What it's about: Explores the wealth and extravagance of the Cote d’Azur in 1938, where Coco Chanel hosted Gloria Swanson, Colette, Picasso and Somerset Maugham in her magnificent villa to escape the turmoil plaguing the rest of Europe before World War II. Illustrations.
Read it for: Enriched by original research and de Courcy’s signature skill, Chanel’s Riviera brings the experiences of both rich and poor, protected and persecuted, to vivid life.
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Unknown valor : a story of family, courage, and sacrifice from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima
by Martha MacCallum
What it's about: The Fox News host of The Story with Martha MacCallum presents a 75th anniversary tribute to the heroes of Iwo Jima, retracing the story of a relative who sacrificed his life to help defeat the Imperial Army.
Why you might like it: Meticulously researched, heart-wrenching, and illuminating, Unknown Valor reveals the sacrifices of ordinary Marines who saved the world from tyranny and left indelible marks on those back home who loved them.
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The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century
by Thant Myint-U
What it's about: how decades of colonialism, military rule, corruption, and civil war, as well as recent developments like the Rohingya genocide and China's rising political influence have wreaked havoc on the "unfinished nation" of Burma.
Why you might like it: Drawing from his experiences as a former diplomat and adviser to the Burmese government, Burmese American historian Thant Myint-U offers a compelling and perceptive glimpse into a country that "remains a mystery to most outsiders" (Kirkus).
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| A House in the Mountains: The Women Who Liberated Italy from Fascism by Caroline MooreheadWhat it's about: how a group of anti-fascist women in Italy's Piedmont region spearheaded the country's resistance efforts after Mussolini's fall in 1943, navigating a treacherous web of Nazi invaders, Italian fascists, and mistrustful Allies.
Read it for: a portrait of four heroic women eager to shake off the social norms of a system that preferred them to be passive.
Series alert: A House in the Mountains is the moving conclusion to the bestselling World War II-themed Resistance Quartet. |
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| Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy by David ZucchinoWhat it's about: the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898, when white supremacist Democrats in Wilmington, North Carolina stoked racist ire to overthrow the city's mixed-race government and disenfranchise thousands of black citizens, killing an estimated 60 black people.
Why you should read it: Drawing upon numerous primary sources including diaries and witness testimonies, Pulitzer Prize winner David Zucchino's sobering and resonant history rightly corrects the historical record -- for decades, the coup was viewed as a race riot instigated by Wilmington's black population. |
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| The Hello Girls: America's First Women Soldiers by Elizabeth CobbsWhat it's about: During World War I, 223 American women enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and served as switchboard operators in France. Denied veteran's benefits after the war and classed as civilian employees, it took them more than 60 years to be formally recognized for their accomplishments.
For fans of: Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures.
Reviewers say: "A fresh, well-researched contribution to military and gender history" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Searching for the Amazons: The Real Warrior Women of the Ancient World by John ManWhat it is: a sweeping history of the women warriors of central Asia whose mystique inspired the ancient Greeks to create myths about them that endure to this day.
Why you might like it: Historian John Man's playful account debunks many common misconceptions about the Amazons' way of life (no, they did not cut off their right breasts to improve their skills with a bow).
Further reading: For another scholarly yet accessible history of this formidable culture, check out Adrienne Mayor's The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World. |
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| Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy... by Lynne OlsonStarring: French Resistance operative Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, aka "Hedgehog," who led a spy network of thousands in occupied France and whose efforts crucially helped secure an Allied victory on D-Day.
Read it for: evocative period detail, white-knuckle cat-and-mouse games, and dramatic political intrigue.
Don't miss: Fourcade's multiple escapes from captivity. |
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| Louisa on the Front Lines: Louisa May Alcott in the Civil War by Samantha SeipleWhat it's about: how Little Women author Louisa May Alcott's experiences as a Civil War nurse shaped her as a writer and bolstered her dedication to the abolitionist movement.
Who it's for: Alcott fans, Civil War buffs, and teen readers will all find much to appreciate in this engaging adult debut written by young adult nonfiction author Samantha Seiple (Ghosts in the Fog: The Untold Story of Alaska's WWII Invasion). |
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| Women Warriors: An Unexpected History by Pamela D. TolerWhat it is: a spirited exploration of women warriors, many of them from non-Western countries, who "have been pushed into the shadows, hidden in the footnotes, or half-erased."
Featuring: the Trung sisters of Vietnam, who led an uprising to drive the Chinese out of their homeland; Buffalo Calf Road Woman, the Northern Cheyenne woman who felled Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn; mestiza military leader Juana Azurduy de Padilla, who defended Bolivia from Latin American colonization; Hausa queen Amina, who led a three-decade campaign of territorial expansion in present-day Nigeria. |
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Forsyth County Public Library 660 W 5th Street Winston Salem, North Carolina 27101 336-703-3030www.forsythlibrary.org |
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