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History and Current Events July 2020 James Clarence Sebastian and Karlynn Morgan celebrate Independence Day, 1957. Photo couresy of Digital Forsyth.
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Sudden courage : youth in France confront the Germans, 1940-1945
by Ronald C. Rosbottom
What It's About: The author of When Paris Went Dark describes the contributions of young adults to the French Resistance, revealing how teen revolutionaries acquired skills ranging from sabotage and patrol evasion to intelligence smuggling and lethal self-defense.
Critics Are Saying: “An exceptional account about the French Resistance… Highly recommended for Francophiles and those interested in World War II.” (Library Journal (starred review))
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| Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State by Barton GellmanThen: In 2014, journalist Barton Gellman won the Pulitzer Prize for reporting on Edward Snowden's leak of classified National Security Agency (NSA) documents.
Now: Gellman reflects on the pressures of his white-knuckle investigation and his complicated relationship with Snowden in this propulsive deep dive into the modern surveillance state.
For fans of: All the President's Men. |
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The Vagabonds: The Story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's Ten-Year Road Trip
by Jeff Guinn
What it's about: Every year between 1914 and 1924, inventor pals and "autocamping" enthusiasts Henry Ford and Thomas Edison embarked on a cross-country summertime jaunt through America.
Why it matters: The pair's highly-publicized adventures contributed to the car industry boom, spurred the improvement of roadways, and inspired the concept of the road trip.
Read it for: a quirky blend of history, biography, and travelogue.
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Lake of the Ozarks : my surreal summers in a vanishing America
by William Geist
What's Inside: In Lake of the Ozarks, Emmy Award-winning CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Bill Geist reflects on his coming of age in the American Heartland and traces his evolution as a man and a writerWritten with Geistian warmth and quirky humor, Lake of the Ozarks takes readers back to a bygone era, and shows how you can find inspiration in the most unexpected places"
For fans of: Justin Halpern, Bruce Weber, Rick Bragg and Richard Ford.
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Kid Quixotes : a group of students, their teacher, and the one-room school where everything is possible
by Stephen Haff
What it's about: A Yale-trained educator whose experiences in a violent district triggered his mental illness describes how he organized an extracurricular reading program to provide a safe environment for at-risk students, including the silent daughter of an undocumented mother.
According to Salman Rushdie: "Cervantes would be proud that his 400-year-old novel is helping these extraordinary schoolkids and heir impressive teacher make sense of their lives; face their fears; and tell their stories with courage, imagination, and song."
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Franklin & Washington : the founding partnership
by Edward J. Larson
What's inside: The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and award-winning author of Summer for the Gods presents a dual biography of the two Founding Fathers to illuminate in fresh detail how their underexplored relationship forged the United States.
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Lexington and Concord : The Battle heard round the world
by George C Daughan
What it is: The award-winning historian and author of "If By Sea" reinterprets the battle that launched the American Revolution, arguing that the war was based as much in economic concerns as political ones and that most militiamen volunteered on behalf of their livelihoods and in protest of serf-like living conditions.
According to the critics: “This is hardly a new story, but Daughan imbues it with added nuances of character and motivation…A wonderful addition to the literature on the American Revolution, full of enlightening facts and figures.” - Kirkus Reviews
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| In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown by Nathaniel PhilbrickSeptember 5, 1781: a decisive French victory at the Battle of the Chesapeake heralded the final days of the American Revolution.
Why you might like it: Author Nathaniel Philbrick draws upon letters, journal entries, sea logs, and his own firsthand knowledge of sailing to deliver a dramatic account of a key battle.
Author alert: Pulitzer Prize finalist Philbrick is the National Book Award-winning author of In the Heart of the Sea. |
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| Revolution Song: The Story of America's Founding in Six Remarkable Lives by Russell ShortoWhat it is: an evocative history of the American Revolution as experienced by six people navigating the era's nascent conceptions of individual freedom.
Featuring: Seneca diplomat Cornplanter, who fought with the British; soldier's daughter Margaret Moncrieffe, a demimondaine who eschewed the era's gender norms; Venture Smith, a Connecticut slave who bought his freedom. |
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Washington's Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course...
by Patrick K. O'Donnell
What it's about: the "Immortal 400" Maryland regiment that delayed the British during 1776's Battle of Brooklyn, enabling General Washington's successful evacuation of the Continental Army.
Why it matters: The Immortals' actions shaped the outcome of the Revolutionary War, but at great cost -- 256 perished during the battle.
For fans of: Band of Brothers and Frank Miller's 300.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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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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