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History and Current Events November 2019
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| The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution by Eric FonerWhat it's about: how the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th constitutional amendments (also known as the Reconstruction amendments) impacted an America still reeling from the aftermath of the Civil War.
Don't miss: an incisive and resonant look into how the Reconstruction amendments are interpreted and debated in contemporary political discourse, particularly in relation to voter rights.
Book buzz: Library Journal calls Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Eric Foner's latest "a must-read for anyone interested in U.S. history." |
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| The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. GraffWhat it is: a heartwrenching collection of first-person accounts from survivors, first responders, and witnesses of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Is it for you? Intimate and apolitical, this vivid, hour-by-hour chronicle of one of America's most tragic days is unflinching in its depictions of loss.
Further reading: Mitchell Zuckoff's richly detailed history Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11. |
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| Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh MoaveniFeaturing: thirteen women and girls, with backgrounds as varied as their motivations, who left their homes in Europe and North Africa to join the Islamic State (IS) in Syria.
Read it for: a compassionate yet critical examination of the many whys of religious extremism and radicalization.
About the author: Iranian American journalist Azadeh Moaveni expands upon her Pulitzer Prize-nominated New York Times reportage for this immersive history. |
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"You're in the Wrong Bathroom!" And 20 Other Myths and Misconceptions About...
by Laura Erickson-Schroth and Laura A. Jacobs
What it is: a sympathetic, advice-filled rebuttal to 21 common myths concerning transgender and gender-nonconforming people, co-written by a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist.
Myths include: "Trans People Are a Danger to Others, Especially Children;" "Trans People Are 'Trapped in the Wrong Body'"
Who it's for: readers curious to learn about the evolving language and conceptualizations of gender identity.
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1917: Lenin, Wilson, and the Birth of the New World Disorder
by Arthur Herman
What it is: a dual biography of two different yet equally important world leaders -- Vladimir Lenin and Woodrow Wilson -- and how their actions at the outset of World War I had long-lasting geopolitical effects.
Why you might like it: Historian Arthur Herman’s unusual pairing provides a fresh look at a pivotal moment in world history.
Further reading: Check out March 1917 by Will England for another study of this critical period, or try Herman’s Gandhi and Churchill for another dual biography of world leaders.
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| Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History by Kurt AndersenWhat it is: a provocative, no-holds-barred exploration of how superstition, self-delusion, charlatanism, and conspiracy theories have always been richly embedded in the fabric of American life and culture.
Topics include: the Salem witch trials; Dr. Oz; P.T. Barnum; 1960s counterculture; Satanic Panic; Donald Trump.
Want a taste? "We have passed through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole. America has mutated into Fantasyland." |
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When Brooklyn was queer
by Hugh Ryan
What it is:A groundbreaking, never-before-told story of the neighborhood’s colorful and forgotten queer history, from the mid-1850s up to the present day, shows how the formation of the Brooklyn we know today is inextricably linked to the stories of the extraordinary people who created its diverse neighborhoods and cultures.
Reviewers say: "A dynamic combination of meticulous research and impassioned prose...a romantic, exquisite history of gay culture." - (Kirkus Reviews).
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A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America
by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong
What it's about: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong examine the ways in which rape cases are investigated in the United States. Rather than looking at sexual assaults as a whole, the authors focus on one particular case, that of a teenage victim who was accused of false reporting, resulting in an eye-opening look at how cases can be handled, mishandled, and later resolved.
Is it for you? Readers with an interest in women’s rights, true crime, and criminal justice will want to check this one out
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| Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah VowellWhat it's about: Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette's 1824 return to American soil, where he was received with great fanfare by more than 80,000 onlookers.
Don't miss: Author Sarah Vowell's unconventional research methods included attending a Lafayette-themed puppet show.
Reviewers say: This snarky romp is "especially recommended to those who are convinced that history is dry" (Library Journal). |
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| Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer WrightWhat's inside: a lighthearted yet gruesome survey of 13 diseases, including the bubonic plague, syphilis, cholera, and leprosy.
Want a taste? "There's debate today over whether the plague that led to Rome's fall was typhus or measles or smallpox. I am on Team Smallpox!"
Chapters include: "Try Being Nice Instead of Burning People as Witches;" "Spread the Word That Vaccines Are the Best;" "Never Glamorize Ill Health." |
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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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