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History and Current Events November 2016
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The angel : the Egyptian spy who saved Israel by Uri Bar-JosephA first English-language account of the mysterious life and death of Egyptian senior official Ashraf Marwan details his secret work for the Mossad and role in the Middle East's turbulent modern history.
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At war on the Gothic Line : fighting in Italy, 1944-45
by Christian Jennings
A fast-paced narrative by a veteran foreign correspondent and historian documents the lesser-known story of the Allied effort to break the German defenses in Northern Italy, drawing on the firsthand perspectives of 13 men and women from seven different countries.
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| The True Believer: Stalin's Last American Spy by Kati MartonIn this fascinating and chilling biography, acclaimed journalist and author Kati Marton relates the life of Noel Field (1904-1970), a wealthy, Harvard-educated Quaker who worked for the U.S. Department of State while spying for Josef Stalin. A passionate Communist during the depths of the Great Depression, he passed American secrets to Soviet agents and later even betrayed some of his European Communist colleagues. Marton takes advantage of newly available KGB and CIA records, along with unpublished interviews with high-level participants in Cold War espionage, Field and his wife, and even Stalin. If you're interested in the Cold War, spies, or global 20th-century history, don't miss this thoroughly documented account that reads like spy fiction. |
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| Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O'NeilIn Weapons of Math Destruction, a mathematics scholar who was once a quantitative analyst for a major Wall Street firm exposes the flaws in mathematical modeling. Although algorithms are supposed to remove bias from loan decisions, insurance rates, employee evaluations, and more, author Cathy O'Neil explains that algorithm formulas depend on the people who design them. Instead of being pure numbers, they perpetuate social prejudices and lock in human error. Arguing for increased scrutiny of the analysts who create the models and gather data (often inaccurately), O'Neil offers a "lucid and readable" (Kirkus Reviews) discussion of the perils of relying on math. |
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Focus on: Politics and Politicians |
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Elizabeth's women : friends, rivals, and foes who shaped the Virgin Queen
by Tracy Borman
Examines Queen Elizabeth I through the eyes of the women who shaped her life--from her bewitching mother, Anne Boleyn, to her dangerously obsessive sister, Mary Tudor, and from the rivals to her throne such as Mary, Queen of Scots to her rivals in love, like Lettice Knollys, who stole her closest male favorite.
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| Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon MeachamIn this balanced, engaging biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham details Thomas Jefferson's genius for political networking to demonstrate the greatness of his achievements. Meacham places this inspiring figure in the context of his period as a leader in the American Revolution, the third President of the United States, and an advocate for scientific inquiry. Thomas Jefferson provides insight into his ambition as well as his willingness to use compromise to gain advantage in political and diplomatic contests. For additional views of Jefferson, try Annette Gordon-Reed's Most Blessed of the Patriarchs and Henry Wiencek's Master of the Mountain. |
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Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin by John Ralston SaulThe author argues that Canada did not begin in 1867; indeed, its foundation was laid by two visionary men, Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin. The two leaders of Lower and Upper Canada, respectively, worked together after the 1841 Union to lead a reformist movement for responsible government run by elected citizens instead of a colonial governor. But it was during the 'Great Ministry' of 1848 - 51 that the two politicians implemented laws that created a more equitable country. They revamped judicial institutions, created a public education system, made bilingualism official, designed a network of public roads, began a public postal system, and reformed municipal governance.
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Michelangelo : a life in six masterpieces
by Miles Unger
An account of the life of the revolutionary art master is told through the stories of six of his greatest masterpieces including the Pietà , David and the Sistine Chapel, revealing how each expanded the medium's range and reflected the trials of Michelangelo's personal world.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Lambton County Library 787 Broadway St. Wyoming, Ontario N0N1T0 519-845-3324www.lclibrary.ca |
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