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History and Current Events February 2019
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| Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages by Gaston DorrenWhat it is: a brisk and upbeat survey of the world's 20 most widely spoken languages that explores how languages evolve and endure.
What's inside: Concise chapters discuss the selected languages in ascending order by number of speakers and feature charts detailing the tongues' notable hallmarks and idiosyncrasies.
Did you know? The modern Turkish language is incomprehensible from the Turkish of a hundred years ago; Japanese has separate dialects for men and women. |
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| The Deadly Deep: The Definitive History of Submarine Warfare by Iain BallantyneWhat it is: a deep dive into the evolution of submarines, from ancient Greek and Egyptian underwater warfare efforts to the deployment of nuclear submarines in the Cold War era.
Who it's for: readers interested in detailed naval histories.
About the author: British historian Iain Ballantyne is the author of Killing the Bismarck: Destroying the Pride of Hitler's Fleet. |
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| The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch What it's about: the Hickey Plot, a 1776 scheme orchestrated by prominent New York politicians to kidnap and murder George Washington.
Read it for: the thrilling immediacy of the fast-paced prose; the evocative account of a Revolutionary-era New York City in turmoil.
Why it matters: Washington's counterintelligence unit, led by future Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay, inspired the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) nearly two centuries later. |
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| The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties by Paul CollierWhat it's about: how regional and class rifts lead to social inequalities -- and how "ethical capitalism" can help bridge these divides.
Is it for you? British economist Paul Collier's evenhanded arguments will be appreciated by readers regardless of their political affiliation.
Further reading: The Inequality Paradox: How Capitalism Can Work for Everyone by Douglas McWilliams. |
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| The Longest Line on the Map: The United States, the Pan-American Highway, and the... by Eric RutkowWhat it's about: the Pan-American Highway, which has the distinction of being the world's longest road, running from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in Argentina.
Why you might like it: Riveting and richly detailed, The Longest Line on the Map chronicles the ambitious efforts to foster strong relationships between the Americas and offers a timely counterpoint to isolationist rhetoric. |
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| Defining Moments in Black History: Reading Between the Lies by Dick GregoryWhat it is: Equal parts humorous and inspiring, this survey of 100 key events in American black history offers provocative insights from comedian and activist Dick Gregory, who participated in many of the events he chronicles.
Is it for you? Readers wary of Gregory's penchant for conspiracy theories will nonetheless find much to ponder in this NAACP Image Award Winner and "excellent conversation starter for book groups" (Library Journal). |
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Let the People See: The Story of Emmett Till by Elliott J. GornWhat it is: Offers a comprehensive look at Emmett Till's lynching, including how it galvanized the black community at the time, and how that energy became the foundation for the later Civil Rights Movement Reviewers Say: Using new evidence and a broadened historical context, Elliott Gorn delves more fully than anyone has into how and why the story of Emmett Till still resonates, and always will. Till's murder marked a turning point, Gorn shows, and yet also reveals how old patterns of thought and behavior endure, and why we must look hard at them.
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Mayor Harold Washington: Champion of Race and Reform in Chicago by Roger BilesWhat it's About: Raised in a political family on Chicago's South Side, Harold Washington made history as the city's first African American mayor. Roger Biles's sweeping biography provides a definitive account of Washington and his journey from the state legislature to the mayoralty.
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| Smoketown: The Untold Story of the Other Great Black Renaissance by Mark WhitakerWhat it's about: Pittsburgh's Smoketown community, which from the 1920s-1950s had a "glorious stretch" of black cultural achievement.
Claims to fame: Smoketown boasted America's most widely read black newspaper, two Negro League baseball teams, and the childhood homes of playwright August Wilson and jazz composer Billy Strayhorn.
Reviewers say: "It’s thanks to such a gifted storyteller as Whitaker that this forgotten chapter of American history can finally be told in all its vibrancy and glory" (The New York Times). |
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Contact Reference at (847) 720-3230 for more great titles! |
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