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History and Current Events April 2018
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| The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to... by Charles C. MannWhat it's about: In this dual biography, award-winning author Charles C. Mann explores how scientists Norman Borlaug and William Vogt's contributions to -- and opposing views of -- modern environmentalism reflect the challenges of maintaining a viable future.
Why you should read it: Mann's stimulating account reveals the achievements of these overlooked contemporaries, masterfully examining both viewpoints without taking sides. |
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| The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War by Benn SteilWhat it is: a lively and accessible survey of the historical, political, and economic impact of the Marshall Plan, a $13 billion postwar rebuilding effort that provided aid to Western European nations from 1948-1952.
About the author: Benn Steil is the director of international economics at the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations.
Reviewers say: The Marshall Plan "will be the definitive account for years to come" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote by Elaine WeissWhat it is: a page-turning and uplifting chronicle of the women's suffrage movement, culminating in the struggle to ratify the 19th Amendment in 1920.
Why you might like it: Elaine Weiss dramatically conveys hair-raising suspense in a story where the outcome is already well-known, while also noting how echoes of suffragettes' compromises on racial equality are still felt today. |
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Focus on: The Holocaust and Resistance
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| Why? Explaining the Holocaust by Peter HayesWhat it's about: Historian Peter Hayes expertly synthesizes the circumstances that led to the Holocaust, utilizing numerous historical sources to dispel common misconceptions surrounding the atrocity.
What's inside: topical, rather than chronological, chapters, framed by complex and frequently asked questions about the Holocaust.
What sets it apart: Why? is the result of over three decades of research and presents a refreshing take on an exhaustively analyzed subject. |
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| The Cost of Courage by Charles KaiserWhat it is: a nerve-wracking, remarkably rendered portrait of the Boulloche family, Parisian Catholics who bravely fought in the French Resistance during World War II.
About the author: Charles Kaiser, a former New York Times and Wall Street Journal reporter, is the first author with whom the Boulloche family has collaborated to share their astounding story.
Further reading: Stephen Grady's memoir Gardens of Stone, which recounts his boyhood in the French Resistance.
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| Irena's Children: A True Story of Courage by Tilar J. MazzeoWhat it is: a gripping and succinct profile of the "female Schindler," Polish social worker Irena Sendler, who smuggled thousands of children out of the Warsaw ghetto and falsified paperwork to give them new lives.
Don't miss: Tilar J. Mazzeo reveals Sendler's smuggling strategies, which included hiding children in coffins and toolboxes.
Is it for you? Readers drawn to hopeful stories of courage and survival will find Irena's Children compelling. |
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| Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning by Timothy SnyderWhat it's about: In this provocative analysis of the lessons to be learned from the Holocaust, historian Timothy Snyder argues that the weakening of national states opens up the possibility of history repeating itself -- and for genocides like the Holocaust to happen again.
Who it's for: Readers familiar with Holocaust history and discourse.
Further reading: Snyder's critically acclaimed Bloodlands, to which Black Earth serves as a companion volume. |
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Contact your CALS librarian for more great history and current events books! |
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