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History and Current Events June 2022 |
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| Nazi Billionaires: The Dark History of Germany's Wealthiest Dynasties by David De JongWhat it is: a sobering investigation of the German businessmen who helped fund Hitler's exploits through slave labor and the seizing of Jewish-owned businesses.
Why it matters: Bloomberg journalist David De Jong's richly detailed chronicle explores how these entrepreneurs were never held to account for their crimes and how their descendants still reap the benefits of their exploitative practices. |
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| The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and the Movies by Paul FischerStarring: French artist and inventor Louis Le Prince, whose single-lens camera prototype was set to make big waves in the burgeoning movie industry -- until he mysteriously disappeared in 1890.
What if... Thomas Edison ordered Le Prince's murder so he could take credit for the man's ideas? Film producer and author Paul Fischer (A Kim Jong-Il Production) offers several intriguing possibilities for Le Prince's untimely end in this evocative blend of history and true crime. |
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| Binge Times: Inside Hollywood's Furious Billion-Dollar Battle to Take Down Netflix by Dade Hayes & Dawn ChmielewskiWhat it's about: how the streaming wars are impacting the entertainment industry.
Why you should read it: With Netflix being in the news recently for staff layoffs and huge stock and subscriber losses, this timely and perceptive book reveals how streaming services continue to face major hurdles in their quest to supplant traditional media.
Reviewers say: "This fascinating study will enthrall those interested in the business side of entertainment" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor by Kim KellyWhat it is: an inclusive and engaging history of the American labor movement from the 19th century to the present.
Read it for: well-researched tributes to ignored or lesser-known Black, Asian American, Latinx, and Native labor organizers and leaders.
Try this next: A History of America in Ten Strikes by Erik Loomis. |
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| Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong by Louisa LimWhat it is: a compelling blend of memoir and reportage that chronicles the history of Hong Kong and explores how the city has been shaped by both British colonization and Chinese authoritarianism.
About the author: British Chinese journalist and Orwell Prize finalist Louisa Lim (The People's Republic of Amnesia: Tiananmen Revisited) grew up in Hong Kong and spent a decade covering the region.
Further reading: The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir by Karen Cheung; City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong by Antony Dapiran. |
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| Black Ghost of Empire: The Long Death of Slavery and the Failure of Emancipation by Kris ManjapraWhat it's about: how 18th- and 19th-century emancipation efforts in North America, Europe, Haiti, and Sub-Saharan Africa exacerbated racial tensions and reinforced white supremacy.
Why you should read it: Tufts University historian Kris Manjapra's sweeping and thought-provoking study informs ongoing conversations about reparatory justice.
Reviewers say: "an essential contribution to understanding the legacy of slavery" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| A Brief History of Equality by Thomas Piketty; translated by Steven RendallWhat it is: French economist Thomas Piketty's hopeful history of humanity's strides toward equality, supplemented with the author's clear-eyed suggestions for reform.
Who it's for: Piketty's concise and accessible latest will appeal to fans of economic history and general readers alike.
Further reading: The Journey of Humanity: The Origins of Wealth and Inequality by Oded Galor. |
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| Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel SmithWhat it's about: how Black women have revolutionized American popular music from the 18th century to the present.
Read it for: an engaging mix of memoir, history, and criticism penned by music journalist and Black Girl Songbook podcast host Danyel Smith.
Don't miss: the author's heartfelt tributes to artists whose contributions have been erased from history. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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