|
History and Current Events September 2019
|
|
|
|
| The Family Next Door: The Heartbreaking Imprisonment of the 13 Turpin Siblings and... by John GlattWhat it is: the disturbing story of seemingly picture-perfect couple David and Louise Turpin, who for years brutalized and imprisoned their 13 children in their suburban California home.
What happened: In January 2018, the Turpins' 17-year-old daughter Jordan made a daring escape to successfully alert the authorities.
Is it for you? True crime fans will appreciate this timely account of a gruesome case that's still making headlines -- in April 2019, David and Louise received life sentences for their crimes. |
|
| The Vagabonds: The Story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's Ten-Year Road Trip by Jeff GuinnWhat it's about: Every year between 1914 and 1924, inventor pals and "autocamping" enthusiasts Henry Ford and Thomas Edison embarked on a cross-country summertime jaunt through America.
Why it matters: The pair's highly-publicized adventures contributed to the car industry boom, spurred the improvement of roadways, and inspired the concept of the road trip.
Read it for: a quirky blend of history, biography, and travelogue. |
|
|
Fault lines : a history of the United States since 1974
by Kevin Michael Kruse
What's in it: Two award-winning historians trace the origins of today's divided America to pivotal events in 1974, from Watergate to the energy crisis, to explore how long-standing disputes over income inequality, racial division and gender roles fueled a polarized political landscape.
|
|
| When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill ManningWhat it's about: how the War Department, publishing industry, and librarians collaborated to distribute 120 million pocket-sized Armed Services Edition paperbacks to American soldiers during WWII.
Featuring: intrepid librarian Althea Warren, the American Library Association's first director of the National Defense Book Campaign.
Why it matters: the morale-boosting Armed Services Editions were many soldiers' introduction to literature, inspiring them to correspond with authors or seek higher education after their service. |
|
| The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books: Christopher Columbus, His Son, and... by Edward Wilson-LeeStarring: Hernando Colón, thrill-seeking bibliophile and illegitimate son of Christopher Columbus.
What it's about: how Colón endeavored to build a library collecting every book in the world, which he meticulously cataloged in a system of his own making that is now considered the first "search engine."
Try this next: for another engaging account of Renaissance-era bibliophilia, check out Stephen Greenblatt's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Swerve, about Poggio Bracciolini's 1417 discovery of a lost Roman text. |
|
|
Girl sleuth : Nancy Drew and the women who created her
by Melanie Rehak
What's it about: A cultural examination of the Nancy Drew stories and how they have affected American girlhood since the 1930s explores mysteries related to the character's creators, her transformation from pulp heroine to national icon, and her role in shaping the modern American woman's identity.
|
|
|
There's a mystery there : the primal vision of Maurice Sendak
by Jonathan Cott
What's it about: A penetrating examination of the creative inspirations and legacy of children's book genius Maurice Sendak draws on the author's masterful 1976 Rolling Stone interview to reveal the torments and formative life experiences that shaped Sendak's complicated body of work.
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
Central Mississippi Regional Library System
100 Tamberline Street
Brandon, Mississippi 39042
601-825-0100
http://www.cmrls.lib.ms.us
|
|
|
|