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History and Current Events September 2019
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The Original Australians : The Story of the Aboriginal People by Josephine FloodThe Original Australians tells the story of Australian Aboriginal history and society from its distant beginnings to the present day. From the wisdom and paintings of the Dreamtime to the first contact between Europeans and Indigenous Australians, through to the Uluru Statement, it offers an insight into the life and experiences of the world's oldest surviving culture. The resilience and adaptability of Aboriginal people over millennia is one of the great human stories of all time. Josephine Flood answers the questions that Australians and visitors often ask about Aboriginal Australia: Where did the Aboriginal people come from and when? How did they survive in Australia's harsh environment? What was the traditional role of indigenous women? What are land rights? How do Aboriginal people maintain their culture today? And many more.
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The weather machine : a journey inside the forecast
by Andrew Blum
"From the acclaimed author of Tubes, a lively and surprising tour of the infrastructure behind the weather forecast, the people who built it, and what it reveals about our climate and our planet The weather is the foundation of our daily lives. It's a staple of small talk, the app on our smartphones, and often the first thing we check each morning. Yet behind these quotidian interactions is one of the most expansive machines human beings have ever constructed--a triumph of science, technology and global cooperation. But what is this 'weather machine' and who created it? In The Weather Machine, Andrew Blum takes readers on a fascinating journey through an everyday miracle. In a quest to understand how the forecast works, he visits old weather stations andwatches new satellites blast off. He follows the dogged efforts of scientists to create a supercomputer model of the atmosphere and traces the surprising history of the algorithms that power their work. He discovers that we have quietly entered a golden age of meteorology--our tools allow us to predict weather more accurately than ever, and yet we haven't learned to trust them, nor can we guarantee the fragile international alliances that allow our modern weather machine to exist. Written with the sharp wit and infectious curiosity Andrew Blum is known for, The Weather Machine pulls back the curtain on a universal part of our everyday lives, illuminating our relationships with technology, the planet, and the global community"
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| 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. |
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| The Liberation of Paris: How Eisenhower, de Gaulle, and von Choltitz Saved the City of Light by Jean Edward SmithWhat it is: a dramatic account of the August 1944 liberation of Paris, which left the city miraculously unscathed.
What sets it apart: the lesser-known story of Dietrich von Choltitz, the German general who defied Hitler's orders to destroy the city.
Don't miss: a moving new perspective on the relationship between Generals Dwight Eisenhower and Charles de Gaulle. |
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The shearers : New Zealand legends
by Ruth Entwistle Low
"A colourful account of the men and women, past and present, who have committed their lives to shearing in New Zealand. Their voices - in their own words, often brutally honest reflections on what it is to be a shearer - are at the heart of this book: their training, their tools, their camaraderie, and the gruelling, itinerant nature of the job. Old hands like Brian ‘Snow’ Quinn, Tony Dobbs and Peter Casserly, and Peter and Elsie Lyon, as well as those newer to the scene, offer personal insights, often for the first time."--Publisher information.
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A cave in the clouds : a young woman's escape from ISIS
by Badeeah Hassan Ahmed
Recounts the author's kidnapping as a teenager by ISIS, describing how she was forced into a brutal human trafficking network and kept as a slave until her profound sense of faith drove her to escape.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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