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History and Current Events May 2021
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Slavery and Freedom in the Shenandoah Valley During the Civil War Era
by Jonathan A. Noyalas
What it's about: This book examines the complexities of life for African Americans in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley from the antebellum period through Reconstruction, showing how enslaved and free African Americans resisted slavery and supported the Union war effort in aborderland that changed hands frequently during the Civil War
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First Platoon: A Story of Modern Warfare in the Age of Identity Dominance
by Annie Jacobsen
What it's about: An urgent investigation into warfare in the age of biometrics, and the dangerous implications of new technologies that would allow the government to identify anyone, anywhere, at any time
Why you might like it: A powerful story of war in our time, of love of country, the experience of tragedy, and a Platoon at the center of it all. Based on hundreds of formerly classified documents, FOIA requests, and exclusive interviews, First Platoon is an investigative exposé by a master chronicler of government secrets.
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Britain at Bay: The Epic Story of the Second World War, 1938-1941
by Alan Allport
What it's about: A sweeping, groundbreaking epic that combines military with social history, to illuminate the ways in which Great Britain and its people were permanently transformed by the Second World War.
Why you might like it: The award-winning author of Demobbed examines the military and political dimensions of World War II’s early years to illuminate the marked differences between peacetime and wartime British culture and consider if England demonstrated its own values.
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Fears of a Setting Sun: The Disillusionment of America's Founders
by Dennis C. Rasmussen
What it's about: The surprising story of how George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson came to despair for the future of the nation they had created
Reviewers say: "Rasmussen has produced a well-researched study that is a salutary read. He writes accessibly, explaining what motivated and worried each of [the Founders]. Concern for future generations and the fate of the republic is a recurring theme, and will also resonate with many readers today." ― Library Journal
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Three Wise Men: A Navy Seal, a Green Beret, and How Their Marine Brother Became a War's Sole Survivor
by Beau Wise
What it's about: A memoir of family, service and sacrifice by a Marine who lost both of his brothers to the war in Afghanistan shares the stories of his decorated late brothers, a Navy SEAL-turned-CIA contractor and an Army Green Beret sniper.
Why you might like it: United States Marine Corps combat veteran Beau Wise is the only known American service member to be pulled from the battlefield after losing two brothers in Afghanistan. Told in Beau’s voice, Three Wise Men is an American family’s historic true story of service and sacrifice.
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Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion
by Tom Beaujour
What it's about: Nothin' But a Good Time is the definitive, no-holds-barred oral history of 1980s hard rock and hair metal, told by the musicians and industry insiders who lived it.
Why you might like it: Drawn from over 200 new interviews with members of Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, Poison, Guns N’ Roses, Skid Row, Bon Jovi, Ratt, Twisted Sister, Winger, Warrant, Cinderella, Quiet Riot and others, as well as Ozzy Osbourne, Lita Ford and many more, this is the ultimate, uncensored, and often unhinged chronicle of a time where excess and success walked hand in hand, told by the men and women who created a sound and style that came to define a musical era―one in which the bands and their fans went looking for nothin’ but a good time…and found it.
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| Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America by Alec MacGillisWhat it is: an impassioned account of Amazon's destabilizing impact on American communities and labor practices, featuring interviews with Amazon employees.
Topics include: how Amazon fosters competition between cities vying to host its new facilities, despite limited job growth for the "winners;" how its campuses contribute to gentrification and displacement.
For fans of: Jessica Bruder's Nomadland. |
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The Crown in Crisis: Countdown to the Abdication
by Alexander Larman
What it's about: England's abdication crisis of 1936, which saw King Edward VIII stepping down from his royal duties to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
What's inside: recently declassified documents that offer new insights on Edward and Wallis' relationship, their Nazi sympathies, and more.
Who it's for: Fans of the Netflix series The Crown will enjoy this juicy account rife with plenty of royal intrigue and scandal.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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