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History and Current Events July 2020
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Why you might like it: The authors describe how "America's first private detective," Allan Pinkerton, and two undercover agents—a man and a woman—snuck Lincoln, who was disguised as the woman's invalid brother and concealed in a sleeper berth, into Baltimore, Maryland.
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| Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State by Barton GellmanThen: In 2014, journalist Barton Gellman won the Pulitzer Prize for reporting on Edward Snowden's leak of classified National Security Agency (NSA) documents.
Now: Gellman reflects on the pressures of his white-knuckle investigation and his complicated relationship with Snowden in this propulsive deep dive into the modern surveillance state.
For fans of: All the President's Men. |
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Read it for: a compelling nonfiction thriller that's also a call to arms on how we should rethink the best ways to safeguard intellectual property.
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| Troop 6000: The Girl Scout Troop That Began in a Shelter and Inspired the World by Nikita StewartWhat it is: the uplifting story of a Girl Scout troop that was founded in a Queens, New York shelter, eventually expanding to include hundreds of girls in the New York City shelter system.
Read it if: you like social justice narratives; you're looking for a clear-eyed view on the challenges faced by those experiencing homelessness.
Reviewers say: "A tale of how grassroots spirit and gritty determination can bloom into hope" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution by Kathleen DuValWhat it's about: the lesser-known "contest of empires" between British, Spanish, and French forces fighting for control of Florida's Gulf Coast during the American Revolution.
What sets it apart: Historian Kathleen DuVal's intimate account focuses on eight individuals involved in the conflict, including Chickasaw leader Payamataha, who advocated for neutrality; slave Petit Jean, who helped the Spanish defeat the British at sea; and French Cajun refugee and avowed pro-colonist Amand Broussard. |
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1774: The Long Year of Revolution by Mary Beth NortonWhat it's about: A Pulitzer Prize finalist and 2018 president of the American Historical Association examines the critical “long year” of 1774 and the revolutionary change that took place from December 1773 to mid-April 1775, from the Boston Tea Party and the first Continental Congress to the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Did you know: Norton reveals that the period was more discordant than is commonly believed. She notes that Benjamin Franklin and George Washington disapproved of the destruction of the East India Company's tea (Publishers Weekly).
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| Revolution Song: The Story of America's Founding in Six Remarkable Lives by Russell ShortoWhat it is: an evocative history of the American Revolution as experienced by six people navigating the era's nascent conceptions of individual freedom.
Featuring: Seneca diplomat Cornplanter, who fought with the British; soldier's daughter Margaret Moncrieffe, a demimondaine who eschewed the era's gender norms; Venture Smith, a Connecticut slave who bought his freedom. |
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The Boston Massacre: A Family History by Serena R. ZabinWhat it is: A “people’s history” of the event that helped trigger the American Revolution draws on original sources and lively stories to recount the personal and political conflicts that led to the 1770 shooting of locals by British soldiers. Did you know?: The Massacre arose from conflicts that were as personal as they were political.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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