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History and Current Events December 2019
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| Dreams of El Dorado: A History of the American West by H.W. BrandsWhat it is: a sweeping yet concise three-century survey of the American West.
What sets it apart: Historian H.W. Brands' demythologizing study argues that it was violent federal intervention, not rugged individualism, that facilitated westward expansion.
Don't miss: profiles of little-known figures who shaped the region, including the Chinese laborers who built the Transcontinental Railroad. |
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| Mudlark: In Search of London's Past Along the River Thames by Lara MaiklemFeaturing: British editor Lara Maiklem, whose scavenging for artifacts on the banks of the River Thames has led to many unusual discoveries and surprising revelations.
Want a taste? "The objects that are hidden in the mud at Greenwich fill in the details that are missing from history books."
Don't miss: After finding a bottle believed to be from a prison ship, Maiklem's research leads her to an ancestor who was transported to Australia on a prison ship. |
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| One Day: The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary 24 Hours in America by Gene WeingartenHow it began: After enlisting the help of strangers to pick a random date out of a hat, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten spent years researching the events of December 28, 1986.
What's inside: murders, medical discoveries, freak accidents, and more; updated interviews with people involved in the headlines of the day.
Reviewers say: "a trove of compelling human-interest pieces with long reverberations" (Publishers Weekly). |
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What happens: During Prohibition, Remus quits practicing law and starts trafficking whiskey. Soon he's a multi-millionaire. Investigator Franklin Dodge and his boss, prosecutor Mabel Walker Willebrandt are determined to bring him down, sparking a bitter feud that can only end in murder. Why you might like it: Combining deep historical research with novelistic flair, The Ghosts of Eden Park is the unforgettable, stranger-than-fiction story of a rags-to-riches entrepreneur and a long-forgotten heroine, and of the excesses and absurdities of the Jazz Age.
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| The Last Goodnight: A World War II Story of Espionage, Adventure, and Betrayal by Howard BlumStarring: charismatic American Betty Pack, the "blonde Bond" whose efforts as an MI6 operative were crucial to an Allied victory.
Read it for: white-knuckle tales of Pack's derring-do, including securing documents that helped Alan Turing decrypt the Enigma Machine and cracking safes at the Vichy French Embassy to obtain naval codes.
Don't miss: newly declassified files. |
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Woodstock : Three Days That Rocked the World by Mike EvansWhat it's about: This 50th anniversary edition of the illustrated guide to Woodstock presents a day-by-day, act-by-act account of everything that went on at Yasgur’s farm along with interviews and quotes from those who were there.
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| Between Man and Beast: An Unlikely Explorer and the African Adventure That Took the... by Monte ReelWhat it's about: In the 1850s, explorer Paul Du Chaillu embarked on a harrowing expedition to West Africa, returning to Victorian London with gorilla specimens, a creature many Europeans believed to be myth.
Why it matters: Du Chaillu's discovery and his enigmatic background stoked much fascination and controversy in the scientific community, which was also in the midst of heated debates concerning |
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| Ernest Hemingway's affiliation with the OSS, a precursor to the CIA, and Russia's NKVD, a forerunner to the KGB.
Why you might like it: This globe-trotting adventure offers a revealing glimpse into the Pulitzer Prize winner's extracurricular exploits. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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