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History and Current EventsJuly 2015
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"When the young Pablo Picasso arrived in Paris in October 1900 he made his way up the hillside of Montmartre to the lodgings he was borrowing from another Catalan artist before heading down to investigate the nightlife." ~ from Sue Roe’s In Montmartre
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| Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution by Mona EltahawyJournalist Mona Eltahawy has spent years campaigning against the widespread repression of women in Arab countries. Her first book, Headscarves and Hymens, details the cultural and political -- as well as religious -- customs that dictate oppressive and demeaning requirements such as veils, virginity tests, and worse. Despite criticism from Human Rights Watch and other global agencies, governments in these countries (including Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Saudi Arabia) deny the abuses are occurring. This impassioned plea for women’s rights joins books by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, including Caged Virgin and Heretic, on the "must-read" list for those interested in this subject. |
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| The Two-State Delusion: Israel and Palestine -- A Tale of Two Narratives by Padraig O'MalleyThe question of peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel is fraught with the complexities of both shared and disputed histories. In The Two-State Delusion, conflict resolution specialist Padraig O’Malley provides a clear and accessible summary of the conflict. Drawing on interviews with Israelis and Palestinians and providing a detailed assessment of long-term and current political issues, O’Malley concludes that it’s too late to implement the "two-state" approach (in which separate Israeli and Palestinian governments would administer adjacent and overlapping territories). Though O’Malley doesn’t propose a specific alternative, Kirkus Reviews notes that his discussion is "evenhanded, diplomatic, mutually respectful and enormously useful." |
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| Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese-American Internment in... by Richard ReevesAlthough the history of American internment of Japanese residents and Japanese American citizens during World War II is well known, historian and journalist Richard Reeves draws on documents and personal interviews to provide a more thorough examination of these events. In Infamy, he offers intimate glimpses of both the effects of American prejudice against the Japanese and the fear and shame the internees experienced. This "authoritative" (Library Journal) account emphasizes personal experiences while thoroughly recounting administrative details of the internment. For another compelling account of American treatment of foreign nationals during the war, read Jan Jarboe Russell's The Train to Crystal City. |
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| In Montmartre: Picasso, Matisse, and the Birth of Modernist Art by Sue RoeBeginning about 1900, the Paris suburb of Montmartre became one of the trendiest artists' enclaves in history. Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Amedeo Modigliani, Constantin Brancusi, Gertrude Stein, and many other painters, sculptors, writers, musicians, and dancers lived and worked there. Author Sue Roe engagingly and vividly creates a portrait of the time, place, and people while exploring modernist movements such as Fauvism and Cubism. In Montmartre focuses on the years from 1900-1911. For another absorbing history of artists in Paris, read Stanley Meisler's Shocking Paris, which explores Montparnasse between the World Wars. |
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The Wright brothers
by David G McCullough
Chronicles the dramatic story-behind-the-story about the Wright brothers, sharing insights into the disadvantages that challenged their lives and their mechanical ingenuity. By the Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author of Truman.
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| Children of the Stone: The Power of Music in a Hard Land by Sandy TolanIn Children of the Stone, acclaimed author Sandy Tolan explores one musician's life amid the challenges to peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians -- and the hope that music can promote better understanding. As a boy during the first Intifada, Palestinian Ramzi Hussein Aburedwan threw stones at Israeli soldiers. Later, he learned to play the viola, received a musical education in America and France, and participated in conductor Daniel Barenboim's cross-cultural orchestra in Spain. Tolan also details Aburedwan's continued stance against oppressive Israeli policies and recounts his establishment of Palestinian music schools to support the use of music to promote positive Israeli-Palestinian relationships. Booklist, in a starred review, calls this account "engrossing and powerful." |
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Great Books You Might Have Missed
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| The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation Is Changing the Middle East by Juan ColeThe Millennial generation in Arab countries possesses internationally oriented education, technological savvy, and awareness of political history, argues historian Juan Cole in this captivating analysis of recent events. Not only are these young people tired of oppressive, undemocratic rule: they have the will and the means to do something about it. Cole's book, The New Arabs, focusing especially on Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia, offers a detailed picture of how and why the Arab Spring movements succeeded in those three countries, and paints an intriguing broader picture of 21st-century Arab societies. For another fascinating view of contemporary Islamic activism, read Amir Ahmad Nasr's My Isl@m. |
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| The Nixon Defense: What He Knew and When He Knew It by John W. DeanIn June 1972, an inept group of burglars broke into the Democratic National Committee's headquarters in the Watergate office building in Washington, DC. It seemed incredible that the White House could have sponsored the operation, yet one of Nixon's former staffers led the break-in team. As details of the burglary conspiracy emerged, Watergate came to symbolize the unraveling of Nixon's presidency. Drawing on his own notes in addition to a huge volume of transcribed tape recordings, author John Dean, formerly a Nixon advisor, analyzes the slow-motion disaster that ended with Nixon's historic resignation from the presidency. The Nixon Defense provides a balanced report, which Kirkus Reviews calls "essential to anyone's library of Nixoniana." |
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| The Skeleton Crew: How Amateur Sleuths Are Solving America's Coldest Cases by Deborah HalberTo fans of television programs such as CSI, it may be a surprise to learn that there remain tens of thousands unidentified bodies in America. In The Skeleton Crew, science writer Deborah Halber explores the methodology of amateur sleuths who devote time and resources to solving some of these cold cases. This work may seem unpleasant, but Halber doesn't shrink from depicting everything from visits to morgues to stumbling across decomposed corpses. Despite her gruesome subject, Halber's relaxed, conversational style makes her account intriguing and accessible. Anyone captivated by puzzles and true crime stories will appreciate this well researched volume. |
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| Hiroshima Nagasaki: The Real Story of the Atomic Bombings and Their Aftermath by Paul HamIn this moving account that draws on interviews with survivors as well as official records, historian Paul Ham explores the atomic bombs' effects on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He relates the development of nuclear weapons and the Allied decision to use them and, in alternating chapters, describes the circumstances in Japan, where civilians were at the mercy of their leadership and defenseless against enemy attacks. In his argument that the bombings were unnecessary, Ham focuses on the Japanese people directly affected and includes accounts of American Christians' criticism of the nuclear destruction. Those who recall John Hersey's absorbing report in Hiroshima will find Hiroshima Nagasaki a thought-provoking update on the subject. |
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| Operation Shakespeare: The True Story of an Elite International Sting by John ShiffmanThe most advanced military technology -- vital to maintaining an edge in global warfare -- comes in tiny, easily smuggled packages. In order to head off technology theft by Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China, the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. developed a complex sting operation called Operation Shakespeare. In this well researched, detailed account, acclaimed investigative journalist John Shiffman describes the international market for advanced technology and the difficulty of enforcing U.S. laws restricting technology exports. Operation Shakespeare follows the trail of one purchasing agent and smuggler who was ultimately snared by the sting, revealing the international complexity of these shadowy enterprises. This report will especially fascinate military technology and espionage aficionados. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Prince George's County Memorial Library System 6532 Adelphi Rd. Hyattsville, Maryland 20782 301-699-3500http://www.pgcmls.info/ |
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