In this Issue |
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Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War | Doctored: The Disillusionment of an American Physician | The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan | Tomlinson Hill: The Remarkable Story of Two Families Who Share the Tomlinson Name... | The Roosevelts: An Intimate History | |
The American Way of Poverty: How the Other Half Still Lives | The Burglary: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover's Secret FBI | The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England | The Men Who United the States: America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics... | Ecstatic Nation: Confidence, Crisis, and Compromise, 1848-1877 | |
Meet the Author: Janice Mack Guess | Durham Sings Together: Songs of the Civil Rights Movement | The Story of the Long Civil Rights Movement in Durham, North Carolina | SNCC and John Lewis | The Social Gospel and the Civil Rights Movement | Comic Fest: Teen Auto-Bio Comics (Durham Reads Together event) | Comic Fest: The Comic Book that Changed the World | We Who Believe in Freedom: The Next Civil Rights Generation | Film Screening: Bridging Rails to Trails: Stories of the American Tobacco Trail | The Beat:! Go Go Music and Black Culture Consciousness in Washington, DC | Durham Foodie Program: From Glazed to Gourmet: Donut Shops in NC | George Clinton, P-Funk and One Nation Under a Groove | |
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"Not since the Great Depression have so many millions of people been so thoroughly beaten down by vast, destructive forces." ~ from Sasha Abramsky's The American Way of Poverty
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New and Recently Released!
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| Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen AbbottIn Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy, author Karen Abbott adds an unusual and compelling chapter to the history of the American Civil War. Four different women aided their causes (two on the Union side and two for the Confederacy) by going against expected norms as they employed their particular skills and social networks. This account is distinctive not only for its subject matter, but for its structure, weaving parallel accounts of the women's activities together so that the book reads like a spy thriller. Abbott includes additional historical details about women who assumed unconventional roles during the war in this well researched, informative, and enthralling account. |
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| Doctored: The Disillusionment of an American Physician by Sandeep JauharSandeep Jauhar, a cardiologist at Long Island Jewish Hospital in New York, recounts his frustrations as a doctor and his observations about the practice of medicine. In this book, "part memoir and part denunciation of America's current health-care system" (Library Journal), Jauhar raises issues such as the fear of medical malpractice litigation, insurance bureaucracy, and the economics of for-profit medical care. Illustrating his concerns with anecdotes from his own experience, he concludes that these problems impair American medical care and expresses disappointment in his own loss of idealism since he entered medical school. Anyone concerned about health care in the U.S. will find this a thought-provoking analysis. |
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| The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan by Rick PerlsteinDuring the 1970s, American voting patterns began shifting noticeably to the right. In The Invisible Bridge, author Rick Perlstein examines a short segment of that period, from 1973 to 1976, when Ronald Reagan failed to win the Republican nomination in an effort to unseat President Gerald Ford. The book's narrative builds on a detailed biographical study of Ronald Reagan and his first run for the presidency, but it assembles a much broader social and political picture than just Reagan's campaign. Perlstein concludes that the events of these years explain the conservative shift he describes. His two previous books, Before the Storm and Nixonland, will also appeal to those interested in American history and politics since the 1960s. |
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| Tomlinson Hill: The Remarkable Story of Two Families Who Share the Tomlinson Name... by Chris TomlinsonAssociated Press foreign correspondent Chris Tomlinson reports in Tomlinson Hill on the history of the Tomlinsons of Texas -- the white descendants of slaveholders and the African Americans descended from slaves. From before the Civil War to the early 21st century, black and white Tomlinsons lived on the land that began as a large plantation called Tomlinson Hill. Chris Tomlinson engagingly weaves the families' stories together, including his own life and that of NFL player LaDainian Tomlinson, one of the slaves' descendants. He also explores the history of slavery and racism in America, into which the Tomlinson families offer a "riveting glimpse" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| The Roosevelts: An Intimate History by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken BurnsIn this absorbing volume created as a tie-in to the PBS television series The Roosevelts, authors Geoffrey Ward and Ken Burns delve into the lives and personalities of three of the most prominent Americans from the 1880s to the 1960s. Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the U.S., his cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President, and another cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt, who was Franklin's wife. Each of them engaged wholeheartedly in public service, but they were also private individuals with complex lives touched by sadness and ill health. Employing both text and photographs, and drawing on public and personal records, Ward and Burns portray the Roosevelts' lives along with a panorama of American history spanning nearly a century. |
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Focus on: Books You Might Have Missed
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| The American Way of Poverty: How the Other Half Still Lives by Sasha AbramskyJournalist Sasha Abramsky undertook extensive research and carried out numerous interviews in order to develop the information he presents in The American Way of Poverty. Published a half-century after Michael Harrington's acclaimed 1962 study, The Other America, Abramsky's book provides both a 21st-century update of Harrington's portrait of the poor and a detailed proposal for leveling the economic playing field. Kirkus Reviews calls this a "well-researched, deeply felt depiction," and Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, says it's a "challenging indictment" of the American economic system. |
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| The Burglary: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover's Secret FBI by Betty MedsgerIllicit release of government records on American citizens has been a hot topic since 2013 when Edward Snowden leaked information about NSA data-gathering. A similar sensation occurred in 1971 after a burglary in the Media, Pennsylvania FBI office, when the burglars sent copies of the documents they stole to the press. Though the FBI never tracked down the culprits, journalist Betty Medsger has identified the anti-war protesters who were responsible. In The Burglary, she reports on interviews with the participants and describes the outraged reactions from Congress and the public to the documents' revelations. She also relates these responses to Snowden's actions, in this well-researched and compelling addition to the history of anti-war protests and government secrecy. |
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| The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian MortimerIf your time machine's coordinates are set for 1558 England, be sure to take along historian Ian Mortimer's authoritative and engaging reference, The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England. Written in the form of a tourist's guidebook, this detailed account of life during Elizabeth I's reign tells you what to wear, what to eat (or avoid), how to understand the local lingo, and the entry fee for a tour of the Tower of London. Mortimer includes explanations of the architectural styles, religious practices, and lifestyles at all economic levels to complete his portrait of the era. If your next stop is the 14th century, pick up Mortimer's Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England. |
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| The Men Who United the States: America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics... by Simon WinchesterOrganizing his subject into five categories (Wood, the Earth, Water, Fire, and Metal), historian Simon Winchester traces the history of the U.S. through depictions of people who made important discoveries and promoted particular techniques and methods. From the Lewis and Clark expedition launched by Thomas Jefferson to rural electrification under FDR, Winchester traces the territorial expansion and the physical -- and social -- unification of the country. His enthusiastic account of American history highlights surprising details and illustrates how his "passion for his subjects saturates his works" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Ecstatic Nation: Confidence, Crisis, and Compromise, 1848-1877 by Brenda WineappleIn this thrilling, thoroughly researched history of mid-19th-century America, historian Brenda Wineapple depicts a nation in which passionate, strong opinions dominated social and political discourse. Focusing on the years before and after, in addition to the Civil War itself, Ecstatic Nation identifies vibrant personalities and violent disputes -- including pre-war conflicts over abolition versus the expansion of slaveholding territories. Making key figures (especially Abraham Lincoln) stand out from a remarkable crowd of powerful, opinionated men and women, Wineapple brings them all to life through their writings and through vivid accounts of specific events and vignettes of personal lives, giving the reader a "you were there" experience that offers renewed appreciation of the era's complexity. |
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Meet the Author: Janice Mack Guess
Tuesday, October 14, 7:00 pm
North Regional Meeting Room
Join us for a reading and discussion of Janice Mack Guess memoir, Little Colored Girls Want to Wear Pearls Too. Guess tells the story of the challenges she and her siblings faced when they, along with 16 other African-American children, desegregated Durham City Schools in 1964 at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. She writes from the perspective of a 12-year-old girl who attended the formerly all-white Brogden Junior High School. The stories of these brave children are important to all who wish to understand the history of our community and schools. A book signing will follow the reading.
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Durham Sings Together: Songs of the Civil Rights Movement
Thursday, October 16, 7:00 pm
Event Location
Hayti Heritage Center, Hayti Heritage Center 804 Old Fayetteville St.Free and open to the publicDr. Martin Luther King said The freedom songs are playing a strong and vital role in our struggle. Join us for a celebration of the freedom songs and spirituals that provided comfort and strength to the civil rights workers in jail and during marches. Choirs from the community, local schools and universities will offer an evening of these inspirational songs. This event is co-sponsored by the Hayti Heritage Center.
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The Story of the Long Civil Rights Movement in Durham, North Carolina
Saturday, October 18, 4:00 pm
South Regional Meeting Room
Join André Vann, North Carolina Central Universitys Coordinator of Archives and Instructor of Public History, as he moderates a panel discussion of the Long Civil Rights Movement in Durham from 1954 to 1964. Panelists will discuss Blue Case, Woolworth Lunch Counter, 1963 Sit-ins and The 1964 Freedom Riders. and their participation in these events. This program is co-sponsored by North Carolina Central University Archives, Records and History.
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SNCC and John Lewis
Sunday, October 19, 3:00 pm
Auditorium:1st Floor
Join Dr. Wesley Hogan for a discussion of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the young John Lewis involvement. SNCCs work throughout the South in the 1960s was perhaps the boldest experiment in freedom of the Civil Rights Movement. Their use of grassroots activism and democratic practice helped change the focus of the movement overall. Hogan is the author of Many Minds, One Heart: SNCCs Dream for a New America and is a noted documentary historian of the civil rights movement. She is the director of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. A book signing will follow the talk. This program is co-sponsored by the Center of Documentary Studies at Duke University.
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The Social Gospel and the Civil Rights Movement
Tuesday, October 21, 7:00 pm
Auditorium:1st Floor
In what ways were the nonviolent protests of the 1960s influenced by religious teachings? What happens when individuals apply Christian ethics to social problems, like racial inequality? WUNCs Frank Stasio will moderate a group of expert panelists to both investigate the religious roots of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and discuss the present-day intersection of religious thought and social reform. Panelists include Reverend Doctor Eboni Marshall Turman, professor at Duke Divinity School, Rev. Jimmie Hawkins from Covenant Presbyterian Church, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove from Rutba House and director of the School for Conversion, and Dr. Jarvis Hall, professor at North Carolina Central University and director of the Institute for Civic Engagement and Social Change.
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Comic Fest: Teen Auto-Bio Comics (Durham Reads Together event)
Thursday, October 23, 6:00 pm
East Regional Meeting Room - Full Room
Join illustrator Eric Knisley for this creative event! Knisley will demonstrate and teach tweens and teens basic comic drawing techniques. In honor of the Durham Reads Together book, March: Book One, participants will draw a comic illustrating one important moment or event in their lives. Bring your doodling ideas, and join the fun! Refreshments provided. This program is co-sponsored by Comic Fest.
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Comic Fest: The Comic Book that Changed the World
Sunday, October 26, 3:00 pm
Southwest Meeting Room - Full Room
Join Andrew Aydin,co-author of March: Book One, for a talk on the comic book that inspired John Lewis to write March. Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story was published in December 1957 by the Fellowship of Reconciliation. This comic inspired Lewis and many other young activists to join the movement and use the principles of nonviolence to battle racial discrimination. The comic has a long history of inspiring activists and has been used in South Africa, Uruguay, Vietnam, Egypt and Latin America. This program is co-sponsored by Comic Fest and the Fellowship of Reconciliation.
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We Who Believe in Freedom: The Next Civil Rights Generation
Thursday, October 30, 7:00 pm
Auditorium:1st Floor
Join Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs for the conclusion of Durham Reads Together as she moderates a panel of young activists who are continuing the Civil Rights Movement in the 21st century as they work for voting rights, queer liberation, birth justice, gender justice, immigrant rights and the end of the school to prison pipeline. Gumbs is the founder of the Eternal Summer of the Black Feminist Mind and the co-founder of the Mobile Homecoming project.
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Film Screening: Bridging Rails to Trails: Stories of the American Tobacco Trail
Sunday, November 2, 3:00 pm
Auditorium:1st Floor
Join filmmaker Carol Thomson for a presentation of her interactive, multimedia documentary, Bridging Rails to Trails: Stories of the American Tobacco Trail. The American Tobacco Trail is a more than 22-mile rail-to-trail conversion project. Its a living history of Durhams tobacco boom, the D&SC rail line, lost towns, race relations and development over the last 100 years. Travel down the trail through this interactive documentary of video, audio, timelines, interviews, archives and more. Bridging Rails is a project of the Southern Documentary Fund who is a co-sponsor for this program.
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The Beat:! Go Go Music and Black Culture Consciousness in Washington, DC
Tuesday, November 4, 6:30 pm
Stanford L. Warren Meeting Room
Go Go is a unique fusion of jazz, funk and soul. In this event, cultural and political activist, band manager and author of The Beat! Go Go Music from Washington, D.C., Charles Stephenson, Jr. discusses the impact the conga- and drum-laced Go Go music had on the social, political and cultural life of Washington, DC.
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Durham Foodie Program: From Glazed to Gourmet: Donut Shops in NC
Thursday, November 6, 7:00 pm
South Regional Meeting Room
Join Julie Thomson, Durhams own resident donut ambassador and historian, for a delicious dip into donut history. Learn about North Carolinas rich donut past, as Thomson traces our states contributions to donut history from Krispy Kreme through new gourmet shops like Monuts and Rise. Donut samples will be served.
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George Clinton, P-Funk and One Nation Under a Groove
Thursday, November 13, 7:00 pm
Stanford L. Warren Meeting Room
In this funk-in-telechy, shape shifting, cosmic romp through myth and P-Funk history, funkateer and music historian Howard Burchette takes us on a journey into the mind of the grandmaster of Funk, George Clinton and his alter egos Star Child, Sir Nose D'voidoffunk and Mr. Wiggles to learn about the cosmic oddysey of the P-Funk Empire.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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