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History and Current Events March 2020
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Medieval bodies : life, death and art in the Middle Ages
by Jack Hartnell
A richly illustrated history of the role of the divine in medieval health uncovers the remarkably sophisticated ways that the people of the Middle Ages thought about, experienced and treated the physical body. Illustrations.
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A New World Begins: The History of the French Revolution
by Jeremy D. Popkin
What it is: "A fresh, welcome new interpretation of the French Revolution" (Kirkus Reviews) written by University of Kentucky historian Jeremy D. Popkin, an expert on the era.
Why it matters: Popkin argues that the French Revolution served as a resonant test case for modern political thought, with issues like racism, sexism, and social welfare being openly discussed and debated.
Read it for: Profiles of lesser known figures like glazier Jacques-Louis Ménétra help contextualize the Revolution's impact on the lower classes.
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When Reagan Sent in the Marines: The Invasion of Lebanon
by Patrick J. Sloyan
What it's about: On October 23, 1983, a bombing at the Marine barracks in Beirut killed 241 Americans, resulting in the largest single-day loss of Marine life.
Why it's significant: This gripping account reveals how the Reagan administration's incompetence led to the disaster and how the bombing subsequently inspired Osama bin Laden to attack America.
About the author: The late Patrick J. Sloyan won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for his reporting on the Gulf War.
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The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century
by Thant Myint-U
What it's about: how decades of colonialism, military rule, corruption, and civil war, as well as recent developments like the Rohingya genocide and China's rising political influence have wreaked havoc on the "unfinished nation" of Burma.
Why you might like it: Drawing from his experiences as a former diplomat and adviser to the Burmese government, Burmese American historian Thant Myint-U offers a compelling and perceptive glimpse into a country that "remains a mystery to most outsiders" (Kirkus).
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Great society : a new history
by Amity Shlaes
The best-selling author of Coolidge offers a provocative reassessment of Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” and how its failures to improve life quality for the nation’s dispossessed citizens reverberate in today’s world.
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The city game : triumph, scandal, and a legendary basketball team
by Matthew Goodman
Documents the controversial story of the mid-20th-century Harlem City College Beavers, tracing how the merit-based team of Jewish and African-American players won major tournaments in the face of segregation before its starting five were arrested for a major gambling racket. Illustrations.
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The golden thread : how fabric changed history
by Kassia St. Clair
A design journalist describes the 30,000-year history of fabric, exploring the technologies and cultural customs that helped shape human civilization from the invention of silk to Richard the Lionhearted and Bing Crosby. Illustrations.
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The problem with everything : a journey through the new culture wars
by Meghan Daum
A book blending memoir, reporting, and argument, which drills past the obvious political opinions of our moment in an attempt to make sense of our social and political landscape, particularly with regards to feminism and the various layers of the Trump Resistance movement
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Desk 88 : eight progressive senators who changed America
by Sherrod Brown
The senior United States Senator from Ohio describes the story of eight of his predecessors and the decisive contributions they made to creating a more just America, including Hugo Black, Robert F. Kennedy and George McCovern. Illustrations.
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Smithsonian American women : remarkable objects and stories of strength, ingenuity, and vision from the national collection
by Victoria Pope
An inspiring and surprising celebration of U.S. women’s history told through Smithsonian artifacts illustrating women’s participation in science, art, music, sports, fashion, business, religion, entertainment, military, politics, activism, and more.
This book offers a unique, panoramic look at women’s history in the United States through the lens of ordinary objects from, by, and for extraordinary women. Featuring more than 280 artifacts from 16 Smithsonian museums and archives, and more than 135 essays from 95 Smithsonian authors, this book tells women’s history as only the Smithsonian can.
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God save the queens : the essential history of women in hip-hop
by Kathy Iandoli
Paying tribute to the women of hip-hop, and exploring issues of gender, money, sexuality, violence, objectification and more, this important and monumental work of music journalism finally gives these influential artists the respect they have long deserved.
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Fake : fake money, fake teachers, fake assets : how lies are making the poor and middle class poorer
by Robert T. Kiyosaki
The author uses his perspectives and insights into financial events and crises in his lifetime as well as references drawn from Dr. R. Buckminster Fuller's 1983 work, Grunch of giants and Steven Brill's May 28, 2018 Time magazine article to illustrate what may be on the world's financial horizon and how individuals can better insulate their finances from these possible events.
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The great reversal : how America gave up on free markets
by Thomas Philippon
Drawing on cutting-edge research, a leading financial economist takes readers on a journey through some of the most complex and hotly debated issues in modern economics, showing what it will take to make American markets great—and free—again. Illustrations.
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Broke: Hardship and Resilience in a City of Broken Promises
by Jodie Adams Kirshner; foreword by Michael Eric Dyson
What it is: an eye-opening portrait of Detroit, Michigan following the city's 2013 bankruptcy filing.
What's inside: profiles of seven Detroit citizens trying to make a better life while facing poverty, urban blight, and government negligence.
Try this next: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist (and Detroit native) Charlie LeDuff's Detroit: An American Autopsy similarly surveys the lives of everyday citizens navigating the Motor City's tumultuous changes.
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| Searching for the Amazons: The Real Warrior Women of the Ancient World by John ManWhat it is: a sweeping history of the women warriors of central Asia whose mystique inspired the ancient Greeks to create myths about them that endure to this day.
Why you might like it: Historian John Man's playful account debunks many common misconceptions about the Amazons' way of life (no, they did not cut off their right breasts to improve their skills with a bow).
Further reading: For another scholarly yet accessible history of this formidable culture, check out Adrienne Mayor's The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World. |
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| Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy... by Lynne OlsonStarring: French Resistance operative Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, aka "Hedgehog," who led a spy network of thousands in occupied France and whose efforts crucially helped secure an Allied victory on D-Day.
Read it for: evocative period detail, white-knuckle cat-and-mouse games, and dramatic political intrigue.
Don't miss: Fourcade's multiple escapes from captivity. |
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| Louisa on the Front Lines: Louisa May Alcott in the Civil War by Samantha SeipleWhat it's about: how Little Women author Louisa May Alcott's experiences as a Civil War nurse shaped her as a writer and bolstered her dedication to the abolitionist movement.
Who it's for: Alcott fans, Civil War buffs, and teen readers will all find much to appreciate in this engaging adult debut written by young adult nonfiction author Samantha Seiple (Ghosts in the Fog: The Untold Story of Alaska's WWII Invasion). |
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| Women Warriors: An Unexpected History by Pamela D. TolerWhat it is: a spirited exploration of women warriors, many of them from non-Western countries, who "have been pushed into the shadows, hidden in the footnotes, or half-erased."
Featuring: the Trung sisters of Vietnam, who led an uprising to drive the Chinese out of their homeland; Buffalo Calf Road Woman, the Northern Cheyenne woman who felled Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn; mestiza military leader Juana Azurduy de Padilla, who defended Bolivia from Latin American colonization; Hausa queen Amina, who led a three-decade campaign of territorial expansion in present-day Nigeria. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Iredell County Public Library 201 North Tradd Street Statesville, North Carolina 28677 704-878-3090 |
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