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History and Current Events October 2016
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The 37th parallel : the secret truth behind America's UFO highway
by Ben Mezrich
Documents the true story of the author's investigations into paranormal UFO events in America's heartland, detailing a baffling case involving mutilated and exsanguinated livestock and how it was tied to unexplained sightings in Roswell, Area 51 and other regions associated with alien activity.
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The book : a cover-to-cover exploration of the most powerful object of our time
by Keith Houston
The author of Shady Characters reveals how books and the materials that make them reflect the rich history and culture of human civilization, tracing the development of writing, printing, illustrating and binding to demonstrate the transition from cuneiform tablets and papyrus scrolls to the mass-distributed books of today.
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The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy
by Anthony Gottlieb
In this lively and informative survey, author Anthony Gottlieb explores the intellectual history of Europe from the 1630s to the late 18th century. Discussing the era's seminal thinkers, including Descartes, Hume, Hobbes, Voltaire, and Rousseau, Gottlieb compares and contrasts their philosophical methods, shows how post-Galilean science led to new approaches to thinking, and points out the Enlightenment's influence on later philosophers such as John Stuart Mill and Bertrand Russell. The Dream of Enlightenment follows Gottlieb's study of earlier philosophy in The Dream of Reason; his next projected volume will pick up the story with Immanuel Kant.
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We're still right, they're still wrong : the Democrats' case for 2016
by James Carville
The prominent liberal pundit, campaign strategist and former co-host of CNN's Crossfire argues that Democratic policies enacted by the Clinton administration and continued by President Obama have effectively sustained and salvaged America's economic well-being.
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The Upside of Inequality : How Good Intentions Undermine the Middle Class
by Edward Conard
The best-selling author of Unintended Consequences shares contrarian arguments by the defender of capitalism at the height of the Occupy movement, drawing on a historical study of the ebbs and flows of the economy to propose economy-stimulating strategies designed to benefit everyone.
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The Terror Years: From Al-Qaeda to the Islamic State
by Lawrence Wright
Pulitzer Prize winner Lawrence Wright has written extensively on terrorism since before 9/11. The Terror Years collects and updates ten of Wright's pieces, first published in The New Yorker, on the development, spread, and evolution of Islamic jihadism. Profiling Osama bin Laden's associate Ayman al-Zawahiri, former FBI counterterrorism expert John O'Neill (who died in the World Trade Center attack), and FBI agent Ali Soufan, Wright adds detailed studies of Egypt, Syria, Israel, Palestine, and the Islamic State. Creating a coherent analysis from these originally separate articles, this new book offers "yet more great work from a dedicated journalist" (Kirkus Reviews).
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The kingdom of speech
by Tom Wolfe
Taking readers on a rollicking ride through history, a master storyteller and reporter, whose legend began in journalism, presents a paradigm-shifting argument that speechùnot evolutionùis responsible for humanity¡s complex societies and achievements.
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The Killer Whale Who Changed the World
by Mark Leiren-Young
Killer whales had always been seen as bloodthirsty sea monsters. That all changed when a young killer whale was captured off the west coast of North America and displayed to the public in 1964. Moby Doll — as the whale became known — was an instant celebrity, drawing 20,000 visitors on the one and only day he was exhibited. He died within a few months, but his famous gentleness sparked a worldwide crusade that transformed how people understood and appreciated orcas. Because of Moby Doll, we stopped fearing “killers” and grew to love and respect “orcas.”
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Peacock & vine : on William Morris and Mariano Fortuny
by A. S. Byatt
A dual portrait of two 19th-century artists describes their respective cultures and inspirations and how, through their revolutionary inventions and textiles, they helped establish an influential art form.
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The art of rivalry : four friendships, betrayals, and breakthroughs in modern art
by Sebastian Smee
The Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe art critic traces the stories of four pairs of artists whose relationships shaped and spurred their achievements and the cultural world, profiling the psychologically tense relationships of Picasso and Matisse, Manet and Degas, Pollack and de Kooning, and Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon.
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The face of Britain : a history of the nation through its portraits
by Simon Schama
Using images from worksùpaintings, photographs, lithographs, etchings and sketchesùfound in London's National Portrait Gallery, the best-selling author of The Story of the Jews and Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution weaves together an account of their composition and in the process unveils a collective portrait of nation and its history.
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The great movies IV
by Roger Ebert
Introducing newcomers to some of the most exceptional movies ever made, a fourth and final collection of the influential and beloved film critic¡s essays features 62 reviews of films ranging from the silent era to the recent past.
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Powerhouse : the untold story of Hollywood's Creative Artists Agency
by James Andrew Miller
An oral history by the best-selling co-author of Those Guys Have All the Fun chronicles the revolutionary role of the forefront Hollywood talent agency through the stories of its influence on major film, television, sports, music and business ventures throughout the past half century.
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1956 : the world in revolt
by Simon Hall
A vibrant, narrative history of 1956 chronicles the remarkable events that changed the world, drawing on the firsthand experiences of freedom fighters, dissidents and everyday people who contributed to the era's counterculture movements.
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The six : the lives of the Mitford sisters
by Laura Thompson
Chronicles the lives of six glamorous daughters of the British aristocracy in the early 20th century, whose lives took different directions, all rife with scandal, controversy and tragedy.
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The Blitzed City : The Destruction of Coventry, 1940
by Karen Farrington
The Luftwaffe's targeting and destruction of Coventry city remains the biggest and most destructive air raid on British soil during World War II. Because Coventry was seen as a centre of British armaments production, the German high command wished to inflict terror and panic on the British public, a plan that had paid dividends during their relentless conquest of France that year. Attacking over two nights in November 1940, they systematically bombed and destroyed the bulk of the city, making thousands homeless, and killing more than 400 men, women and children. Such was the devastation, panic and disorder it wrought, that Winston Churchill ordered a news blackout for three weeks in order to quell the unease and morale-sapping effect such a raid had. But a great many people at the time acted with great bravery to save those trapped in bombed-out and burning buildings, as well as caring for those badly injured (of which there were thousands), and those who actually fought the Nazi planes coming in to attack the city itself. Now, for the very first time we interview those veterans who survived the raid and helped fight the flames and bombs to tell the story of this iconic event.
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Asylum : a survivor's flight from Nazi-occupied Vienna through wartime France
by Moriz Scheyer
A recently discovered account of an Austrian Jewish arts editor's flight, persecution and clandestine life in World War II France traces his confrontations with the Anschluss in Vienna through his life in Paris and unoccupied France through his experiences in a concentration camp and his encounters with the Resistance.
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All the Kremlin's men : inside the court of Vladimir Putin
by Mikhail Zygar'
In an account based on first-hand interviews with Vladimir Putin's inner circle, the author asserts that Putin is actually a weary leader controlled by the many men who advise and deceive him and that many of the Kremlin's decisions have been nothing more than tactical responses to external events, devoid of logic or objective.
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Incarnations : a history of India in fifty lives
by Sunil Khilnani
The author of The Idea of Indian presents an entertaining and provocative account of India¡s past via a series of portraits of emperors, warriors, philosophers, film stars and corporate titansùsome famous, some unjustly forgotten, but all important in the country's rich history.
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The silence of war : an old Marine in a young Marine's war
by Terrance Patrick McGowan
A retired policeman, Marine officer and FBI insider recounts his service as the oldest member of a Marine civilian law enforcement platoon in Iraq after the September 11 attacks, describing how he helped soldiers decades younger than himself investigate the insurgency at the front lines.
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Shall we wake the president? : two centuries of disaster management from the Oval Office
by Tevi Troy
Tevi Troy, a presidential historian and former senior White House aide and deputy secretary of the DHHS, looks at the evolving role of the president in dealing with disasters, and examines how our presidents have handled disasters throughout our history. He also looks at the likelihood of similar disasters befalling modern America, and details how smart policies today can help us avoid future crises, or can best react to them should they occur.
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| The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I by Stephen AlfordCatholic foes at home and abroad plotted tirelessly to murder or overthrow England's Queen Elizabeth I; in turn, her chief "spymaster," Sir Francis Walsingham, established a dazzlingly complex network of agents who safeguarded her long reign with ruthless cunning and efficiency. The Watchers illuminates 16th-century spygames in an action-packed narrative laced with masterful understanding of Elizabethan society's greatest hopes and fears. Fans of the period will love this "irresistible" (Booklist) read; political history buffs interested in the roots of modern espionage -- or the fine line between national security and repression -- will, too. |
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| The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames by Kai BirdIn The Good Spy, author Kai Bird builds a comprehensive profile of CIA intelligence officer Robert Ames, who died in the 1983 bombing of the American Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. Ames specialized in Arabic language and Arab history and politics, becoming a recognized expert who served as a key policy advisor to U.S. decision makers. Committed to finding solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Ames emphasized fact-finding and rational policy analysis despite American partisan political pressures and decreasing stability in Lebanon and Iran. This page-turner portrays a family man and dedicated professional within a detailed history of the region, along with information about the bombers and where they were as of the book's 2014 publication. |
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| Act of War: Lyndon Johnson, North Korea, and the Capture of the Spy Ship Pueblo by Jack CheeversIn January 1968, at the height of the Cold War, North Korean gunboats surrounded an American spy ship in international waters, took the crew prisoner, and made off with a boatload of top-secret documents. The incident of the USS Pueblo became an embarrassment for President Lyndon Johnson's administration and a cause célèbre for conservative politicians. During the following 11 months, the Americans were tortured and forced to make false confessions. In Act of War, journalist Jack Cheevers details the international political context, the events surrounding the Pueblo's capture, and the crew members' ordeal, especially the heroism of Commander Lloyd Bucher. Espionage buffs and aficionados of Cold War history shouldn't miss this thrilling account. |
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| Good Hunting: An American Spymaster's Story by Jack Devine with Vernon LoebJack Devine, who retired in 1999 as the associate director of overseas operations for the CIA, served under U.S. presidents from Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton. In this compelling memoir, he relates the history of covert actions during that period, details several instances of mole-hunting in the Agency, and discusses the state of intelligence work since his retirement: he continues to support the use of covert operations while expressing doubt about the current emphasis on paramilitary actions. Whether you're fascinated by spycraft or more interested in the undercover history of the late 20th century, you'll find Good Hunting an engaging and informative read. |
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| The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville by Clare MulleyIn The Spy Who Loved, author Clare Mulley vividly depicts the exploits of Christine Granville, one of the few female British special agents operating behind enemy lines during World War II. Despite the British Intelligence Service's opposition to women's participation, she provided invaluable assistance to the Allied cause, employing her remarkable facility with languages, considerable courage and physical ability, and charismatic personality. Mulley did extensive documentary research on Granville (who was murdered in 1952), making up for her associates' reluctance to supply personal recollections of her exploits. For additional page-turning accounts of female British intelligence agents, try Sarah Helm's A Life in Secrets or Marcus Binney's The Women Who Lived for Danger. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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