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History and Current Events November 2019
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Because internet : understanding the new rules of language
by Gretchen McCulloch
"A linguistically informed look at how our digital world is transforming the English language. Language is humanity's most spectacular open-source project, and the internet is making our language change faster and in more interesting ways than ever before. Internet conversations are structured by the shape of our apps and platforms, from the grammar of status updates to the protocols of comments and @replies. Linguistically inventive online communities spread new slang and jargon with dizzying speed. What's more, social media is a vast laboratory of unedited, unfiltered words where we can watch language evolve in real time. Even the most absurd-looking slang has genuine patterns behind it. Internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch explores the deep forces that shape human language and influence the way we communicate with one another. She explains how your first social internet experience influences whether you prefer "LOL" or "lol," why
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Black site : the CIA in the post-9/11 world
by Philip Mudd
A former top CIA executive shares previously undisclosed details about the September 11 attacks and how the CIA developed enhanced interrogation techniques and other controversial initiatives under wrenching circumstances
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On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane
by Emily Guendelsberger
What it's about: journalist Emily Guendelsberger's experiences working in the service industry after losing her job at a Philadelphia newspaper.
What she did: Guendelsberger held jobs as a "picker" at an Amazon fulfillment center in Louisville, an AT&T call center representative in North Carolina, and a cashier at a San Francisco McDonald's.
Why you might like it: Reminiscent of Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed, this eye-opening account offers ample context for the grueling (and often inhumane) working conditions of today's low-wage jobs.
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Lean out : the truth about women, power, and the workplace
by Marissa Orr
Based on in-depth research and personal experiences, Lean Out is inspired by the journey of Marissa Orr, a single mom of three trying to succeed in her fifteen-year career at the worlds top tech giants. In an eye-opening account, Orr exposes the systemic dysfunction at the heart of today's most powerful corporations and how their pursuit to close the gender gap has come at the expense of female well-being.
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Red Meat Republic : A Hoof-To-Table History of How Beef Changed America
by Joshua Specht
"Documents the rise of America's beef industry throughout the past 200 years through the experiences of everyday people, including the ranchers who helped drive westward expansion, the meatpackers who developed industrialized slaughterhouses and the stockyard workers who inspired Upton Sinclair's ""The Jungle""."
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Beyond Charlottesville : taking a stand against white nationalism
by Terry McAuliffe
The former Governor of Virginia shares insights into the violent "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, discussing the events that led to the tragedy, his astonishment at Trump's response and the actions McAuliffe believes are necessary to prevent hate crimes.
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Unfreedom of the press
by Mark R. Levin
Presents a history of American journalism from the patriot press in the revolutionary war to partisan party-press, and a critique of the state of a once proud and respected profession
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A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves: One Family and Migration in the 21st Century
by Jason DeParle
What it's about: the impact of global migration on three generations of a single Filipino family.
Why you might like it: Intimate and immersive, this resonant portrait puts a human face on a polarizing political issue. Author alert: New York Times journalist Jason DeParle is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist.
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The optimist's telescope : thinking ahead in a reckless age
by Bina Venkataraman
A Harvard and MIT global policy director and advisor to the Obama White House draws on myriad disciplines to explain why people typically do not plan for their futures, outlining counterintuitive approaches to making decisions that prove beneficial over time.
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The Liberation of Paris: How Eisenhower, de Gaulle, and von Choltitz Saved the City of Light
by Jean Edward Smith
What it is: a dramatic account of the August 1944 liberation of Paris, which left the city miraculously unscathed.
What sets it apart: the lesser-known story of Dietrich von Choltitz, the German general who defied Hitler's orders to destroy the city.
Don't miss: a moving new perspective on the relationship between Generals Dwight Eisenhower and Charles de Gaulle.
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Fire and fortitude : the US Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943
by John C. McManus
The award-winning author of September Hope presents an epic chronicle of the U.S. Army's role in the Pacific during World War II, offering insight into military transformations under the leadership of generals MacArthur, Eichelberger, Stillwell and Krueger
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Dragon's Jaw : an epic story of courage and tenacity in Vietnam
by Stephen Coonts
Draws on after-action reports, official records and survivor interviews in a chronicle of the American aviation strike campaign to destroy the strategically and symbolically important Dragon's Jaw bridge at Thanh Hua during the Vietnam War.
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Lincoln's Spies: Their Secret War to Save a Nation
by Douglas Waller
What it's about: the network of four Union spies President Lincoln utilized to help end the Civil War.
Featuring: Richmond socialite and abolitionist Elizabeth Van Lew, who ran a spy ring out of her mansion; famed Scottish detective Allan Pinkerton, who successfully foiled an assassination attempt on Lincoln.
Reviewers say: "a cracking good tale" (Publishers Weekly).
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Trick mirror : reflections on self-delusion
by Jia Tolentino
Presents nine original essays examining the fractures at the center of culture today, offering insights into the conflicts, contradictions, incentives, and changes related to the rise of toxic social networking
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| Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History by Kurt AndersenWhat it is: a provocative, no-holds-barred exploration of how superstition, self-delusion, charlatanism, and conspiracy theories have always been richly embedded in the fabric of American life and culture.
Topics include: the Salem witch trials; Dr. Oz; P.T. Barnum; 1960s counterculture; Satanic Panic; Donald Trump.
Want a taste? "We have passed through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole. America has mutated into Fantasyland." |
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| Whatever Happened to the Metric System?: How America Kept Its Feet by John Bemelmans MarcianoWhat it's about: Rich in political intrigue, this lively history chronicles four centuries' worth of attempts to convert America to the metric system.
Read it for: author John Bemelmans Marciano's clever sense of humor, including the use of fractions to denote chapter headings.
Did you know? The U.S. is one of only three countries in the world that doesn't use the metric system (Myanmar and Liberia are the other two). |
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| Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah VowellWhat it's about: Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette's 1824 return to American soil, where he was received with great fanfare by more than 80,000 onlookers.
Don't miss: Author Sarah Vowell's unconventional research methods included attending a Lafayette-themed puppet show.
Reviewers say: This snarky romp is "especially recommended to those who are convinced that history is dry" (Library Journal). |
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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 704-878-3090Connect With Us: |
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