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History and Current Events March 2019
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Witness : lessons from Elie Wiesel's classroom
by Ariel Burger
A devoted protégé and friend of Elie Wiesel takes readers into the sacred space of Wiesel's classroom, showing the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize recipient not only as an extraordinary human being but as a master teacher.
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Big Week : the biggest air battle of World War II
by James Holland
Tells the vivid and largely untold story of the dramatic Allied air campaign against Germany that was a turning point in World War II and ultimately crucial to the success of D-Day and the Allied invasion of Europe.
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Saving Bravo : the greatest rescue mission in Navy SEAL history
by Stephan Talty
Tells the story of an American aviator—who knew the U.S.'s most important secrets and crashed behind enemy lines, risking capture during the Vietnam War—and how one Navy SEAL and his Vietnamese partner had to sneak past the enemy to save him. 30,000 first printing.
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The Deadly Deep: The Definitive History of Submarine Warfare
by Iain Ballantyne
What it is: a deep dive into the evolution of submarines, from ancient Greek and Egyptian underwater warfare efforts to the deployment of nuclear submarines in the Cold War era.
Who it's for: readers interested in detailed naval histories.
About the author: British historian Iain Ballantyne is the author of Killing the Bismarck: Destroying the Pride of Hitler's Fleet.
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Birdland, the Jazz Corner of the World : An Illustrated Tribute, 1949-1965
by Leo T. Sullivan
Birdland was a legendary nightclub in New York City and, from 1949-65, was the scene for the greatest jazz music and musicians in the world. This illustrated book offers a history of this legendary jazz club, and presents the greats who played its stage in capsule biographies, vintage photos, and rare memorabilia. Named after legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, the club showcased memorable double and triple bills lasting until dawn. Many classic live recordings were made at "The Jazz Corner of the World," such as the "A Night at Birdland" by the Art Blakey Quintet, "Basie at Birdland," and "Coltrane, Live at Birdland." Birdland established itself as the one place that every jazz musician had to play. Greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Count Basie, John Coltrane, Art Tatum, Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Clifford Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Oscar Peterson, and Sonny Rollins, to name only a few, graced its stage.
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The Great War in America : World War I and its aftermath
by Garrett Peck
A chronicle of the American experience during World War I reexamines its role in shaping America's position on the global stage and triggering such changes as the Red Scare, the race riots, women's suffrage and Prohibition.
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The American Revolution : a world war
by David K. Allison
An illustrated collection of essays, which is a companion volume to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History exhibition of the same name, explores the international dimensions of the American Revolution and its legacies in both America and around the world.
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The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington
by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch
What it's about: the Hickey Plot, a 1776 scheme orchestrated by prominent New York politicians to kidnap and murder George Washington.
Read it for: the thrilling immediacy of the fast-paced prose; the evocative account of a Revolutionary-era New York City in turmoil.
Why it matters: Washington's counterintelligence unit, led by future Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay, inspired the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) nearly two centuries later.
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Forgotten & Untold Histories
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| The Sultan and the Queen: The Untold Story of Elizabeth and Islam by Jerry BrottonWhat it's about: the unlikely trading alliance between Elizabeth I of England and Sultan Murad III of the Ottoman Empire that was forged after Elizabeth's 1570 excommunication from the Catholic Church.
Read it for: a fascinating exploration of Eastern influences on Elizabethan culture, including the works of Shakespeare and Marlowe.
Who it's for: readers who enjoy immersive microhistories. |
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| Here is Where: Discovering America's Great Forgotten History by Andrew CarrollWhat it is: a rollicking coast-to-coast adventure exploring 50 overlooked historical sites.
Why you might like it: This concise page-turner offers plenty of surprising twists and a guide whose enthusiasm is infectious.
Fascinating finds: the New Jersey railroad stop where John Wilkes Booth's brother saved Abraham Lincoln's son from an accident; a sunken ship in the Mississippi River with a higher death toll than the Titanic. |
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| Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America's Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe by Rebecca ErbeldingWhat it's about: the War Refugee Board (WRB), which was created by President Roosevelt in 1944 to aid thousands of European Jews.
How'd they do it? The WRB team smuggled supplies into concentration camps, forged identity cards, funded French Resistance efforts, and engaged in bribery and money laundering.
Author alert: Rebecca Erbelding, a curator at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, spent over ten years researching for this book. |
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| Washington's Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course... by Patrick K. O'DonnellWhat it's about: the "Immortal 400" Maryland regiment that delayed the British during 1776's Battle of Brooklyn, enabling General Washington's successful evacuation of the Continental Army.
Why it matters: The Immortals' actions shaped the outcome of the Revolutionary War, but at great cost -- 256 perished during the battle.
For fans of: Band of Brothers and Frank Miller's 300. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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