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History and Current Events March 2018
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It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree
by A.J. Jacobs
What it's about: A global adventure in family tree-climbing, Esquire contributing editor A.J. Jacobs' engaging study of genealogy and genetics provides often startling insight into tradition, clannishness, and individual identity.
Is it for you? This peripatetic approach to individual family history and the history of human beings offers laugh-out-loud humor and intriguing information, whether you're interested in genealogy or hadn't given it a second thought.
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Blood royal : the Wars of the Roses: 1462-1485
by Hugh Bicheno
A historian provides a concluding volume to the two-part history of the Wars of the Roses, England’s longest and bloodiest civil war, in which he describes the three Lancastrian attempts to overthrow the Yorkists and the rise of the Tudor dynasty. Family trees.
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The burning time : Henry VIII, Bloody Mary, and the Protestant martyrs of London
by Virginia Rounding
Brings to life an era that was an orthodoxy one year and a heresy the next by concentrating on two very different characters—Richard Rich, Thomas Cromwell’s protégé, who remained in a position of power under three Tudor monarchs, and John Deane, Rector of St. Bartholomew’s, who was able to navigate the treacherous waters of dogma and help others to survive.
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Lost Girls : The Invention of the Flapper
by Linda Simon
In the glorious, boozy party after the First World War, a new being burst defiantly onto the world stage: the 'flapper'. Young, impetuous and flirtatious, she was an alluring, controversial figure, celebrated in movies, fiction, plays, and the pages of fashion magazines. But, as this book argues, she didn't appear out of nowhere. This spirited history gives us a fresh look at the reality of young women's experiences in America and Britain from the 1890s to the 1920s, when the 'modern' girl emerged.Lost Girls is a story of youth derided and fetishized; of ageing viscerally feared. It is a story of a culture beset by anxiety about adolescent girls. And it is a story of young women trying to shape their own identity amidst contradictory theories of adolescence and sexuality, the politics of suffrage, and popular fiction, theatre, cinema and dance hall crazes. Linda Simon shows us how the modern girl bravely created a culture, a look, and a future of her own. Lost Girls is an illuminating history of the iconic flapper as she evolved from a problem to a temptation, and finally, in the 1920s and beyond, to an aspiration.
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What unites us : reflections on patriotism
by Dan Rather
The Emmy Award-winning veteran journalist shares passionate essays about what it means to be an American and the relevance of patriotism in today's world, exploring subjects ranging from the institutions that support the nation, major events from that past half century and how the country can better unite to secure a collective future.
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The mind of the Islamic State : ISIS and the ideology of the caliphate
by Robert Manne
Traces the evolution of the ISIS ideology, from its origins in the prison writings of the revolutionary jihadist Sayyid Qutb, through the thinking of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a book that is essential reading for anyone concerned about terrorist violence.
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The new American revolution : the making of a populist movement
by Kayleigh McEnany
An engaging collection of interviews and stories about the powerful grassroots populist movement currently transforming the landscape of political campaigns shares insights into how everyday voters from the American heartland feel about such hot-button issues as illegal immigration, national security and religious freedom.
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Revolution Song: A Story of American Freedom
by Russell Shorto
What it's about: Drawing on his subjects' diaries and correspondence as well as official records and other sources, historian Russell Shorto highlights the ideals of the American Revolutionary period by vividly portraying six individuals of the time. Why it's significant: Revolution Song presents history through personal life stories, offering a closeup of both social life and political philosophy. He adds power to his narrative by connecting the individuals' concerns to vital issues of our time.
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Gettysburg Rebels : five native sons who came home to fight as Confederate soldiers
by Tom McMillan
Drawing on rarely-seen documents and family histories, as well as military-service records and contemporary accounts, the author tells the true story of five young men who grew up in Gettysburg, moved south to Virginia in the 1850s, joined the Confederate army—and returned "home" as foreign invaders for the great battle in July 1863.
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Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics
by Lawrence O'Donnell
What it's about: Host of The Last Word on MSNBC and advisor to U.S. Senate committees Lawrence O'Donnell became fascinated with politics at age 17 when he observed the 1968 general elections. Here he reviews the tumultuous political year and the race that captivated him. Is it for you? Whether you remember 1968 yourself or know it from history, you'll enjoy the ringside seat O'Donnell offers in Playing with Fire.
Further reading: For general background on the 1960s, pick up Maurice Isserman and Michael Kazin's America Divided.
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The Last 100 Days: FDR at War and at Peace
by David B. Woolner
What it is: a detailed examination of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s last three months in office, including his fierce determination to establish the United Nations and his journey to the Soviet Union for the Yalta Conference.
What sets it apart: FDR’s first 100 days have been examined extensively by other presidential historians; in a new and refreshing contrast, The Last 100 Days argues that, despite his failing health, the end of Roosevelt’s presidency was just as important as the beginning.
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Armed in America: A History of Gun Rights from Colonial Militias to Concealed Carry
by Patrick J. Charles
What it is: a sweeping survey of gun ownership -- and gun control -- in the United States from colonial times to the present day. Author Patrick Charles avoids taking a position on either side of the controversy, and provides a “fascinating and thoroughly researched history” (Publishers Weekly).
Why you should read it: Guns, gun violence, and the NRA are always hot-button political issues. This objective, in-depth analysis will bolster your knowledge on these topics.
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Grass roots : the rise and fall and rise of marijuana in America
by Emily Dufton
A chronicle of marijuana's journey toward and away from legalization examines how grassroots activists from the 1970s nearly secured its decriminalization before conservative parents and the Reagan administration transformed cannabis into a focus for the War on Drugs.
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Bringing Columbia home : the final mission of a lost space shuttle and her crew
by Michael D. Leinbach
"For the first time, here is the definitive inside story of the Columbia shuttle disaster and recovery, written by Mike Leinbach who was the launch director of the NASA shuttle program when Columbia disintegrated on reentry before a nation’s eyes on February 1, 2003. A gripping account of a fatal tragedy and the impressive and deeply emotional human response that ensued." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review.
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Fortress America: How We Embraced Fear and Abandoned Democracy
by Elaine Tyler May
What it's about: Author Elaine Tyler May argues that the current American political climate can be traced back to fearful citizens who have embraced personal security (gun ownership, gated communities, and socially isolated lifestyles) – despite the fact that crime rates continue to trend downward.
Why you should read it: This thought-provoking and sobering book not only attempts to explain our polarized world but also warns of the potentially lasting effects of these divisions on American society.
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The First Railroads : Atlas of Early Railroads
by Derek Hayes
A highly illustrated volume tracing the emergence of modern railways. In this book, Derek Hayes compiles archival maps and illustrations, many never before published, showing the locations and routes of the world's early railways, as well as the locomotive and rail technology that was key to the development of those railroads. In addition to maps, the illustrations include photos of most of the surviving first locomotives from collections around the world and of replicas too, where they exist.
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Focus on: Business and Economics
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| Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah BergerWhat it's about: Author Jonah Berger has drawn on detailed research to discuss why some trends, products, and ideas take off -- and some don’t. He identifies six key ingredients that work together to promote word-of-mouth popularity and uses real-world examples (the "hit" song "Friday," the Atkins diet, Apple products) as evidence. Surprisingly, he argues that the Internet has less influence than you might expect.
Related reading: Try Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath. |
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| Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael LewisWhat it's about: At the outset, Flash Boys exposes how post-crisis Wall Street was rigged through computerized stock exchanges. However, the heart of this exciting narrative is the four “Wall Street guys” who figured this out separately -- working independently at different firms -- and then banded together to reform the financial markets.
Reviewers say: Bestselling author Michael Lewis does a “superb job of explicating the inexplicable in his lucid, absorbing account” (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Factory Man: How One Furniture Maker Battled Offshoring, Stayed Local -- and Helped... by Beth MacyWhat it's about: In the mid-1990s, when Chinese companies began flooding American markets with cheaper goods, furniture-making was one of the hardest hit industries. But John Bassett III of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture refused to bow to pressure, fighting to keep his employees through increased efficiency and legal maneuvers, and even traveling to China to expose price-fixing practices.
Why you should read it: Beyond the furniture industry, Factory Man is also a vivid portrait of small-town Bassett, Virginia, and its fascinating inhabitants. |
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| The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter by David SaxWhat it's about: Just when you think the world has been overtaken by digital content and products, statistics arrive showing sales of tangible goods like vinyl records are up -- way up. But why? Journalist David Sax examines the surprising reasons why some consumers opt to limit their screen time and purchase printed books, Moleskine notebooks, and film cameras instead.
Reviewers say: “Compulsively readable” (Booklist). |
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| This Fight Is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America's Middle Class by Elizabeth WarrenWhat it is: Outspoken and impassioned U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren shares her views on how the American middle class is under siege -- and offers strategies on how to save it. She shares the story of her own working-class family in 1960s Oklahoma and discusses why things have changed since the 1980s. Warren also describes her battles in the U.S. Senate on behalf of the shrinking middle class.
Further reading: Saving Capitalism by Robert Reich. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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