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Biography and Memoir October 2013
"Whatever disagreement there may be as to the scope of the phrase 'due process of law' there can be no doubt that it embraces the fundamental conception of a fair trial, with opportunity to be heard."
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841-1935), Supreme Court Justice, opinion in Frank v. Magnum
New and Recently Released!
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East - by Scott Anderson
Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/06/2013
Share Lawrence in Arabia%3a War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East ISBN-13: 9780385532921
ISBN-10: 038553292X
British Army officer T.E. Lawrence (1888-1935) was the dazzling focus of the 1962 movie Lawrence of Arabia starring Peter O'Toole. In Lawrence in Arabia biographer Scott Anderson provides a more sober, though still engaging, portrait of the young man who supported the Arab revolt against Ottoman rule and helped to align the rebels with the British and their allies during World War I. Drawing on Lawrence's memoir, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Anderson also employs documentary sources and other contemporaneous accounts to provide a balanced view of the enigmatic yet flamboyant Lawrence and his part in these historic events.
Wilson - by A. Scott Berg
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/10/2013
Share Wilson ISBN-13: 9780399159213
ISBN-10: 0399159215
Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, was a scholar as well as a skilled politician and diplomat. In Wilson Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer A. Scott Berg explores his earlier life and achievements and provides a lively, detailed view of Washington, D.C. and the White House in the early 20th century. President Wilson supported a remarkable number of issues, advocating for such changes as the Federal income tax, women's suffrage, and the direct election of U.S. senators; he also brought American power to the fore on the world political stage. According to Booklist's starred review, Wilson provides an "acute, sensitive understanding" of the man and his times.
The Red Man's Bones: George Catlin, Artist and Showman - by Benita Eisler
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/22/2013
Share The Red Man ISBN-13: 9780393066166
ISBN-10: 0393066169
Artist George Catlin left a law career in favor of painting, and he made it his mission to document the customs and traditions of Native Americans through his paintings. From 1830 to 1836 he lived with over 50 tribes across North America, collecting artifacts and writing about what he learned, as well as creating his pictorial records. Later, he put on the earliest "Wild West" shows, bringing the wonders of Native lifestyles to mid-19th century whites (though such productions now seem inaccurate and exploitative). Biographer Benita Eisler draws on extensive research to present this engaging biography, which also reproduces many of Catlin's paintings, in this "welcome new evaluation" (Kirkus Reviews).
Weekends with Daisy - by Sharron Kahn Luttrell
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/10/2013
Share Weekends with Daisy ISBN-13: 9781451686234
ISBN-10: 1451686234
Daisy the Labrador retriever lived five days a week in a prison, where she was a pupil in the National Education for Assistance Dog Services program, but on weekends she went to live with journalist Sharron Luttrell, who volunteered to help with Daisy's accommodation to life in the "real world." Keith, Daisy's inmate trainer, and Sharron had to learn a lot about the work of service dogs and how to train them, and Sharron often consulted with Keith and asked his advice. Sharron's memoir, Weekends with Daisy, offers both information and inspiration in this lively account of Daisy, her two trainers, and the Luttrell family.
Men We Reaped: A Memoir - by Jesmyn Ward
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/17/2013
Share Men We Reaped%3a A Memoir ISBN-13: 9781608195213
ISBN-10: 160819521X
Author Jesmyn Ward, whose Salvage the Bones won the 2011 National Book Award for fiction, grew up in the small town of DeLisle, Mississippi. DeLisle offers few opportunities for young people to occupy themselves -- except for using and dealing in alcohol and drugs. The hopeless atmosphere in the town (which Ward escaped when she went off to college) leads to an unusually high number of deaths, including those of five young men close to Ward. In this vivid, forthright memoir, Ward paints a heart-rending picture of the social issues, especially racism and poverty, that oppress people in her hometown. Kirkus Reviews calls Men We Reaped "beautifully written, if sometimes too sad to bear."
Focus on: U.S. Supreme Court Justices
Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice - by Joan Biskupic
Publisher: ECCO
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/01/2005
Share Sandra Day O ISBN-13: 9780060590185
ISBN-10: 0060590181
In this engrossing biography of the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, award-winning journalist Joan Biskupic explores Sandra Day O'Connor's upbringing and earlier career and examines her influence on the court's inner workings. O'Connor worked to build consensus with the eight men who were her colleagues and often wrote opinions in key decisions, many of which involved women's rights. Biskupic observes how her decisions sometimes nudged the Court -- and consequently American society -- in new directions. The New York Times calls Sandra Day O'Connor a "revealing account" that establishes the form of O'Connor's historic profile.
Sonia Sotomayor: The True American Dream - by Antonia Felix
Publisher: Berkley Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/06/2011
Share Sonia Sotomayor%3a The True American Dream ISBN-13: 9780425242957
ISBN-10: 0425242951
Justice Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latina and third woman to win appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. Her early life is also very unusual for a High Court Justice. Raised in modest circumstances in New York City, she received inspiration and support from her mother, who came from a poor Puerto Rican background. Sotomayor had to provide her own remedial education when she realized how far behind her Princeton classmates she was, and her courage and hard work later helped her to prevail against ethnic and sexual prejudice. Publishers Weekly calls Sonia Sotomayor a "riveting and meticulously researched" biography; for another compelling account in the justice's own words, read Sotomayor's My Beloved World.
Becoming Justice Blackmun: Harry Blackmun's Supreme Court Journey - by Linda Greenhouse
Publisher: Times Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/01/2006
Share Becoming Justice Blackmun%3a Harry Blackmun ISBN-13: 9780805080575
ISBN-10: 0805080570
Justice Harry Blackmun served for 24 years on the U.S. Supreme Court, writing the landmark opinion in the abortion case of Roe v. Wade and otherwise making his mark in controversial areas such as capital punishment and sex discrimination. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Linda Greenhouse drew on his personal and official papers for this fascinating study, examining his correspondence with other justices and such documents as Blackmun's boyhood diary. Becoming Justice Blackmun provides detailed, carefully researched insight into both his personality and the evolution of his legal views.
Justice for All: Earl Warren and the Nation He Made - by Jim Newton
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/02/2007
Share Justice for All%3a Earl Warren and the Nation He Made ISBN-13: 9781594482700
ISBN-10: 1594482705
Earl Warren had a long political career that included serving as Governor of California and running for Vice President on Thomas Dewey's ticket before President Eisenhower appointed him Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1953. Based on Warren's previous record, Eisenhower and others expected he would provide conservative leadership, but his work on two major landmark decisions moved the Court in a much more liberal direction: he was responsible for both Brown v. Board of Education (on school desegregation) and Mapp v. Ohio (on individual rights). In Justice for All, journalist Jim Newton thoroughly analyzes Warren's life and his career, showing how the influence of a single person can eventually change the course of a whole society.
Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary - by Juan Williams
Publisher: Times Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2000
Share Thurgood Marshall%3a American Revolutionary ISBN-13: 9780812932997
ISBN-10: 0812932994
Remembered as the first African American appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall is also known for his crusade against segregation and his 1954 victory in Brown v. Board of Education. Author Juan Williams details Marshall's private and public lives, paying close attention to Marshall's role as chief counsel to the NAACP, his many contributions to the Civil Rights movement, and his role on the Supreme Court. Anyone concerned with issues of civil and individual rights should put this lively and well-researched biography at the top of their reading list. For an absorbing look at Marshall's earlier life, read Larry Gibson's Young Thurgood.
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