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History and Current Events April 2021
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| We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops, and Corruption by Justin FentonWhat It's About: The Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF), a corrupt Baltimore police department unit created in 2007 that targeted the city's Black population, committed robberies, planted evidence, and much more.
About the Author: Baltimore Sun reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist Justin Fenton covered the city's 2015 protests in the aftermath of Freddie Gray's death in police custody.
Who It's For: Fans of TV's The Wire will be captivated by this fast-paced and sobering true-crime chronicle. |
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| Guilty Admissions: The Bribes, Favors, and Phonies Behind the College Cheating Scandal by Nicole LaPorteWhat It Is: A gossipy exposé of Operation Varsity Blues, the 2019 college admissions scandal that resulted in the arrest of actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Laughlin.
Read It For: A well-researched indictment of the toxic and systemic competition among the wealthy and privileged.
Try This Next: Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit & the Making of the College Admissions Scandal by Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz. |
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| The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice by Gayle Tzemach LemmonWhat It's About: The Kurdish Women's Protection Units (YPJ), an all-female militia established in 2013 to combat the Islamic State in Syria.
Don't Miss: A pulse-pounding account of the Siege of Kobani, and featured profiles of four YPJ fighters instrumental in retaking the city.
Reviewers Say: "A well-told story of contemporary female warriors and the complex geopolitical realities behind their battles" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| The Ravine: A Family, a Photograph, a Holocaust Massacre Revealed by Wendy LowerHow It Began: In 2009, historian Wendy Lower saw a World War II-era photograph capturing the execution of a Ukrainian Jewish family.
What Happened Next: Lower spent years researching the photograph's origins and the identities of the victims, perpetrators, and photographer, constructing a compelling narrative of what happened that day.
Further Reading: For another heartwrenching investigation of the atrocities committed against Ukrainian Jews during the Holocaust, check out Esther Safran Foer's memoir I Want You to Know We're Still Here. |
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| A Death in the Rainforest: How a Language and a Way of Life Came to an End in Papua New Guinea by Don KulickWhat It's About: For nearly 30 years, anthropologist Don Kulick immersed himself in the culture of the tiny Papua New Guinea village of Gapun, where residents fought to preserve the dying Tayap language.
Read It For: A thought-provoking exploration of how colonialism and economic instability impact language.
Don't Miss: Kulick's attempts to learn Tayap from a village elder named Raya. |
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You Talkin' to Me?: The Unruly History of New York English
by E. J. White
What It's About: E.J. White explores the history of English in New York City using entertaining stories of New York's most famous characters, streets, and cultural institutions.
Chapters Include: "Bootlegged Language;" "From Tin Pan Alley to Hip Hop;" and "Code Switching."
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| Talking Back, Talking Black: Truths About America's Lingua Franca by John McWhorterWhat It Is: A thought-provoking and accessible collection of essays on Black English.
Topics Include: Black English's origins and history; debates surrounding its grammatical complexity and legitimacy; code-switching.
About the Author: John McWhorter is a linguist and Columbia University professor. Check-out his contributions The Great Courses on language! |
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| How Yiddish Changed America and How America Changed Yiddish by Ilan Stavans and Josh Lambert (editors)What It Is: An engaging anthology of previously published pieces exploring Yiddish language and culture in North and South America.
What's Inside: Recipes, comics, essays, short stories, and poetry, with contributions from Emma Goldman, Allen Ginsberg, Leonard Nimoy, Michael Chabon, Liana Finck, and more.
Reviewers Say: "A wonderful compilation sure to please new and old lovers of Yiddish culture, Jewish history, and linguistics" (Library Journal). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Anne Arundel County Public Library 5 Harry S. Truman Pkwy. Annapolis, Maryland 21401 410-222-7371https://www.aacpl.net |
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