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History and Current Events July 2024
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| Skies of Thunder: The Deadly World War II Mission Over the Roof of the World by Caroline AlexanderJournalist and New York Times bestselling author Caroline Alexander (The Bounty) surveys the lesser-known aerial exploits of the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II in this fast-paced and dramatic account featuring diary entries and previously unseen records. Further reading: Burma '44: The Battle That Turned World War II in the East by James Holland. |
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| Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam HigginbothamJournalist Adam Higginbotham's evocative follow-up to his Carnegie Medal-winning Midnight in Chernobyl is a compelling and well-researched chronicle of how NASA's negligence and hubris led to the 1986 Challenger explosion. Try this next: Bringing Columbia Home: The Final Mission of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew by Michael D. Leinbach and Jonathan H. Ward. |
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| They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for... by Mike HixenbaughPeabody Award-winning investigative journalist Mike Hixenbaugh adapts his Southlake podcast in this sobering exposé of how a public school system curriculum in suburban North Texas has been stymied by a right-wing evangelical takeover of the school board. Further reading: The Death of Public School: How Conservatives Won the War Over Education in America by Cara Fitzpatrick; School Moms: Parent Activism, Partisan Politics, and the Battle for Public Education by Laura Pappano. |
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| Hip-Hop Is History by QuestloveGrammy Award-winning Roots drummer and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Questlove's lively history explores the first 50 years of hip-hop music by spotlighting one song from each year since the genre's 1973 origins. Try this next: Chuck D Presents This Day in Rap and Hip-Hop History by Chuck D; The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop by Jonathan Abrams. |
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1941: Fighting the Shadow War: A Divided America in a World at War
by Marc Wortman
Even while the Nazi Blitzkrieg was overrunning Europe, many people in the U.S. thought the country shouldn't get involved in another foreign war. To overcome anti-war sentiment, President Franklin Roosevelt had to deal with isolationist views and anti-Semitism in addition to the lingering pain of World War I. In 1941, historian Marc Wortman insightfully details the year before Pearl Harbor, deftly clarifying the issues and enlivening the voices of Roosevelt's opponents and supporters. In a starred review, Booklist says that Wortman offers a "fascinating narrative of a domestic conflict" leading up to American participation in World War II.
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1916: A Global History
by Keith Jeffery
While most histories of World War I focus on the conflict in Western Europe, historian Keith Jeffery analyzes the war's far-reaching impact in other regions. In 1916, he looks at a dozen of the year's major events (such as the Easter Uprising in Ireland, Russian internal politics, and the East African campaign) and their significance for the world's future. Jeffery also brings to life the experiences of women, civilians, African soldiers and laborers, and other under-represented groups, while emphasizing social commonalities around the world. Library Journal says that Jeffery employs a "creative and remarkable approach to history" in this richly detailed work.
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| Paradise of the Damned: The True Story of Obsessive Quest for El Dorado... by Keith ThomsonBestselling author Keith Thomson's (Born to Be Hanged) richly detailed latest chronicles English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh's failed attempts to locate the mythical city of El Dorado in the jungles of South America. For fans of: The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann. |
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21 Lessons for the 21st Century
by Yuval Noah Harari
What it is: a multidisciplinary approach to understanding contemporary challenges and maintaining rational thinking in a "post-truth" world.
Lessons include: "When You Grow Up, You Might Not Have a Job;" "Some Fake News Lasts Forever;" "The Future Is Not What You See in the Movies."
Reviewers say: "This well-informed and searching book is one to be savored and widely discussed" (Publishers Weekly).
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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