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History and Current Events November 2020
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| The Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love... by Catherine Grace KatzWhat it's about: Accompanying their fathers to the 1945 Yalta Conference, the daughters of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union Averell Harriman offered vital behind-the-scenes contributions in support of an Allied victory.
Read it for: an evocative, intimate, and richly detailed account that reveals the important (and previously untold) roles these young women played during a pivotal moment in the final days of World War II. |
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| Stakes Is High: Life After the American Dream by Mychal Denzel SmithWhat it is: an incisive collection of essays exploring the limitations and contradictions of the American Dream, from the New York Times bestselling author of Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching.
Is it for you? Mychal Denzel Smith's impassioned treatise offers a clear-eyed perspective on how the Trump presidency has exacerbated long-standing inequities in American society.
The big question: "Is the potential for the American Dream worth enduring the brutality of American life?" |
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Iron empires : robber barons, railroads, and the making of modern America
by Michael A. Hiltzik
What it is: A four-decade history of America's Gilded Age traces how empire builders and robber barons shaped the Transcontinental Railroad industry and its role in stock-market dynamics, labor strikes and the relationship between government and business.
Reviews say: "Hiltzik writes with verve, providing meaningful insights into the shocking inequalities of the Gilded Age. Business history buffs will be enthralled by this character-driven account." (Publishers Weekly)
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| The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future by Chris WhippleWhat it is: an accessible history detailing the role that Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) directors play in American politics.
What's inside: revealing interviews with former directors, their family members, and colleagues.
Further reading: Tim Weiner's Pulitzer Prize-winning Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. |
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Superman's not coming : our national water crisis and what we the people can do about it
by Erin Brockovich
What it's about: The environmental activist and consumer advocate, whose case against Pacific Gas and Electric was dramatized in an Oscar-winning film, looks at our present situation with water and reveals the imminent threats and shows us how we can each take action.
Why you might like it: "The author doesn't just traffic in platitudes; she offers several concrete suggestions for how people can gauge the safety of their own drinking water and stand up to corporations and politicians." (Kirkus)
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The new Jim Crow : mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness
by Michelle Alexander
What it's about: Argues that the War on Drugs and policies that deny convicted felons equal access to employment, housing, education, and public benefits create a permanent under caste based largely on race.
A new classic: This tenth-anniversary edition has a new preface by Michelle Alexander that discusses the impact the book has had and the state of the criminal justice reform movement today.
About the author: "She hopes a new grassroots movement will foster frank discussion about race, cultivate an ethic of compassion for all and end the drug war and mass incarceration. Alarming, provocative and convincing." (Kirkus)
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| The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder... by Karen AbbottHow it began: In Prohibition-era Cincinnati, "King of the Bootleggers" George Remus was at the top of his game, at one point owning 35% of all the liquor in the United States.
But then...he lost it all after killing his wife, whom he discovered was having an affair with the investigator assigned to track his activities.
Book buzz: This suspenseful page-turner was named one of the Ten Best History Books of 2019 by Smithsonian. |
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| Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David GrannWhat it's about: In 1920s Oklahoma, a series of murders at the Osage Indian Reservation prompted an investigation by the nascent FBI led by a young J. Edgar Hoover.
Why it matters: Journalist David Grann's extensively researched National Book Award finalist spotlights a little-known slice of Native American history by illuminating the disturbing conspiracies, corruption, and prejudice at the heart of the case. |
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Hell's princess : the mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men
by Harold Schechter
What it's about: Provides a gripping account of one of the world’s few female serial killers who lured unsuspecting victims, including hired hands and well-to-do bachelors looking for a spouse, to her “murder farm” in Indiana between 1902 and 1908.
Why you might like it: "Featuring previously undiscovered details and rich historical context, this authoritative account firmly establishes Schechter as one of America's leading crime chroniclers. A fascinating and dramatic page-turner that will be a new favorite among true-crime fans." (Kirkus)
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Winfield, IL 60190
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