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History and Current Events June 2019
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| The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story by Aaron Bobrow-StrainWhat it is: a sobering examination of the U.S.-Mexico border conflict that intimately depicts the high-stakes life of an undocumented immigrant.
Starring: the pseudonymous Aida Hernandez, a young mother and deportee desperate to reunite with her son.
Try this next: Francisco CantĂș's heartwrenching memoir The Line Becomes a River explores the border conflict from the perspective of a Mexican American Border Patrol agent. |
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| D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped... by Sarah RoseWhat it is: a gripping tribute to the women spies employed by Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) during WWII, whose contributions were crucial to the war effort in occupied France.
Is it for you? This fast-paced blend of thriller, social history, biography, and romance offers something for every reader.
Try this next: Larry Loftis' suspenseful biography Code Name: Lise centers on Odette Sansom, one of the spies profiled in D-Day Girls. |
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Mafia Spies : The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro
by Thomas Maier
What it's about: Describes how gangsters Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana were hired by the CIA in the early 1960s to asssassinate Fidel Castro, the plots they pursued, and their eventual murder in the 1970s.
Why you might like it: "Maier portrays the ties between Sinatra and Giancana, the lush mobster weddings, and the intricate web of deception that drew so many, including Marilyn Monroe, into the mix. Maier includes fascinating details, like plans for exploding cigars, poisons, and drive-by shootings from speedboats." (Booklist)
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The white devil's daughters : the fight against slavery in San Francisco's Chinatown
by Julia Flynn Siler
What it's about: A revelatory history of the trafficking of young Asian girls throughout the first century of Chinese immigration in San Francisco shares insights into the activities of the Occidental Mission Home and its work as a refuge for freedom-seeking victims.
Reviewers say: "Siler vividly portrays both the vibrant, violent milieu of Chinatown of the era...and the lives and dedication of the extraordinary women of the Mission House. An accessible, well-written, riveting tale of a dismal, little-known corner of American history. " (Kirkus)
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| Defying Hitler: The Germans Who Resisted Nazi Rule by Gordon Thomas and Greg LewisWhat it's about: how Germans from all walks of life resisted and undermined Hitler throughout his rise to power.
What sets it apart: This stirring rejoinder to the notion that Germans supported Hitler en masse highlights both famous and lesser-known resistance efforts.
Don't miss: the disturbing story of Kurt Gerstein, a Gestapo officer who became one of the first people to publicize the horrors of the Holocaust. |
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| The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle by Lillian FadermanWhat it's about: This passionate history traces the evolution of the gay rights movement from the 1950s onward, touching on topics both well-trod (the Stonewall Riots) and lesser-known (the Mattachine Society).
Is it for you? Comprehensive and well-researched, this 800-page account is ideal for readers looking for a deep dive into LGBTQIA history.
Reviewers say: "readers will feel like they are experiencing these history-altering moments in real time" (Booklist). |
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| How to Survive a Plague: The Story of How Activists and Scientists Tamed AIDS by David FranceWhat it is: a moving, unputdownable chronicle of the advocacy movements that fought tirelessly for effective AIDS testing, treatment, and funding throughout the 1980s and '90s; a companion to the Academy Award-nominated documentary of the same name.
Book buzz: A 2016 New York Times Notable Book, How to Survive a Plague is also the winner of a Stonewall Book Award, a Lambda Literary Award, and the Baillie Gifford Prize. |
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Real queer America : LGBT stories from red states
by Samantha Allen
What it's about: A transgender reporter for the Daily Beast visits Red States in America's "flyover country" and tells the stories of extraordinary LGBT people who decided to stay, rather than leave for the more liberal coasts, and describes their work for change.
Reviewers say: This is a "clever combination of easy travelogue and thoughtful exploration of queerness in America." (Publishers Weekly)
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