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History and Current Events July 2018
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Recent Releases - History |
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| West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express by Jim DeFeliceWhat it's about: the oft-mythologized mail delivery enterprise that lasted less than two years before its operation was shuttered with the 1861 arrival of the transcontinental telegraph.
Why you might like it: Breezy and accessible, West Like Lightning brings to vivid life the major players of the Pony Express, including famous riders Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok.
Reviewers say: "Fans of the Old West will find many delightful nuggets in this fast-moving story" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Rome : A History in Seven Sackings
by Matthew Kneale
What it's about: A history of the Eternal City by focusing on seven moments of crisis and catastrophe, including fires, floods, earthquakes and most epically, attacks and invasions from roving armies. Why you might like it: "A sprawling city with an ancient history, Rome defies a neat narrative of its past. Novelist and historian Kneale takes a fresh historical approach by focusing on groups of invaders that indelibly shaped the contemporary city." (Kirkus)
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Barracoon : The Story of the Last Black Cargo
by Zora Neale Hurston
What it's about: Presents a previously unpublished work that illuminates the horror and injustices of slavery in the true story of one of the last known survivors of the Atlantic slave trade, who was abducted from Africa on the last "Black Cargo" ship to arrive in the United States.
Why it's important: In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, to interview eighty-six-year-old Cudjo Lewis. Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America as slaves, Cudjo was then the only person alive to tell the story of this integral part of the nation's history. "Kossola’s story—in the vernacular of his own words—is an invaluable addition to American social, cultural, and political history." (Publishers Weekly)
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| Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, & Criminal in 19th-Century New York by Stacy HornWhat it is: a somber study of New York City's Blackwell's Island (now Roosevelt Island), purchased in 1828 for utopian aims but quickly overrun by corrupt officials. Poorly maintained hospitals, prisons, and an insane asylum housed residents who were punished and mistreated.
Did you know? Several authors visited the island -- Charles Dickens referred to it as "a lounging, listless madhouse;" journalist Nellie Bly's 1887 exposé Ten Days in a Mad-House recounts her undercover stint at the Women's Lunatic Asylum. |
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Recent Releases - Current Events
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Bad Blood : Secrets and Lies in Silicon Valley
by John Carreyrou
What it's about: Recounts the story behind Theranos, the medical equipment company that misled investors to believe they developed a revolutionary blood testing machine, detailing how its CEO, Elizabeth Holmes, perpetuated the lie to bolster the value of the company by billions.
What reviewers say: "Crime thriller authors have nothing on Carreyrou’s exquisite sense of suspenseful pacing and multifaceted character development in this riveting, read-in-one-sitting tour de force." (Booklist)
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Live Work Work Work Die : A Journey into the Savage Heart of Silicon Valley
by Corey Pein
What it's about: A journalist explores the true heart of Silicon Valley by becoming an entrepreneur and describes first-hand his experiences at gimmicky tech conferences, pitching his insane business ideas to investors and through interviews with quirky and outrageous characters including con artists, hackers and naive programmers.
What reviewers say: "Both entertaining and damning, Pein’s book unmasks the shell game being run by venture capitalists in an industry that is not nearly as benign as it claims to be." (Publishers Weekly)
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Brothers of the Gun : A Memoir of the Syrian War
by Marwan Hisham
What it's about: A bracing memoir of the Syrian war from its inception to the present traces the coming-of-age experiences of a young journalist who observes the divergent life paths of his friends.
What reviewers say: "A sharp, searing view of war from the front lines and an important contribution to understanding how a nation can disintegrate before one's eyes." (Kirkus Reviews)
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Winfield, IL 60190
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