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History and Current Events January 2020
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Ten years a nomad : a traveler's journey home
by Matt Kepnes
The best-selling author of How to Travel the World on $50 a Day presents a part memoir, part philosophical travel manifesto that shares stories from his adventures abroad while exploring the nomadic experiences of wanderlust
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D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped...
by Sarah Rose
What 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.
Also available as an e-Book
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| Checkpoint Charlie: The Cold War, the Berlin Wall, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Iain MacGregor What it's about: how Cold War tensions spurred the construction of Checkpoint Charlie, the border crossing separating East and West Germany that became a powerful symbol of the era.
Why you might like it: This dramatic, well-researched account was published to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
What sets it apart: never-before-seen interviews with border guards, intelligence operatives, and escapees.
Read the eBook |
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The League of Wives: The Untold Story of the Women Who Took on the U.S. Government...
by Heath Hardage Lee
What it is: the forgotten story of the military wives who mobilized to bring their POW husbands home from Vietnam.
How they did it: After forming the National League of Families, the women organized media campaigns, lobbied politicians, learned encryption to send and receive coded messages (earning the nickname "Jane Bonds"), and even negotiated directly with the North Vietnamese.
Reviewers say: Book clubs will flock to this "unputdownable" tale (Library Journal) that "begs for discussion" (Booklist).
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| The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century by Thant Myint-UWhat it's about: how decades of colonialism, military rule, corruption, and civil war, as well as recent developments like the Rohingya genocide and China's rising political influence have wreaked havoc on the "unfinished nation" of Burma.
Why you might like it: Drawing from his experiences as a former diplomat and adviser to the Burmese government, Burmese American historian Thant Myint-U offers a compelling and perceptive glimpse into a country that "remains a mystery to most outsiders" (Kirkus). |
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| The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era by Gareth RussellWhat it is: an extensively researched, evocatively detailed account of the Titanic's fateful voyage as experienced by six first-class passengers.
Featuring: Lucy Leslie, Countess of Rothes, who rowed a lifeboat full of passengers to safety; Jewish American immigrant Ida Strauss, who chose to die with her husband rather than board a lifeboat without him.
Don't miss: Author Gareth Russell's debunking of many of the popular conspiracy theories and falsehoods about the ship's sinking. |
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| This Land is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled... by David J. SilvermanWhat it's about: the complex 50-year alliance between the Wampanoag tribe and European colonizers that ended with King Philip's War, a three-year conflict that almost completely annihilated the Wampanoag.
Why you might like it: This impassioned narrative centers the Wampanoag people's experiences, offering insights into why the alliance was brokered and how the tribe persisted in the face of devastation.
Don't miss: profiles of Wampanoag activists, including Frank James (1923-2001), who established the National Day of Mourning in 1970. |
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| The Wonders: The Extraordinary Performers Who Transformed the Victorian Age by John WoolfWhat it is: a lively and thought-provoking history of the "freak show," which gained considerable popularity in the 19th century even as performers were increasingly exploited by showmen like P.T. Barnum.
What sets it apart: Historian John Woolf's well-researched debut gives a voice to the performers who had few other opportunities for employment.
Did you know? Queen Victoria's known love of freak performers helped elevate the public perception of freak shows as high-brow amusements. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Carrollton Public Library 1700 Keller Springs Road, Carrollton Texas 75006 4220 North Josey Lane, Carrollton Texas 75010 |
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