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History and Current Events February 2019
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| The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties by Paul CollierWhat it's about: How regional and class rifts lead to social inequalities -- and how "ethical capitalism" can help bridge these divides.
Is it for you? British economist Paul Collier's evenhanded arguments will be appreciated by readers regardless of their political affiliation.
Further reading: The Inequality Paradox: How Capitalism Can Work for Everyone by Douglas McWilliams. |
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| Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages by Gaston DorrenWhat it is: A brisk and upbeat survey of the world's 20 most widely spoken languages that explores how languages evolve and endure.
What's inside: Concise chapters discuss the selected languages in ascending order by number of speakers and feature charts detailing the tongues' notable hallmarks and idiosyncrasies.
Did you know? The modern Turkish language is incomprehensible from the Turkish of a hundred years ago; Japanese has separate dialects for men and women. |
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| The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch What it's about: The Hickey Plot, a 1776 scheme orchestrated by prominent New York politicians to kidnap and murder George Washington.
Read it for: the thrilling immediacy of the fast-paced prose; the evocative account of a Revolutionary-era New York City in turmoil.
Why it matters: Washington's counterintelligence unit, led by future Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay, inspired the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) nearly two centuries later. |
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| The Longest Line on the Map: The United States, the Pan-American Highway, and the... by Eric Rutkow What it's about: The Pan-American Highway, which has the distinction of being the world's longest road, running from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in Argentina.
Why you might like it: Riveting and richly detailed, The Longest Line on the Map chronicles the ambitious efforts to foster strong relationships between the Americas and offers a timely counterpoint to isolationist rhetoric. |
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The warmth of other suns : the epic story of America's great migration
by Isabel Wilkerson
What's it about: A Pulitzer Prize winner chronicles the decades-long migration of African Americans from the South to the North and West through the stories of three individuals and their families.
Why it matters: Wilkerson underscores the irony: "they did not cross the turnstiles of customs at Ellis Island, they were already citizens. But where they came from they were not treated as such."
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| 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.What it is: An engaging, meticulously researched compendium that updates journalist Joel A. Rogers' groundbreaking 1934 book 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro with Complete Proof.
Why you might like it: Wide-ranging and unique topics are presented in a concise question-and-answer format, perfect for quick reading.
Chapters include: "Who was the first black saint?"; "Who was the first black woman to be a self-made millionaire?"; "What is Juneteenth?" |
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At Canaan's edge : America in the King years, 1965-68
by Taylor Branch
What it is: A final installment of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author's history of the civil rights movement chronicles Martin Luther King's final years, covering such topics as the 1965 Selma march for the right to vote, King's turbulent alliance with Lyndon Johnson, and his protests against the Vietnam war.
Reviewers say: "A hallmark, essential to the understanding of the civil rights movement, Dr. King, and 20th century America.
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Between the world and me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
What it is: A bold and personal investigation into America's racial history and its contemporary echoes.
Why it matters: In a letter to his teen age son, Coates candidly addresses the truth of being a black man in today's United States.
Reviewers say: "An eloquent blend of history, reportage, and memoir."
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The color of law : a forgotten history of how our government segregated America
by Richard Rothstein
What it is: Argues that laws and policies created by local, state, and federal government deliberately promoted segregation in metropolitan areas during the twentieth century, creating long-lasting consequences
Why it matters: Through research and human stories, Rothstein reveals a racism hiding in plain sight and protected by government policies.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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