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History and Current Events July 2018
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| Tailspin: The People and Forces Behind America's Fifty-Year Fall by Steven BrillWhat it is: a searing and insightful treatise on how well-intentioned structural changes in politics and the economy have led to what the author sees as a deteriorating American democracy.
What's inside: inspiring profiles of individuals (such as Max Stier of the Partnership for Public Service) whose efforts and influence may help cure America of its current ills. |
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Barracoon : The Story of the Last "Black Cargo"
by Zora Neale Hurston
What it's about: In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, just outside Mobile, 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.
Praise for it: “Short enough to be read in a single sitting, this book is one of those gorgeous, much too fleeting things...Brimming with observational detail from a man whose life spanned continents and eras, the story is at times devastating, but Hurston’s success in bringing it to light is a marvel.” (NPR)
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RAF : The Birth of the World's First Air Force
by Richard Overy
Setting the stage: The birth of the Royal Air Force during World War I marked a pivotal moment in modern military and political history. With Europe’s western front frozen in a bloody stalemate of trench warfare, both sides sought some means of directly attacking enemy resources and morale. The new technologies of air power were used at first for reconnaissance of enemy positions for artillery strike.
What it is: This compact book shows a master historian at work. In command of the archival sources, at home in all dimensions of the story, Richard Overy crafts an engrossing narrative of this turning point in our history.
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| Ruthless Tide: The Heroes and Villains of the Johnstown Flood by Al RokerWhat it's about: On May 31, 1889, the poorly engineered South Fork Dam -- built for a lake resort frequented by wealthy guests (including Andrew Carnegie) -- burst after a heavy rainfall, engulfing Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 20 million tons of water. The disaster killed over two thousand people and remains the deadliest flood in U.S. history.
What sets it apart: Al Roker combines a page-turning disaster epic with an informative morality tale, exploring how class and privilege played a part in facilitating the tragedy. |
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| Asperger's Children: The Origins of Autism in Nazi Vienna by Edith ShefferWhat it's about: Psychiatrist Hans Asperger's early benevolent work with autistic children turned sinister as he fell in line with the Nazi regime, experimenting on -- and eventually killing -- children deemed "inferior."
About the author: Historian Edith Sheffer is the parent of a child with autism and the author of Burned Bridge: How East and West Germans Made the Iron Curtain.
Is it for you? Readers who enjoy surveys of medical ethics like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks will appreciate this thought-provoking cautionary tale. |
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Violent Borders: Refugees and the Right to Move
by Reece Jones
What it is: Reece Jones argues that the West has helped bring about the deaths of countless migrants, as states attempt to contain populations and limit access to resources and opportunities. “We may live in an era of globalization,” he writes, “but much of the world is increasingly focused on limiting the free movement of people.”
Features: Newly updated with a discussion of Brexit and the Trump administration.
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The Far Away Brothers : Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life
by Lauren Markham
What it is: The deeply reported story of identical twin brothers who escape El Salvador's violence to build new lives in California—fighting to survive, to stay, and to belong.
Praise for it: "The Far Away Brothers is impeccably timed, intimately reported and beautifully expressed. Markham brings people and places to rumbling life; she has that rare ability to recreate elusive, subjective experiences—whether they’re scenes she never witnessed or her characters’ interior psychological states—without taking undue liberties." —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times
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Lockout : Why America Keeps Getting Immigration Wrong When our Prosperity Depends on Getting it Right
by Michele Wucker
What it is: Explores the current conflict within the United States about immigration policies, discussing the idea that immigrants must relinquish their native culture to fully assimilate into society and how this directly contradicts America's history of immigration.
About the author: Michele Wucker is a global thought leader with three decades of experience in media and think tank management and content.
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A Hope More Powerful than the Sea : One Refugee's Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival
by Melissa Fleming
What it is: The stunning story of a young woman, an international crisis, and the triumph of the human spirit.
Why you should read it: This emotionally charged, eye-opening true story that represents the millions of unheard voices of refugees who risk everything in a desperate search for the promise of a safe future.
Praise for it: "Fleming deftly illustrates the pain of those who choose to leave Syria...and her book is ultimately a story of hope." (Newsweek)
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How Many Is Too Many? : the Progressive Argument for Reducing Immigration into the United States
by Philip Cafaro
What it's about: Massive immigration simply isn’t consistent with progressive ideals. America isn’t as young as it used to be, and the fact of the matter is we can’t afford to take in millions of people anymore.
Why you might like it: Cafaro roots his argument in human rights, equality, economic security, and environmental sustainability―hallmark progressive values.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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