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History and Current Events January 2018
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| The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner by Daniel EllsbergWhat it's about: Author Daniel Ellsberg (who leaked the Pentagon Papers) recounts his role in the RAND Corporation's 1960s study of the U.S. policy on nuclear strikes. Framed as a memoir, The Doomsday Machine explains how the nuclear policy developed, its flaws (which continue to the present), and the urgency of reducing the availability of nuclear weapons.
Why you'll want to read it: This sobering and thought-provoking book shines a spotlight on issues that have become more prominent since North Korea started demonstrating their missile capabilities. |
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Queens of Georgian Britain
by Catherine Curzon
COMING SOON! Once upon a time there were four kings called George who, thanks to a quirk of fate, ruled Great Britain for over a century. Hailing from Germany, these occasionally mad, bad and infamous sovereigns presided over a land in turmoil. Yet what of the remarkable women who were crowned alongside them?
From the forgotten princess locked in a tower to an illustrious regent, a devoted consort and a notorious party girl, the queens of Georgian Britain lived lives of scandal, romance and turbulent drama. Queens of Georgian Britain offers a chance to step back in time and meet the women who ruled alongside the Georgian monarchs. From lonely childhoods to glittering palaces, via family feuds, smallpox, strapping soldiers and plenty of scheming, these are the queens who shaped an era.
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| The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom by Helen ThorpeWhat it's about: Author Helen Thorpe spent a year immersed in the lives of recently arrived high-schoolers who could speak no English when they started school. She empathetically depicts 22 refugee teenagers and their English Language Acquisition teacher.
Important aspects: Thorpe portrays the students' traumatic passages to the U.S., the complexities of assimilating into American culture, and the teacher's ability to create community in his classroom. Why it's significant: The Newcomers spotlights people directly concerned with the political hot topic of immigration. |
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Tudor fashion : dress at court 1485-1603
by Eleri Lynn
COMING SOON! The Tudor monarchs and their courtiers are some of the best-known figures in history. Their enduring popularity is no doubt partly due to the iconic portraits in which they are depicted in magnificent style, in farthingales and ruffs, furs and jewels, codpieces and cloaks, and vast expanses of velvet and silk. Far from being mere decoration, fashion was pivotal in the communication of status and power. This book presents new information about the fashions of the Tudor dynasty, offering fresh insight into their social and political milieu. Histories of Kings and Queens complement stories of unsung dressmakers, laundresses, and officials charged with maintaining and transporting the immense Tudor wardrobes from palace to palace. .
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What Unites Us
by Dan Rather
AVAILABLE ON AUDIOBOOK! The Emmy Award-winning veteran journalist shares passionate essays about what it means to be an American and the relevance of patriotism in today's world, exploring subjects ranging from the institutions that support the nation, major events from that past half century and how the country can better unite to secure a collective future.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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