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History and Current Events October 2019
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| A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves: One Family and Migration in the 21st Century by Jason DeParleWhat it's about: the impact of global migration on three generations of a single Filipino family.
Why you might like it: Intimate and immersive, this resonant portrait puts a human face on a polarizing political issue. Author alert: New York Times journalist Jason DeParle is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist. |
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| Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America by Christopher LeonardWhat it is: a comprehensive deep dive into Koch Industries, the privately owned conglomerate that is no stranger to corporate overreach and scandal.
Read it for: a fast-paced narrative that reads like a thriller.
For fans of: Andrew Sorkin's Too Big to Fail; Steve Coll's Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power. |
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| See Jane Win: The Inspiring Story of the Women Changing American Politics by Caitlin MoscatelloWhat it is: a lively and impassioned analysis of how women candidates are impacting the current political landscape.
Starring: four diverse Democratic women who ran for office for the first time during the 2018 midterms -- and won.
Want to run for office yourself? Check out June Diane Raphael and Kate Black's Represent: The Woman's Guide to Running for Office and Changing the World. |
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| The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us by Paul ToughWhat it's about: how college admissions and enrollment processes adversely affect marginalized students’ ability to succeed, both in academia and in the workforce.
Is it for you? Though author Paul Tough's empathetic analysis is often sobering, he also includes interviews with low-income students who have thrived despite the institutional odds stacked against them. |
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| Lincoln's Spies: Their Secret War to Save a Nation by Douglas WallerWhat it's about: the network of four Union spies President Lincoln utilized to help end the Civil War.
Featuring: Richmond socialite and abolitionist Elizabeth Van Lew, who ran a spy ring out of her mansion; famed Scottish detective Allan Pinkerton, who successfully foiled an assassination attempt on Lincoln.
Reviewers say: "a cracking good tale" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York by Tyler AnbinderWhat it is: a vivid and sweeping four-century survey of immigrant life in New York City.
Did you know? The city's 19th-century ethnic communities were so siloed that venturing into other neighborhoods was referred to as "going to America."
Book buzz: A New York Times Notable Book in 2016, City of Dreams is also a Mark Lynton History Prize winner. |
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| Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans by Gary KristWelcome to... notorious Storyville, New Orleans, an early-20th-century red-light district and site of consternation for the city's reform-minded upper echelons.
Why you might like it: Populated by a large cast of characters (including a young Louis Armstrong), this lively history reveals a bygone era of a city bustling with wicked entrepreneurial spirit.
Don't miss: True-crime fans will enjoy reading about the unsolved case of the "Axman," a serial killer with possible ties to the Black Hand mafia. |
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| Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story by David MaranissWhat it's about: how Detroit's "golden moment" -- from fall 1962 to spring 1964 -- signaled the city's promise (and its eventual decline).
How it happened: As Detroit celebrated the emergence of Motown and the release of the first Ford Mustang, social unrest, white flight, and organized crime were on the rise, leaving an irrevocable mark on a city that was "dying and thriving at the same time."
Did you know? Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered an early version of his "I Have A Dream" speech at the Detroit Walk to Freedom in June 1963. |
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| City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris by Holly TuckerStarring: Nicolas de la Reynie, appointed by Louis XIV to serve as Paris' first police chief and investigate a spate of high-profile murders known as the "Affair of the Poisons."
What it's about: de la Reynie's attempts to reform the crime-ridden city, including the installation of street lanterns (which is how Paris came to be known as the City of Light).
Reviewers say: "for readers who enjoy their history mixed with scandal, blood, and deception" (Library Journal). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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| | Washoe County Library System 301 S Center St, Reno, NV 89501 | |
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