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History and Current Events September 2018
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| The Fighters by C.J. ChiversWhat it is: a collection of portraits detailing the experiences of six U.S. military servicemen serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, chronicled over 12 years of on-the-ground reportage.
Why you might like it: Searing and empathetic, this enlightening glimpse at combat will appeal to readers "no matter their feelings about the wars" (Booklist).
About the author: C.J. Chivers is a Gulf War veteran and New York Times senior editor who won a Pulitzer Prize for the story on which The Fighters is based. |
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| The Poisoned City: Flint's Water and the American Urban Tragedy by Anna ClarkWhat it's about: the ongoing man-made water crisis that has afflicted residents of Flint, Michigan since April 2014 and to date has resulted in 12 deaths.
Why it's significant: Detroit-based journalist Anna Clark pulls no punches in this compelling call to arms, utilizing extensive research to show how racial inequality, housing segregation, and government underfunding led to this "decades-old, slow-burn emergency." |
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| Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America by Beth MacyWhat it is: a gut-wrenching history of America's rising opioid epidemic that puts a human face on the disheartening statistics.
Why it matters: Journalist Beth Macy began her research in her own community of Roanoke, Virginia, highlighting the day-to-day struggles of those from all walks of life struggling with addiction.
Further reading: American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis -- and How to End It by Ryan Hampton. |
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| Blood & Ivy: The 1849 Murder That Scandalized Harvard by Paul CollinsWhat it's about: On November 23, 1849, Boston physician George Parkman disappeared after making his rounds at Harvard Medical College. His dismembered body was later discovered in the lab of chemist John White Webster, spawning an infamous murder trial that produced legal and forensic precedents.
Don't miss: this evocative and atmospheric true-crime account includes appearances from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Herman Melville, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. |
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Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History
by Keith O'Brien
What it is: an intriguing, richly detailed history of five women (including Amelia Earhart) who competed in the national air races of the 1920s and 1930s -- and changed aviation forever.
For fans of: Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures and its film adaptation.
Reviewers say: "A vivid, suspenseful story of women determined to defy gravity -- and men -- to fulfill their lofty dreams" (Kirkus Reviews).
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| Ten Restaurants That Changed America by Paul FreedmanWhat it is: an approachable and entertaining history profiling ten restaurants located throughout the United States, highlighting their impact on American culture in the 19th and 20th centuries.
What's inside: photographs, paintings, menus, and recipes.
Did you know? Delmonico's, pictured on the cover, was America's first à la carte restaurant, opening in New York City in 1827. |
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Rome : a history in seven sackings
by Matthew Kneale
A novelist offers a nonfiction history of the Eternal City by focusing on seven moments of crisis and catastrophe, including fires, floods, earthquakes and most epically, attacks and invasions from roving armies.
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The Cut Out Girl : A Story of War and Family, Lost and Found
by Bart Van Es
The author describes his friendship with an 80-year-old woman in Amsterdam who was smuggled as a child into his grandfather's family during the Nazi occupation and together they confront the dark truth of the Dutch cooperation in rounding up the Jews.
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Crashed : how a decade of financial crises changed the world
by J. Adam Tooze
The author of The Deluge describes the 2008 economic crisis and the significance it had in America, the United Kingdom, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America and discusses how it led to war in the Ukraine, Brexit and Trump. Includes charts and graphs
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The future of terrorism : ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and the Alt-Right
by Walter Laqueur
Two terrorism experts trace the post-bin Laden rise of terrorism throughout the world as well as the surge in right-wing extremism in the United States, identifying specific environments and political decisions that contributed to present-day threats.
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Fascism : a warning
by Madeleine Korbel Albright
A former U.S. secretary of state and New York Times best-selling author presents a timely, considered and personal look at the history and current resurgence of fascism today and the virulent threat it poses to international freedom, prosperity and peace. Read by the author. Simultaneous.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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