History and Current Events
January 2021
Recent Releases
Slanted: How the News Media Taught Us to Love Censorship and Hate Journalism
by Sharyl Attkisson

What it is: a sobering and provocative investigation into the ways in which modern news media is manipulated.

About the author: Sharyl Attkisson is a five-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and a recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award. 

Is it for you? Readers may see Attkisson's discussion of Donald Trump's presidential misdeeds as apologia. 
The Killer's Shadow: The FBI's Hunt for a White Supremacist Serial Killer
by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker

What it's about: serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin's three-year crime spree, which began with a shooting at a St. Louis synagogue in 1977.

Read it for: FBI profiler John Douglas' breakneck pursuit of Franklin; the pair's confrontation once the latter was imprisoned. 

Reviewers say: "This is a must read for those looking for insight into the minds of those instigating racial violence today" (Publishers Weekly). 
Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds: Ebola and the Ravages of History
by Paul Farmer

What it is: medical anthropologist and Partners in Health cofounder Paul Farmer's chronicle of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

What's inside: a disturbing (and often gruesome) firsthand account of a public health crisis spurred by government neglect, bureaucracy, resource exploitation, and colonialism.

Featuring: heartrending testimonies from Ebola survivors and first responders; an epilogue detailing Farmer's work combatting COVID-19.  
Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen...
by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz

Starring: disgraced vice president Spiro Agnew, who resigned in 1973 after he was caught committing tax fraud and running a bribery and extortion ring in his office. 

Why you might like it: This well-researched examination of a lesser-known political scandal, which happened concurrently (but unrelatedly) with Watergate, offers striking parallels to current events.

Media buzz: Bag Man is an engaging expansion of the authors' podcast of the same name, which was nominated for a Peabody Award in 2018. 
The Nine Lives of Pakistan: Dispatches from a Precarious State
by Declan Walsh

What it is: an incisive debut exploring the tumult of modern Pakistan, written by Guardian and New York Times journalist Declan Walsh, who spent nearly a decade living and reporting in the country.

What sets it apart: Walsh's profiles of nine individuals (the titular "nine lives") whose experiences offer illuminating perspectives on Pakistan's ongoing ails.

Reviewers say: "This masterfully reported account deserves a wide readership" (Publishers Weekly). 
Graphic Histories
The Harlem Hellfighters
by Max Brooks; illustrated by Caanan White

What it is: a well-researched, lightly fictionalized account of the Harlem Hellfighters, the highly decorated all-Black Army regiment who fought in World War I.   

Art alert: Caanan White's dark and detailed artwork doesn't shy away from gory imagery, starkly conveying the chaos and violence of war.

Book buzz: This New York Times bestseller from World War Z author Max Brooks was named a Library Journal Best Graphic Novel in 2014.
Tetris: The Games People Play
by Box Brown

What it is: the complicated origin story of Tetris, "the game that escaped the USSR" in 1984 after its Russian creator smuggled it out of Moscow. 

Why you might like it: Bestselling author and illustrator Box Brown (Andre the Giant: Life and Legend) presents the tale in a whimsical and engaging narrative.

Art alert: Straightforward illustrations feature hard edges and minimal coloring meant to evoke the visuals of the game's earliest iterations.
Verax: The True Story of Whistleblowers, Drone Warfare, and Mass Surveillance
by Pratap Chatterjee; illustrated by Khalil

What it's about: post-9/11 American surveillance and drone warfare.  

Art alert: Vivid black-and-white illustrations, including informative charts and diagrams, make the subject accessible to general readers.   

Try this next: For another graphic history exploring America's surveillance state, read Ivan Greenberg's The Machine Never Blinks. 
Rolling Blackouts: Dispatches from Turkey, Syria, and Iraq
by Sarah Glidden

What it's about: Accompanying two journalist friends and an Iraq War veteran during a Middle East trip to report on the impact of the war, cartoonist Sarah Glidden grappled with ethical quandaries as she learned about the complexity of the journalistic process.

Art alert: Delicate pastel watercolors complement Glidden's thought-provoking and empathetic insights into life in conflict-riven areas.
Showa: A History of Japan, 1926-1939
by Shigeru Mizuki; translated by Zack Davisson

What it is: the first of a four-part series exploring the personal and political history of Japan's Showa era (1926-1989), written and illustrated by beloved manga artist Shigeru Mizuki. 

Topics include: the author's childhood in rural Sakaiminato; the Nanjing Massacre; Japan's entry into World War II.

Art alert: Mizuki contrasts realistic illustrations (for newsworthy events) with cartoony ones (for scenes of everyday life); fans of his previous works will enjoy the appearances from GeGeGe no Kitaro's Rat Man.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Hoover Public Library
200 Municipal Dr., Hoover, AL 35216
205-444-7800

@hooverpubliclibrary  |  hooverlibrary.org  |  #imagineMORE