|
|
|
|
History and Current Events April 2026 |
|
|
|
| The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster by Shelley PuhakWriter and poet Shelley Puhak's (The Dark Queens) nuanced and demythologizing latest examines the life and exploits of 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman Elizabeth Báthory, whose conviction of (and imprisonment for) torturing and murdering 80 girls and women was the result of a smear campaign. It's "a stunning feminist reconsideration of one of history's most reviled villainesses" (Publishers Weekly). Try this next: When Women Kill: Four Crimes Retold by Alia Trabucco Zerán. |
|
|
|
Zaidy's Band: The Untold Stories of a Jewish Band of Brothers in World War II
by Aron Heller
In Zaidy's Band, Aron Heller chronicles his extensive journey with his grandfather Mickey Heller -- his Zaidy -- to uncover Mickey's mysterious wartime past and the untold stories of his Jewish Canadian band of brothers.Through many trips, calls, and emails to his Zaidy, Heller uncovers dozens of previously unknown stories of lost friendships, personal tragedies, acts of heroism, and emotional reunions. These men played key roles in the defining events of their time - fighting against Nazism and contributing to the establishment of Israel. Their voices, however, are not mere relics of the past. The dilemmas they faced - faith, belonging, courage, and sacrifice - continue to resonate today.Part memoir, part historical biography, and part mystery, Zaidy's Band reveals how even the humblest acts of World War II service shaped a generation of men and left a lasting impact on their families for years to come.
|
|
|
|
Winston and the Windsors: How Churchill Shaped a Royal Dynasty
by Andrew Morton
In Winston and the Windsors, Andrew Morton, one of the world's best-known biographers and a leading authority on celebrity, presents a meticulously researched joint biography of Winston Churchill and the House of Windsor. Throughout the course of his career and life, Churchill's connection to the Windsors fluctuated wildly. At times, he was the royal family's trusted confidant. At others, he was their leading antagonist. In exploring the complex dynamic between the two, Morton argues that, regardless of whether the attitudes of the royal family were warm or icy toward Churchill, their relationship was central to the twentieth-century history of the British monarchy. From the Churchill family's intricate relationship with the Crown, to Winston's initially begrudging but ultimately fruitful partnership with George VI, to his enduring fondness for Queen Elizabeth II, this fascinating narrative biography sheds new light on the ways the Crown not only shaped Winston Churchill's career, but the ways in which Churchill shepherded the monarchy into the modern era.
|
|
|
|
Leading from the Heart: The Battles of a Feminist, Union Leader and Politician
by Judy Darcy
In this inspiring memoir, Judy Darcy recounts the remarkable turns that brought her from library worker to president of Canada's largest labour union, and from there to groundbreaking legislator focused on many of our most pressing issues, including health care, the rights of immigrant workers and the toxic-drug crisis. As this rich memoir shows, the life of activist, union leader and legislator Judy Darcy mirrors many of the great social and political currents of the modern era.
|
|
|
|
American Reich: A Murder in Orange County, Neo-Nazis, and a New Age of Hate
by Eric Lichtblau
From The Nazis Next Door, a deeply reported exploration of the violent resurgence of hatred and white supremacy through the lens of Orange County, California and the story of one brutal murder there that revealed the deep roots of violent bigotry as a bellwether for the country. One night in early 2018, while he was home from college, an Ivy League student named Blaze Bernstein snuck out of his parents' house in Orange County. Waiting for him in a car outside was an old high-school classmate: Sam Woodward, someone who Blaze mostly remembered as a brooding, bigoted loner. But that night, after months of flirtatious messaging, Sam had succeeded in coaxing Blaze--a gay, Jewish sophomore at UPenn--out for a rendezvous. No one would ever see him alive again. In American Reich, veteran investigative journalist Eric Lichtblau uses the story of Blaze's life and death to shine a light on the epidemic of hate in Southern California and, increasingly, the nation as a whole.
|
|
|
|
Bernie for Burlington: The Rise of the People's Politician
by Dan Chiasson
In this symphonic origin story of an era-defining politician, Dan Chiasson, a Burlington native who had a ringside seat to Bernie Sanders's development, reconstructs the rise of an American icon. With in-depth reporting and remarkable remembered scenes, Chiasson tracks a faint political signal that traveled from the Vermont communes, hard luck neighborhoods, traditional businesses, and county fairs to the town meetings and ballot boxes of his home state, and finally to Washington, D.C., to transform our national political landscape. Sanders, insisting on a socialist platform that hasn't changed to this day, defied a corrupt Democratic machine to find his coalition among Burlington's often feuding communities.
|
|
|
|
Captives and Companions: A History of Slavery and the Slave Trade in the Islamic World
by Justin Marozzi
Slavery in the Islamic world has a complex and controversial history. In the earliest days of Islam, Arab Muslims enslaved men, women, and children as the spoils of war. In the following centuries, young boys were imported to imperial Islamic courts in enormous numbers. Some were castrated to serve as guardians of sacred spaces, while others were harvested by the Ottomans to serve in the sultan's elite infantry unit. Some even rose to the highest levels of political and military command, while women leading concubines also became powerful figures in their own right. Yet it was Africa which bore the brunt of the Islamic world's insatiable demand for slave labor.
|
|
|
|
Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service
by Josh Shapiro
A grounded and intimate portrait of life by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.Where We Keep the Light is the story of public service and personal faith. From an early age, Josh Shapiro learned and practiced the power of showing up, listening, and executing, to make people's lives a little better. In the pages of this account of his life, Shapiro relates powerful stories about his family, his faith, and what matters to Americans tired of all the divisiveness and distrust in our leaders.Reflecting on what he's learned by knocking on doors, serving his community, and tackling the tough problems that no one wanted to touch in new and different ways, Shapiro reminds us that government can be a force for good, that conventional wisdom is rarely wise, and there's more that unites Americans than divides us.Shapiro is answering a call to service at a time when we need leaders like him to step up. Where We Keep the Light is a must-read account of his life and what lies ahead.
|
|
|
|
The Last Secret Agent: My Life as a Spy Behind Nazi Lines
by Pippa LaTour
After decades of silence, the last surviving World War II British spy reveals the real, untold story of her time as a secret agent in the deadly world of Nazi France. From a unique and singular voice comes the incredible true story of the last surviving undercover British female operative in WW2. Pippa Latour parachuted into occupied France in 1944 to conduct sabotage and subversion behind enemy lines. Selling soap to German soldiers and hiding codes on a piece of ribbon, she sent back crucial information about troop positions in the lead up to D-Day, and continued her work until Paris was liberated. From her childhood as an orphan in South Africa to her years as an undercover agent, Pippa's story is that of a woman determined to honor her principles and risk her life to fight against the greatest evil of the 20th century.
|
|
|
|
One Day in October: Forty Heroes, Forty Stories
by Yair Agmon and Oriya Mevorach
This amazing book tells the stories of forty regular people and their heroic actions from October 7. Of how these individuals embodied the essence of heroism. They exemplified the highest level of courage. Amidst the challenges and fear, they provided us with the opportunity to share a different story-a narrative of hope and compassion. This is the story we now recount, for the sake of future generations, for the comfort we seek, and for the generations to come. One Day In October presents a unique and compelling project, introducing readers to forty genuine heroes whose actions unfolded within a single day. Set against the backdrop of a turbulent landscape, these stories captivate readers, leaving a lasting impression. Here lie unforgettable heroes and stories that offer solace amidst the chaos.
|
|
|
|
The Eternal Forest: A Memoir of the Cuban Diaspora
by Elena Sheppard
In the tradition of The Yellow House and Half Broke Horses, a memoir of the Cuban diaspora that follows one family's exile from the island, through a lyrical exploration of memory, cultural mythology, and the history of Cuban-American relations.
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
Côte Saint-Luc Public Library
5851 Cavendish Blvd.
Côte Saint-Luc, Quebec H4W 2X8
514-485-6900csllibrary.org/ |
|
|
|