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History and Current Events June 2018
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| Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture by Roxane Gay (editor) What it is: a searing collection of new and previously published first-person accounts written by a diverse group of sexual assault survivors.
Featuring: essays written by actors Ally Sheedy and Gabrielle Union and writers Amy Jo Burns, Lyz Lenz, and Claire Schwartz.
Further reading: Kate Harding's meticulously researched Asking For It, which offers suggestions for how society can combat sexual violence and rape culture. |
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| The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace JohnsonWhat it's about: In June 2009, American student Edwin Rist stole 299 rare bird skins from Hertfordshire, England's Natural History Museum, removing their feathers to sell to fly-fishing enthusiasts.
Don't miss: This astonishing true crime caper features an unexpected twist worthy of a courtroom drama.
Reviewers say: "Johnson's flair for telling an engrossing story is, like the beautiful birds he describes, exquisite" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Beneath a Ruthless Sun: A True Story of Violence, Race, and Justice Lost and Found by Gilbert KingWhat it's about: In 1957, mentally impaired teenager Jesse Daniels was falsely accused of raping a prominent woman in Okahumpka, Florida. His commitment to a mental hospital without a trial spawned a 20-year investigation into police corruption, privilege, and racism.
About the author: Gilbert King is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Devil in the Grove, which recounts Thurgood Marshall's 1951 civil rights case about the wrongful accusations of rape leveraged against four black men. |
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| See What Can Be Done: Essays, Criticism, and Commentary by Lorrie MooreWhat it is: a collection of musings -- 66 in total -- written by fiction author Lorrie Moore (Bark: Stories) from 1983-2017 and covering art, culture, and politics.
Topics include: the work of Margaret Atwood and Nora Ephron; the O.J. Simpson verdict; the 1992 presidential debates.
Is it for you? Creative writing instructor Moore's sharp commentary will appeal to aspiring authors. |
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| God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State by Lawrence WrightWhat it is: a balanced and insightful exploration of the history, culture, politics, and stereotypes of Texas and its people.
About the author: Longtime Texas resident Lawrence Wright won the Pulitzer Prize for The Looming Tower, a history of pre-9/11 al-Qaeda.
Want a taste? "There's an element of performance involved with being 'Texan.' The boots, the pickup trucks, the guns, the attitude -- they're all part of the stereotype, but they're also a masquerade." |
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| The Fever of 1721: The Epidemic That Revolutionized Medicine and American Politics by Stephen CossWhat it's about: This sweeping colonial history links the Boston smallpox epidemic of 1721 to the democratization of the press, exploring the impact of these fevers -- medical and political -- on a nascent America.
Why you might like it: Ambitious yet accessible, The Fever of 1721 features anecdotes about famous players in early American history, including a teenage Benjamin Franklin. |
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| The Next Pandemic: On the Front Lines Against Humankind's Gravest Dangers by Ali S. KhanWhat it's about: Written with verve by a self-described "disease detective," this enthralling medical history turns an investigative eye toward the causes of infectious disease outbreaks -- whether naturally occurring or engineered as bioterrorism -- and what we can do to prevent their return.
Read it for: a vivid, page-turning narrative palatable to both science enthusiasts and general readers. |
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| Pandemic: Tracking Contagions, From Cholera to Ebola and Beyond by Sonia ShahWhat it is: a grim yet absorbing exploration of global pandemics' origins and the modern pathogens that may trigger future outbreaks.
Author alert: Sonia Shah is the author of The Fever, a global history of malaria.
Reviewers say: "Shah is back and in rare form. And this time it's personal" (Booklist). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Richmond Public Library 101 E. Franklin Street Richmond, VA 23219 (804)646-7223
rvalibrary.org
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