History and Current Events March 2020 Recent Releases What's Your Pronoun? Beyond He & She by Dennis Baron What it is: a playful yet thought-provoking deep dive into the history and politics of pronoun usage, written by Guggenheim fellow and linguistics professor Dennis Baron. Did you know? Although gender-neutral pronouns are a hot topic right now, they've been around for centuries: ou, the earliest documented gender-neutral pronoun, was first used in 1789.  Don't miss: the annotated chronology of more than 250 gender-neutral and nonbinary pronouns that concludes the volume.  Imperfect Union : How Jessie and John Frémont Mapped the West, Invented Celebrity, and Helped Cause the Civil War by Steve Inskeep An NPR host tells the riveting story of John and Jessie Frémont, the husband and wife team who in the 1800s were instrumental in the westward expansion of the United States, and thus became America’s first great political couple. Includes illustrations and maps. The Fall of Richard Nixon : A Reporter Remembers Watergate by Tom Brokaw "The Presidential Medal of Freedom-winning former NBC host and author of the best-selling ""The Greatest Generation"" draws on his experiences as a young White House correspondent to recount the endgames of the Watergate scandal and the Nixon presidency." A House in the Mountains: The Women Who Liberated Italy from Fascism by Caroline Moorehead What it's about: how a group of anti-fascist women in Italy's Piedmont region spearheaded the country's resistance efforts after Mussolini's fall in 1943, navigating a treacherous web of Nazi invaders, Italian fascists, and mistrustful Allies.   Read it for: a portrait of four heroic women eager to shake off the social norms of a system that preferred them to be passive.  Series alert: A House in the Mountains is the moving conclusion to the bestselling World War II-themed Resistance Quartet. Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy by David Zucchino What it's about: the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898, when white supremacist Democrats in Wilmington, North Carolina stoked racist ire to overthrow the city's mixed-race government and disenfranchise thousands of black citizens, killing an estimated 60 black people.  Why you should read it: Drawing upon numerous primary sources including diaries and witness testimonies, Pulitzer Prize winner David Zucchino's sobering and resonant history rightly corrects the historical record -- for decades, the coup was viewed as a race riot instigated by Wilmington's black population. Women and War The Hello Girls: America's First Women Soldiers by Elizabeth Cobbs What it's about: During World War I, 223 American women enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and served as switchboard operators in France. Denied veteran's benefits after the war and classed as civilian employees, it took them more than 60 years to be formally recognized for their accomplishments. For fans of: Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures.  Reviewers say: "A fresh, well-researched contribution to military and gender history" (Kirkus Reviews).   Searching for the Amazons: The Real Warrior Women of the Ancient World by John Man What it is: a sweeping history of the women warriors of central Asia whose mystique inspired the ancient Greeks to create myths about them that endure to this day. Why you might like it: Historian John Man's playful account debunks many common misconceptions about the Amazons' way of life (no, they did not cut off their right breasts to improve their skills with a bow).   Further reading: For another scholarly yet accessible history of this formidable culture, check out Adrienne Mayor's The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World.  Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy...  by Lynne Olson Starring: French Resistance operative Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, aka "Hedgehog," who led a spy network of thousands in occupied France and whose efforts crucially helped secure an Allied victory on D-Day.  Read it for: evocative period detail, white-knuckle cat-and-mouse games, and dramatic political intrigue.  Don't miss: Fourcade's multiple escapes from captivity. Louisa on the Front Lines: Louisa May Alcott in the Civil War by Samantha Seiple What it's about: how Little Women author Louisa May Alcott's experiences as a Civil War nurse shaped her as a writer and bolstered her dedication to the abolitionist movement. Who it's for: Alcott fans, Civil War buffs, and teen readers will all find much to appreciate in this engaging adult debut written by young adult nonfiction author Samantha Seiple (Ghosts in the Fog: The Untold Story of Alaska's WWII Invasion).  Contact your librarian for more great books!  44 Burrer Drive | Sunbury OH 43074 | (740) 965-3901 | www.yourcl.org