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History and Current Events January 2020
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| Checkpoint Charlie: The Cold War, the Berlin Wall, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Iain MacGregorWhat it's about: how Cold War tensions spurred the construction of Checkpoint Charlie, the border crossing separating East and West Germany that became a powerful symbol of the era.
Why you might like it: This dramatic, well-researched account was published to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
What sets it apart: never-before-seen interviews with border guards, intelligence operatives, and escapees. |
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Barnum : An American Life
by Robert Wilson
A biography of P.T. Barnum, nearly 125 years after his death, captures the full genius, infamy and allure of the forefather of American entertainment, and makes the case for his place among the icons of American history.
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| Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference, and the Pursuit of Justice for... by Jessica McDiarmidWhat it is: a heart-wrenching exposé on British Columbia's Highway 16, known as the "Highway of Tears" because of the disappearances or murders of many Indigenous girls and women in the area.
Why it matters: Journalist Jessica McDiarmid's "powerful must-read" (Booklist) illuminates how these unsolved and underreported crimes are a microcosm of the systemic forces that continue to fail vulnerable Indigenous populations throughout Canada. |
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| The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era by Gareth RussellWhat it is: an extensively researched, evocatively detailed account of the Titanic's fateful voyage as experienced by six first-class passengers.
Featuring: Lucy Leslie, Countess of Rothes, who rowed a lifeboat full of passengers to safety; Jewish American immigrant Ida Strauss, who chose to die with her husband rather than board a lifeboat without him.
Don't miss: Author Gareth Russell's debunking of many of the popular conspiracy theories and falsehoods about the ship's sinking. |
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| This Land is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled... by David J. SilvermanWhat it's about: the complex 50-year alliance between the Wampanoag tribe and European colonizers that ended with King Philip's War, a three-year conflict that almost completely annihilated the Wampanoag.
Why you might like it: This impassioned narrative centers the Wampanoag people's experiences, offering insights into why the alliance was brokered and how the tribe persisted in the face of devastation.
Don't miss: profiles of Wampanoag activists, including Frank James (1923-2001), who established the National Day of Mourning in 1970. |
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| The Wonders: The Extraordinary Performers Who Transformed the Victorian Age by John WoolfWhat it is: a lively and thought-provoking history of the "freak show," which gained considerable popularity in the 19th century even as performers were increasingly exploited by showmen like P.T. Barnum.
What sets it apart: Historian John Woolf's well-researched debut gives a voice to the performers who had few other opportunities for employment.
Did you know? Queen Victoria's known love of freak performers helped elevate the public perception of freak shows as high-brow amusements. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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