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History and Current Events December 2022 |
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| Our America: A Photographic History by Ken Burns; introduction by Sarah Hermanson MeisterWhat's inside: a chronological collection of both well-known and obscure photographs documenting nearly two centuries of American history, assembled by famed documentarian Ken Burns.
Why you might like it: Featuring richly detailed notes on each photo's context and origin, this moving collection celebrates the breadth of the American experience. |
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| Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and... by Matthew F. DelmontWhat it is: a thought-provoking history that explores the essential yet overlooked roles African American soldiers played in World War II and details how they served in the face of racism.
Don't miss: Historian Matthew F. Delmont's account of the lesser-known Port Chicago Mutiny, an event that led to the desegregation of the United States Navy.
Try this next: David P. Cline's well-researched oral history Twice Forgotten: African Americans and the Korean War. |
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| The Story of Russia by Orlando FigesWhat it is: a sweeping history of Russia from 988 CE to the present exploring the evolution of the country's national identity: "No other country has reimagined its past so frequently."
About the author: Prizewinning historian Orlando Figes is regarded as one of the world's leading authorities on Russian history.
Book buzz: The Story of Russia was named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly. |
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| The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan FreedlandWhat it's about: In 1944, Slovak Jewish teenager Rudolf Vrba made a harrowing escape from Auschwitz and co-wrote a report about the camp that was distributed to the Allies and helped save over 200,000 lives.
Read it for: a compelling, pulse-pounding account that reads like fiction; a nuanced portrait of an overlooked historical figure who often courted controversy in his postwar life.
Try this next: The Escape Artists: A Band of Daredevil Pilots and the Greatest Escape of the Great War by Neal Bascomb. |
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| Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past by Kevin Michael Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer (editors)What's inside: 20 thought-provoking essays that address misinformation about America's past, each penned by a renowned historian.
Contributors include: Akhil Reed Amar, Carol Anderson, Geraldo Cadava, Daniel Immerwahr, Erika Lee, and more.
Topics include: immigration laws, voter fraud, The New Deal and The Great Society, feminism, socialism, and the U.S.-Mexico border. |
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You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation
by Julissa Arce
What it's about: how the myth of the "American Dream" harms people of color and reinforces white supremacy.
Read it for: journalist Julissa Arce's candid account of her own experiences as an undocumented Mexican immigrant and how she learned to reject assimilation into white American culture.
Reviewers say: "challenges the idea of American exceptionalism with equal parts passion, fury, intimacy, and ignored history" (Kirkus).
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Bloodbath nation
by Paul Auster
Traces centuries of Americas use and abuse of guns, exploring the bitter divide between our gun control and anti-gun control camps and how gun violence has become so prevalent and out of proportion to the rest of the world.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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