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| Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History by Moudhy Al-RashidIn her accessible and illuminating debut, historian Moudhy Al-Rashid utilizes eight artifacts, including cuneiform tablets and weapon fragments, to explore everyday life and culture in ancient Mesopotamia. Further reading: The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World by Selena Wisnom. |
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How to Save the Amazon: A Journalist's Fatal Quest for Answers
by Dom Phillips
Taking place largely during the term of right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, the book sets out to discover what solutions are available for protecting the Amazon from its destruction, and if those solutions are viable. It is a time of increased violence in the region due to Bolsonaro's anti-environment platform of condoning illegal ranching and mining, creating conflicts between the perpetrators and their supporters and the Indigenous inhabitants and their advocates, with the crescendo of course being the brutal murder of the author himself. Dom Phillips was able to write 3.5 chapters of this book before he was killed, and the book is divided by his death- his original work followed with chapters written by friends and Amazon experts, informed by his notes and fieldwork. In addition to the telling of Dom's own story, the chapters dive deeply into the regional politics and global policies that impact the Amazon, considering the benefits and flaws of each.
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| The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze That Captured Turn-of-the-Century America by David BaronScience journalist David Baron (American Eclipse) chronicles how early-20th century astronomers, writers, and intellectuals popularized a cultural fascination with Mars (and its potential lifeforms) that ushered in a new era of exploration, tabloid journalism, and conspiracy theories. Try this next: Dead Air: The Night That Orson Welles Terrified America by William Elliott Hazelgrove. |
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Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future
by Dan Wang
For close to a decade, technology analyst Dan Wang has been living through the country's astonishing, messy progress. China's towering bridges, gleaming railways, and sprawling factories have improved economic outcomes in record time. But rapid change has also sent ripples of pain throughout the society. This reality--political repression and astonishing growth--is not a paradox, but rather a feature of China's engineering mindset. In Breakneck, Wang blends political, economic, and philosophical analysis with reportage to reveal a provocative new framework for understanding China--one that helps us see America more clearly, too.
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| The Black Family Who Built America: The McKissacks, Two Centuries of Daring Pioneers by Cheryl McKissack Daniel with Nick ChilesIn her inspiring debut, Cheryl McKissack Daniel, president of America's oldest Black-owned construction firm McKissack & McKissack, details two centuries of her trailblazing family's influential yet overlooked contributions to American architecture, from their post-Emancipation projects to the present. Try this next: On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Bundles. |
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| Could Should Might Don't: How We Think About the Future by Nick FosterFuturist and designer Nick Foster's thought-provoking study blends history and current events to examine four mindsets of approaching the future -- "could" (based on projections), "should" (based on goals), "might" (based on data), and "don't" (based on consequences). Further reading: A Century of Tomorrows: How Imagining the Future Shapes the Present by Glenn Adamson. |
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| Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State by Caleb GayleJournalist Caleb Gayle's compelling and well-researched history offers a nuanced portrait of Black separatist politician and entrepreneur Edward McCabe, whose attempts to establish Black-run communities in the post-Reconstruction Oklahoma Territory spurred the displacement of the Cherokee already living there. Try this next: The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an American Inheritance by Rebecca Clarren. |
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| The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces by Seth HarpJournalist and Iraq War veteran Seth Harp's disturbing debut chronicles the criminal exploits of United States Special Forces soldiers based at North Carolina's Fort Bragg military base, where a 2020 double murder exposed a drug trafficking operation. Try this next: Code Over Country: The Tragedy and Corruption of SEAL Team Six by Matthew Cole. |
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Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy
by Randi Weingarten
America's most influential teacher's union leader tells the anti-fascist history of public education, warning that American teachers today are under a new fascist assault-from book bans to culture wars and organized groups of "concerned" parents dictating what can be taught.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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