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History and Current Events May 2019
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| Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer L. Eberhardt, PhDWhat it's about: supplemented with research and the author's own experiences with prejudice, this eye-opening work explores how readers can combat unconscious racial bias in their everyday lives.
Author alert: MacArthur fellow Jennifer L. Eberhardt is a Stanford University psychology professor and an expert on the topic of racial bias.
Book buzz: Just Mercy author Bryan Stevenson calls Biased "groundbreaking." |
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| Murder by the Book: The Crime That Shocked Dickens's London by Claire HarmanLondon, 1840: Penny dreadfuls are surging in popularity and are believed to be a corrupting influence on the city’s lower-class residents. When aristocrat Lord William Russell is brutally murdered in his home, is a book to blame?
Starring: prime suspect François Corvoisier, a valet of Russell's who claimed in court that William Harrison Ainsworth's crime novel Jack Sheppard drove him to the violent deed. |
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| The League of Wives: The Untold Story of the Women Who Took on the U.S. Government... by Heath Hardage LeeWhat it is: the forgotten story of the military wives who mobilized to bring their POW husbands home from Vietnam.
How they did it: After forming the National League of Families, the women organized media campaigns, lobbied politicians, learned encryption to send and receive coded messages (earning the nickname "Jane Bonds"), and even negotiated directly with the North Vietnamese.
Reviewers say: Book clubs will flock to this "unputdownable" tale (Library Journal) that "begs for discussion" (Booklist). |
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| Girl in Black and White: The Story of Mary Mildred Williams and the Abolition Movement by Jessie Morgan-OwensWhat it's about: how the photograph of seven-year-old light-skinned slave Mary Mildred Williams was used to stoke abolitionist ire.
Unwitting celebrity: Brought onstage during Senator Charles Sumner's 1855 antislavery tour, Mary's white-passing appearance earned her the nickname "white slave" and garnered sympathy from audiences who otherwise ignored the plight of her darker-skinned counterparts.
Why you might like it: Girl in Black and White offers an illuminating new perspective on the racial politics of the abolitionist movement. |
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| The Trial of Lizzie Borden: A True Story by Cara RobertsonWhat it is: a fast-paced account of the notorious 1893 Lizzie Borden murder trial that utilizes court transcripts, newspaper accounts, and recently discovered letters written by Borden herself to argue that the jury who acquitted her got it wrong.
About the author: Debut author Cara Robertson is a lawyer and former Supreme Court clerk who spent 20 years researching the Borden case.
Who it's for: true crime aficionados and amateur sleuths. |
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| One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill BrysonWhat it's about: how a single pivotal season signaled American's ascent to the world stage.
Topics include: Charles Lindbergh's ambitious transatlantic flight; Babe Ruth's career-best record of 60 home runs; the production of The Jazz Singer (the first "talking picture"); Al Capone's reign of terror.
Read it for: Bill Bryson's sly humor and unusual factoids (for instance, Calvin Coolidge enjoyed having Vaseline applied to his head). |
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| The Second Coming of the KKK: The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s and the American Political... by Linda GordonWhat it's about: the "second Ku Klux Klan," which attracted millions of middle-class northern and midwestern Americans throughout the 1920s.
How it happened: Klan leaders, many of whom were elected government officials, amplified xenophobic fears by arguing for "100 percent Americanism" amid the country's influx of immigrants.
Don't miss: Linda Gordon's incisive discussion of the Klan's 500,000 women members, who played significant roles in the organization. |
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| When Paris Sizzled: The 1920s Paris of Hemingway, Chanel, Cocteau, Cole Porter... by Mary McAuliffeWhat it is: a vibrant year-by-year chronicle of Paris' rollicking Années folles ("Crazy Years") and the larger-than-life personalities that populated the city during its creative boom.
What sets it apart: Mary McAuliffe's breezy vignettes include the exploits of lesser-known figures like cosmetics entrepreneur Helena Rubenstein and automobile manufacturer André Citroën, who hoped to be the French Henry Ford. |
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Needle Arts League
Thursdays, April 4, 11, 18 & 25, 5:30 pm
Library Meeting Room
The Needle Arts League of Michigan City promotes all forms of needle arts. Membership is open to anyone interested in needle arts such as crochet, needlepoint, cross-stitch, crewel, tatting, and other hand stitching. All skill levels and ages are welcome. An exchange of skills and materials is encouraged. For information, call 219-873-3049.
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Gentle Flow Yoga
Saturday, May 4, 12:30 pm
Library Meeting Room
Join certified yoga instructor Lauralee Sikorski, who has taught over 5,000 hours of classes, for gentle flow yoga with emphasis on deep breathing and releasing stress. Wear comfortable attire and come on an empty stomach. Class is free. Bring your own mat as extras are limited.
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Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story
Sunday, May 5, 2:00 pm
Library Meeting Room
Edward Albee’s hugely successful first play, The Zoo Story, is a mesmerizing encounter between two distinctly different men, Peter and Jerry, who meet in Central Park one afternoon. First staged in 1959, The Zoo Story catapulted Albee to the top of American theater. Good theater should inform, entertain and challenge. The Zoo Story is a strong example of such an ethic and, after 45 years, the brief meeting in the park between Peter and Jerry, with its tight dialogue, a challenging premise, and an unsettling ending, is still powerful. Starring local actors Ryan Liddell and Jacob West. Directed by Tara Lonzo.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Michigan City Public Library 100 E. 4th Street Michigan City, Indiana 46360 219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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