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History and Current Events January 2020
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The Family Next Door: The Heartbreaking Imprisonment of the 13 Turpin Siblings and...
by John Glatt
What it is: the disturbing story of seemingly picture-perfect couple David and Louise Turpin, who for years brutalized and imprisoned their 13 children in their suburban California home.
What happened: In January 2018, the Turpins' 17-year-old daughter Jordan made a daring escape to successfully alert the authorities.
Is it for you? True crime fans will appreciate this timely account of a gruesome case that's still making headlines -- in April 2019, David and Louise received life sentences for their crimes.
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On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane
by Emily Guendelsberger
What it's about: journalist Emily Guendelsberger's experiences working in the service industry after losing her job at a Philadelphia newspaper.
What she did: Guendelsberger held jobs as a "picker" at an Amazon fulfillment center in Louisville, an AT&T call center representative in North Carolina, and a cashier at a San Francisco McDonald's.
Why you might like it: Reminiscent of Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed, this eye-opening account offers ample context for the grueling (and often inhumane) working conditions of today's low-wage jobs.
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Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America
by Christopher Leonard
What it is: a comprehensive deep dive into Koch Industries, the privately owned conglomerate that is no stranger to corporate overreach and scandal.
Read it for: a fast-paced narrative that reads like a thriller.
For fans of: Andrew Sorkin's Too Big to Fail; Steve Coll's Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power.
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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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| 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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Lincoln's Spies: Their Secret War to Save a Nation
by Douglas Waller
What it's about: the network of four Union spies President Lincoln utilized to help end the Civil War.
Featuring: Richmond socialite and abolitionist Elizabeth Van Lew, who ran a spy ring out of her mansion; famed Scottish detective Allan Pinkerton, who successfully foiled an assassination attempt on Lincoln.
Reviewers say: "a cracking good tale" (Publishers Weekly).
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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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