| The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty by Tracy BormanAccording to historian Tracy Borman, the private lives of the Tudors weren't so private -- at least, in the modern sense of "privacy." In this thoroughly researched book, drawing on contemporary journals and correspondence as well as official documents, Borman traces the monarchs' personal lives from Henry VII to Elizabeth I. No royal personage passed a single moment unattended -- even when using the chamber pot. Though the dynasty has been portrayed in reams of nonfiction and fiction, The Private Lives of the Tudors offers the first up-close and personal account of these rulers. For an intriguing and more general depiction of 16th-century English life, try Ian Mortimer's Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England. |
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| Audacity: How Barack Obama Defied His Critics and Transformed America by Jonathan ChaitJust as President Barack Obama leaves office, journalist Jonathan Chait provides an assessment of his presidency. Covering Obama's economic and foreign policies; his actions on health care, environmental protection, and education; and his leadership in financial reforms, Chait provides well-researched details about each area. He discusses initiatives in which Obama was unsuccessful, while giving him an overall positive rating. The book's title, Audacity, refers to Obama's firmness, clear vision, and willingness to maneuver strategically to accomplish his aims. While some immediate responses to Obama's achievements and Chait's evaluation may be negative, Kirkus Reviews calls this a "well-organized, clearly written case that will be valuable to future historians in their assessments." |
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| The Pursuit of Power: Europe 1815-1914 by Richard J. EvansBetween 1815 and 1914, Europe saw significant changes in every area: science and the arts, politics and culture, industrialization, and views on individual liberty. In The Pursuit of Power, award-winning historian Richard Evans explores European developments during the 19th century, finding special significance in the quest for power by individuals in all social classes, by business leaders, and, of course, by governments. This thematically organized, accessible entry in the Penguin History of Europe series will please history buffs, especially those intrigued by the rise of modernism. |
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| How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS by David FranceBased on the Oscar-winning documentary of the same name, How to Survive a Plague details the battle to address and finally tame the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and '90s. While governments ignored the devastating effects of the disease, religious leaders blamed its victims, and the death toll mounted, activists refused to wait for public policy to catch up. Organizing on several fronts, gay and lesbian people and their supporters pushed their life-saving agenda forward, changing public opinion as they went. Profiling important figures in the movement (both behind the scenes and out front), journalist David France, who directed the documentary film, serves up a gripping historical tale. |
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| The Wars of the Roosevelts: The Ruthless Rise of America's Greatest Political Family by William J. MannAward-winning author William J. Mann shines his spotlight on the Roosevelt clan, arguing that a few members of this illustrious American family were willing to sacrifice their own close relatives to further their political ambitions. Mann draws on previously unavailable documents to develop revised portraits of Theodore Roosevelt, his niece Eleanor and cousin Franklin Roosevelt, and less well-known family members. While The Wars of the Roosevelts doesn't slight the Roosevelts' impressive achievements nor neglect their flaws, this ultimately sympathetic group portrait offers complexity and nuance, especially highlighting those who didn't conform to the dominant hard-charging, high-achieving pattern. For another intriguing study of intra-Roosevelt animosity, pick up Marc Peyser's Hissing Cousins, a dual biography of Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt Longworth. |
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African Americans in History
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| The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism by Edward E. BaptistIn The Half Has Never Been Told, Cornell University historian Edward Baptist minutely examines the institution of slavery, demonstrating how it enabled the United States to become a global economic power through the production of cotton. Drawing on narratives of enslaved people, plantation records, and the words of slave owners, politicians, and escaped slaves, Baptist compellingly details the system of enslavement as well as the economic and social benefits it supplied to the industrializing North -- in addition to the South's plantation economy. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews credits Baptist's "staggering scholarship" with significantly improving our appreciation of slavery's role in U.S. history. |
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| First Class: The Legacy of Dunbar, America's First Black Public High School by Alison StewartIn First Class, broadcast journalist Alison Stewart relates the over 140 years' history of America's first public high school for African Americans. Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C. was for many years an outstanding preparatory school whose famous graduates included author Jean Toomer, scholars Anna J. Cooper and Carter G. Woodson, and jazz musicians James Reese Europe and Billy Taylor. However, since public schools were integrated, Dunbar has become like many other inner-city schools, with a high drop-out rate and unmotivated students. Stewart candidly reports Dunbar's contemporary problems in contrast with its stellar early years, accompanying an uplifting history with a sobering reminder of the burdens of racial discrimination on the current generation. |
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Dream a world anew : the African American experience and the shaping of America
by Kinshasha Conwill
Marking the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, a visual history of the African-American experience combines informative narratives from leading scholars, curators and authors with objects from the museum’s collection to present a thorough exploration of African-American history and culture.
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Black Power 50
by Sylviane A. Diouf
"Black Power burst onto the world scene in 1966 with ideas, politics, and fashion that opened the eyes of millions of people across the globe. In the United States, the movement spread like wildfire: high school and college youth organized black student unions; educators created black studies programs; Black Power conventions gathered thousands of people from all walks of life; and books, journals, bookstores, and publishing companies spread Black Power messages and imagery throughout the country and abroad. Black Power aesthetics of natural hair and African-inspired fashion, ornaments, and home decor--and the concept that black was beautiful--resonated throughout the country. The black arts movement inspired the creation of some eight hundred black theaters and cultural centers, where a generation of writers and artists forged a new and enduring cultural vision. Published in conjunction with a major 2016 exhibit at New York's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Black Power 50 includes original interviews with key figures from the movement, essays from today's leading Black Power scholars, and more than one hundred stunning images from the Schomburg's celebrated archives, offering a beautiful and compelling introduction to the history and meaning of this pivotal movement. "
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