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"When the young Pablo Picasso arrived in Paris in October 1900 he made his way up the hillside of Montmartre to the lodgings he was borrowing from another Catalan artist before heading down to investigate the nightlife." ~ from Sue Roe’s In Montmartre
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| Headscarves and hymens: Why the Middle East needs a sexual revolution by Mona EltahawyJournalist Mona Eltahawy has spent years campaigning against the widespread repression of women in Arab countries. Her first book, Headscarves and Hymens, details the cultural and political -- as well as religious -- customs that dictate oppressive and demeaning requirements such as veils, virginity tests, and worse. Despite criticism from Human Rights Watch and other global agencies, governments in these countries (including Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Saudi Arabia) deny the abuses are occurring. This impassioned plea for women’s rights is on the "must-read" list for those interested in this subject. |
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| The two-state delusion: Israel and Palestine -- A tale of two narratives by Padraig O'MalleyThe question of peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel is fraught with the complexities of both shared and disputed histories. In The Two-State Delusion, conflict resolution specialist Padraig O’Malley provides a clear and accessible summary of the conflict. Drawing on interviews with Israelis and Palestinians and providing a detailed assessment of long-term and current political issues, O’Malley concludes that it’s too late to implement the "two-state" approach (in which separate Israeli and Palestinian governments would administer adjacent and overlapping territories). Though O’Malley doesn’t propose a specific alternative, Kirkus Reviews notes that his discussion is "evenhanded, diplomatic, mutually respectful and enormously useful." |
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Stranger than we can imagine : Making sense of the Twentieth century
by John Higgs
With John Higgs as our guide, we step off the main path and wander through some of the more curious backwaters of the twentieth century, exploring familiar and unfamiliar territory alike, finding fresh insight on our journey to the present day. We travel in the company of some of the most radical artists, scientists, geniuses and crazies of their age. They show us that great innovations such as relativity, cubism, quantum mechanics, postmodernism and chaos maths are not the incomprehensible, abstract horrors that we assume them to be, but signposts that bring us to the world we live in now.
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The Georgian menagerie : Exotic animals in Eighteenth-century London
by Christopher Plumb
As the British Empire expanded and seaborne trade flooded into London's ports, the menagerists gained access to animals from the most far-flung corners of the globe, and these strange creatures became the objects of fascination and wonder. Many aristocratic families sought to create their own private menageries with which to entertain their guests, while for the less well-heeled, touring exhibitions of exotic creatures both alive and dead satisfied their curiosity for the animal world.
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Dancing with the Devil in the city of God : Rio De Janeiro on the brink
by Juliana Barbassa
Juliana Barbassa moved a great deal throughout her life, but Rio was always home. After twenty-one years abroad, she returned to find the city that once ravaged by inflation, drug wars, corrupt leaders, and dying neighborhoods was now on the precipice of a major change and under the spotlight of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games it seems that its moment has come. But in order to prepare itself for the world stage, Rio must vanquish the entrenched problems that Barbassa recalls from her childhood. Turning this beautiful but deeply flawed place into a predictable, pristine showcase of the best that Brazil has to offer in just a few years is a tall order--and with the whole world watching, the stakes couldn't be higher.
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| Infamy: The shocking story of the Japanese-American internment in World War II by Richard ReevesAlthough the history of American internment of Japanese residents and Japanese American citizens during World War II is well known, historian and journalist Richard Reeves draws on documents and personal interviews to provide a more thorough examination of these events. In Infamy, he offers intimate glimpses of both the effects of American prejudice against the Japanese and the fear and shame the internees experienced. This "authoritative" (Library Journal) account emphasises personal experiences while thoroughly recounting administrative details of the internment. For another compelling account of American treatment of foreign nationals during the war, read Jan Jarboe Russell's The Train to Crystal City. |
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| In Montmartre: Picasso, Matisse, and the Birth of Modernist art by Sue RoeBeginning about 1900, the Paris suburb of Montmartre became one of the trendiest artists' enclaves in history. Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Amedeo Modigliani, Constantin Brancusi, Gertrude Stein, and many other painters, sculptors, writers, musicians, and dancers lived and worked there. Author Sue Roe engagingly and vividly creates a portrait of the time, place, and people while exploring modernist movements such as Fauvism and Cubism. In Montmartre focuses on the years from 1900-1911. For another absorbing history of artists in Paris, read Stanley Meisler's Shocking Paris, which explores Montparnasse between the World Wars. |
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Great Books You Might Have Missed
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| The new Arabs: How the Millennial generation Is changing the Middle East by Juan ColeThe Millennial generation in Arab countries possesses internationally oriented education, technological savvy, and awareness of political history, argues historian Juan Cole in this captivating analysis of recent events. Not only are these young people tired of oppressive, undemocratic rule: they have the will and the means to do something about it. Cole's book, The New Arabs, focusing especially on Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia, offers a detailed picture of how and why the Arab Spring movements succeeded in those three countries, and paints an intriguing broader picture of 21st-century Arab societies. |
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| The Nixon Defense: What he knew and when he knew it by John W. DeanIn June 1972, an inept group of burglars broke into the Democratic National Committee's headquarters in the Watergate office building in Washington, DC. It seemed incredible that the White House could have sponsored the operation, yet one of Nixon's former staffers led the break-in team. As details of the burglary conspiracy emerged, Watergate came to symbolise the unraveling of Nixon's presidency. Drawing on his own notes in addition to a huge volume of transcribed tape recordings, author John Dean, formerly a Nixon advisor, analyses the slow-motion disaster that ended with Nixon's historic resignation from the presidency. The Nixon Defense provides a balanced report, which Kirkus Reviews calls "essential to anyone's library of Nixoniana." |
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| The skeleton crew: How amateur sleuths are solving America's coldest cases by Deborah HalberTo fans of television programs such as CSI, it may be a surprise to learn that there remain tens of thousands unidentified bodies in America. In The Skeleton Crew, science writer Deborah Halber explores the methodology of amateur sleuths who devote time and resources to solving some of these cold cases. This work may seem unpleasant, but Halber doesn't shrink from depicting everything from visits to morgues to stumbling across decomposed corpses. Despite her gruesome subject, Halber's relaxed, conversational style makes her account intriguing and accessible. Anyone captivated by puzzles and true crime stories will appreciate this well researched volume. |
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| Hiroshima Nagasaki: The real story of the atomic bombings and their aftermath by Paul HamIn this moving account that draws on interviews with survivors as well as official records, historian Paul Ham explores the atomic bombs' effects on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He relates the development of nuclear weapons and the Allied decision to use them and, in alternating chapters, describes the circumstances in Japan, where civilians were at the mercy of their leadership and defenseless against enemy attacks. In his argument that the bombings were unnecessary, Ham focuses on the Japanese people directly affected and includes accounts of American Christians' criticism of the nuclear destruction. Those who recall John Hersey's absorbing report in Hiroshima will find Hiroshima Nagasaki a thought-provoking update on the subject. |
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| Operation Shakespeare: The true story of an elite international sting by John ShiffmanThe most advanced military technology -- vital to maintaining an edge in global warfare -- comes in tiny, easily smuggled packages. In order to head off technology theft by Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China, the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. developed a complex sting operation called Operation Shakespeare. In this well researched, detailed account, acclaimed investigative journalist John Shiffman describes the international market for advanced technology and the difficulty of enforcing U.S. laws restricting technology exports. Operation Shakespeare follows the trail of one purchasing agent and smuggler who was ultimately snared by the sting, revealing the international complexity of these shadowy enterprises. This report will especially fascinate military technology and espionage aficionados. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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