| History and Current Events September 2006 |
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"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
~ George Santayana (1863-1952), poet and philosopher
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| New and recently released! |
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The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban
- by Sarah Chayes
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Publisher:
Penguin Press
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Pub Date:
08/17/2006
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ISBN:
1594200963
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As a National Public Radio correspondent who reported on the fall of the Taliban, Sarah Chayes witnessed first-hand the violence and turmoil in Afghanistan. Then, following her stint with NPR, she began to work for Afghans for Civil Society, a Kandahar-based, nongovernmental organization dedicated to reconstructing Afghanistan. In The Punishment of Virtue, Chayes presents a startling portrait of the post-conflict nation. She suggests that the peace- and democracy-building actions of the U.S. government have actually aided in the reinstallation of militia commanders and the reinfiltration of Taliban forces in Afghanistan. This eye-opening and provocative book is for readers interested in U.S. foreign policy and for anyone who wants to reflect on the consequences of the post-9/11 war on terror. |
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Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission
- by Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton
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Publisher:
Alfred A. Knopf
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Pub Date:
08/15/2006
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ISBN:
0307263770
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In 2004, the U.S. government released the 9/11 Commission Report, which quickly went to the bestseller list. In Without Precedent, 9/11 Commission chairman Thomas H. Kean and Commission vice chairman Lee H. Hamilton give a behind-the-scenes account of the Commission's work in both investigating the events leading up to the attacks and in preparing the report itself. Among the details that Kean and Hamilton include are the challenges of handling the conflicting demands of various interest groups and the difficulties of preventing leaks of classified information to the media. Publishers Weekly calls this nonpartisan book "compelling" and "absorbing." |
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The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America and an Epic Hunt for Justice
- by Chad Millman
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Publisher:
Little, Brown
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Pub Date:
07/12/2006
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ISBN:
0316734969
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On July 30, 1916--in an event that history has almost completely forgotten--German terrorists attacked and severely damaged the city of New York. In The Detonators, journalist Chad Millman describes this attack, explaining how (more than a year before America officially joined the Allies in World War I) German saboteurs were able to infiltrate the U.S. and successfully blow up Black Tom Island in New York Harbor. Millman also reveals the reluctance of U.S. President Wilson and other officials to prevent the attack, how the German government avoided taking responsibility for 20 years, and the efforts of three lawyers to find those accountable. Publishers Weekly says this book is a "fast-paced, thrillerlike tale." |
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Babylon by Bus, Or, The True Story of Two Friends Who Gave up Their Valuable Franchise Selling "Yankees Suck" T-shirts at Fenway to Find Meaning and Adventure in Iraq, Where They Became Employed by the Occupation in Jobs for Which They Lacked Qualification and Witnessed Much That Amazed and Disturbed Them
- by Ray LeMoine and Jeff Neumann, with Donovan Webster
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Publisher:
Penguin Press
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Pub Date:
08/03/2006
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ISBN:
1594200912
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If you are interested in the Iraq War but want to read something a little different than the standard journalistic reportages, this book about 20-something civilian slackers in Iraq is for you. In 2003 ("back before everything totally hit the fan in Iraq and nation building still seemed like an iffy but viable concept"), Bostonians Ray LeMoine and Jeff Neumann left their jobs selling T-shirts and made their way into Iraq. There they found work at the Coalition Provisional Authority (despite being, by their own admission, completely unqualified as well as avid drinkers, partiers, and drug users). This book, which relates all of their adventures, isn't just fun and irreverent escapades; Booklist says it is "a complex, harrowing, frustrating, and heartbreaking account" of the situation in Iraq. |
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| Focus on: Four-legged History |
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A Dog's History of America: How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered, and Settled a Continent
- by Mark Derr
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Publisher:
Farrar Straus & Giroux
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Pub Date:
09/14/2005
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ISBN:
0374529973
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We're all familiar with the basic facts of U.S. history: European settlers make landfall; colonies develop; a revolution ensues; expansion occurs; and wars, more wars, and much social change takes place. But how many of us have wondered about the role that dogs played in these events? In A Dog's History of America, writer Mark Derr shows how dogs and humans have interacted throughout U.S. history. He highlights the many uses of dogs--as runaway slave trackers, war dogs, sled and herd dogs, companion animals, guard dogs, show dogs, and law enforcement dogs--and also looks at the disturbing and evolving history of how dogs have been mistreated by humans. Booklist says that "this fascinating history is both harsh and touching." |
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Always Faithful: A Memoir of the Marine Dogs of WWII
- by William W. Putney
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Publisher:
Free Press
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Pub Date:
05/01/2001
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ISBN:
0743201981
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During World War II, veterinarian William Putney was the commander of the 3rd Marine War Dog platoon. Putney was responsible for training, handling, and providing medical care to dozens of dogs (mostly Doberman pinschers, many of which were former household pets). In Always Faithful, Putney chronicles the men and canines who served faithfully and bravely together in the Pacific, detailing how the dogs sniffed out mines and spearheaded patrols through the jungle, often taking the brunt of an attack so as to spare their human handlers. Putney also describes how he fought for the safe "deprogramming" of the dogs so that they could be returned home or adopted (often by their Marine handlers). In addition to being for dog lovers, this inspiring and moving tale of men and their best friends is for fans of war stories. |
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First Friend: A History of Dogs and Humans
- by Katharine M. Rogers
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Publisher:
St. Martin's Press
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Pub Date:
07/30/2005
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ISBN:
0312331886
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First Friend explores the dog-human relationship throughout history, from prehistoric times to the present. Among the topics that author Katharine Rogers covers are how wolves (the dog's predecessor) lived alongside cavemen; how dogs served primarily as working animals (herders, hunters, and guarders) until the 19th century, when society began to view dogs as beloved pets; and sadly, how dogs have been abused and exploited throughout history. Publishers Weekly says this book is for "social historians as much as dog lovers," so even if you don't really dig Fido or Fluffy, this book could still satisfy a culture craving. |
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The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic
- by Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury
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Publisher:
W.W. Norton & Co.
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Pub Date:
05/01/2003
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ISBN:
0393019624
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In 1925, diphtheria broke out in Nome, Alaska, and the isolated community was in desperate need of a serum to control the epidemic. However, because of forbidding winter conditions, the community was cut off from the surrounding world--even planes could not reach the town--and the nearest serum was hundreds of miles away. The only hope for Nome residents was a group of 20 dogsled teams who would have to travel almost 700 miles to deliver the serum. This is the awe-inspiring story of how dog and man raced against time, snow, ice, and cold in order to bring help to those in critical need. Booklist says The Cruelest Miles is "an amazing story of endurance and courage." |
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| An Offer You Can't Refuse: Books on Organized Crime |
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Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish-American Gangster
- by T.J. English
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Publisher:
Regan Books
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Pub Date:
02/01/2005
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ISBN:
0060590025
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Perhaps because of films like The Godfather, Italian mobsters tend to overshadow their Celtic cousins, and in this history of the Irish-American gangster, author T.J. English is out to give them their due notoriety. English credits the Irish with introducing organized crime to the U.S. and he shows why guys like James "Whitey" Bulger (one of the FBI's ten most wanted) and mobsters in places like South Boston are just as fascinating as those from Sicily. Publishers Weekly says Paddy Whacked is "intense" and that it is an "account of violent Celtic criminals who make the Dead End Kids look like choirboys." For mafia fans with a strong stomach for violent exploits. |
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Black Mass: The Irish Mob, the FBI, and a Devil's Deal
- by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill
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Publisher:
PublicAffairs
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Pub Date:
07/01/2000
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ISBN:
1891620401
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While growing up in South Boston, future FBI agent John Connolly became friends with another Irish youth, Billy Bulger, who years later became the president of both the Massachusetts State Senate and the University of Massachusetts. But it wasn't this Bulger with whom Connolly later became infamously and criminally involved--it was Billy's older, mob-boss brother Whitey. Connolly recruited Whitey and his associate Stephen Flemmi as FBI snitches in exchange for Connolly alerting their gang to impending stings and prosecution. It all caught up with Connolly in 1999, when a series of charges were brought against him (he was later convicted). In Black Mass, Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill detail the corrupt relationship between Connolly and Whitey. Publishers Weekly calls this book "a triumph of investigative reporting." |
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No Questions Asked: The Secret Life of Women in the Mob
- by Clare Longrigg
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Publisher:
Hyperion
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Pub Date:
07/01/2004
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ISBN:
1401351859
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Enough about the men--what's it like to be married to the mob, or raised as a mafia princess? Clare Longrigg, the author of Mafia Women, provides another behind-the-scenes look at a private world that most of us will never enter. Drawing on extensive interviews, Longrigg profiles women (both well-known and obscure) like Victoria Gotti, the daughter of notorious John Gotti (the Teflon Don), and Brenda Colletti, who takes part in the criminal activities of her gangster husband. This revealing account of the complexities and dangers of life in the Family is for anyone who is more intrigued by Carmela Soprano's life than Tony's. Booklist says No Questions Asked is "an engrossing and fresh look at life in the criminal underworld." |
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Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires
- by Selwyn Raab
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Publisher:
Thomas Dunne Books
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Pub Date:
08/25/2005
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ISBN:
0312300948
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Before the Corleones and the Sopranos, there were the Five Families: the Genoveses, the Gambinos, the Colombos, the Bonannos, and the Luccheses. Investigative reporter Selwyn Raab presents a riveting history of the Cosa Nostra's five powerful crews and explains how, beginning in the 19th century, they infiltrated (and scammed) every part of American history and life, including Prohibition, illegal drug distribution, the stock market, and even the cleanup of the World Trade Center site. Rather than glamorizing mobster life, this book is brutally real and unflinching in its reportage on the Italian mafia. Publishers Weekly says Five Families is a "masterpiece" and Booklist says it is "riveting." A must for anyone who wants the full scoop, from start-to-finish, on the Sicilian mafia in the United States. |
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| Still looking for the right book? Contact your librarian. |
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