 Supporting COMMUNITY. Inspiring DISCOVERY. Promoting LITERACY. |
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History and Current Events August 2026 |
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Reading Matters: A History for the Digital Age
by Joel Halldorf
In Reading Matters, Joel Halldorf makes the case that in order to navigate the upheavals of the digital age, we must understand prior technical revolutions and the transformations they engendered. He shows how our ways of reading are inseparable from the media we use, and that the decline of deep, attentive reading may be the most serious consequence of our move from page to screen.
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Liberation Summer: The Moment That Changed the Women's Movement and the Future of American Politics
by Micki McElya
A sweeping, definitive work of history exploring the road to the September 1968 protests of the Miss American Pageant--one led by women's liberationists and the other organized by the emergent Miss Black America Pageant--and the birth of a new politics of beauty. Engagingly told and meticulously researched, Liberation Summer proves how the battle for beauty's meaning has always been inextricably political--and how its enduring impact continues to shape our politics today.
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| Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast by Pamela ColloffJournalist Pamela Colloff's disturbing debut chronicles the exploits of con man Paul Skalnik, a jailhouse informant in 1980s Florida whose unreliable testimonies led to multiple wrongful convictions for his fellow inmates, including four men who wound up on death row. Try this next: Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida by Gilbert King. |
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| The Cruelty of Nice Folks: Why Minneapolis Is the Story of America by Justin EllisIn his sweeping debut that blends family history with exposé, journalist and Minnesota native Justin Ellis chronicles two centuries of anti-Black racism in Minneapolis, Minnesota, culminating in the 2020 murder of George Floyd. It's an "urgent critique of 'polite' racism that demands attention" (Kirkus Reviews). Further reading: Nice Racism: How Progressive White People Perpetuate Racial Harm by Robin DiAngelo. |
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| Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War by Jane RogoyskaLonglisted for the Women's Prize for Nonfiction, historian Jane Rogoyska's evocative account surveys the evolution of Hotel Lutetia in Paris' Left Bank, which served various roles during and after World War II, including a gathering spot for anti-fascists, the headquarters of the Nazi intelligence service, and a refuge for Holocaust survivors. Try this next: The Red Hotel, Moscow 1941, the Metropol Hotel, and the Untold Story of Stalin's Propaganda War by Alan Philips. |
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| The Housewives Underground: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the JFK... by Kaitlyn TiffanyThe Atlantic staff writer Kaitlyn Tiffany's compelling and well-researched history details how three fearless American women became amateur detectives in the 1960s and '70s and antagonized the government to reveal the truth about John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s 1963 assassination. Try this next: The League of Wives: The Untold Story of the Women Who Took on the U.S. Government to Bring Their Husbands Home by Heath Hardage Lee. |
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Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America's Love for the Wild
by Heather Hansman
The inspiring, untold story of three incredible women who spearheaded recreation, conservation and resilience in America's most beloved landscapes, for readers of Pam Houston and David GrannThroughout the 20th century Georgie White, Anne LaBastille, and Dolores LaChapelle did more to inspire our love of the great outdoors than just about anyone. Georgie devoted her life to the Grand Canyon, kickstarting the river running craze in the 40s and igniting the recreation industry Anne, a wilderness guide and bestselling author, protected endangered species and predicted the impacts of climate change from her isolated, off-grid cabin in the Adirondacks. And deep powder skier Dolores developed an environmental philosophy that shaped everything from the radical environmental movement of the '70s to modern conservation ethics.Now, for the first time, outdoor journalist and bestselling author of Powder Days Heather Hansman goes deep into multiple rugged American landscapes to bring three fascinating lives to the forefront of the outdoor movement, affirming their rightful place in the larger story of an evolving American wild.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Mary Riley Styles Public Library
120 N. Virginia Ave, Falls Church, Virginia 22046 703-248-5030 (TTY 711) mrspl.org
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