So many good books on this list. ----- Original Message ----- From: Amber Wallenstein To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 10:37 AM Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Fw: History and Current Events August 2009 New and Recently Released! Rocket Men: The Triumph and Tragedy of the First Americans on the Moon - by Craig Nelson Publisher: Viking Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/25/2009 ISBN-13: 9780670021031 ISBN-10: 0670021032 Forty years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, this thorough retelling of the efforts that put Neal Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins in space should amply satisfy fans of space history. Having delved into declassified CIA documents, interviews, and oral histories, author Craig Nelson provides biographies of the three astronauts and shares copious technical and scientific details of the space program. Even NASA's bureaucracy and the role of the press come into play in this comprehensive history, which Publishers Weekly calls both extensively researched and exciting. Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town - by Nick Reding Publisher: Bloomsbury Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/16/2009 ISBN-13: 9781596916500 ISBN-10: 1596916508 During the last years of the 20th century, as family farms were replaced by corporate agriculture and manufacturing jobs disappeared, many in the small Iowa town of Oelwein turned to meth abuse and production--to the point that even children riding bikes have come to play a part. Having earned the trust of both local addicts and those fighting to save their town, author Nick Reding uses Oelwein to humanize the destruction that meth addiction can bring to rural communities. Reding also explores the international drug trade and U.S. regulations, and brings light to a problem that isn't limited just to tiny Oelwein. As the reviewer for The New York Times warns, "...attention must be paid. Right now. Or else." First Chapter Dangerous Games: The Uses and Abuses of History - by Margaret MacMillan Publisher: Modern Library Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/07/2009 ISBN-13: 9780679643586 ISBN-10: 0679643583 OK, history readers--gather 'round. Dangerous Games offers something a little different than a history of an event or a time period. Rather, it's a meditation on the uses and abuses of history, from the way that it can provide a sense of identity to the way it can be manipulated to support or justify questionable political campaigns or religious movements. The author, a professor of history, includes discussions on the rewriting of history, the way in which faulty memory can lead to false conclusions, and the promoting of positive--rather than realistic--perspectives of certain events. Publishers Weekly calls it "a must read for anyone who wants to understand the importance of correctly understanding the past." First Chapter In Fed We Trust : How the Federal Reserve Became the Fourth Branch and Bernanke Battled to Keep the Big Panic from Becoming the Great Depression - Wessel, David Publisher: Random House Inc Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/04/2009 ISBN-13: 9780307459688 ISBN-10: 0307459683 As the central bank of the U.S., the Federal Reserve sets interest rates and provides liquidity to banks in order to provide stability to the financial system. When the financial meltdown that began in 2007 led to the unprecedented failures of Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, AIG, WaMu, and Lehman Brothers, the Fed was called on to take a much larger role, essentially becoming an independent fourth branch of the government. It is often said that the Fed chairman is the second most powerful person in the world, and when Alan Greenspan left the post in 2005, his successor, Ben Bernanke, along with Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, would soon face problems that were far more challenging than those of Greenspan's tenure. Wessel's account is a history of the Fed, a biography of Bernanke, and a blow-by-blow account of the decision-making process that took place as Bernanke and Paulson used desperate measures to try to right a rapidly sinking ship. Bernanke failed to anticipate the severity of the financial downturn, but perhaps he did the best that any man could be expected to do. (Booklist Review) The Illustrious Dead: The Terrifying Story of How Typhus Killed Napoleon's Greatest Army - by Stephan Talty Publisher: Crown Publishers Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/02/2009 ISBN-13: 9780307394040 ISBN-10: 0307394042 In this fascinating history of Napoleon's unsuccessful invasion of Russia, author Stephan Talty argues that it was an outbreak of typhus that effectively caused Napoleon's defeat. Approaching Russia in the spring of 1812 with 690,000 men under his command, Napoleon retreated from Moscow in November having lost close to 400,000 soldiers; Talty suggests that half of those were killed by typhus--carried by lice--and that those who survived likely went on to infect their families on their return home. Readers interested in either military history or epidemiology (or both!) won't go wrong with this well-researched and compellingly written history. For more on the consequences of disease in a large population, try Steven Johnson's The Ghost Map, about a cholera outbreak in Victorian London. iViva la Revolución! The Last Days of the Romanovs: Tragedy at Ekaterinburg - by Helen Rappaport Publisher: St. Martin's Press Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/03/2009 ISBN-13: 9780312379766 ISBN-10: 0312379765 For weeks before their grisly deaths, Tsar Nicholas II and his family were imprisoned within their Ekaterinburg home; it is their last 13 days that form the center of this history of the Russian Revolution. Drawing on a wide range of sources to bring each of the family members to life, author Helen Rappaport has created an "emotionally powerful work" (Booklist) that captures the royal family's imprisonment and brutal murder moment by moment. In addition, Rappaport summarizes Nicholas's reign and covers the political maneuverings of those trying to save or destroy him and his family, making for a "solid political and social history, related with the vigor of a true-crime thriller" (Kirkus Reviews). Table of Contents Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution - by Simon Schama Publisher: Vintage Books Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/01/1990 ISBN-13: 9780679726104 ISBN-10: 0679726101 Though this book was first published 20 years ago, it remains one of the best books available on the French Revolution. It has also received its share of criticism, mostly focusing on author Simon Schama's view of the legacy of the revolution and his assertion that the path of the revolution was set early on. But it's also liberally sprinkled with detailed anecdotes that even readers unfamiliar with French history will enjoy. For a close look at what brought on the French revolution, as well as how it unfolded and why, check out Citizens; you can follow it up with David Andress' The Terror, which was published in 2006. Our First Revolution: The Remarkable British Uprising That Inspired America's Founding Fathers - by Michael Barone Publisher: Crown Publishers Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/08/2007 ISBN-13: 9781400097920 ISBN-10: 1400097924 Long before America's Founding Fathers started thinking about the separation between church and state or the power of constitutional law, English Parliamentarians encouraged William of Orange to overthrow their Catholic king, James II. One result was a Bill of Rights that weakened the monarchy's hold on England and encouraged the growth of England's parliamentary democracy. Our First Revolution is an examination of the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89 and its consequences, and it details the revolution's impact on the American fight for independence less than 100 years later. Whether you're interested in British or American history or are curious about the foundations of the democracies of today, you'll want to read this skillful analysis. First Chapter A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America - by Stacy Schiff Publisher: Henry Holt Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/10/2006 ISBN-13: 9780805080094 ISBN-10: 0805080090 This critically acclaimed book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff reveals how Benjamin Franklin outmaneuvered hostile colleagues, reluctant monarchists, and the British secret service to successfully convince France to underwrite America's experiment in democracy. Though Franklin had little diplomatic experience--and only a rudimentary grasp of the French language--he was nevertheless able to use his personal charm and a natural understanding of politics to great effect. Though this book is clearly of interest to armchair historians interested in colonial history, Francophiles will especially enjoy learning how France aided in the creation of the United States. First Chapter A Concise History of the Russian Revolution - by Richard Pipes Publisher: Vintage Books Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/01/1996 ISBN-13: 9780679745440 ISBN-10: 0679745440 Just as the title says, this is a detailed yet succinct look at the decay of Russia's tsarist empire and the causes and consequences of the revolution; it's perfect for those not willing to attempt the author's two-volume version. Emphasizing, however, that what happened in October 1917 was a coup d'état rather than a revolution, Pipes goes on to explore how Russia was governed both before and after and discusses the Bolshevik regime in great detail. With illustrations (including maps), a glossary, a chronology, and suggestions for further reading, Pipes' Concise History is a great introduction to Russia's revolution. The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788-1800 - by Jay Winik Publisher: HarperCollins Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/01/2007 ISBN-13: 9780060083137 ISBN-10: 0060083131 The end of the 18th century was a period of tumultuous change marked by Russia's war with the Ottoman Empire, the revolution in France, and America's new constitution (ratified in 1788) and transfer of power from the Federalists to the Democratic-Republicans (in 1800). None of these dramatic events happened in isolation; author Jay Winik sheds light on the connections between these nations and their leaders, including Catherine the Great, Louis XVI, Robespierre, and Thomas Jefferson. This "outstandingly wide-ranging account of this vital era in world history" (Booklist) should appeal to historians of all stripes. First Chapter