[bksvol-discuss] Fw: History and Current Events June 2008
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:18:24 -0400
"History is philosophy teaching by examples."
~ Thucydides (c. 460 BC-c.395 BC), Greek historian
New and Recently Released!
Gandhi and Churchill: The Epic Rivalry that Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our
Age - by Arthur Herman
Publisher: Bantam Book
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 4/29/2008
ISBN: 9780553804638
ISBN-10: 0553804634
Ostensibly on opposing sides of India's struggle for independence, Winston
Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi nevertheless shared some commonalities, which
historian
Arthur Herman details in this dual portrait. Though they began their careers
with similar educational backgrounds and world views, they would eventually
come to differ on their opinions of the British Empire and its role in India.
Readers looking to learn more about the late Victorian and postcolonial eras
(especially in regard to Indian history) or about Churchill or Gandhi in
particular will enjoy this "fascinating narrative of their times" (Publishers
Weekly).
First Chapter
Austerity Britain, 1945-1951 - by David Kynaston
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 5/13/2008
ISBN: 9780802716934
ISBN-10: 0802716938
When World War II ended, Britain was bankrupt but not broken; unemployment was
high, food was still being rationed, and the landscape was scarred by bombing,
but British citizens still had a strong sense of national pride. In Austerity
Britain, author David Kynaston draws a detailed picture of Britain's slow
recovery by using personal anecdotes taken from memoirs and contemporary
newspaper accounts. This "exemplary social history" (Kirkus Reviews) is the
first
book in a planned series that will follow British history up to Margaret
Thatcher's election as Prime Minister in 1979.
Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman - by Mary Tillman with
Narda Zacchino
Publisher: Modern Times
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 4/29/2008
ISBN: 9781594868801
ISBN-10: 1594868808
In 2002, professional football player Pat Tillman left a promising sports
career to enlist in the Army. His enrollment--and death two years later in
Afghanistan--received
much media attention, especially when it became clear that the initial reports
of his death were not accurate. His story--and his family's struggles to
find the truth behind his death--is documented here by his mother, Mary
Tillman. Her love, grief, and rage are clear as she shares memories of her son
alongside recollections of the battles she fought to access records and learn
the truth.
The Age of Reagan: A History: 1974-2008 - by Sean Wilentz
Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 5/1/2008
ISBN: 9780060744809
ISBN-10: 0060744804
In his latest book, left-of-center historian Sean Wilentz appraises the last 35
years of American politics, from the aftermath of Watergate to today's "war
on terror." In so doing, he makes "an eloquent and compelling case" (Publishers
Weekly) for the political Right as the biggest influence on recent U.S.
political history. He also addresses President Ronald Reagan's role in
conservatism's success and his influence on his successors (and today's would-be
successors). Readers on both sides of the political divide will learn something
here--though what side you're on may color your opinions of some of Wilentz's
analyses.
The Post-American World - by Fareed Zakaria
Publisher: W.W. Norton
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 5/1/2008
ISBN: 9780393062359
ISBN-10: 039306235X
Despite the title of this book, Newsweek editor and columnist Fareed Zakaria
does not believe that America is in decline--rather, he's written a book about
"the rise of everyone else." When he notes that Macao brings in more gambling
revenue than Las Vegas or that Bollywood makes more money than Hollywood,
you'd be hard-pressed to disagree with that proposition. But in his exploration
of how the rapid rise of such nations as China, India, and Brazil is countering
America's previous dominance over the global economy, geopolitics, and culture,
he also predicts that despite problems at home (and abroad), the U.S. will
remain strong--and even thrive. Don't miss this thought-provoking analysis.
Historical Mysteries
Shakespeare: The World as Stage - by Bill Bryson
Publisher: Atlas Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 11/1/2007
ISBN: 9780060740221
ISBN-10: 0060740221
One of history's most persistent unsolved mysteries focuses on famous
playwright William Shakespeare--or perhaps more accurately, on the question of
who
wrote Shakespeare's plays. Not much is known about Shakespeare the man, so this
portrait of the Bard, written by travel writer Bill Bryson and presented
in the style of a travelogue, describes the era as well as the man. In
addition, he offers a short history of English theater and addresses claims that
others wrote his plays. "A splendid book," says Booklist.
First Chapter
House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest -
by Craig Childs
Publisher: Little, Brown
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 2/22/2007
ISBN: 9780316608176
ISBN-10: 0316608173
The Anasazi people flourished in the American Southwest for 2,000 years--and
then vanished without a trace. Their accomplishments--in agriculture, art,
commerce, architecture, and engineering--were astounding, as remarkable in
their way as those of the Mayans in distant Central America. But by the 13th
century, the Anasazi were gone from the region. To find out what brought about
the rapid collapse of their civilization (drought? pestilence? war?), naturalist
Craig Childs draws on the latest scholarly research, as well as on a lifetime
of adventure and exploration in the American Southwest. Readers interested
in lost civilizations won't want to miss House of Rain.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
Ancient Mysteries - by Peter James & Nick Thorpe
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/1/2001
ISBN: 9780345434883
ISBN-10: 0345434889
Curious about Atlantis or the statues on Easter Island? What about the curse of
Tutankhamen or the legend of Dracula? Drawing on the latest research to
reveal the secrets behind these mysteries and nearly 30 others, authors Peter
James and Nick Thorpe carefully distinguish between fact, fabrication, and
what may lie in the middle. Among those claims that seem to have some basis in
fact are the existence of King Arthur and the Star of Bethlehem--possibly.
If you've ever found your interest captured by unexplained phenomena, you'll
want to check out Ancient Mysteries.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
A Death in Belmont - by Sebastian Junger
Publisher: Norton
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 4/7/2006
ISBN: 9780393059809
ISBN-10: 0393059804
Author Sebastian Junger grew up in Belmont, Massachusetts, near where a 1963
murder was committed during the Boston Strangler's reign of terror. Black
cleaning
man Roy Smith was convicted of the murder, though he claimed he was innocent.
At the time, local handyman Albert DeSalvo was working on a renovation project
at the Junger house--and he later confessed to all of the Boston Strangler
murders, but not to the one in Belmont. Junger, in a painstakingly researched
exploration of the case, reexamines the likelihood of DeSalvo being the Boston
Strangler and the chances that Roy Smith was both a victim of racism and
in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Intriguing," notes Booklist.
Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to
Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II - by Robert Kurson
Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 6/30/2004
ISBN: 9780375508585
ISBN-10: 0375508589
What happened to U-boat 869 in 1945? Until the 1990s, it was thought that the
ship had sunk off the coast of Gibraltar, but thanks to the work of several
deep-shipwreck divers, especially John Chatterton and Rich Kohler, it is now
known that the submarine was actually sunk...off the coast of New Jersey!
This fast-paced adventure recounts the discovery of the German U-boat, the
dangerous world of diving (three people died in this endeavor), and the years
of research necessary to uncover the identities of the submarine and its crew.
First Chapter
Midnight Dreary: The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe - by John Evangelist
Walsh
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 11/1/1998
ISBN: 9780813526058
ISBN-10: 0813526051
The circumstances surrounding Edgar Allan Poe's death in 1849 have never been
all that clear, but what is known for sure is that he disappeared for nearly
a week, was found apparently drunk on the streets of Baltimore, and died in a
hospital a few days later. Author John Walsh addresses the theories that
have grown up around Poe's death (he fell off the wagon; he was jumped by
thugs), but eventually discards them in favor of his own solution. While we may
never know exactly what happened to Poe, Midnight Dreary is "an utterly
engaging and original work of detection" (Kirkus Reviews).
First Chapter
Table of Contents
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