[bksvol-discuss] Fw: History and Current Events June 2009
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 9 Jun 2009 10:39:42 -0400
History and Current Events June 2009
"In the mold of Rockefeller or Morgan, they formed syndicates to end wasteful
competition. Like other businessmen, they established national associations
to promote common interests. When they passed from the scene, their
organizations remained, lasting to the present."
~ from Thomas Reppetto's American Mafia
New and Recently Released!
Soldier from the War Returning: The Greatest Generation's Troubled Homecoming
from World War II - by Thomas Childers
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/13/2009
ISBN-13: 9780618773688
ISBN-10: 0618773681
At the end of World War II, more than two million American veterans returned
home to find their country ill-equipped to deal with them. In addition to
difficulty
finding work, many veterans were suffering from undiagnosed post-traumatic
stress disorder, which led to difficulties on the job and at home. And though
the GI Bill provided loans, educations, and disability payments, it couldn't
restore the years lost to the war. By focusing on three veterans whose lives
were adversely affected by World War II and with the help of contemporary
reports, historian Thomas Childers illuminates the struggles faced by many
members
of the Greatest Generation.
Vicksburg, 1863 - by Winston Groom
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 04/07/2009
ISBN-13: 9780307264251
ISBN-10: 0307264254
Vicksburg, Mississippi was of strategic importance during the U.S. Civil War,
for whoever controlled Vicksburg controlled the Mississippi River. Its
capture--along
with the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg--marked a turning point in the war,
as is made amply clear in this vivid, people-centric history of the battle
and siege at Vicksburg. Because the military leaders--Sherman, Grant, and
others--and the repercussions of their decisions take center stage over battle
tactics and strategy, Vicksburg, 1863 is sure to appeal to readers who are less
than familiar with this part of the war as well as to those who can't get
enough Civil War history.
First Chapter
World War One: A Short History - by Norman Stone
Publisher: Perseus Books Group
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 04/27/2009
ISBN-13: 9780465013685
ISBN-10: 0465013686
You may find it difficult to believe that a history of an entire war can be
condensed into less than 250 pages and still be both informative and
interesting,
but author Norman Stone succeeds with World War One: A Short History. Covering
the war's origins and consequences as well as its major political and military
events, Stone also presents a German perspective by focusing on Germany's
actions and strategies. He also addresses postwar colonialism, the League of
Nations, and the Hapsburg, German, tsarist and Ottoman empires. Not everyone
will agree with Stone's interpretation (Publishers Weekly calls it
"provocative"),
but it is certainly a "stimulating, easily digested introduction" (Kirkus
Reviews) to an important era in world history.
The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story - by Elliott West
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 04/21/2009
ISBN-13: 9780195136753
ISBN-10: 0195136756
In 1877, Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce resisted a U.S. government decree that
the Nez Perce relocate to a reservation far from their home; instead, he led
his people in a 1,500-mile strategic retreat towards Canada that included
several battles. In addition to chronicling the conflict--the last major one
between an Indian nation and the U.S. government--historian Elliott West ties
the relocation of the Nez Perce to the larger efforts of the federal government
to establish the identity of the U.S. in the wake of the Civil War. Booklist
calls his efforts "a superb reexamination of a sad but memorable story."
Focus on: Organized Crime
The Good Rat: A True Story - by Jimmy Breslin
Publisher: Ecco
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 02/01/2008
ISBN-13: 9780060856663
ISBN-10: 0060856661
In this street-savvy trip behind the scenes of organized crime in New York
City, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jimmy Breslin chronicles the people,
places, and events that defined the rise and fall of the American Mafia. Though
Breslin focuses on the trial of Mob-connected police officers Stephen Caracappa
and Louis Eppolito, The Good Rat is about more than just the trial's damaging
testimony by mobster Burton Kaplan--it's also full of Breslin's own experiences
with the Mafia. You won't want to miss it.
First Chapter
The Money and the Power: The Making of Las Vegas and Its Hold on America - by
Sally Denton and Roger Morris
Publisher: Vintage Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 03/01/2002
ISBN-13: 9780375701269
ISBN-10: 0375701265
Authors Sally Denton and Roger Morris begin their startling investigative
history of the making of Las Vegas with brief biographies of highly influential
individuals like mobster Meyer Lansky. Arguing that Las Vegas owes its
financial success--its very existence, perhaps--to drug money, the authors go on
to explore the connections between government, business, and the criminal
underworld. They also explore how Las Vegas has influenced the rest of America,
especially in the political arena. What they turn up ranges from sleazy to
scary; you'll want to read it if you're at all interested in American politics,
organized crime, or, of course, Las Vegas itself.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
McMafia: A Journey through the Global Criminal Underworld - by Misha Glenny
Publisher: Knopf Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 04/08/2008
ISBN-13: 9781400044115
ISBN-10: 1400044111
Did you know that, per capita, Canada has more organized crime syndicates than
any other country? Or that, worldwide, crime rings represent nearly 20% of
the global economy? Or that Nigeria "loses" between 150,000 and 250,000 barrels
of oil every day? Full of fascinating details like these, this "riveting
and chilling journey" (Publishers Weekly) through the world of international
organized crime will take you from Kazakhstan's "caviar mafia" to Bulgaria's
growing sex trade to your own hometown, for as author Misha Glenny points out,
the Western world's desire for cheap goods (and illegal drugs) has provided
a profitable market.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful
Mafia Empires - by Selwyn Raab
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 08/25/2005
ISBN-13: 9780312300944
ISBN-10: 0312300948
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. This brutally real and unflinching report on the
Italian mafia is a must for anyone who wants the full scoop, from
start-to-finish,
on the Sicilian mafia's history in the United States.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power - by Thomas A. Reppetto
Publisher: Henry Holt
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 01/02/2005
ISBN-13: 9780805077988
ISBN-10: 0805077987
This thought-provoking history of the Mafia's rise in the U.S. from the 1880s
on features the stories of such characters as Lucky Luciano and Al Capone,
and notes the particular role that Prohibition had in establishing La Cosa
Nostra's defining characteristics--and its ability to infiltrate industry and
government. Although the focus is on the Mafia's growth and peak years, a short
epilogue covers the years since 1951, noting reasons for the downward trend
in mob activity. If you're looking for an introduction to the American mob, you
won't go wrong with this "smart, reasoned study" (The New York Times).
First Chapter
Table of Contents
Gomorrah - by Roberto Saviano
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/30/2007
ISBN-13: 9780374165277
ISBN-10: 0374165270
This account of the decline of Naples under the rule of organized crime
describes how the Camorra, a network of exploitative and murderous groups and
individuals,
has gained control of the Campania region by infiltrating industries such as
construction, drug trafficking, toxic waste disposal, and even fashion. Covering
everything from clan wars to Chinese smugglers, Gomorrah was a bestseller in
Italy and won the 2006 Viareggio Literary Prize. If you have a taste for mob
life or an interest in true crime, you'll want to check out this compelling--if
rather violent--trip through Naples and its surroundings.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
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