[bksvol-discuss] Fw: History and Current Events May 2008
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 13 May 2008 09:35:10 -0400
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History and Current Events May 2008
"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."
~ T.S. Eliot (1888-1965), British poet
New and Recently Released!
A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn: The Last Great Battle of the
American West - by James Donovan
Publisher: Little, Brown
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 3/24/2008
ISBN: 9780316155786
ISBN-10: 0316155780
If you're looking for an introduction to or a better understanding of what
happened during--and after--the battle at Little Bighorn, this well researched
and highly informative book draws on recent findings to not only piece together
the actual events, but to shed light on the participants themselves. Portraits
of Custer, Crazy Horse, and Sitting Bull can all be found here, as can
carefully detailed depictions of Custer's second-in-command and the actions of
ordinary
privates, ultimately giving a clear and fair picture of this contentious period
in American history. It's an "excellent reexamination," says Booklist.
Table of Contents
McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Underworld - by Misha Glenny
Publisher: Knopf Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 4/8/2008
ISBN: 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
The Execution of Willie Francis: Race, Murder, and the Search for Justice in
the American South - by Gilbert King
Publisher: Basic Civitas
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 3/31/2008
ISBN: 9780465002658
ISBN-10: 046500265X
Convicted of killing a white pharmacist, black teenager Willie Francis was
sentenced to the electric chair in 1946--but did not die when the switch was
thrown. Willie's case had been riddled with injustices, from constitutional
offenses during the original trial to his drunken executioners, and for the
next year, his lawyers appealed, taking it all the way to the U.S. Supreme
Court, where Willie was eventually sentenced to death again. This compelling
narrative discusses not only the legal issues surrounding Willie's case but the
race relations of 1940s Louisiana, making for a "well-wrought tale of murder,
secrets, lies and state-sponsored and state-botched retribution" (Kirkus
Reviews).
The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, the Supreme Court, and the Betrayal
of Reconstruction - by Charles Lane
Publisher: Henry Holt
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 3/4/2008
ISBN: 9780805083422
ISBN-10: 0805083421
After the U.S. Civil War, Reconstruction efforts in the South led to some
advancements for former slaves, but in many cases resentful whites attempted to
roll them back. In the case of Colfax, Louisiana, disputed elections in 1872
led to a horrific massacre of around 100 black men in 1873 (other reports
put the number at up to 280). Efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice
ultimately ended with a Supreme Court verdict that left the protection of the
civil rights of Southern blacks in the hands of the individual states, rather
than the federal government. The Day Freedom Died is an instructive look
at the massacre and its long-term political consequences; for more on the local
impact, try LeeAnna Keith's The Colfax Massacre.
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great
Victorian Detective - by Kate Summerscale
Publisher: Walker & Company
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 4/15/2008
ISBN: 9780802715357
ISBN-10: 0802715354
The details surrounding the 1860 murder of three-year-old Saville Kent at his
family's estate in the English countryside and the subsequent investigation
into his death may sound suspiciously like a novel, but the tale is sadly all
too true. The case, which nearly destroyed the career of the top Scotland
Yard investigator assigned to it, also launched an obsession with detection
throughout England--and the detective himself, James Whicher, became the basis
for many a fictional detective. To learn more about the murder, the
investigation, and the eventual trial, pick up this "bang-up sleuthing
adventure" (Kirkus
Reviews).
First Chapter
Exploration and Discovery
In the Land of White Death: An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic -
by Valerian Albanov; preface by Jon Krakauer, series editor; introduction
and epilogue by David Roberts; Alison Anderson, translator; with additional
material from William Barr's translation from the Russian
Publisher: Modern Library
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 9/1/2001
ISBN: 9780679783619
ISBN-10: 067978361X
Crewed largely by inexperienced men--only a fraction were actually sailors--the
Russian ship St. Anna was in the Arctic to find new hunting grounds for
big game like seals and walruses. But only two months into the 1912 expedition,
the ship became lodged in ice. A year and a half later, with the ship still
stuck, the ship's navigator, Valerian Albanov, decided to seek help. Although
more than ten men deserted the ship, only he and one other survived the trek
to safety; neither the ship nor its remaining crew was ever found. Based on
Albanov's own diaries as well as his memories of the experiences, In the Land
of White Death is a harrowing story of desperation and one man's will to
survive.
First Chapter
Down the Great Unknown: John Wesley Powell's 1869 Journey of Discovery and
Tragedy Through the Grand Canyon - by Edward Dolnick
Publisher: Perennial
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 9/1/2002
ISBN: 9780060955861
ISBN-10: 0060955864
These days the Colorado River, which runs through the Grand Canyon, is a
popular destination for river rafters of all levels. But for the first men to
ride
the rapids, danger lay at every turn. Unknown rapids coupled with the wrong
type of boats, hostile locals, and a lack of game to supplement dwindling
rations
made for a perilous journey--but the inexperienced rafters nevertheless managed
to explore the uncharted Green and Colorado rivers and make it to their
destination. Or at least most of them did... For more information on John
Wesley Powell, the strong-willed, one-armed leader of the 1869 expedition, try
his biography, A River Running West, by Donald Worster.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley & Livingstone - by Martin Dugard
Publisher: Broadway Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 4/1/2004
ISBN: 9780767910743
ISBN-10: 0767910745
If you've ever wondered what circumstances led to the phrase "Dr. Livingstone,
I presume?", this exciting tale of the disappearance--and search for--explorer
Dr. David Livingstone might just be the book for you. In Into Africa, author
Martin Dugard details Livingstone's mid-1860s search for the source of the
Nile, his disappearance, and his subsequent encounter with upstart journalist
Henry Morton Stanley. The two men's quests involved extraordinary physical
challenges, political intrigue, and larger-than-life personalities, all within
the wilds of uncharted Africa--and this telling of their travails will keep
"readers up late into the night" (Publishers Weekly).
First Chapter
Barrow's Boys: A Stirring Story of Daring, Fortitude and Outright Lunacy - by
Fergus Fleming
Publisher: Grove Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 3/1/2001
ISBN: 9780802137944
ISBN-10: 0802137946
From 1816 to 1848, John Barrow was the Second Secretary of the British
Admiralty, and as such it was up to him to determine where British exploratory
expeditions
went and who was to lead them. Ultimately, he sent his "boys" (who were of
course actually grown men with often outsized egos and personalities) to such
far-flung places as Africa and Antarctica, though his particular passion was
for locating the Northwest Passage. After you finish this tale of obsession
and adventure, try Fleming's equally compelling Ninety Degrees North for a look
at the race to reach the North Pole.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before - by Tony
Horwitz
Publisher: Picador
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 8/1/2003
ISBN: 9780312422608
ISBN-10: 0312422601
Between 1768 and 1779, British Navy Captain James Cook embarked on three highly
adventurous voyages that allowed him to map the final uncharted third of
the globe. Following in Cook's footsteps, author Tony Horwitz not only traces
his journeys but provides a history lesson on what life was like for
18th-century
sailors. He also offers an analysis of how Cook's visits--and the attention of
the Western world in general--came to affect the places he explored. Armchair
travelers, sailors, and historians alike will find something to enjoy in this
informative and entertaining read.
First Chapter
Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery: The U.S. Exploring Expedition,
1838-1842 - by Nathaniel Philbrick
Publisher: Penguin Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/1/2004
ISBN: 9780142004838
ISBN-10: 0142004839
The discovery voyage undertaken by the United States in 1838 resulted in a
survey of 87,000 ocean miles and 280 Pacific islands, numerous zoological
discoveries,
and the confirmation of the existence of Antarctica, but it was a journey that
was also marked by tragic deaths, the losses of two ships, controversial
court martials, and even cannibalism. Commanded by Charles Wilkes, the
expedition was beset with difficulties--not least of which was Wilkes' own
inability
to lead effectively--and despite successes, neither he nor the expedition's
findings ever gained the recognition the undertaking warranted. The New York
Times calls award-winning author Nathaniel Philbrick's efforts to rectify that
a "wonderful retelling."
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