[bksvol-discuss] Fw: History and Current Events December 2009
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 10:41:06 -0500
New and Recently Released!
Stones into schools : promoting peace with books, not bombs, in Afghanistan and
Pakistan - Mortenson, Greg
Publisher: Viking
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 12/01/2009
ISBN-13: 9780670021154
ISBN-10: 0670021156
A follow-up to the best-selling Three Cups of Tea continues Mortenson's story
of his humanitarian efforts to bring education into disadvantaged Middle East
regions, describing such events as the 2005 earthquake and a tense eight-day
abduction by the Taliban.
The American Civil War: A Military History - by John Keegan
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/20/2009
ISBN-13: 9780307263438
ISBN-10: 0307263436
British author John Keegan is known for his masterful books on military
history, among them The Face of Battle and The Price of Admiralty. Here he
addresses
the U.S. Civil War in an account that focuses on the conflict as a military
rather than a political problem. Zeroing in on the importance of geography
and military leadership on both Confederate and Union sides, Keegan illuminates
other aspects of the war as well: tactics, demographics, and weather all
played a part. The American Civil War has won good reviews for, among other
things, the way it places the war in context with other historical conflicts.
Half the sky : turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide -
Kristof, Nicholas D.
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 09/08/2009
ISBN-13: 9780307267146
ISBN-10: 0307267148
A Pulitzer Prize-winning husband-and-wife team speaks out against the
oppression of women in the developing world, sharing example stories about
victims
and survivors who are working to raise awareness, counter abuse, and campaign
for women's rights.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
The Poison King : the life and legend of Mithridates, Rome's deadliest enemy -
Mayor, Adrienne
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 09/28/2009
ISBN-13: 9780691126838
ISBN-10: 0691126836
Nominated for the 2009 National Book Award.
"One of Rome's fiercest enemies who sought to keep his Eastern kingdom free,
Mithradates should be a household name alongside his fellow rebels Hannibal,
Cleopatra, Spartacus, and Attila. This detailed, juicy, entertaining, yet
painstaking work of superb scholarship should finally give Mithradates the
recognition
he deserves."--Margaret George, author of "Helen of Troy: A Novel"
"Meticulous in its research, exciting in its narration, ambitious in its
conception, "The Poison King" re-creates an era when much of the Mediterranean
world rebelled against Rome. At the center of it all is the fascinating and
frightening king who rallied the resistance: Mithradates. Mayor has written
a terrific book."--Barry Strauss, author of "The Spartacus War"
Table of Contents
The Fourth Part of the World: The Race to the Ends of the Earth, and the Epic
Story of the Map that Gave America Its Name - by Toby Lester
Publisher: Free Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 11/03/2009
ISBN-13: 9781416535317
ISBN-10: 1416535314
Armchair cartographers will love this chronicle of the early 16th-century
creation of the Waldseemüller map (the first to label the giant landmass on the
western side of the Atlantic Ocean as "America"), but armchair historians are
in for a treat, too. In addition to tracing the history of the map itself,
The Fourth Part of the World examines how the work of explorers and the
cartographers who mapped out their discoveries shaped their contemporaries'
understanding
of the world around them. If you're interested in the Age of Discovery or in
cartography itself, you won't want to miss this "fascinating saga" (Kirkus
Reviews).
First Chapter
The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic
Victory - by David Plouffe
Publisher: Viking
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 11/03/2009
ISBN-13: 9780670021338
ISBN-10: 0670021334
Written by Barack Obama's campaign manager, The Audacity to Win is just one of
many books about the 2008 race for the U.S. presidency (see Richard Wolffe's
Renegade or Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson's The Battle for America 2008). This
one, however, benefits from an insider's perspective that can't really be
beaten. In the course of revealing the strategies that led to Obama's win (and
the errors that caused some worry), David Plouffe draws a vivid picture
of the team's strategy and the importance of volunteers, and candidly shares
his--and Obama's--thoughts on the selection of a vice presidential candidate.
Focus on: The American West
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West - by Dee
Alexander Brown
Publisher: H. Holt & Company
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/15/2007
ISBN-13: 9780805086843
ISBN-10: 0805086846
Written during the 1960s and first published in 1970, Bury My Heart at Wounded
Knee was one of the first accounts of white settlement across North America
in the 19th century that accurately reflected the plight of the Native
Americans who were forced off their lands, resettled on reservations, or
slaughtered.
Both factual and wrenching, this book helped to give a voice to Native
Americans and offers a detailed history of the various Western tribes. If you
haven't
come across Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee yet, you shouldn't miss this
ground-breaking volume.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad - by David Haward
Bain
Publisher: Penguin Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 09/01/2000
ISBN-13: 9780140084993
ISBN-10: 0140084991
Striking west from Omaha and east from California, the two lines that formed
the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S. met in Promontory Summit, Utah,
in 1869. Though it united the country geographically, the railroad exploited
workers, decimated the Plains Indians, and was plagued by corruption and
excess...all
aspects that are captured in this "stunning fusion of splendid scholarship and
graceful writing" (Kirkus Reviews). And if you enjoy this work, you'll want
to check out the author's The Old Iron Road, in which he and his family follow
pioneer routes west by car, visiting the ghost towns and other historic
attractions he learned about in the course of writing Empire Express.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express -
by Christopher Corbett
Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 09/01/2004
ISBN-13: 9780767906937
ISBN-10: 0767906934
No picture of the American West would be complete without a Pony Express rider
dashing across a barren landscape, for despite the Express' brief time in
operation (only 18 months), it has endured in popular culture. Both an
authoritative history of the cross-continental courier service and an
examination
of how its legend grew, Orphans Preferred discusses the dangers inherent in
being a Pony Express rider, the myths and legends associated with its brief
tenure, and its most noted riders. Readers with a penchant for reading about
the glory-tinged exploits of an era gone by won't want to miss this fascinating
book, which carefully separates fact from fiction.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
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: 03/24/2008
ISBN-13: 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 piece together the
actual events and 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.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West - by Hampton Sides
Publisher: Doubleday
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/03/2006
ISBN-13: 9780385507776
ISBN-10: 0385507771
Having written for numerous magazines, author Hampton Sides burst onto the book
scene in 2001 with the award-winning, bestselling Ghost Soldiers. In 2006
he published this two-fold examination of America's westward expansion during
the era of Manifest Destiny and the efforts of the Navajo people to resist
subjugation and decimation. At the center of Blood and Thunder is frontiersman
Kit Carson, who despite taking two Native American wives still participated
in the war against the Navajo. Combining "Larry McMurtry's lyricism with the
historian's attachment to facts" (Publishers Weekly), Sides' book will appeal
to those interested in learning more about this difficult era of U.S. history.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
Wagons West: The Epic Story of America's Overland Trails - by Frank McLynn
Publisher: PGW
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 01/01/2004
ISBN-13: 9780802140630
ISBN-10: 0802140637
Focusing on the California and Oregon trails, this chronological narrative of
the overland migration west during the 1840s leaves nary a stone unturned.
Historian Frank McLynn starts with an introduction to the philosophy of
Manifest Destiny, then goes on to discuss the varied groups of early pioneers
who
followed the trails. While he includes the better-known groups, such as the
Donner Party and the mass migration of Brigham Young's Mormon followers, his
use of contemporary diaries and other artifacts allows him to share the
experiences of lesser-known pioneers as well. For a more in-depth view of solely
the Oregon Trail, try David Dary's The Oregon Trail; for the origins of the
wagon route west, try Laton McCartney's Across the Great Divide.
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