American History

Built from the Fire (Staff Pick)

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Built from the Fire: The Epic Story of Tulsa's Greenwood District, America's Black Wall Street By Victor Luckerson Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9780593134375
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Random House - May 23rd, 2023

This closely focused history Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhood, starting with the Tulsa Massacre, shows how thoroughly racism shaped and shapes American society. Though a history of tragedy, it is also a history of how people can triumph despite the systemic forces against them.

- Josh


Stamped from the Beginning

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Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America By Ibram X. Kendi Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781568585987
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Bold Type Books - August 15th, 2017

 

So much of what seemed chaotic about American history and especially contemporary American politics snapped into clarity for me when I read this book. Kendi’s ideas absolutely changed the way I understand our current crisis, as well as the forces of racism and antiracism that have shaped our culture and society.

Josh


Apollo 8

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Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon By Jeffrey Kluger Cover Image
Not Available
ISBN: 9781627798327
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Henry Holt and Co. - May 16th, 2017

Going to the moon is not a small undertaking. Imagine, it had never been done before, and the mission was planned & executed in sixteen weeks! Apollo 8 is the story of a “wild crapshoot” that will bring you back to that time or open the door to an accomplishment that included a TV broadcast from the moon on Christmas Eve 1968.  

Robert


Her Right Foot

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Her Right Foot By Dave Eggers, Shawn Harris (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Dave Eggers, Shawn Harris (Illustrator)
Not Available
ISBN: 9781452162812
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Chronicle Books - September 19th, 2017

The Statue of Liberty is the beacon greeting those who arrive in New York. But what does she truly stand for? Zooming in for a look at her (enormous) right foot reveals a message of acceptance in this moving and inspiring look at the history and meaning of the Statue of Liberty.

Marika


American Eclipse

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American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World By David Baron Cover Image
Not Available
ISBN: 9781631490163
Availability: Available with a Delay: On Order at Supplier: Email online@portersquarebooks.com for More Info
Published: Liveright - June 6th, 2017

August is Eclipse Month, so what better way to celebrate than by reading a fabulous book about the Great American Eclipse of 1878. It was the US government's first big foray into the science business, the zenith of the superstar status of scientist icon Thomas Edison, & the first opportunity modern astronomy would have to use equipment--& understanding--that had never been available for previous eclipses. An informative, compelling & timely read.

 

David


Never Caught

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Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge By Erica Armstrong Dunbar Cover Image
Not Available
ISBN: 9781501126390
Availability: Unavailable
Published: 37 Ink - February 7th, 2017

Dunbar tells the compelling story of Ona Judge, a dower slave of George and Martha Washington, who courageously escapes Philadelphia to Portsmouth, NH near the end of Washington’s second term as President, successfully evading Washington’s continued attempts to recapture her. A fascinating portrait of Washington as slaveholder and the lives of those he enslaved.

Dale


The Devil's Chessboard

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The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government By David Talbot Cover Image
Not Available
ISBN: 9780062276179
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Harper Perennial - September 6th, 2016

Allen Dulles, avuncular pipe-smoking intelligence mandarin, turns out to have been a shocking figure with admiration for major Nazis,no patience with American democracy, suspiciously peripheral to the Kennedy assassination and on and on. Devil indeed!

Gary


Hidden Figures

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Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race By Margot Lee Shetterly Cover Image
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ISBN: 9780062363596
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: William Morrow - September 6th, 2016

The movie's not out until January, but you can read now about the black female engineers and mathematicians who were the unseen contributors to the space program.

Sarah


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