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Uncultured : a memoir / by Mestyanek Young, Daniella,author.; Larsen, Brandi.;
"In the vein of Educated and The Glass Castle, Daniella Mestyanek Young's Uncultured is more than a memoir about an exceptional upbringing, but about a woman who, no matter the lack of tools given to her, is determined to overcome. Behind the tall, foreboding gates of a commune in Brazil, Daniella Mestyanek Young was raised in the religious cult The Children of God, also known as The Family, as the daughter of high-ranking members. Her great-grandmother donated land for one of The Family's first communes in Texas. Her mother, at thirteen, was forced to marry the leader and served as his secretary for many years. Beholden to The Family's strict rules, Daniella suffers physical, emotional, and sexual abuse-masked as godly discipline and divine love-and is forbidden from getting a traditional education. At fifteen years old, fed up with The Family and determined to build a better and freer life for herself, Daniella escapes to Texas. There, she bravely enrolls herself in high school and excels, later graduating as valedictorian of her college class, then electing to join the military to begin a career as an intelligence officer, where she believes she will finally belong. But she soon learns that her new world-surrounded by men on the sands of Afghanistan-looks remarkably similar to the one she desperately tried to leave behind. Told in a beautiful, propulsive voice and with clear-eyed honesty, Uncultured explores the dangers unleashed when harmful group mentality goes unrecognized, and is emblematic of themany ways women have to contort themselves to survive"--
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Mestyanek Young, Daniella.; Family International (Organization); Cults.; Social psychology.; Women.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The first conspiracy : the secret plot to kill George Washington / by Meltzer, Brad,author.; Mensch, Josh,author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages [365]-399) and index."In 1776, an elite group of soldiers were handpicked to serve as George Washington's bodyguards. Washington trusted them; relied on them. But unbeknownst to Washington, some of them were part of a treasonous plan. In the months leading up to the Revolutionary War, these traitorous soldiers, along with the Governor of New York William Tryon and Mayor David Mathews, launched a deadly plot against the most important member of the military: George Washington himself. This is the story of the secret plot and how it was revealed. It is a story of leaders, liars, counterfeiters, and jailhouse confessors. It also shows just how hard the battle was for George Washington--and how close America was to losing the Revolutionary War. Taking place during the most critical period of our nation's birth, The First Conspiracy tells a remarkable and previously untold piece of American history that not only reveals George Washington's character, but also illuminates the origins of America's counterintelligence movement that led to the modern day CIA"--
Subjects: Washington, George, 1732-1799; United States. Continental Army. Commander-in-Chief's Guard.; Attempted assassination; Treason;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Better off dead : post-traumatic stress disorder and the Canadian Armed Forces / by Doucette, Fred.;
Fred Doucette always wanted to be a soldier. In the 1960s he joined the Canadian Armed Forces and served in Cyprus in the 1970s and <U+2019>80s and Bosnia in the 1990s. When he returned home to New Brunswick in 1999 after his last overseas tour, he was diagnosed with severe chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. Eventually released from the army, Fred found a position with the Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) program, where he supported serving soldiers and veterans for ten years. Better Off Dead chronicles Fred's efforts in helping to rehabilitate and support soldiers and veterans suffering from what the military terms "operational stress injuries." We meet Ted, saved from a suicide attempt by a timely phone call; Bob, at wit's end and reluctantly seeking help to overcome severe PTSD; Roger, caught in a cycle of violence and drug and alcohol abuse; and Jane, diagnosed with PTSD after having been sexually assaulted while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. These accounts are raw, desperate, and often angry, but as Doucette shows, there is hope and real progress for those able to obtain proper diagnosis and treatment. Fred Doucette is the author of the memoir Empty Casing, He lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick.LSC
Subjects: Doucette, Fred.; War neuroses; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Psychic trauma; Veterans; Soldiers; Veterans; Soldiers; Medicine, Military;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Denzel Washington. by Butcher, Angelica,film director.; Legacy Distribution (Firm),dst; Kanopy (Firm),dst;
Originally produced by Legacy Distribution in 2025.The guts to fail and the aptitude to succeed. From playing a TV doctor on St. Elsewhere, to classic revivals on Broadway, Denzel Washington’s world is so much more than a show. The son of a Mt. Vernon, New York beautician and Pentecostal minister, he escaped temptation of street crime and learned discipline at a military school after his parents’ divorce. Formal drama training at Fordham University set the stage for a career marked by lifetime achievement from the Golden Globes and The American Film Institute. Yet, the most noble acts are gifts to Boys &amp; Girls Clubs, Wounded Veterans, and the Wylie College debate team.Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subjects: Documentary films.; Performing arts.; Arts.; Motion pictures.; Americans.; Foreign study.; Documentary films.; Ethnicity.; Artists.; African Americans.; Biography.; Motion pictures--History.; Actors.; Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.).;
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The fifth act : America's end in Afghanistan / by Ackerman, Elliot,author.;
"A powerful and revelatory eyewitness account of the American collapse in Afghanistan, its desperate endgame, and the war's echoing legacy. Elliot Ackerman left the American military ten years ago, but his time in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Marines and, later, as a CIA paramilitary officer marked him indelibly. When the Taliban began to close in on Kabul in August of 2021 and the Afghan regime began its death spiral, he found himself pulled back into the conflict. Afghan nationals who had, for years, worked closely with the American military and intelligence communities now faced brutal reprisal and sought frantically to flee the country with their families. The official US government evacuation process was a bureaucratic failure that led to a humanitarian catastrophe. With his former colleagues, and friends, protecting the airport in Kabul, Ackerman was drawn into an impromptu effort alongside a group of journalists, and other veterans, to arrange flights and negotiate with both Taliban and American forces to secure the safe evacuation of hundreds. These were desperate measures taken during a desperate end to America's longest war, but the success they achieved afforded a degree of redemption. And, for Ackerman, a chance to reconcile his past with his present. The Fifth Act is an astonishing human document that brings the weight of twenty years of war to bear on a single week at its bitter end. Using the dramatic rescue efforts in Kabul as his lattice, Ackerman weaves in a personal history of the war's long progress, beginning with the initial invasion in the months after 9/11. It is a play in five acts, the fifth act being the story's tragic denouement, a prelude to Afghanistan's dark future. Any reader who wants to understand what went wrong with the war's trajectory will find a trenchant accounting here. And yet The Fifth Act is not an exercise in finger-pointing: it brings readers into close contact with a remarkable group of characters, American and Afghan, who fought the war with courage and dedication, in good faith and at great personal cost. Understanding combatants' experiences and sacrifices while reckoning with the complex bottom line of the post-9/11 wars is not an easy balance; it demands reservoirs of wisdom and the gifts of an extraordinary storyteller. It asks for an author willing to grapple with certain hard-earned truths. In Elliot Ackerman, this story has found that author. The Fifth Act is a first draft of history that feels like a timeless classic"--
Subjects: Ackerman, Elliot.; United States. Central Intelligence Agency.; United States. Marine Corps. Marine Regiment, 8th. Battalion, 1st.; Afghan War, 2001-2021; Afghan War, 2001-2021; Afghan War, 2001-2021; Disengagement (Military science); Paramilitary forces;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Si-renity : how I stay calm and keep the faith / by Robertson, Si,1948-author.;
"America's favorite uncle and bestselling author of Si-cology 1, Duck Dynasty's Si Robertson, opens up about how his faith has brought him peace and serenity throughout his many not-so-peaceful adventures. Si Robertson has gone from chief duck call maker to beloved star of A&E's Duck Dynasty. Through his transition, he has remained untainted by the popularity and money, and is the same man he was before stardom--generous, kind, compassionate, and a little bit crazy. Beginning where Si-cology 1 ended, Uncle Si gets much more personal as he talks about his life on the road as one of the show's favorites, and how he feels about life after the show. Si-renity will be full of Si-style, hilarious stories, as well as an up-close look inside the heart and faith of this loveable fan favorite. This new book shines a light on the kindness and compassion Si has for children, the military, and the less fortunate. Full of zany, yet honest stories about his day-to-day life on the road, Si narrates the lessons he's learned about living life courageously and joyfully, and shares his personal source of peace and love for others--both originating directly from his faith in God"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Robertson, Si, 1948-; Television personalities;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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True crimes and misdemeanors : the investigation of Donald Trump / by Toobin, Jeffrey,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Donald Trump's campaign chairman went to jail. So did his personal lawyer. His long-time political consigliere was convicted of serious federal crimes, and his national security advisor pled guilty to others. Several Russian spies were indicted in absentia. Career intelligence agents and military officers were alarmed enough by the president's actions that they alerted senior government officials and ignited the impeachment process. Yet despite all this, a years-long inquiry led by special counsel Robert Mueller, and the third impeachment of a president in American history, Donald Trump survived to run for re-election. Why? Jeffrey Toobin's highly entertaining definitive account of the Mueller investigation and the impeachment of the president takes readers behind the scenes of the epic legal and political struggle to call Trump to account for his misdeeds. With his superb storytelling and analytic skills Toobin recounts all the mind-boggling twists and turns in the case--Trump's son met with a Russian operative promising Kremlin support! Trump paid a porn star $130,000 to hush up an affair! Rudy Giuliani and a pair of shady Ukrainian-American businessmen got the Justice Department to look at Russian-created conspiracy theories! Toobin shows how Trump's canny lawyers used Mueller's famous integrity against him, and how Trump's bullying and bluster cowed Republican legislators into ignoring the clear evidence of the impeachment hearings. Based on dozens of interviews with prosecutors in Mueller's office, Trump's legal team, Congressional investigators, White House staffers, and several of the key players, including some who are now in prison, True Crimes and Misdemeanors is a revelatory narrative that makes sense of the seemingly endless chaos of the Trump years. Filled with never-before-reported details of the high-stakes legal battles and political machinations, the book weaves a tale of a rogue president guilty of historic misconduct, and how he got away with it."--
Subjects: Mueller, Robert S., III, 1944-; Trump, Donald, 1946-; Trump, Donald, 1946-; Corruption investigation; Elections; Governmental investigations; Political campaigns; Presidents;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Brothers down : Pearl Harbor and the fate of the many brothers aboard the USS Arizona / by Borneman, Walter R.,1952-author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 313-322) and index.The surprise attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 remains one of the most traumatic events in American history. America's battleship fleet was crippled, thousands of lives were lost, and the United States was propelled into a world war. Few realize that aboard the iconic, ill-fated USS Arizona were an incredible 79 blood relatives. Tragically, in an era when family members serving together was an accepted, even encouraged, practice, sixty-three of the Arizona's 1,177 dead turned out to be brothers. In Brothers Down, acclaimed historian Walter R. Borneman returns to that critical week of December, masterfully guiding us on an unforgettable journey of sacrifice and heroism, all told through the lives of these brothers and their fateful experience on the Arizona. Weaving in the heartbreaking stories of the parents, wives, and sweethearts who wrote to and worried about these men, Borneman draws from a treasure trove of unpublished source material to bring to vivid life the minor decisions that became a matter of life or death when the bombs began to fall. More than just an account of familial bonds and national heartbreak, what emerges promises to define a turning point in American military history.
Subjects: Arizona (Battleship); Brothers.; Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941.; World War, 1939-1945;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Murder on the inside : the true story of the deadly riot at Kingston Penitentiary / by Fogarty, Catherine,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."On April 14, 1971, a handful of prisoners attacked the guards at Kingston Penitentiary and seized control. The inmates held the guards hostage for four intense days, making headlines around the world and drawing international attention to the dehumanizing realities of incarceration when several inmates appeared on camera and described the overcrowding, inadequate rehabilitation programs, harsh punishment, and extreme isolation they endured. As negotiations between the leaders of the inmates and a citizens' committee of journalists and lawyers entered the a third day, tensions inside the prison erupted when gangs of angry, disenfranchised convicts turned their rage towards the weakest prisoners. As heavily armed soldiers prepared to regain control of the prison through a full military assault, the inmates finally gave up the fight. Murder on the Inside tells the story of a prison in crisis set against the backdrop of a pivotal time in history when the disenfranchised began rebelling against institutional discrimination. Like the uprising at the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York that occurred later the same year, leaving twenty-nine inmates and ten guards dead and marking a watershed moment for civil rights in America, the Kingston rebellion was a pivotal moment in Canadian thinking about human rights. Until now, few have known the story--yet the tense prison drama chronicled in this book is more relevant today than ever, as Canada's correctional system remains mired in crisis almost fifty years later."--
Subjects: Kingston Penitentiary.; Prison riots;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Sicily '43 : the first assault on fortress Europe / by Holland, James,1970-author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 555-571) and index."On July 10, 1943, the largest amphibious invasion ever mounted took place, larger even than the Normandy invasion eleven months later: 160,000 American, British, and Canadian troops came ashore or were parachuted onto Sicily, signaling the start of the campaign to defeat Nazi Germany on European soil. Operation HUSKY, as it was known, was enormously complex, involving dramatic battles on land, in the air, and at sea. Yet, despite its drama and its paramount importance to ultimate Allied victory, very little has been written about the 38-day battle for Sicily. Based on much new research, Sicily '43 offers vital new perspective on a major turning point in World War II. The characters involved-General George Patton and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery among many-were as colorful as the battles across the scorching plains and above the peaks of Sicily were brutal. Among Holland's great skills is incorporating the experience of on-the-ground participants on all sides--from American colonel Jim Gavin, British major Hedley Verity, and Canadian lieutenant Farley Mowat to brigade commander Wilhelm Schmalz, Luftwaffe fighter pilot Johannes "Macky" Steinhoff, and Italian combatants, civilians, and mafiosi alike--giving readers an intimate sense of what occurred in July and August 1943. Emphasizing the significance of Allied air superiority, Holland overturns conventional narratives that have criticized the Sicily campaign for the slowness of the Allied advance and that so many German and Italian soldiers escaped to the mainland; rather, he shows that clearing the island in 38 days against geographical challenges and fierce resistance was an impressive achievement. A powerful and dramatic account by a master military historian, Sicily '43 fills a major gap in the narrative history of World War II"--
Subjects: World War, 1939-1945; Operation Husky, 1943.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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