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The demon of unrest : a saga of hubris, heartbreak, and heroism at the dawn of the Civil War / by Larson, Erik,1954-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter. Master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln's election and the Confederacy's shelling of Sumter--a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were "so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them." At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter's commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between them. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous secretary of state, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable--one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans. Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink--a dark reminder that we often don't see a cataclysm coming until it's too late"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865.; Presidents;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Decoding the world : a road map for the questioner / by Bronson, Po,1964-author.; Gupta, Arvind,author.;
"In Decoding the World, Po Bronson and Arvind Gupta-two renegade venture capitalists from Silicon Valley-take everyday news headlines and decode them, leading us on a journey through their twisted and highly entertaining view of the world. Each chapter is prefaced with a real-world headline ripped from today's chaotic news cycle: Trump's trade war. Dying bees. Rogue planets. Beyond Meat. Glaciers melting. Bronson and Gupta then decipher what's really going on behind these headlines, and why. What they offer is first-hand experience in funding technologies to solve these problems, most of which involve genetic engineering. But what the authors then do with that premise is always surprising and unexpected. In one paragraph they are ripping it down to the bare bones physics or chemistry, and in the very next paragraph invoking history, philosophy, or psychology-while using literary devices borrowed from the surrealists, along with storylines from popular movies. The narrative holds a tightrope suspense, as we wonder what they'll do next, or what brazen thing they'll say. Decoding the World is the kind of book you get when you give two guys $40 million, a world full of messy big problems, a genetics laboratory to play in, and a set of Borges' collected works. After looking through their lens, you'll never see the world the same"--
Subjects: Genetic engineering; Genetic engineering.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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A Murder in Paris A Novel [electronic resource] : by Blake, Matthew.aut; CloudLibrary;
An expert in memory must uncover the truth about her family’s wartime past in this dazzling psychological thriller from the #1 international bestselling author of Anna O Olivia Finn is a memory expert at Charing Cross Hospital in London. One night, she receives an urgent call from the police at the Hotel Lutetia on Paris’s famous Left Bank. Olivia’s French grandmother, Josephine Benoit, has appeared at the Lutetia in a distressed state claiming she committed a murder in one of the hotel’s rooms at the end of the Second World War. Travelling to Paris, Olivia finds her grandmother confused. But Josephine insists it is a recovered memory from the past. More disturbingly, hotel records show that a woman did die in that room of the Lutetia in 1945. Could Josephine’s story really be true? As people start dying in the present day, Olivia is plunged into a race against time to uncover the truth about Josephine and what really happened all those years ago. Set among the glamorous streets of Paris, this addictive thriller asks: What if a memory could get you killed?
Subjects: Electronic books.; Psychological; Crime;
© 2025., HarperCollins Canada,
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Sail of stone / by Edwardson, Åke,1953-; Edwardson, Åke,1953-Segel av sten.English.; Willson-Broyles, Rachel.;
"Chief Inspector Erik Winter of the Gothenburg police force faces a puzzling missing person case: A brother and sister report that their father has disappeared, and they believe he may have gone to Scotland in search of his father, who was presumed to have died in World War II. With the help of an old friend from Scotland Yard, Winter sets off to the land of malt whiskeys in search of the truth. Meanwhile Winter's colleague Aneta Djanali, Gothenburg's African-Swedish female detective, takes a report about a suspected abused wife. But she cannot find the woman, who seems to have disappeared except for mysterious phone messages she sometimes leaves, and her family won't say where the missing woman is. The case becomes personal for Aneta as she receives chilling threats from someone who clearly doesn't want her to find the missing woman.This mystery featuring Chief Inspector Winter is an outstanding psychological thriller, a character study of great depth and skill by a Swedish master"--
Subjects: Detective and mystery stories.; Mystery fiction.; Detectives;
© 2012., Simon & Schuster Paperbacks,
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Wiseguys and the White House : gangsters, presidents, and the deals they made / by Dezenhall, Eric,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.Wiseguys and the White House explores the influence of the mob on presidential power throughout American history. The book examines instances where connections between gangsters and presidents have shaped political outcomes and decisions. From Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Richard Nixon to Joe Biden, the mob has been involved in various activities such as assisting with political campaigns, carrying out covert operations, and influencing presidential actions. Key events include deals with mobsters like Lucky Luciano during World War II, the Chicago Outfit's role in John F. Kennedy's election, and the use of mob figures by presidents such as LBJ and Reagan. The book delves into the relationships between mobsters and political leaders, drawing on newly released government records and firsthand accounts to provide a detailed look at these often-hidden connections.
Subjects: Big business; Business and politics; Democracy; Mafia; Organized crime; Organized crime; Organized crime; Political corruption; Presidents;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Dutch girl : Audrey Hepburn and World War II / by Matzen, Robert,1957-author.; Dotti, Luca,1970-writer of foreword.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.Near the end of 1939, ten-year-old Audrey Hepburn flew from boarding school in England into the Netherlands, which would soon become a war zone. What she experienced in five years of Nazi occupation has never been explored until now. Dutch Girl sets the story straight, revealing the Nazi past of Audrey's parents and how their daughter dealt with this information. The book examines her career as an acclaimed young ballerina, her involvement with the Dutch Resistance, an active role tending wounded, and dark months in the line of fire as the end drew near for the Nazi regime.
Subjects: Biographies.; Hepburn, Audrey, 1929-1993.; Motion picture actors and actresses; Motion picture actors and actresses; World War, 1939-1945;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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The best strangers in the world : stories from a life spent listening / by Shapiro, Ari,1978-author.;
"In his first book, broadcaster Ari Shapiro takes us around the globe to reveal the stories behind narratives that are sometimes heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking, but always poignant. He details his time traveling on Air Force One with President Obama, or following the path of Syrian refugees fleeing war, or learning from those fighting for social justice both at home and abroad. As the self-reinforcing bubbles we live in become more impenetrable, Ari Shapiro keeps seeking ways to help people listen to one another; to find connection and commonality with those who may seem different; to remind us that, before religion, or nationality, or politics, we are all human. The Best Strangers in the World is a testament to one journalist's passion for Considering All Things--and sharing what he finds with the rest of us"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Shapiro, Ari, 1978-; Radio journalists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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We all want to change the world : my journey through social justice movements from the 1960s to today / by Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem,1947-author.; Obstfeld, Raymond,1952-author.;
"For many, it can feel like change takes too long, and it might seem that we have not moved very far. But political activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar believes that public protest is a vital part of affecting change, even if that change doesn't come "right now." In We All Want to Change the World, he examines the activism of people of all ages, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds that helped change America, documenting events from the Free Speech Movement through the movement for civil rights, the fight for women's and LGBTQ rights, and, of course, the protests against the Vietnam War. At a time in our history when we are witnessing protests across campuses, within the labor movement, and following the killing of George Floyd, Abdul-Jabbar reminds us that protests are a lifeblood of our history: "Protest movements, even peaceful ones, are never popular at first ... But there is a reason protest gatherings have been so frequent throughout history: They are effective. The United States exists because of them." Part history lesson and part personal reminiscences of his own activism, We All Want to Change the World will resonate with anyone who recognizes the need for social change and is willing to do the work to make it happen"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem, 1947-; Political activists.; Protest movements; Social justice;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Blackmail / by Campbell, Rick(Navy Commander),author.;
"The U.S. aircraft carrier patrolling the Western Pacific Ocean is severely damaged by a surprise salvo of cruise missiles. While the Russian government officially apologizes, claiming it was the result of fire control accident during a training exercise, it was instead a calculated provocation. With the U.S. Pacific fleet already severely under strength, the Russian President decides that the US response is a clear indication of their weakness, militarily and politically, and initiates a bold plan. Political unrest is spreading through the Eastern European states. The Russian Northern Fleet moves swiftly in the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian army is moving west to the border, and Russian Baltic and Black Sea Fleets are mobilized. In one bold strike, the Russian army moves to reoccupy a large number of the industrialized areas of the former USSR, while blockading the vital sea passages through which the world's oil and natural gas transit. To make matters worse, Russia's Special Forces have wired every major oil and natural gas pipeline with explosives. If the U.S. makes one move to thwart Russia, they'll destroy them all. The U.S. is risking disaster if it acts, but the alternative is quite possibly worse. Torn between the unthinkable and the impossible, the only possible move--to launch an attack on all fronts, simultaneously"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); War fiction.; Special operations (Military science);
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The Life of Herod the Great A Novel [electronic resource] : by Hurston, Zora Neale.aut; Plant, Deborah G..aut; cloudLibrary;
A never before published novel from beloved author Zora Neale Hurston, revealing the historical Herod the Great—not the villain the Bible makes him out to be but a religious and philosophical man who lived a life of valor and vision. In the 1950s, as a continuation of Moses, Man of the Mountain, Zora Neale Hurston penned a historical novel about one of the most infamous figures in the Bible, Herod the Great. In Hurston’s retelling, Herod is not the wicked ruler of the New Testament who is charged with the “slaughter of the innocents,” but a forerunner of Christ—a beloved king who enriched Jewish culture and brought prosperity and peace to Judea. From the peaks of triumph to the depths of human misery, the historical Herod “appears to have been singled out and especially endowed to attract the lightning of fate,” Hurston writes. An intimate of both Marc Antony and Julius Caesar, the Judean king lived during the first century BCE, in a time of war and imperial expansion that was rife with political assassinations and bribery, as the old world gave way to the new. Portraying Herod within this vivid and dynamic world of antiquity, little known to modern readers, Hurston’s unfinished manuscript brings this complex, compelling, and misunderstood leader fully into focus. Hurston shared her findings about Herod’s rise, his reign, and his waning days in letters to friends and associates. Text from three of these letters concludes the manuscript in an intimate way. Scholar-Editor Deborah Plant’s "Commentary: A Story Finally Told" assesses Hurston’s pioneering work and underscores Hurston’s perspective that the first century BCE has much to teach us and that the lens through which to view this dramatic and stirring era is the life and times of Herod the Great.
Subjects: Electronic books.; Classics; Christian; Historical; Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology; Cultural Heritage; Biographical; Action & Adventure;
© 2025., HarperCollins,
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