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Showing 1 - 20 of 8690 items
Quirky British author of The Missing of the Somme (DB 76938) and Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi (DB 74532)…
details his residency aboard the American aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush. Describes the people he met and the experiences in which he engaged. 2014
A historical narrative of the events surrounding the death of the 35th president of the United States against the backdrop…
of an escalating Cold War. Describes the many political challenges John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) was facing before his assassination. For grades 5-8 and older readers. 2013
The true story of the extraordinary life and brutal death of Mildred Harnack, the American leader of one of the…
largest underground resistance groups in Germany, who was executed on Hitler's direct order—uncovered by her great-great-niece in this riveting, deeply researched account. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Mildred Harnack was twenty-six when she enrolled in a PhD program in Germany and witnessed the meteoric rise of the Nazi party. In 1932, she began holding secret meetings in her apartment—a small band of political activists that by 1940 had grown into the largest underground resistance group in Berlin. She recruited working-class Germans into the resistance, helped Jews escape, plotted acts of sabotage, and collaborated in writing leaflets that denounced Hitler's regime and called for revolution. Her coconspirators circulated through Berlin under the cover of night, slipping the leaflets into mailboxes, public restrooms, phone booths. When the first shots of the Second World War were fired she became a spy, couriering top-secret intelligence to the Allies. On the eve of her escape to Sweden, she was ambushed by the Gestapo. At a Nazi military court, a panel of five judges sentenced her to six years at a prison camp, but Hitler overruled the decision and ordered her execution. On February 16, 1943, she was strapped to a guillotine and beheaded.Historians identify Mildred Harnack as the only American in the leadership of the German resistance, yet her remarkable story has remained almost unknown until now.Fusing elements of biography, political thriller, and scholarly detective story, Harnack's great-great-niece Rebecca Donner brilliantly interweaves letters, diary entries, notes smuggled out of a Berlin prison, testimony of survivors, and a trove of declassified intelligence documents into a powerful, enthralling story, reconstructing the moral courage of an enigmatic woman nearly erased by history
Discusses human flight before the invention of the airplane. Recounts the balloon-based travels of daring men and women from 1783…
to the early 1900s, including two children who went up by accident. Describes the dangers posed by high winds, lightning, lack of oxygen, and extreme cold. For grades 4-7. 2010
Author selects former slaves' interviews taken during the 1920s and 1930s, as well as letters, memoirs, and diaries, to illustrate…
the thoughts and experiences of freed blacks about the Civil War. Includes reactions to the Union army's invasion of the South. Some violence and some strong language. 2008
Authorized biography of Kennan (1904-2005) chronicles his diplomatic career from the late 1920s into the 1960s. Emphasizes his role in…
creating America's strategy of containing Soviet expansion during the Cold War. Discusses the development of the atomic bomb and the ways it changed the course of history. National Book Critics Circle Award and Pulitzer Prize. 2011
Newspaperman examines his unique relationship with his hiking partner, miniature schnauzer Atticus M. Finch. Explains how a fund-raising effort after…
a friend's death started man and dog's years of climbing in New Hampshire's White Mountains--188 peaks over three winters. Some strong language. 2011
Eisenhower's grandson David describes his grandfather's retirement on the cattle farm "Ike" owned in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Discusses the thirty-fourth president's…
opinions on the Vietnam War and his relationships with John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon. Sequel to Eisenhower at War (DB 24966). 2010
Author retraces the travels of English adventurer Sir John Mandeville, who left for the Holy Land in 1322 and returned…
in 1356 with tales of countries throughout Asia that he claimed to have visited. Discusses the influence Mandeville had on explorers and writers in his day. 1996
Chronicles the sixteenth- and seventeenth- century sea voyages of English adventurers to North America, beginning with Richard Hore's 1536 expedition…
that ended when starvation drove his men to cannibalism. Discusses the court of Elizabeth I, Sir Walter Ralegh's Roanoke enterprises, and the settlement of Jamestown. Some violence. 2000
Describes a future trip that a child might take to Mars: taking a space elevator to a space station, traveling…
in a rocket, wearing a space suit, and learning about the scientific search for Martian life. Discusses the Mars environment and a habitat created for humans. For grades 2-4. 2009
Follows the development of women's bicycles in the 1880s and 1890s and explores the impact of the two-wheeler on everyday…
life during the beginning of women's liberation. Discusses celebrity cyclists, reaction to the new transportation mode, and fashion changes to accommodate riding. For grades 5-8 and older readers. 2011
Biography of African American general Benjamin O. Davis Jr. (1912-2002), who challenged racial discrimination in the military as a West…
Point cadet and a World War II hero. Discusses Davis's personal encounters with segregation, determination to be a pilot, and successful career. For grades 5-8. 2010
Biography of Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804), who was born in the West Indies and immigrated to New York in 1773. Discusses…
Hamilton's loyalty as aide-de-camp to General Washington, role at the Constitutional convention, authorship of the Federalist Papers, work at the treasury, and duel with Aaron Burr. For grades 5-8. 2011
The author of See No Evil (DB 53770), the basis for the movie Syriana, and his wife Dayna share their…
anecdotes of working for the CIA. They describe their first meeting while on assignment in the Balkans and recount falling in love years later. Some strong language. 2011
Follows the lives of U.S. ambassador William E. Dodd and his family, who moved to Berlin, Germany, in 1933. Discusses…
their attitudes toward the Nazi Party, obliviousness to Hitler's true character, and naive reactions to the persecution of Jews and Americans and the enforcement of stringent laws. Bestseller. 2011
Franklin, an American reporter stationed in South America for fifteen years, investigates the August 5, 2010, copper-mine explosion in northern…
Chile that trapped thirty-three men underground for ten weeks. Describes the miners' ordeal and highlights the rescue attempt that brought them to the surface. 2011
Chronicles the personal and professional life of Darrow (1857-1938), the Chicago railroad lawyer who at age thirty-six became a defender…
of progressive causes. Highlights Darrow's role as defense attorney in the 1910 Los Angeles Times bombing, the 1924 Leopold and Loeb child-murder case, and the 1925 Scopes "monkey" trial. Some strong language. 2011
Author recounts the three-month, 1,100-mile solo hike she took on a whim in 1995, after years of devastating personal losses.…
Describes her encounters with rattlesnakes, locals, fellow hikers, and her own thoughts during her trek from Los Angeles to Washington State on the Pacific Crest Trail. Strong language. Bestseller. 2012
Twelve individuals share their real-life adventures. Teenager Bethany describes losing her arm in a shark attack in 2003 while surfing.…
Dad Phil relates being struck by lightening in 2005 as he was rock climbing with his family in Wyoming. For grades 5-8. 2011