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Anthropologist shares anecdotes and stories of baseball's history, from its founding in the mid-1800s to the early twenty-first century, framing…
them in the context of social and political history. Presents similarities between the sport and war and nationalism. Strong language. 2014
From the New York Times bestselling author of Those Guys Have All the Fun comes the unvarnished, comprehensive, and astonishing…
history of HBO, told for the first time through the disruptors who led its epic rise to prestige and changed the way we watch television forever. The exclusive story of HBO's key creators, executives, actors, and directors gives listeners an unprecedented peek behind the curtain at the founding and triumph of the first "pay-channel" that brought America The Sopranos , Sex and the City , The Wire , Succession , and countless, groundbreaking, culture-shifting shows. James Andrew Miller collects insider accounts of the humble beginnings, devastating missteps, controversial business decisions, and, of course, backstage drama and celebrity gossip from the set. Since televisions entered Americans' living rooms, the question of whether programming should be "free"—paid for with advertising—has loomed, to the extent that some broadcasters, lobbyists and fearmongers warned someone would come along and disrupt their Madison Avenue–championed business model. But who would pay for something that had always been free? Home Box Office dared to ask that question in 1972, opening the doors for other pay-channels and ultimately the streaming platforms that are now the norm. They created different, better content—or at least they convinced viewers that different was better. HBO gave us violent scenes with blood and guts, shows like Tales from the Crypt that were actually scary, romcoms with sex instead of suggestion. We take their big-budget, "prestige" TV for granted now, but their success was far from assured at the outset. HBO's audacity built the viewing culture we have today and permanently transformed the television landscape. A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company
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
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
Journalist and author of The First National Bank of Dad (DB 59001) warns that inventing new technologies to deal with…
the energy crisis does not fix the problem--and may worsen the situation. Advocates consuming less and living in densely populated areas such as New York City. 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
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
Political commentator and radio talk-show host shares her observations and opinions of boutique cupcake shops; laptop users; shrinking airplane seats…
and expanding passengers; celebrities' choices for baby names; and other aspects of modern American life. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2011
Author of The Men Who Stare at Goats (DB 60917) explores psychiatry's efforts to recognize and treat psychopaths. Interviews include…
a doctor who developed a checklist of psychopathic traits, a former Haitian death-squad leader, and an ex-CEO who seemed to enjoy firing workers. Strong language and some violence. Bestseller. 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
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
Historians compile interviews of former slaves conducted by the Federal Writers Project during the 1930s. Includes accounts of Civil War…
battles, participation in the Union and Confederate armies, freedom, and Reconstruction. Also documents rural poverty among African Americans during the Great Depression. Strong language. 2014
Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary historian Wills reexamines the work and legacy of historian Henry Adams (1838-1918), a descendant of two American…
presidents. Depicts Adams's extensive research of U.S. and European archives to produce a nine-volume portrait of the United States during the administrations of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. 2005
Biography of Noah Webster (1758-1843), who first published The American Dictionary in 1828. Chronicles Webster's life as the son of…
a poor Connecticut farmer who became a confidant of leaders of the American Revolution and discusses the circumstances that led him to become a lexicographer. 2010
A history of Bonapartists who, after Napoleon's 1815 defeat at Waterloo, fled to the Western Hemisphere. Describes plots, led by…
Napoleon's brother Joseph, to rescue Napoleon from exile and create a Bonapartist empire in America. Presents accounts of former French generals and disgruntled Englishmen who joined South American revolutionaries. 2009
Lady Fiona, the Countess of Carnarvon, chronicles the era that inspired the British television series Downton Abbey. She details the…
life of Almina--illegitimate daughter of Sir Alfred de Rothschild--who married the fifth earl of Carnarvon in 1895 and enjoyed upper-class privileges until World War I. Some violence. Bestseller. 2011