ISBN-13: 9780375411670 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Knopf, 10/01/2009
An old Mexican saying has it that God locked up the devil in a cave by the Rio Grande, but that he gets out sometimes on a swing slung between the mountains. The devil does indeed make himself known in this novel that spans three generations of Arizona and Mexican pioneers. During 9/11, Gil Castle lost his wife and his desire to live in a world that could create such a horror. When invited to visit his cousin on their family ranch on the Mexican border, Gil finds renewal in the land while facing yet more horror in the darkness that the drug cartels and human smuggling have brought to the border. Caputo’s novel is rich with the nuances of good and evil, magnificently portrayed against the harshness of a land both desolate and beautiful.
ISBN-13: 9781594484001 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Riverhead Trade, 10/01/2009
The witty wordsmith and author of Assassination Vacation turns her attention to the writings of the early founders of Massachusetts. In Vowell's eyes, the Puritans are a much more nuanced group than their stereotype as the stern forbidding religious fanatics of history. She reveals their inner selves through the vast narrative they left; she is particularly fond of John Winthrop, one of the major figures of his time and a man whose writings still resonate. I can't think of a better guide to our Puritan godfathers than the totally delightful Vowell.
ISBN-13: 9780805087499 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Metropolitan Books, 10/01/2009
America as the land of fatal optimists? Ehrenreich takes on the entire positive thought movement from pink ribbons to mega churches to motivational speakers to Wall Street in this all-encompassing rap on our cultural need to "look on the bright side." Not exactly a curmudgeon, Ehrenreich is more a clear-eyed realist--which she brilliantly displays.
ISBN-13: 9780679422846 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Random House, 09/01/2009
Renowned journalist and historian Sheehan turns his investigative skills to the development of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system, which was instituted to combat the perceived threat from the USSR after World War II. This history is seen through the eyes of Bernard Schriever, whose career paralleled the evolution of the United States Air Force. Fraught with politics, misinformation, and the dawning of the nuclear age, the ICBM system is emblematic of a time when the world was on the edge of annihilation.
ISBN-13: 9781586487171 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: PublicAffairs, 10/01/2009
Ivins made a name for herself as an irreverent iconoclast--brilliantly funny in her shrewd insight into the strange way in which politics is practiced in Texas. Her down-home voice belied her Smith College and Columbia School of Journalism training. She was a woman everyone wanted to know, and for those who were lucky enough to count her as a friend, she was unforgettable. Minutaglio and Smith have produced a larger-than-life portrait of a woman who both reflected her time and challenged the mores of 20th century America. Her death leaves a vacuum that may never be filled in quite the same way.
ISBN-13: 9781416586289 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Scribner, 10/01/2009
In a novel that is more a memoir than fiction, Walls channels her spunky and outspoken grandmother in fine fashion. Born into a hardscrabble Texas family in the early part of the 20th century, Lily Casey Smith exhibited the mettle and tenacity required in the settling of the desert Southwest. Lily was what would now be called a "character," and Walls' depiction of this unique woman is wonderfully told. From chasing cattle to teaching in a one-room schoolhouse to taking flying lessons, Smith was the embodiment of the frontier spirit.
ISBN-13: 9780307263438 Availability: Not In Stock - Available to Order Published: Knopf, 10/01/2009
Much more than a military history, this chronicle of the Civil War looks at all aspects of the war that tore our country apart. Keegan insightfully examines the demands of slavery and its economic importance to the South as well as the political implications for both North and South. He also looks at who actually fought the war for both sides, and how the civilian populations were impacted. And most brilliantly, he explains how the geography being fought over affected the major battles of the war and how both camps were torn apart in the process. This book is certain to become a major narrative of the bloodiest conflagration ever faced by this nation.
ISBN-13: 9780316059541 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Little, Brown and Company, 10/01/2009
Remember when girdles were de rigeur, when slacks weren't allowed, and when flight attendants had to be female, unmarried, and within certain weight restrictions? Collins, a New York Times columnist, interviewed hundreds of people from not only the women's movement but also the civil rights movement for this amazing compilation. Her history encompasses major events from the 1950s to the present, putting into context the way the world has changed. In the end, she shows how important it is for our daughters and granddaughters to recognize the changes that have taken place in society in the last 40 years and how dearly fought the battles were. Necessary reading for everyone.
