Library staff recommend books from our collection.
The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation by Victor Davis Hanson
Historical survey of civilizations brought to an end by war and conquest.
Civilizations collapse for many reasons, and these days we worry not so much about war but about climate change and natural disasters. However, as classicist and military historian Hanson warns, it’s not out of the question that a modern enemy (Putin) might attempt to erase an opponent (Ukraine) as surely as Cortés brought down the Aztecs. “The gullibility, and indeed ignorance, of contemporary governments and leaders about the intent, hatred, ruthlessness, and capability of their enemies are not surprising,” writes the author, surveying a world in which genocide is no stranger. The first genocide, some historians hold, was that of Carthage, laid low by the Romans in the third of three fierce wars, the first two of which intended to secure Roman victory but not necessarily the erasure of the city. How Rome became bent on the enemy’s destruction engages Hanson as strategist and tactician, but it seems clear from his narrative that Carthage, complying with most of Rome’s demands, was by that point a mostly blameless victim—an analog, that is, to Ukraine. More intransigent was Thebes, perhaps an analog to Taiwan in the face of today’s China, exterminated at the hand of Alexander the Great, who saw in the annihilation a “signal [to] any would-be Macedonian rivals to the throne that Alexander was ruthless, and recklessly and unpredictably so.” Putin again, one might say. Hanson goes deep into military wonkery, but he writes vividly about relevant cases, including Constantinople and Tenochtitlán—cities, he points out, that remain occupied long after their erstwhile owners were dispatched. After all, seizing key real estate makes a strong motivator.
A good choice for geopolitics and military history alike, ranging from specific battles to general principles of warfare. Kirkus Reviews – February 17, 2024
Available as a book in New Adult Nonfiction.
Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed by Maureen Callahan
In Ask Not, bestselling author and journalist Maureen Callahan reveals the Kennedys’ hidden history of violence and exploitation, laying bare their unrepentant sexism and rampant depravity while also restoring these women and girls to their rightful place at the center of the dynasty’s story: from Jacqueline Onassis and Marilyn Monroe to Carolyn Bessette, Martha Moxley, Mary Jo Kopechne, Rosemary Kennedy, and many others whose names aren’t nearly as well-known but should be.
Drawing on years of explosive reportage and written in electric prose, Ask Not is a long-overdue reckoning with this fabled family and a consequential part of American history that is still very much with us. At long last, Callahan redirects the spotlight to the women in the Kennedys’ orbit, paying homage to those who freed themselves and giving voice to those who, through no fault of their own, could not. (Review provided by publisher)
Available as an ebook, eaudiobook, and in New Adult Nonfiction.
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
Booklist Reviews 2019 September #2
*Starred Review* In this memoir, Machado (Her Body and Other Parties, 2017) chronicles her abusive relationship with a former partner, a slim blonde woman who is referred throughout as the woman from the Dream House. The Dream House in question is the Bloomington, Indiana home that Machado periodically spent time in during their long-distance relationship. She presents the story in fragments: Dream House as Noir, Dream House as Choose Your Own Adventure, Dream House as Stoner Comedy, Dream House as Entomology. This formal device presents the faceted experience of her past, examining it not only as personal trauma but also through wider contexts, especially the ways in which abuse in lesbian relationships is often complicated by gendered stereotypes, the pressure to avoid presenting negative images of lesbian relationships to straight people, and even the imagined utopia of same-sex partnerships being free from the problems of their hetero counterparts. The writing exhibits all of the formal precision of her fiction, and the book draws the reader deep into the varied rooms of the haunted house of the past. Highly recommended to fans of Machado’s fiction and to anyone interested in LGBTQ memoir, domestic abuse, or chilling and precise examinations of human relationships at their worst. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.
Available as an eaudiobook and as a book in Adult Biography.
Brownstone by Samuel Teer
Kirkus Reviews 2024 April #2
Fourteen-year-old Almudena reconnects with her estranged Guatemalan father during a revelatory summer. When her white mom gets the opportunity to tour as the star of an international dance show, Almudena must spend the summer in the city with Xavier, the father she’s never met. Further exacerbating her woes, Almudena doesn’t speak Spanish, and Xavier speaks very little English. Xavier nonetheless expects her to help him renovate a dilapidated brownstone and turn it into housing for folks in the community who need an affordable rental. As father and daughter rehabilitate the house, floor by floor (cue Almudena: “Ugh. That all sounds like a metaphor, doesn’t it?”), she learns more about her father, including his beliefs, challenges, and life. Navigating the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood as an outsider, Almudena meets Latine people who inadvertently or purposefully question her Latine status. Almudena slowly discovers how she fits into her new community and pieces together a makeshift familia that’s imperfect but feels right. This coming-of-age tale chimes with discreet moments of humor and lots of heart, all centered around questions of heritage, identity, compassion, and acceptance and exemplified by the scrappy, vivid artwork, which wonderfully captures Almudena’s inner turmoil. Almudena’s blossoming relationship with her father ends on a cheerful note, and her moments of rapport with her summertime neighbors and their stories are frequent highlights that touch upon topics such as prejudice against brown folks and queerness in the Latine community. Beautifully profound. (Graphic fiction. 12-16) Copyright Kirkus 2024 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
Available as book in the Teen Display Area.
Only If Your Lucky by Stacy Willangham
Publisher’s Weekly Review
The latest from Willingham (All the Dangerous Things) is a cunning if somewhat implausible campus thriller. As Margot nears the end of her achingly lonely freshman year–a far cry from the adventurous one she’d imagined with her bestie, Eliza, who had died under suspicious circumstances weeks after their high school graduation–at South Carolina’s Rutledge College, she can’t fathom why Lucy Sharpe, one of the school’s most popular coeds, would invite her to room with her and her wingwomen in the historic off-campus house they’re renting for the summer. Still, Margot leaps at the offer, plunging into what turns out to be a maelstrom of secrets, mind games, and possibly murder. Despite her natural reserve, Margot clicks with the uninhibited Lucy, sliding into a sidekick role similar to the one she played with Eliza. However, as the summer’s booze-soaked partying with the neighboring fraternity winds on, Lucy’s darker side emerges, especially after the arrival of prospective frat pledge Levi Butler–Eliza’s old boyfriend, who was reportedly the last person to see her alive. Flash forward several months: Levi’s dead, Lucy has disappeared, and Margot’s narration has become increasingly unreliable. Though the twisty narrative grows far-fetched as it nears the climax, Willingham’s prose remains evocative, and her deep dive into the thorny nature of female friendship rings true. Though this doesn’t rank among the author’s best work, it’s still a gripping ride. (Jan.)
Available as an eaudiobook and ebook.