Catalog Search Results
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: UG - BL: 5.3 - AR Pts: 28
Language
English
Description
On his way to his wife's funeral, ex-convict Shadow meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday, who has an uncanny knowledge of Shadow's life. Accepting Wednesday's job offer throws Shadow into a supernatural world where ancient gods abound. Explicit descriptions of sex, violence, and strong language. 2001.
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: UG - BL: 10.9 - AR Pts: 24
Language
English
Description
Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics--a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the "endless clash of armies" we see in Congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of our democracy. He explores those forces--from the fear of losing, to the perpetual need to raise money, to the power of the media--that can stifle even the best-intentioned...
Author
Language
English
Description
To better understand the present moment in American politics, we must look back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear. Meacham shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called the "better angels of our nature" have repeatedly won the day during turning points in American history. Among other subjects, he writes about the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the birth of the Lost Cause; the anti-Communist witch-hunts led by Senator...
Author
Language
English
Description
An iconoclastic look at America's past: overlooked episodes that shaped the nation's destiny and character. Spanning a period from the Spanish arrival in America to George Washington's inauguration in 1789, these narratives bring to light little-known but fascinating, myth-busting facts. Read the story of the first real Pilgrims in America, who were wine-making French Huguenots, not dour English Separatists; the coming-of-age story of Queen Isabella,...
Author
Language
English
Description
At a moment of crisis over our national identity, journalist Dan Rather reflects on what it means to be an American. He reminds us of the principles upon which the United States was founded. Looking at the freedoms that define us, from the vote to the press; the values that have transformed us, from empathy to inclusion to service; the institutions that sustain us, such as public education; and the traits that helped form our young country, such as...
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: UG - BL: 7.6 - AR Pts: 11
Language
English
Description
"From one of America's most inspiring political leaders, a book about the core truths that unite us, and the long struggle to discern what those truths are and how best to act upon them, in her own life and across the life of our country. By reckoning with the big challenges we face together, drawing on the hard-won wisdom and insight from her own career and the work of those who have most inspired her, Kamala Harris offers in The Truths We Hold a...
Author
Language
English
Description
"This timely collection of speeches by David McCullough, the most honored historian in the United States--winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among many other honors--reminds us of fundamental American principles. Over the course of his distinguished career, David McCullough has spoken before Congress, the White House, colleges and universities, historical societies, and other esteemed institutions....
Author
Language
English
Description
Traditional areas of civic agreement are vanishing. We can't agree on what makes America special. We can't even agree that America is special. We're coming to the point that we can't even agree what the word America itself means. "Disintegrationists" say we're stronger together, but their assault on America's history, philosophy, and culture will only tear us apart. Who are the disintegrationists? From Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United...
Author
Language
English
Description
"Running water. Electricity. Antibiotics. Dentistry. Air conditioning. Democracy. The rule of law. Such things are not only remarkably new inventions in human history, they are all alien to humanity's natural habitat. Here is what is natural: poverty, hunger, violence, tribal hatred, and an early death. If the Garden of Eden existed, it was a slum. Only once in the last 250,000 years did humans lift themselves out of their natural environment of poverty....
Author
Pub. Date
2010
Accelerated Reader
IL: LG - BL: 6 - AR Pts: 1
Language
English
Description
"In this tender, beautiful letter to his daughters, President Barack Obama has written a moving tribute to thirteen groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation. From the artistry of Georgia O'Keeffe, to the courage of Jackie Robinson, to the patriotism of George Washington, President Obama sees the traits of these heroes within his own children, and within all of America's children"--Book jacket.
12) Daisy Miller
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: UG - BL: 8.6 - AR Pts: 4
Language
English
Description
Daisy is as free as the air, but an innocent abroad. Her life encompasses the tragic difficulties of youth, tradition and love.
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: MG+ - BL: 4.6 - AR Pts: 2
Language
English
Description
"A stunning graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei's childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon -- and America itself -- in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love. George Takei has captured hearts and minds worldwide with his captivating stage presence and outspoken commitment to equal rights. But long before he braved new...
Author
Language
English
Description
After a career in journalism culminating in his twenty-two years as anchor of the NBC Nightly News and as bestselling author of The Greatest Generation, comes a powerful memoir of a year of dramatic change--a year spent battling cancer and reflecting on a long, happy, and lucky life.
Author
Publisher
Random House
Pub. Date
[2017]
Language
English
Description
Explains how the influences of dreamers, zealots, hucksters, and superstitious groups shaped America's tendency toward a rich fantasy life, citing the roles of individuals from P.T. Barnum to Donald Trump in perpetuating conspiracy theories, self-delusion, and magical thinking.
Author
Pub. Date
2007
Language
English
Description
An ironic examination of the founding years of our country. Historian Ellis guides us through the decisive issues of the nation's founding, and illuminates the emerging philosophies, shifting alliances, and personal and political foibles of our now iconic leaders. He explains how the idea of a strong federal government, championed by Washington, was eventually embraced by the American people, the majority of whom had to be won over. And he details...
Author
Pub. Date
2013
Language
English
Description
One of America's most respected writers takes an epic journey across America, Airstream in tow, and asks everyday Americans what unites and divides a country as endlessly diverse as it is large. Standing on a wind-scoured island off the Alaskan coast, Philip Caputo marveled that its Inupiat Eskimo schoolchildren pledge allegiance to the same flag as the children of Cuban immigrants in Key West, six thousand miles away. And a question began to take...
19) Seven events that made America America: and proved that the founding fathers were right all along
Author
Language
English
Description
Notable conservative historian Larry Schweikart takes an in-depth look at seven transformative moments in our nation's history and provides an analysis of how each of them spurred a trend that either confirmed or departed from the vision our Founding Fathers had for America.
20) Adjustment Day
Author
Language
English
Description
Politicians have brought the nation to the brink of a third world war in an effort to control the burgeoning population of young males. Working-class men dream of burying the elites. Professors propound theories that offer students only the bleakest future. Into this dyspeptic time, a blue-black book is launched carrying such wisdom as: Imagine there's no God; there is no Heaven or Hell; there is only your son and his son and his son and the world...