The Gamble: General David Petraeus and The American Military Adventure In Iraq 2006-2008

By Thomas E. Ricks
"Draws on interviews with top officers in Iraq to document the war as it has unfolded in recent years, focusing on the unorthodox strategies of General David Petraeus, from his work with foreign advisors to the ways in which his officers disagreed with key decisions."
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Body Of War; A True Story Of An Anti-War Hero

A Film By Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro

"Tomas Young is another casualty of the war in Iraq. After less than a week on duty, a bullet wound to his back left him paralyzed. This emotional documentary follows the veteran as he returns home and undergoes a transformation, becoming one of the many voices protesting the war. Directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, Body of War features two original songs performed by Eddie Vedder."

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We Can Have Peace In The Holy Land

By Jimmy Carter

"In his latest, President Carter has written a review of the history of the conflict between Israel and its neighbors, including his own 35-year involvement in the peace process, in the hope that the new president will follow his lead with direct diplomacy and a dedication to creating peace. Acknowledging that his analysis (especially in 2007's Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid) has gotten him labeled "an anti-Semite, senile, a liar, a plagiarist, a racist, unfamiliar with the region and a supporter of terrorism," Carter doesn't spare any of the region's players from criticism,... Though unafraid to ruffle feathers, Carter is illuminating and inspiring in this knowledgeable insider's history. "

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Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, And The Search For The American Dream

By Adam Shepard

"Recent college graduate Shepard is tired of hearing people complain about what they don't have. In this rebuttal to Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch, he sets off to see how far he can get by starting in Charleston, SC, with $25 and the clothes on his back. His goal is to finish 365 days later with a functioning car, a furnished apartment, and $2500 and be in a position to continue improving his circumstances. Along the way, he lives in a homeless shelter, befriends some interesting characters, and learns things the hard way." Check Our Catalog

Securing The City;Inside America's Best Counterterror Force

By Christopher Dickey

"With an informed eye on the history of New York City as a leading target of world terrorism, Dickey, Newsweek’s Paris bureau chief and Middle East regional editor, chronicles the effectiveness and resources of the high-tech intelligence operation of the New York Police Department. He speaks without bias of hard-nosed veterans Raymond Kelly, the pragmatic NYPD police commissioner, and David Cohen, a former CIA analyst, who formed the counterterrorism division, which watches over the city with more than 600 cops and operatives stationed stateside and around the world. As Cohen says: “There’s a plot taking shape on New York City every day of every week since 9/11.” Dickey examines the history of terrorism in the city, but poses the thorny question of surveillance vs. civil liberties (e.g., helicopters whose cameras can look directly into specific apartments) since the 2001 World Trade Center tragedy and the Madrid and London bombings."

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The Forever War

By Dexter Filkins

"Filkins, a New York Times prize–winning reporter, is widely regarded as among the finest war correspondents of this generation. His richly textured book is based on his work in Afghanistan and Iraq since 1998. It begins with a Taliban-staged execution in Kabul. It ends with Filkins musing on the names in a WWI British cemetery in Baghdad. In between, the work is a vivid kaleidoscope of vig-nettes. Individually, the strength of each story is its immediacy; together they portray a theater of the absurd, in which Filkins, an extraordinarily brave man, moves as both participant and observer. Filkins does not editorialize—a welcome change from the punditry that shapes most writing from these war zones."
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Michelle

By Liza Mundy

"Michelle Obama's life story is inspiring - from working class Chicago roots to Ivy League education and high-powered career - but she has triggered as much controversy on the campaign trail as any other element in the life of her husband, Barack Obama. ......Mundy sees Michelle with a kind of survivor's guilt that she has been given so many opportunities that others have not, a feeling that has pushed her from corporate law firms to work for nonprofits, coping with racism and sexism and balancing career and family life....Readers who want reassurance that Michelle Obama is up to the job of First Lady and those who just want to know more about her won't be disappointed."
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