history / united states / 20th century

In the mid-1950s, Kurt Vonnegut worked in the PR department at General Electric in Schenectady, where his older brother, Bernard, was a leading scientist in its research lab--or "House of Magic." Kurt has ambitions as a novelist, and Bernard is working on a series of cutting-edge weather-control experiments meant to make deserts bloom and farmers flourish. While Kurt writes zippy press releases, Bernard builds silver-iodide generators and attacks clouds with dry ice. His experiments attract the attention of the government. Weather proved a decisive factor in World War II, and if the military can control the clouds, fog, and snow, they can fly more bombing missions. Maybe weather will even be--as a headline in American Magazine calls it--"The New Super Weapon." But when the army takes charge of his cloudseeding project (dubbed Project Cirrus), Bernard begins to have misgivings about the use of his inventions for harm, not to mention the evidence that they are causing alarming changes in the atmosphere. This book chronicles the intersection of these brothers' lives at a time when the possibilities of science seemed infinite. As the Cold War looms, Bernard's struggle for integrity plays out in Kurt's evolving writing style. The Brothers Vonnegut reveals how science's ability to influence the natural world also influenced one of our most inventive novelists.

"Historian Heather Ann Thompson offers the first definitive telling of the Attica prison uprising, the state's violent response, and the victims' decades-long quest for justice"--Provided by publisher.

Chroncles the life and careers of former United States President George H.W. Bush.

A biography of American author J.D. Salinger that follows the author's trail after he fled New York City in 1963 when the fame of his success became too much for him. The author traces Salinger's many moves throughout the rest of his life, visiting his homes and haunts and interviewing those who knew him.

Provides the stories of the people who built America and the people who sought to destroy it.

"In Harlem Nocturne, eminent scholar Farah Jasmine Griffin tells the stories of three black female artists who emerged during this period of unprecedented openness, flourishing professionally while also making enormous political strides for their fellow women and African Americans. Novelist Ann Petry, choreographer and dancer Pearl Primus, and composer and pianist Mary Lou Williams all achieved great fame during the 1940s. Like many African Americans in New York at the time, they weren't native to the city; Petry, a fourth generation New Englander, was born in Connecticut and arrived in Harlem as a newlywed, while Williams was born in Atlanta and only settled in Harlem after years on the road. Primus, for her part, was born in Trinidad and emigrated to New York when she was three years old. All three of these women would make significant contributions to their fields. Petry joined Richard Wright as a major new literary voice; through her work, especially her acclaimed novel The Street, she wrote about the complexities of life for working class black women. Mary Lou Williams became a major figure in the emergence of Be-Bop, and as a keyboardist and composer defied the notion that women could only contribute to jazz as vocalists. Pearl Primus, meanwhile, was a favorite of New York Times dance critic John Martin and performed across the globe and in front of enormous crowds, including at the 1943 Negro Freedom Rally at Madison Square Garden to an audience of 20,000"--.

"Recounts the dramatic political battle to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964"--Provided by publisher.

Offers a comprehensive account of the Warren Commission's investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963, explaining how the Commission operated, which political figures influenced its findings, how some of the evidence was covered up or destroyed, and what information did not make it into the final report that was released.

Presents the case of when a white seventeen-year-old Groveland, Florida, girl cried rape against four young African American men and discusses how Thurgood Marshall became embroiled in the explosive and deadly case.

Contains lists that highlight the cultural touchstones that influenced the lives of incoming college freshman in 1898, 1918, 1931, 1944, 1957, 1970, 1983, 1996, and 2009, with a speculative look at 2026.