A Journey Through History

It girl: a novel DB136098

“At the dawn of the twentieth century, New York’s streets teem with change: electricity, automobiles, the brash young President Teddy Roosevelt — and

New York : Penguin Random House, 2026.

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John Hancock: first to sign, first to invest in America’s independence DB132603

Author: Randall, Willard Sterne

Reading Time: 7 hours, 15 minutes

Read by: Steve Hendrickson

Subjects: Biography of Heads of State and Political Figures, U.S. History, Government and Politics

“A contemporary of Samuel Adams, John Adams, George Washington, and the Marquis de Lafayette, Hancock’s contacts read like a who’s who of the American Revolution. But shockingly little has been written about the man himself — and current biographies tend to over-rely on critical portrayals by his political opponents. John Hancock the story of a man who deserves far more acknowledgment for his involvement in the American Revolution than previously credited — and award-winning scholar Willard Sterne Randall is determined to give him his due at last. Born to relatively modest means, Hancock was sent to live with his wealthy uncle and aunt as a child, who raised him as their own and prepared him to take over the family company. An incredibly successful businessman, Hancock began to get involved in politics in the mid-1760s. He quickly rose in the ranks, eventually serving as the president of the Continental Congress and the first governor of Massachusetts. John Hancock details all of the major moments in the Revolution, from the Boston Tea Party to the battles of Lexington and Concord to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Hancock’s actions fundamentally altered each of these events — and ultimately the course of the United States — in ways never taught in the history books. Randall also dives into less-known parts of Hancock’s life with nuance and compassion, including his education and controversial work with Harvard; his long courtship and complicated marriage to Dorothy Quincy; and his close relationship and eventual bitter rivalry with Samuel Adams. John Hancock was immensely popular in Massachusetts at the time of the Revolution, but his lack of personal writings have allowed him to be pushed aside in favor of easier biographies to tell. Through extensive research, Randall aims to restore Hancock to his rightful place, celebrated for his achievements as one of our Founding Fathers at last.” — Goodreads. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

New York, NY : Penguin Random House, 2025.

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“The “Wild West” gunfighter is such a stock figure in our popular culture that some dismiss it all as a corny myth, more a product of dime novels and B movies than a genuinely important American history. In fact, as Bryan Burrough shows us in his dazzling and fast-paced new book, there’s much more below the surface. For three decades at the end of the 1800s, a big swath of the American West was a crucible of change, with the highest murder rate per capita in American history. The reasons behind this boil down to one word: Texas. Texas was born in violence, on two fronts, with Mexico to the south and the Comanche to the north. The Colt revolver first caught on with the Texas Rangers. Southern dueling culture transformed into something wilder and less organized in the Lone Star State. The collapse of the Confederacy and the presence of a thin veneer of Northern occupiers turned the heat up further. And the explosion in the cattle business after the war took that violence and pumped it out from Texas across the whole of the West. The stampede of longhorn cattle brought with it an assortment of rustlers, hustlers, gamblers, and freelance lawmen who carried a trigger-happy honor culture into a widening gyre, a veritable blood meridian. When the first newspapermen and audiences discovered what good copy this all was, the flywheel of mythmaking started spinning. It’s never stopped. The Gunfighters brilliantly sifts the lies from the truth, giving both elements their due. And the truth is sufficiently wild for any but the most unhinged tastes. All the legendary figures are here, and their escapades are told with great flair-good, bad, and ugly. Like all great stories, this one has a rousing end-as the railroads and the settlers close off the open spaces for good, the last of the breed, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, really do get on a boat for South America, ending their era in a blaze of glory. Burrough knits these histories together into something much deeper and more provocative than simply the sum of its parts. To understand the truth of the Wild West is to understand a crucial dimension of the American story.”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

New York : Penguin Random House, 2025.

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“1926: Charlotte Crowninshield was born into one of the finest Boston society families. Now she’s on the run from a brutal husband, desperate to disappear into the wilds of the Southwest. Billie MacTavish is the oldest of nine children born to Scottish immigrants in Nebraska. She quit school in the sixth grade to help with her mother’s washing and mending business, but even that isn’t enough to keep the family afloat. Desperate, both women join the ranks of the Harvey Girls, waitresses who serve in America’s first hospitality chain on the Santa Fe railroad. Hired on the same day, they share three things: a room, a heartfelt dislike of each other … and each has a secret that will certainly get them fired. Through twelve-hour days of training in Topeka, Kansas, they learn the fine art of service, perfecting their skills despite bouts of homesickness, fear of being discovered, and a run-in with the KKK. When they’re sent to work at the luxurious El Tovar hotel at the Grand Canyon, the challenges only grow, as Billie struggles to hide her young age from would-be suitors, and Charlotte discovers the little-known dark side of the national park’s history.” — From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

New York : Simon & Schuster Audio, 2025.

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Jana Littrell facilitates A Journey through History book group to discuss Denial: Holocaust history on trial DB119278

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Denial: Holocaust history on trial DB119278

Author: Lipstadt, Deborah E.

Reading Time: 13 hours, 18 minutes

Read by: Kate Udall

Subjects: World History and Affairs, Legal Issues

“In her acclaimed 1993 book Denying the Holocaust, Deborah Lipstadt called David Irving, a prolific writer of books on World War II, “one of the most dangerous spokespersons for Holocaust denial.” The following year, after Lipstadt’s book was published in the United Kingdom, Irving led a libel suit against Lipstadt and her publisher. She prepared her defense with the help of a first-rate team of solicitors, historians, and experts, and a dramatic trial unfolded. Denial, previously published as History on Trial, is Lipstadt’s riveting, blow- by-blow account of this singular legal battle, which resulted in a formal denunciation of a Holocaust denier that crippled the movement for years to come. Lipstadt’s victory was proclaimed on the front page of major news- papers around the world, such as The Times (UK), which declared that ‘history has had its day in court and scored a crushing victory.'” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

New York : HarperAudio, 2016.

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Jana Littrell facilitates A Journey through History book group to discuss Royal audience: 70 years, 13 presidents–one queen’s special relationship with America DB120048 by David Charter.

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Royal audience: 70 years, 13 presidents–one queen’s special relationship with America DB120048

Author: Charter, David

Reading Time: 8 hours, 40 minutes

Production: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Read by: Mark Meadows

Subjects: World History and Affairs, Government and Politics, Biography of Heads of State and Political Figures

“From the moment she first enchanted the world as a youthful princess, Queen Elizabeth II found a unique place in American hearts–and she also played an unprecedented role in forging transatlantic ties. Over her seventy-year reign, she developed extraordinary and varied personal bonds with thirteen U.S. presidents–Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, both Bush Sr. and Jr., Clinton, Obama, Trump, and Biden–that other diplomats and leaders could only dream of. A fascinating, in-depth look at international relations and interpersonal intrigue, Royal Audience peels back the curtain on the “special relationship” between the U.S. and the U.K. as embodied by the Queen herself–charting Elizabeth II’s distinctive brand of one-to-one diplomacy through the eyes of those who experienced it firsthand. From horse-riding with Ronald Reagan, to sharing her recipe for scones with Dwight D. Eisenhower, to striking up a kinship with the Bushes and the Obamas, the Queen’s interactions with her U.S. counterparts often acted as a restorative tonic for relations between two nations, even when political tensions ran high. Not all royal encounters with U.S. presidents went smoothly, though. Between Jackie Kennedy’s complaints about Elizabeth and the Queen Mother’s shock at being kissed on the lips by Jimmy Carter, there was never a dull moment. Throughout the years, Queen Elizabeth II’s sense of duty and service remained steadfast, and her iconic legacy is unlikely to be repeated”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

New York : Penguin Random House Audio, [2024]

This book can be found on Bookshare at the following link:

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“Betty MacDonald was a 28-year-old reporter from Hawaii. Zuzka Lauwers grew up in a tiny Czechoslovakian village and knew five languages by the time she was 21. Jane Smith-Hutton was the wife of a naval attaché living in Tokyo. Marlene Dietrich, the German-American actress and singer, was of course one of the biggest stars of the 20th century. These four women, each fascinating in her own right, together contributed to one of the most covert and successful military campaigns in WWII. As members of the OSS, their task was to create a secret brand of propaganda produced with the sole aim to break the morale of Axis soldiers. Working in the European theater, across enemy lines in occupied China, and in Washington, D.C., Betty, Zuzka, Jane, and Marlene forged letters and “official” military orders, wrote and produced entire newspapers, scripted radio broadcasts and songs, and even developed rumors for undercover spies and double agents to spread to the enemy. And outside of a small group of spies, no one knew they existed. Until now.”– From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

New York : Macmillan, 2025.

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Star-spangled men: America’s ten worst presidents DB46576

Author: Miller, Nathan

Reading Time: 9 hours, 48 minutes

Read by: Gregory Gorton

Subjects: Biography of Heads of State and Political Figures, U.S. History

Biographical profiles of American presidents the author judges to be the ten worst in the nation’s history. Candidates were evaluated on the basis of their personal qualities and the extent to which they damaged the nation. Includes Richard Nixon for his moral lapses and Jimmy Carter for lacking purpose and direction.

New York, NY : Scribner, c1998.

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Star-spangled men: America’s ten worst presidents DB46576

Author: Miller, Nathan

Reading Time: 9 hours, 48 minutes

Read by: Gregory Gorton

Subjects: Biography of Heads of State and Political Figures, U.S. History

Biographical profiles of American presidents the author judges to be the ten worst in the nation’s history. Candidates were evaluated on the basis of their personal qualities and the extent to which they damaged the nation. Includes Richard Nixon for his moral lapses and Jimmy Carter for lacking purpose and direction.

New York, NY : Scribner, c1998.

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A sense of the world: how a blind man became history’s greatest traveler DB62703

Author: Roberts, Jason

Reading Time: 12 hours, 41 minutes

Read by: David Cutler

Subjects: Biography of Persons with Disabilities, Disability, Travel

Biography of Englishman James Holman (1786-1857), who was blinded at twenty-five after serving in the Napoleonic wars and who then achieved fame as a world traveler. Quoting from Holman’s memoirs, describes how he fought slavery in Africa, survived captivity in Siberia, charted the Australian outback, and published three books. 2006.

New York : Harper Collins Publishers, c2006.

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