Otros libros que te pueden interesar

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  Birmingham Campaign The: The...

  Editors Charles River

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  Today every American is taught about watershed moments in the history of minorities’ struggles for civil rights over the course of American history: the Civil War, Brown v. Board of Education, Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Indeed, the use of the phrase “Civil Rights Movement” in America today almost invariably refers to the period of time from 1954-1964. 
  	However, the Civil Rights Movement actually came into existence long before it is presumed to have done so. The movement's primary work was slow, evolving, gradual and long-term. Its more glamorous moments, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956), the Selma to Montgomery March (1965), and the March on Washington (1963), mainly were supplemental to the all-important grassroots work already going on in communities, churches, legislatures, and courts. The nascent stages of the movement actually began far earlier, among abolitionists and the writings and activism of Frederick Douglass and others.  
  	Beginning in the summer of 1962, King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) began to express interest in targeting one of the South's most brutally segregated cities. Nicknamed “Bombingham,” the city had witnessed the bombing of over a dozen black homes and churches in the previous five years. A victory in Birmingham was a goal that would embolden the Civil Rights Movement like never before.

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  Nart Sagas - Ancient Myths and...

  John Colarusso

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  The sagas of the ancient Narts are to the Caucasus what Greek mythology is to Western civilization. This book presents, for the first time in the West, a wide selection of these fascinating myths preserved among four related peoples whose ancient cultures today survive by a thread. In ninety-two straightforward tales populated by extraordinary characters and exploits, by giants who humble haughty Narts, by horses and sorceresses, Nart Sagas from the Caucasus brings these cultures to life in a powerful epos. In these colorful tales, women, not least the beautiful temptress Satanaya, the mother of all Narts, are not only fertility figures but also pillars of authority and wisdom. In one variation on a recurring theme, a shepherd, overcome with passion on observing Satanaya bathing alone, shoots a "bolt of lust" that strikes a rock--a rock that gives birth to the Achilles-like Sawseruquo, or Sosruquo. With steely skin but tender knees, Sawseruquo is a man the Narts come to love and hate. Despite a tragic history, the Circassians, Abazas, Abkhaz, and Ubykhs have retained the Nart sagas as a living tradition. The memory of their elaborate warrior culture, so richly expressed by these tales, helped them resist Tsarist imperialism in the nineteenth century, Stalinist suppression in the twentieth, and has bolstered their ongoing cultural journey into the post-Soviet future. Because these peoples were at the crossroads of Eurasia for millennia, their myths exhibit striking parallels with the lore of ancient India, classical Greece, and pagan Scandinavia. The Nart sagas may also have formed a crucial component of the Arthurian cycle. Notes after each tale reveal these parallels; an appendix offers extensive linguistic commentary. With this book, no longer will the analysis of ancient Eurasian myth be possible without a close look at the Nart sagas. And no longer will the lover of myth be satisfied without the pleasure of having read them.Excerpts from the Nart sagas "The Narts were a tribe of heroes. They were huge, tall people, and their horses were also exuberant Alyps or Durduls. They were wealthy, and they also had a state. That is how the Narts lived their lives. . . ."  "The Narts were courageous, energetic, bold, and good-hearted. Thus they lived until God sent down a small swallow. . . ." "The Narts were very cruel to one another. They were envious of one another. They disputed among themselves over who was the most courageous. But most of all they hated Sosruquo. . . . A rock gave birth to him. He is the son of a rock, illegally born a mere shepherd's son. . . ."In a new introduction, folklorist Adrienne Mayor reflects on these tales both in terms of the fascinating warrior culture they depict and the influence they had on Greco-Roman mythology.

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  Franco-Prussian War - One of the...

  Kelly Mass

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  The Franco-Prussian War, also known as the Franco-German War or, in France, the War of 1870, was a pivotal conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation, which was led by the Kingdom of Prussia. This war lasted from 19 July 1870 to 28 January 1871, and its consequences would shape European geopolitics for decades. The primary cause of the war stemmed from France's desire to reaffirm its dominance in continental Europe, which had been seriously challenged after Prussia's decisive victory over Austria in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. This defeat shifted the balance of power in Europe, making France anxious about its standing. 
  Historians have debated the exact motivations behind the war, particularly regarding the role of Otto von Bismarck, the Prussian chancellor. Some argue that Bismarck intentionally provoked France into declaring war to unite the southern German states—Baden, Württemberg, Bavaria, and Hesse-Darmstadt—under the North German Confederation. Other historians maintain that Bismarck exploited the situation as it developed, recognizing the potential for new alliances but not necessarily seeking war. Regardless of the intent, Bismarck saw the war as an opportunity to strengthen German unity. 
  The war officially began when France mobilized its army on 15 July 1870, prompting the North German Confederation to follow suit with its own mobilization the same day. On 16 July, the French parliament declared war on Prussia, and by 2 August, France had invaded German territory. The German coalition responded swiftly and efficiently, invading northeastern France on 4 August. The Germans had several advantages: superior numbers, better training, more effective leadership, and access to advanced military technology, especially in railways and artillery.

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  Unjust Debts - How Our...

  Melissa B. Jacoby

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  Named one of the Best Summer Books in Economics by the Financial Times 
   
   
   
  A groundbreaking look at the hidden role of bankruptcy in perpetuating inequality in America 
   
   
   
  Bankruptcy is the busiest federal court in America. In theory, bankruptcy in America exists to cancel or restructure debts for people and companies that have way too many—a safety valve designed to provide a mechanism for restarting lives and businesses when things go wrong financially. 
   
   
   
  Legal scholar Melissa B. Jacoby shows how bankruptcy has also become an escape hatch for powerful individuals, corporations, and governments, contributing in unseen and poorly understood ways to race, gender, and class inequality in America. When cities go bankrupt, police unions enjoy added leverage while police brutality victims are denied a seat at the negotiating table; the system is more forgiving of civil rights abuses than of the parking tickets disproportionately distributed in African American neighborhoods. Unjust Debts reveals the hidden mechanisms by which bankruptcy impacts everything from sexual harassment to health care, police violence to employment discrimination, and the opioid crisis to gun violence.

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  Ingenious - A Biography of...

  Richard Munson

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  The dramatic story of an ingenious man who explained nature and created a country. 
   
   
   
  Benjamin Franklin was one of the preeminent scientists of his time. Driven by curiosity, he conducted cutting-edge research on electricity, heat, ocean currents, weather patterns, chemical bonds, and plants. But today, Franklin is remembered more for his political prowess and diplomatic achievements than his scientific creativity. 
   
   
   
  In this incisive and rich account of Benjamin Franklin's life and career, Richard Munson recovers this vital part of Franklin's story, reveals his modern relevance, and offers a compelling portrait of a shrewd experimenter, clever innovator, and visionary physicist whose fame opened doors to negotiate French support and funding for American independence. 
   
   
   
  Munson's riveting narrative explores how science underpins Franklin's entire story—from tradesman to inventor to nation-founder—and argues that Franklin's political life cannot be understood without giving proper credit to his scientific accomplishments.

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  Reacher - The Stories Behind the...

  Lee Child

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  After making his debut in The Killing Floor, Jack Reacher has quickly become one of the most popular―and most enduring―fictional heroes to emerge in the past half century. Now, his creator tells the stories behind the stories. 
   
   
   
  These are the origin tales of all of the Reacher novels written solely by Lee Child, chock full of colorful anecdotes and intriguing inspirations. One by one, they expand upon each novel and place it in the context not only of the author's life, but of the world outside the books. And taken together, they chart the rise of an action icon, from 1997's The Killing Floor to 2019's Blue Moon. An afterword by crime fiction expert and bookseller Otto Penzler considers the importance of the character and novels in the canon of contemporary crime fiction. 
   
   
   
  In addition to the essays, this collection also includes an original Reacher short story―the first new Reacher appearance entirely written by Lee Child since 2019. Entertaining and enlightening, Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories is a must-listen for fans of the Jack Reacher series and a capstone to any collection of this excellent author.

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