Recommended Reads: Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure

Recommended Reads: Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip by Matthew Algeo (973.918 ALG)

As the days grow longer and the temperature soars, people across the country set off for a very American type of vacation--the road trip. Even the famous are not immune to the charms of the open road, as Matthew Algeo documents in this lively history. In 1953, ex-President Harry Truman decided to travel from his home in Independence, Missouri to New York City in his brand new Chrysler. Without Secret Service protection, Truman hoped to travel incognito but he was recognized everywhere. In this charming book, Algeo describes the bygone America of the 1950s that Harry and Bess Truman experienced on their one of a kind road trip.

Recommended Reads: Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

Recommended Reads: Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer (289.33 KRA)

Under the Banner of Heaven is an intriguing blend of true crime narrative and religious history. The book opens with the murder of Brenda Lafferty and her baby daughter by two of her brothers-in-law who claim that they were following a commandment from God. Krakauer then traces the founding of Mormonism by Joseph Smith and the contemporary practice of Mormon fundamentalism. The fascinating page turner explores the boundaries between faith and insanity in contemporary America while explaining the influence of the past.

Recommended Reads: When Everything Changed

Recommended Reads: When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women From 1960 to the Present by Gail Collins (305.4 COL)

This fascinating history of American women in the late 20th Century opens with a 28 year old secretary being lectured by a male judge for wearing slacks to traffic court. The year was 1960. Through a combination of interviews with women and contemporary magazine and newspaper accounts, the author shows how the status of women in society has changed over the past 50 years. From stories of flight attendants who were fired for marrying to Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign for President, Gail Collins sympathetically details the challenges women have faced. The interesting women from the Mad Men era through the Internet era described in this book makes history truly come alive.

Recommended Reads: The Monuments Men

Recommended Reads: The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M Edsel (940.53 EDS)

During WWII, thousands of cultural artifacts were destroyed or stolen, and many remain missing today. Saving and preserving some of Europe's greatest masterpieces was the job of a few curators and archivists call the Monuments Men. Understanding that culture is connected to the success of warfare, these unique soldiers and citizens worked hard long after the Nazi defeat to recover the missing treasures. This exciting story reads like the latest thriller by Ken Follett but it is a true story of a little known episode of World War II.