Nonfiction Suggestions
September 2019 – December 2019
“Read” of the Fall Season – Around and About – by Richard Benedetto
Utica native Richard Benedetto’s career started at the Observer-Dispatch, where he wrote the popular human interest column, “Around and About” for three years. This book is a compilation of those columns. Benedetto’s excellent writing/reporting captures rich vignettes of life in his home city. You will love these stories of Uticans from all walks of life.
Benedetto’s talents earned him the coveted position of White House correspondent for USA Today, a newspaper he helped start. Currently, he teaches journalism and politics at American University and George Mason University.
American History
The Karl Muck Scandal: Classical Music and Xenophobia in World War I America – Melissa Burrage
Stonewall: the Definitive Story of the LGBTQ Rights Uprising that Changed America – Martin Duberman
Fire and Fortitude: the U.S. Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943 – John C. McManus
VC: an American History – Tom Nicholas – “VC” stands for venture capitalism.
Copyrighting God: Ownership of the Sacred in American Religion – Andrew Ventimiglia
Contemporary Issues
The Enemy of the People: a Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America – Jim Acosta
The Snow Leopard Project: and Other Adventures in Warzone Conservation – Alex Dehgan
The Mueller Report – Robert Mueller et. al.
Love Thy Neighbor: a Muslim Doctor’s Struggle for Home in Rural America – Ayaz Virgi
Cooking
Sweet Nature: a Cook’s Guide to Using Honey and Maple Syrup – Beth Dooley
Madhur Jaffrey’s Instantly Indian Cookbook – Madhur Jaffrey
Keto Fat Bombs, Sweets, & Treats: Over 100 Recipes and Ideas for Low Carb Breads, Cakes, Cookies, & More – Urvashi Pitre
The Brisket Chronicles: How to Barbecue, Braise, Smoke and Cure the World’s Most Epic Cut of Meat – Steven Raichlen
Political Science
Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe: From the Ancien Regime until the Present Day – Sheri Berman
The Nonsense Factory: the Making and Breaking of the American Legal System – Bruce Gibney
Empires of the Mind: the Colonial Past and Politics of the Present – Robert Gildea
The Heartland: an American History – Kristen Hoganson
Sports
The Rumble in the Jungle: Muhammad Ali and George Foreman on the Global Stage – Lewis Erenberg
The Everything Book of Horses and Ponies (J) – Andrea Mills
The Great American Sports Page: a Century of Classic Columns from Ring Lardner to Sally Jenkins – John Schulian
True Crime
American Predator: the Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century – Maureen Callahan
The Killer Across the Table: Unlocking the Secrets of Serial Killers and Predators with the FBI’s Original Mindhunter – John Douglas
Say Nothing: a True Story Behind Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland – Patrick Keefe