Tell A Fairy Tale Day

When my dad was 8 years old, my grandparents gifted him with An Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature, and when I was five, it was given to me. It's the book I remember reading the most, from nursery rhymes to fairy tales this book seemed to have everything my heart could desire. I gravitated to Cinderella. After Disney's version of Snow White was re-released in theaters in 1987, and I was able to watch it in all its cinematic glory, Cinderella suddenly had competition. I adored fairy tales, a trip to the video store wasn't complete without Shelley Duvall's Fairy Tale Theatre. Growing up and learning that the fairy tales of youth are actually darker tales that don't always end with "happily ever after" only rekindled my love for the tales. February 26 is Tell a Fairy Tale Day, what better time to explore the beloved tales from childhood and their many adaptations.

Holly Black

http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2016/06/26/booklist-so-you-want-to-read-a-holly-black-book/

A wild winter swan: a novel by Maguire, Gregory

Following her brother's death and her mother's emotional breakdown, Laura now lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, in a lonely townhouse she shares with her old-world, strict, often querulous grandparents. But the arrangement may be temporary. The quiet, awkward teenager has been getting into trouble at home and has been expelled from her high school for throwing a record album at a popular girl who bullied her. When Christmas is over and the new year begins, Laura may find herself at boarding school in Montreal. Nearly unmoored from reality through her panic and submerged grief, Laura is startled when a handsome swan boy with only one wing lands on her roof. Hiding him from her ever-bickering grandparents, Laura tries to build the swan boy a wing so he can fly home. But the task is too difficult to accomplish herself. Little does Laura know that her struggle to find help for her new friend parallels that of her grandparents, who are desperate for a distant relative’s financial aid to save the family store. Ashe explores themes of class, isolation, family, and the dangerous yearning to be saved by a power greater than ourselves, Gregory Maguire conjures a haunting, beautiful tale of magical realism that illuminates one young woman’s heartbreak and hope as she begins the inevitable journey to adulthood.

The girl who circumnavigated Fairyland in a ship of her own making by Valente, Catherynne M.

Traditional Chinese edition of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, Amazon Best Books of the Month, May 2011 and winner of Andre Norton Award. Ana Juan's illustrations conjure up the drawings of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. And the story of a 12-year-old girl from Nebraska who was spirited away to a fairyland by Green Wind has has the feel of the classic. This book is bound to become a classic as well. In Traditional Chinese. Annotation copyright Tsai Fong Books, Inc. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.

A sprinkling of murder by Gerber, Daryl Wood

Fairy-garden store owner Courtney Kelly believes in inviting magic into your life, but when uninvited trouble enters her shop, she'll need more than a sprinkling of her imagination to solve a murder.

Gingerbread by Oyeyemi, Helen

"Influenced by the mysterious place gingerbread holds in classic children's stories, beloved novelist Helen Oyeyemi invites readers into a delightful tale of a surprising family legacy, in which the inheritance is a recipe. Perdita Lee may appear to be your average British schoolgirl; Harriet Lee may seem just a working mother trying to penetrate the school social hierarchy, but there are signs that they might not be as normal as they think they are. For one thing, they share a gold-painted, seventh-floor walk-up apartment with some surprisingly verbal vegetation. And then there's the gingerbread they make. Londoners may find themselves able to take or leave it, but it's very popular in Druhástrana, the far-away (or, according to many sources, non-existent) land of Harriet Lee's early youth. The world's truest lover of the Lee family gingerbread, however, is Harriet's charismatic childhood friend Gretel Kercheval--a figure who seems to have had a hand in everything (good or bad) that has happened to Harriet since they met. Decades later, when teenaged Perdita sets out to find her mother's long-lost friend, it prompts a new telling of Harriet's story. As the book follows the Lees through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work, wealth, and real estate, gingerbread seems to be the one thing that reliably holds a constant value"-- Provided by publisher.

Beauty: a retelling of the story of Beauty & the beast by McKinley, Robin.

Kind Beauty grows to love the Beast at whose castle she is compelled to stay and through her love releases him from the spell which had turned him from a handsome prince into an ugly beast.

Beastly by Flinn, Alex

Presents a modern retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" from the point of view of the Beast, a vain Manhattan private school student who is turned into a monster and must find true love before he can return to his human form.

The sleeper and the spindle by Gaiman, Neil

On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom.

Cinder by Meyer, Marissa

As plague ravages, the overcrowded Earth, observed by a ruthless lunar people, Cinder, a gifted mechanic, and cyborg, becomes involved with handsome Prince Kai and must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect the world in this futuristic take on the Cinderella story.

Boy, snow, bird: a novel by Oyeyemi, Helen

"A reimagining of the Snow White story set in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s"-- Provided by publisher.

The bloody chamber, wise children, fireworks by Carter, Angela

"A hardcover omnibus edition of three classic works by British writer Angela Carter: two story collections (The Bloody Chamber and Fireworks) and one novel (Wise Children). A bibliography and chronology and a new introduction by Joan Acocella are included"-- Provided by publisher.

https://bookriot.com/must-read-fairytale-retellings/

For information on the history of Fairy Tales check out these links:

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/tell-a-fairy-tale-day/

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20140930-where-do-fairy-tales-come-from

https://www.pookpress.co.uk/project/fairy-tales-from-around-the-world/

Let's Get Lost in Translation

Literature can open doors to worlds we've never seen in so many ways. Translated works, can transport us into different countries, cultures, and experiences.

When it comes to translated books, the most often translated are the Bible and the Quran, which I'm sure we could all guess. Outside of that the some of the ones most translated, according to www.eurotrad.com, are The Little Prince, Pinocchio, and Alice in Wonderland. For a list of books and the numbers of translations it has, check out wikipedia.org

https://booksandbao.com/why-should-we-read-more-translated-literature/

Death is hard work / Khaled Khalifa ; translated from the Arabic by Leri Price

Death Is Hard Work is the new novel from the greatest chronicler of Syria's ongoing and catastrophic civil war: a tale of three ordinary people facing down the stuff of nightmares armed with little more than simple determination.

Hurricane season / Fernanda Melchor ; translated from the Spanish by Sophie Hughes.

"The Witch is dead. And the discovery of her corpse-by a group of children playing near the irrigation canals-propels the whole village into an investigation of how and why this murder occurred. Rumors and suspicions spread. As the novel unfolds in a dazzling linguistic torrent, with each unreliable narrator lingering details, new acts of depravity or brutality, Melchor extracts some tiny shred of humanity from these characters that most would write off as utterly irredeemable, forming a lasting portrait of a damned Mexican village. Like Roberto Bolaño's 2666 or Faulkner's greatest novels, Hurricane Season takes place in a world filled with mythology and violence-real violence, the kind that seeps into the soil, poisoning everything around: it's a world that becomes more terrifying and more terrifyingly real the deeper you explore it"-- Provided by publisher.

Drive your plow over the bones of the dead / By Olga Tokarczuk ; Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.

"In a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then a neighbor, Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon other bodies are discovered, in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain that she knows whodunit. If only anyone would pay her mind . . . A deeply satisfying thriller cum fairy tale, Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead is a provocative exploration of the murky borderland between sanity and madness, justice and tradition, autonomy and fate. Whom do we deem sane? it asks. Who is worthy of a voice"-- Provided by publisher.

Anxious people: a novel by Backman, Fredrik

Taken hostage by a failed bank robber while attending an open house, eight anxiety-prone strangers--including a redemption-seeking bank director, two couples who would fix their marriages, and a plucky octogenarian--discover their unexpected common traits.

Flights / Olga Tokarczuk; translated by Jennifer Croft.

A seventeenth-century Dutch anatomist discovers the Achilles tendon by dissecting his own amputated leg. Chopin's heart is carried back to Warsaw in secret by his adoring sister. A woman must return to her native Poland in order to poison her terminally ill high school sweetheart, and a young man slowly descends into madness when his wife and child mysteriously vanish during a vacation and just as suddenly reappear. Through these brilliantly imagined characters and stories, interwoven with haunting, playful, and revelatory meditations, Flights explores what it means to be a traveler, a wanderer, a body in motion not only through space but through time. Where are you from? Where are you coming in from? Where are you going? we call to the traveler. Enchanting, unsettling, and wholly original, Flights is a master storyteller's answer.

My brilliant friend / Elena Ferrante; translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein.

Overview: A modern masterpiece from one of Italy's most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense, and generous-hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante' s inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. The story begins in the 1950s, in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples. Growing up on these tough streets the two girls learn to rely on each other ahead of anyone or anything else. As they grow, as their paths repeatedly diverge and converge, Elena and Lila remain best friends whose respective destinies are reflected and refracted in the other. They are likewise the embodiments of a nation undergoing momentous change. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her protagonists, the unforgettable Elena and Lila.

The thief by Nakamura, Fuminori; translated by Satoko Izumo and Stephen Coates

The Thief is a seasoned pickpocket who becomes entangled in a web of intrigue after one of his robbery victims is subsequently murdered.

The son : a novel / Jo Nesbø ;Translated from the Norwegian by Charlotte Barslund.

The author of the internationally best-selling Harry Hole series now gives us an electrifying stand-alone novel set amid Oslo's hierarchy of corruption, from which one very unusual young man is about to propel himself into a mission of brutal revenge.

One hundred years of solitude / Gabriel García Márquez ; translated from the Spanish by Gregory Rabassa.

"One Hundred Years of Solitude tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendia family. It is a chronicle of life and death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the noble, ridiculous, beautiful, and tawdry story of the Buendia family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo one sees all of Latin America." "Love and lust, war and revolution, riches and poverty, youth and senility - the variety of life, the endlessness of death, the search for peace and truth - these universal themes dominate the novel."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Convenience store woman / Sayaka Murata ; translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.

The English-language debut of an exciting young voice in international fiction, selling 660,000 copies in Japan alone, Convenience Store Woman is a bewitching portrayal of contemporary Japan through the eyes of a single woman who fits in to the rigidity of its work culture only too well

Karl Ove Knausgaard; translated from the Norwegian by Ingvild Burkey.

four-part autobiographical series presents sensory letters written to the author's unborn daughter that describe his childhood and daily life with his wife and older children in rural Sweden.

Social Justice and Malcolm X

Photo by Cody Pulliam on Unsplash

In 2007 the General Assembly declared that February 20th would become World Social Justice Day. This annual celebration is about bringing awareness not only to the barriers people face because of age, sexuality, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, disability, and culture but the efforts made to break down those barriers. This celebration comes just one day before the anniversary of the assassination of human rights activist Malcolm X.

https://www.peace-ed-campaign.org/event/world-day-of-social-justice/2021-02-20/31515002014959

https://www.apa.org/international/global-insights/world-day-social-justice

https://www.un.org/en/observances/social-justice-day

https://www.malcolmx.com/biography/

The dead are arising: the life of Malcolm X by Payne, Les

Longlisted * National Book Award (Nonfiction)Best Books of Fall 2020 * O, the Oprah magazine an epic biography of Malcolm X finally emerges, drawing on hundreds of hours of the author's interviews, rewriting much of the known narrative.

Malcolm X: his life and legacy by Brown, Kevin

Kevin Brown offers a provocative analysis of Malcolm X as both man and myth. Special excerpts from Malcolm x autobiography, interviews, and speeches.

Conversations in black: on power, politics, and leadership by Gordon, Ed

Hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and inspiring, Conversations in Black offers sage wisdom for navigating race in a radically divisive America, and, with help from his mighty team of black intelligentsia, veteran journalist Ed Gordon creates hope and a timeless new narrative on what the future of black leadership should look like and how we can get there.

Hood feminism: notes from the women that a movement forgot by Kendall, Mikki

"A collection of essays taking aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement, arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women"-- Provided by publisher.

Love thy neighbor: a Muslim doctor's struggle for home in rural America by Virji, Ayaz

"A powerful true story about a Muslim doctor's service to a small town and the hope of overcoming our country's climate of hostility and fear. In 2013, Dr. Ayaz Virji left a comfortable job at an East Coast hospital and moved to a town of 1,400 in Minnesota, feeling called to address the shortage of doctors in rural America. But in 2016, this decision was tested when the reliably blue, working-class county swung for Donald Trump. Virji watched in horror as his children faced anti-Muslim remarks at school and some of his most loyal patients began questioning whether he belonged in the community. Virji wanted out. But in 2017, just as he was lining up a job in Dubai, a local pastor invited him to speak at her church and address misconceptions about what Muslims practice and believe. That invitation has grown into a well-attended lecture series that has changed hearts and minds across the state while giving Virji a new vocation that he never would have expected. In [this book], Virji relates this story in a gripping, unforgettable narrative that shows the human consequences of our toxic politics, the power of faith and personal conviction, and the potential for a renewal of understanding in America's heartland."--Dust jacket.

Make change: how to fight injustice, dismantle systemic oppression, and own our future by King, Shaun

"As a leader of the Black Lives Matter movement, Shaun King has become one of the most recognizable and powerful voices on the front lines of civil rights in our time. His commitment to reforming the justice system and making America a more equitable place has brought challenges and triumphs, soaring victories and crushing defeats. Throughout his wide-ranging activism, King's commentary remains rooted in both exhaustive research and abundant passion. In Make Change, King offers an inspiring look at the moments that have shaped his life and considers the ways social movements can grow and evolve in this hyper-connected era. He shares stories from his efforts leading the Raise the Age campaign and his work fighting police brutality, while providing a roadmap for how to stay sane, safe, and motivated even in the worst of political climates. By turns infuriating, inspiring, and educational, Make Change will resonate with those who believe that America can-and must-do better"-- Provided by publisher.

Disability visibility: twenty-first-century disabled voices

"A groundbreaking collection of first-person writing on the joys and challenges of the modern disability experience: Disability Visibility brings together the voices of activists, authors, lawyers, politicians, artists, and everyday people whose daily lives are, in the words of playwright Neil Marcus, "an art . . . an ingenious way to live." According to the last census, one in five people in the United States lives with a disability. Some are visible, some are hidden--but all are underrepresented in media and popular culture. Now, just in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, activist Alice Wong brings together an urgent, galvanizing collection of personal essays by contemporary disabled writers. There is Harriet McBryde Johnson's "Unspeakable Conversations," which describes her famous debate with Princeton philosopher Peter Singer over her own personhood. There is columnist s. e. smith's celebratory review of a work of theater by disabled performers. There are original pieces by up-and-coming authors like Keah Brown and Haben Girma. There are blog posts, manifestos, eulogies, and testimonies to Congress. Taken together, this anthology gives a glimpse of the vast richness and complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting the passions, talents, and everyday lives of this community. It invites readers to question their own assumptions and understandings. It celebrates and documents disability culture in the now. It looks to the future and past with hope and love"-- Provided by publisher.

An indefinite sentence: a personal history of outlawed love and sex by Dube, Siddharth

A revelatory memoir about sex, oppression, and the universal struggle for justice by the executive director of UNAIDS describes his personal quest for love and self-respect as a gay youth in mid-twentieth-century India and at Harvard.

Resist: 35 profiles of ordinary people who rose up against tyranny and injustice by Chambers, Veronica

"Before they were activists, they were just like you and me. From Frederick Douglass to Malala Yousafzai, Joan of Arc to John Lewis, Susan B. Anthony to Janet Mock--these thirty-five profiles of remarkable figures show us what it means to take a stand and say no to injustice. This inspiring collection profiles men and women who resisted tyranny fought the odds and stood up to bullies that threatened to harm their communities. Along with their portraits and most memorable quotes, their stories will inspire you--every single day--to speak out and rise up."--Page [2] of cover.

The divide: American injustice in the age of the wealth gap by Taibbi, Matt

"Matt Taibbi's genius is in untangling complex stories and making us care about them by providing striking moral clarity and a genuine sense of outrage. He has become among the most read journalists in America, leading the dialogue with epic Rolling Stone pieces that offer an "almost startling reminder of the power of good writing" (Washington Post). In this new work, he once again takes readers into the biggest, most urgent story in America: a widening wealth gap that is not only reshaping our economic life but changing our core sense of right and wrong. The wealthy 1% operate with near impunity, while everyone else finds their very existence the subject of massive law enforcement attention: from stop-and-frisk programs and the immigrant dragnet to invasive surveillance and the abuse of debtors. Driven by immersive reporting, this is a stunning look into the newest high-stakes divide in our country: between a lawless aristocracy of hyper-wealthy and the rest of us, living under the shadow of an incipient American police state"-- Provided by publisher.

Treat me, not my age: a doctor's guide to getting the best care as you or a loved one gets older by Lachs, Mark

A manual for boomers and their parents to take control of their health in a broken health-care system. Too often our culture defines the aging process negatively instead of embracing it as a natural part of life. Nowhere is this problem more pronounced than in our health-care system, where "ageist" medicine often serves to worsen our medical issues instead of helping us figure out how to address or avoid them. Renowned geriatrician Mark Lachs takes readers on a grand tour of adult medicine, showing how we can navigate a complex and confusing system to make the best choices for ourselves and our loved ones. With gentle humor and wisdom, Lachs explains how being proactive and making smart decisions can lay the groundwork for a satisfying, active lifestyle that lasts well into the golden years.--From publisher description

Our stories, our voices: 21 YA authors get real about injustice, empowerment, and growing up female in America

In this collection of essays, young adult authors explore their experiences of injustice, empowerment, and growing up female in America. They explore themes on the intersection of race and gender; women and weight; first sexual experience; the devastation of rape culture; and much more. -- adapted from jacket

Presidents Day

Believe it or not, President's Day is not just a day to get a great deal on a new mattress. Aside from all those delicious ads promising great deals the day is actually one for the Presidents.

President's Day falls on the 3rd Monday of February. Originally instituted on February 22, in celebration of Washington's birthday, it was later moved and set as a federal holiday in commemoration of all the U.S. Presidents. 

https://ch.usembassy.gov/holiday-calendar/presidents-day-honoring-u-s-presidents-washington-lincoln/

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/presidents-day

https://www.escalontimes.com/209-living/presidents-day-actually-goes-by-another-official-name/

 

Joe Biden: the life, the run, and what matters now by Osnos, Evan

-- The New Yorker Former vice president Joseph R. Biden Jr. has been called both the luckiest man and the unluckiest--fortunate to have sustained a fifty-year political career that reached the White House but also marked by deep personal losses and disappointments that he has suffered. Yet even as Biden's life has been shaped by drama, it has also been powered by a willingness, rare at the top ranks of politics, to confront his shortcomings, errors, and reversals of fortune. As he says, "Failure at some point in your life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable. "His trials have forged in him a deep empathy for others in hardship--an essential quality as he addresses Americans in the nation's most dire hour in decades. Blending up-close journalism and broader context, Evan Osnos, who won the National Book Award in 2014, draws on his work for The New Yorker This portrayal illuminates Biden's long and eventful career in the Senate, his eight years as Obama's vice president, his sojourn in the political wilderness after being passed over for Hillary Clinton in 2016, his decision to challenge Donald Trump for the presidency, and his choice of Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. Osnos ponders the difficulties Biden will face if elected and weighs how political circumstances, and changes in the candidate's thinking, have altered his positions. In this nuanced portrait, Biden emerges as flawed, yet resolute, and tempered by the flame of tragedy--a man who just may be uncannily suited for his moment in history

Joe Biden: a life of trial and redemption by Witcover, Jules

Distinguished political columnist and veteran Washington correspondent Jules Witcover brings us an honest, meticulously researched, and up-to-date biography of one of America’s boldest vice presidents: Joe Biden. A fascinating portrait of an outspoken man of courage and strength who rose up from working-class roots and has persevered over numerous personal and professional setbacks, Joe Biden is a classic political Cinderella story that gives readers a close-up look at this sometimes explosive and controversial politician and his role in the Obama White House.

Promise me Dad: a year of hope, hardship, and purpose by Biden, Joseph R.

A deeply moving memoir about the year that would forever change both a family and a country.

The heart of a great nation: timeless wisdom from Ronald Reagan by Reagan, Ronald

"With a foreword from Senator Marco Rubio, a stirring collection of Ronald Reagan's most inspiring speeches, offering his timeless wisdom and guidance for our day. In his 1989 farewell address, Ronald Reagan said, "I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn't spring full bloom from my brow, they came from the heart of a great nation--from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in principles that have guided us for two centuries." The Heart of a Great Nation brings together Reagan's most powerful speeches, as relevant to our chaotic world as they were when he first gave them. In a period of our country's history consumed by economic stagnation, national instability, and the looming threat of communism, Reagan spoke directly to the hearts of everyday Americans. His wisdom on matters of family, freedom, and nationhood helped guide the country back to its founding principles and ushered in an era of prosperity and national pride. Today, as we find our country treading similar ground, Reagan's wisdom speaks to us once again, offering guidance to everyone looking to navigate the present and remember of the legacy of this great nation--which can one day be reclaimed"-- Provided by publisher.

The presidents: noted historians rank America's best--and worst--chief executives by Lamb, Brian

Offers a complete ranking of United States presidents from best to worst based on their leadership skills, moral authority, and ability to persuade the public.

The hardest job in the world: the American presidency by Dickerson, John

In this eye-opening book, John Dickerson draws on history and contemporary times to show why we need to reevaluate how we view the presidency, how we choose our presidents, and what we expect from them once they are in office. Think of the presidential campaign as a job interview. Are we asking the right questions? Are we looking for good campaigners or good presidents? Once a candidate gets the job, what can they do to thrive? Drawing on research and interviews with current and former White House staffers, Dickerson defines what the job of the president actually entails, identifies the things that only the President can do, and analyzes how presidents in history have managed the burden. What qualities make for a good president? Who did it well? Why did Bill Clinton call the White House "the crown jewel in the American penal system"? And what lessons can we draw from past successes and failures? Ultimately, in order to evaluate candidates properly for the job, we need to adjust our expectations, and be more realistic about the goals, the requirements, and the limitations of the office."-- Provided by publisher.

Accidental presidents: eight men who changed America by Cohen, Jared

"The strength and prestige of the American presidency have waxed and waned since George Washington. Accidental Presidents looks at eight men who came to the office without being elected to it. It demonstrates how the character of the man in that powerful seat affects the nation and world. Eight men have succeeded to the presidency when the incumbent died in office. In one way or another, they vastly changed our history. Only Theodore Roosevelt would have been elected in his own right. Only TR, Truman, and LBJ were re-elected. John Tyler succeeded William Henry Harrison who died 30 days into his term. He was kicked out of his party and became the first president threatened with impeachment. Millard Fillmore succeeded esteemed General Zachary Taylor. He immediately sacked the entire cabinet and delayed an inevitable Civil War by standing with Henry Clay's compromise of 1850. Chester Arthur, the embodiment of the spoils system, was so reviled as James Garfield's successor that he had to defend himself against plotting Garfield's assassination; but he reformed the civil service. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded our greatest president, sided with remnants of the Confederacy in Reconstruction. Theodore Roosevelt broke up the trusts. Calvin Coolidge silently cooled down the Harding scandals and preserved the White House for the Republican Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression. Truman surprised everybody when he succeeded the great FDR and proved an able and accomplished president. Lyndon B. Johnson was named to deliver Texas electorally. He led the nation forward on Civil Rights but failed on Vietnam. Accidental Presidents adds immeasurably to our understanding of the power and limits of the American presidency in critical times"-- Provided by publisher.

Presidential misconduct: from George Washington to today

The only comprehensive study of American presidents' misconduct and the ways in which chief executives and members of their official families have responded to the charges brought against them, this new edition is designed to serve the same purpose as the original 1974 report: to provide the historical context and metric against which the actions of the current administration may be assessed.

The other Madisons: the lost history of a president's Black family by Kearse, Bettye

"A descendant of a slave named Coreen, and-according to the oral tradition-her owner, President James Madison, finally shares her family's story."-- Provided by publisher.

Author in chief: the untold story of our presidents, and the books they wrote by Fehrman, Craig

Based on a decade of research and reporting, Author in Chief tells the story of America's presidents as authors--and offers a delightful new window into the public and private lives of our highest leaders.

America's presidents: National Portrait Gallery by National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian Institution)

"The nation's only complete collection of presidential portraits outside of the White House"-- Provided by publisher.

U.S. presidents: the Oval Office all-stars! by Green, Dan

Profiles the presidents of the United States, from George Washington to Joe Biden, and includes facts and trivia about each president, including major achievements and personality quirks.

Presidential Fictional Fun

Hope never dies by Shaffer, Andrew

Vice President Joe Biden is fresh out of the Obama White House and feeling adrift when his favorite railroad conductor dies in a suspicious accident, leaving behind an ailing wife and a trail of clues. To unravel the mystery, "Amtrak Joe" re-teams with the only man he's ever fully trusted-- the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama. Together they'll plumb the darkest corners of Delaware, traveling from cheap motels to biker bars and beyond, as they uncover the sinister forces advancing America's opioid epidemic. -- adapted from back cover

Hope rides again by Shaffer, Andrew

When former President Barack Obama's cell phone is stolen and the perpetrator winds up dead, Obama and his vice-president Joe Biden investigate, uncovering a conspiracy in the heart of Chicago.

Presidential Pets

Who named their pony Macaroni? : poems about White House pets by Singer, Marilyn

Marilyn Singer returns to presidential poems with this new picture book celebrating our leaders' furry, feathery, and scaly companions.

If you want a friend in Washington by McGill, Erin

"A clever, funny, and informative look at the pets--from Calvin Coolidge's wallaby to Teddy Roosevelt's flying squirrels--that have passed through the White House gates."-- Provided by publisher.

Abe & Fido: Lincoln's love of animals and the touching story of his favorite canine companion by Algeo, Matthew

In early 1861, as he prepared to leave his home in Springfield, Illinois, to move into the White House, Abraham Lincoln faced many momentous tasks, but none he dreaded more than telling his two youngest sons, Willie and Tad, that the family's beloved pet dog, Fido, would not be accompanying them to Washington. Lincoln, who had adopted Fido about five years earlier, was afraid the skittish dog wouldn't survive the long rail journey, so he decided to leave the mutt behind with friends in Springfield. Abe & Fido tells the story of two friends, an unlikely tandem who each became famous and died prematurely. It also explores the everyday life of Springfield in the years leading up to the Civil War, as well as Lincoln's sometimes radical views on animal welfare, and how they shaped his life and his presidency. It's the story of a master and his dog, living through historic, tumultuous times.

https://www.today.com/specials/all-the-presidents-pets/

https://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/whitehousepets-1/

https://people.com/pets/inside-the-life-of-first-pets-at-the-white-house/