In 1968, at the peak of the Vietnam War, centrist Congressman Melvin Laird (R-WI) agreed to serve as Richard Nixon’s secretary of defense. It was not, Laird knew, a move likely to endear him to the American public—but as he later said, “Nixon couldn’t find anybody else who wanted the damn job.” For the next four years, Laird deftly navigated the morass of the war he had inherited. Lampooned as a “missile head,” but decisive in crafting an exit strategy, he doggedly pursued his program of Vietnamization, initiating the withdrawal of U.S.military personnel and gradually ceding combat responsibilities to South Vietnam. In fighting to bring the troops home faster, pressing for more humane treatment of POWs, and helping to end the draft, Laird employed a powerful blend of disarming Midwestern candor and Washington savvy, as he sought a high moral road bent on Nixon’s oft-stated (and politically instrumental) goal of peace with honor. The first book ever to focus on Laird’s legacy, this authorized biography reveals his central and often unrecognized role in managing the crisis of national identity sparked by theVietnam War—and the challenges, ethical and political, that confronted him along the way. Drawing on exclusive interviews with Laird, Henry Kissinger, Gerald Ford, and numerous others, author Dale Van Atta offers a sympathetic portrait of a man striving for open government in an atmosphere fraught with secrecy. Van Atta illuminates the inner workings of high politics: Laird’s behind-the-scenes sparring with Kissinger over policy, his decisions to ignore Nixon’s wilder directives, his formative impact on arms control and health care, his key role in the selection of Ford for vice president, his frustration with the country’s abandonment of Vietnamization, and, in later years, his unheeded warning to Donald Rumsfeld that “it’s a helluva lot easier to get into a war than to get out of one.”

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Dale Van Atta - With Honor, Melvin Laird in War, P eace, and Politics (2008).pdf

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Maggie Rivas-Rodríguez, Emilio Zamora - Beyond the Latino World War II Hero, The Social and Politica l Legacy of a Generation (2009).jpg

USA Books1 - Maggie Rivas-Rodrguez, Emilio Zamora - Beyond the Lati... The Social and Political Legacy of a Generation 2009.jpg

The editors and contributors make a very significant contribution to the field. This volume creates a window, then opens it. A whole new panorama is presented.

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Maggie Rivas-Rodríguez, Emilio Zamora - Beyond the Latino World War II Hero, The Social and Politica l Legacy of a Generation (2009).pdf

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Brandon Toropov - Encyclopedia of Cold War Politic s (2000).jpg

There are many reference works on the cold war, including The Cold War Encyclopedia (1996) and the recent Historical Dictionary of the Cold War (2000). These works put a crucial period of the twentieth century into perspective. They share an international focus, driven in part by the global nature of the cold war, the events that defined it, and the people who fought it. This new encyclopedia takes a different tack, focusing almost exclusively on American domestic events and issues and touching on international themes only when they are relevant to the U.S. scene.More than 700 entries are arranged alphabetically, beginning with Acheson, Dean, secretary of state from 1949 to 1953, and ending with Yippies, an anti-establishment^B radical element of the hippie movement. In between are entries on presidents and their opponents, civil rights groups and leaders, phrases, and definitions. The length of each entry (ranging from 100-2,500 words) reflects the importance of the subject or the depth of coverage needed. Acheson's boss, Harry Truman, earns just over four columns, while Truman's opponent in the infamous 1948 general election, Thomas Dewey, barely rates one column.Each entry is factual and concise. The entry on Martin Luther King Jr. mentions his early life and education, his adherence to Gandhi's policy of nonviolence, the March on Washington, and his assassination in Tennessee, avoiding the various controversies surrounding both King's life and death. Sometimes the generally objective tone of the work is missing, as when, for example, it defines com munism as "paradoxical and self-defeating." Black-and-white photographs enhance the text, and the index is detailed.This volume is a worthy addition to the cold war reference shelf. Its coverage of people, places, and events that might be ignored in works with a more international perspective makes it a good starting point for anyone interested in an American focus.

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Brandon Toropov - Encyclopedia of Cold War Politic s (2000).pdf

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Dirk J. Barreveld - The Enron Collapse, Creative A ccounting, Wrong Economics or Criminal Acts (2002).jpg

This is the shocking story of the collapse of America's seventh largest company. Founded in 1985, Enron soon expanded beyond imagination, venturing into new territories such as internet and using state of the art financial and technical solutions.In the 90s Enron operated the largest eCommerce business in the world. The company's revenues soared. What was $50 billion in revenue in 1999 doubled to $100 billion in 2000. The sky seemed the limit. Early in 2001 clouds appeared on the horizon. Enron's stock prices eroded from $90 to $40 by the end of July 2001. In mid-August, CEO Skilling resigned suddenly and whistleblower Sheron Watkins informed Kenneth Lay about questionable accounting practices.Stock prices continued to fall. In October of that year, Enron announced a downward adjustment to its results of $1 billion. Stocks nosedive to $12. In December Enron had to file for bankruptcy as stock prices dropped below one dollar.

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Dirk J. Barreveld - The Enron Collapse, Creative A ccounting, Wrong Economics or Criminal Acts (2002).pdf

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Peter Mitchell - Understanding Power, The Indispen sable Chomsky (2002).jpg

A major new collection from "arguably the most important intellectual alive" (The New York Times). Noam Chomsky is universally accepted as one of the preeminent public intellectuals of the modern era. Over the past thirty years, broadly diverse audiences have gathered to attend his sold-out lectures. Now, in Understanding Power, Peter Mitchell and John Schoeffel have assembled the best of Chomsky's recent talks on the past, present, and future of the politics of power. In a series of enlightening and wide-ranging discussions, all published here for the first time, Chomsky radically reinterprets the events of the past three decades, covering topics from foreign policy during Vietnam to the decline of welfare under the Clinton administration. And as he elucidates the connection between America's imperialistic foreign policy and the decline of domestic social services, Chomsky also discerns the necessary steps to take toward social change. With an eye to political activism and the media's role in popular struggle, as well as U.S. foreign and domestic policy, Understanding Power offers a sweeping critique of the world around us and is definitive Chomsky. Characterized by Chomsky's accessible and informative style, this is the ideal book for those new to his work as well as for those who have been listening for years.

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Peter Mitchell - Understanding Power, The Indispen sable Chomsky (2002).pdf

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James Shoch - Trading Blows, Party Competition and U.S. Trade Policy in a Globalizing Era (2001).jpg

For the past two decades, trade policy has been high on the American political agenda, thanks to the growing integration of the United States into the global economy and the wealth of debate this development has sparked. Although scholars have explored many aspects of U.S. trade policy, there has been little study of the role played by party politics. With Trading Blows, James Shoch fills that gap. Shoch offers detailed case studies of almost all of the major trade issues of the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton eras, including administrative and legislative efforts to curb auto, steel, and other imports and to open up markets in Japan and elsewhere, as well as free-trade initiatives such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) treaty that concluded the Uruguay Round of international trade talks, the extension of presidential fast-track trade negotiating authority, and the approval of permanent normal trade relations with China. In so doing, he explains the complex patterns of party competition over U.S. trade policy since 1980 and demonstrates the significant impact that party politics has had on the nation's recent trade policy decisions.

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James Shoch - Trading Blows, Party Competition and U.S. Trade Policy in a Globalizing Era (2001).pdf

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William E. Burns - Witch Hunts in Europe and Ameri ca, An Encyclopedia (2003).jpg

From the wicked witch of children's stories to Halloween and present-day Wiccan groups, witches and witchcraft still fascinate observers of Western culture. Witches were believed to affect climatological catastrophes, put spells on their neighbours and cavort with the devil. In early modern Europe and the Americas, witches and witch-hunting were an integral part of everyday life, touching major events such as the Reformation and the Scientific Revolution, as well as politics, law, medicine and culture. From early sorcery trials of the 14th century - associated primarily with French and Papal courts - to the witch executions of the late 18th century, this title's entries cover witch-hunting in individual countries; major witch trials from Chelmsford, England, to Salem, Massachusetts; and significant individuals from famous witches to the devout persecutors. Entries such as the evil eye, familiars, and witch-finders cover specific aspects of the witch-hunting process, while entries on writers and modern interpretations provide insight into the current thinking on early modern witch hunts.

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William E. Burns - Witch Hunts in Europe and Ameri ca, An Encyclopedia (2003).pdf

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Allan Moore - The Cambridge Companion to Blues and Gospel Music (2003).jpg

'The Cambridge Companion to Blues and Gospel Music will find its place in serious collections of a musical nature.' Reference Reviews '... stimulating and informative book ...'. British Journal of Music Education

"...an important addition to literature devoted to the discussion of the blues." Notes

"... [part of] new essentials for public, academic, and musical libraries, and they would enhance high school libraries as well." Against the Grain

"...This fine collection of essays represents a particularly useful introduction to the blues for undergraduates...The Cambridge Companion to Blues and Gospel Music effectively enables readers to understand the meanings of these forms of African American music and their legacy." -Yves Laberge, Institut quebecois des hautes etudes internationales, Quebec City: Journal of American Folklore

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Gregg Crane - The Cambridge Introduction to The Ni neteenth-Century American Novel (2007).jpg

Stowe, Hawthorne, Melville, and Twain: these are just a few of the world-class novelists of nineteenth-century America. The nineteenth-century American novel was a highly fluid form, constantly evolving in response to the turbulent events of the period and emerging as a key component in American identity, growth, expansion and the Civil War. Gregg Crane tells the story of the American novel from its beginnings in the early republic to the end of the nineteenth century. Treating the famous and many less well-known works, Crane discusses the genre's major figures, themes and developments. He analyses the different types of American fiction - romance, sentimental fiction, and the realist novel - in detail, while the historical context is explained in relation to how novelists explored the changing world around them. This comprehensive and stimulating introduction will enhance students' experience of reading and studying the whole canon of American fiction.

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Susan Clair Imbarrato - Encyclopedia of American L iterature (2007).jpg

Volume I: Settlement to the New Republic, 1607–1815
Explores America’s literary beginnings and the connections between early American history and the nation’s emerging literary tradition—covering the Puritans and their Bay Psalm Book, the Federalists and the United States Constitution, Benjamin Franklin, Phillis Wheatley, and more.

Volume II: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895
Discusses the writers, works, genres, literary movements, and related historical events of 19th-century America, from the romanticism of Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Ralph Waldo Emerson to the realism of Mark Twain, Henry James, and William Dean Howells.

Volume III: Into the Modern, 1896–1945
Defines the evolution of a new American sensibility and brings the modern literary world alive, with entries on Frank Norris; Stephen Crane; Booker T. Washington; F. Scott Fitzgerald; Zora Neale Hurston;The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains; Absalom, Absalom!; and The Waste Land.

Volume IV: The Contemporary World, 1946 to the Present
Examines the emergence of new writers and voices and describes the evolving movements that encompass today’s literary history—covering Deconstruction, the Beats, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, gay and lesbian literature, New Journalism, science fiction and fantasy, and more.

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Susan Clair Imbarrato - Encyclopedia of American L iterature (2007).pdf

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Julie Howard - Idioms in American Life (1987).jpg

This text helps students understand and use 100 high-frequency American idioms in various grammatical and situational contexts.

Twenty self-contained lessons move from highly controlled to less-controlled use of idioms.
-- Provides intensive practice in exercises designed for fluency attainment as well as comprehension.
-- Each lesson features a seven-part dialogue that introduces the idioms, with usage notes, structure practice, and comprehension exercises.

Learning idioms is an essential element for English as a Second Language students. This book not only contains an extensive list of useful and commonly used idioms but, in contrast to others, includes exercises with each lesson helping ensure that the material is remembered.

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Julie Howard - Idioms in American Life (1987).pdf

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Edward Finegan, John R. Rickford - Language in the USA, Themes for the Twenty-first Century (2004).jpg

This textbook furnishes a comprehensive survey of current language issues in the U.S., exploring the nature of language variation in the United States and its social, historical and political significance.
The book is divided into three sections: Part I, American English; Part II, Other Language Varieties; and Part III, The Sociolinguistic Situation in the U.S.A.

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Ray Scapinello, Rob Simpson - Between the Lines, N ot-So-Tall Tales From Ray ''Scampy'' Scapinello' s Four Decades in the NHL (2006).jpg

USA Books1 - Ray Scapinello, Rob Simpson - Between the Lines, Not-S... Ray Scampy Scapinello s Four Decades in the NHL 2006.jpg

An insider's look at life on the lines

To hockey fans, Ray Scapinello's name and face are as recognizable as any star player or coach in the NHL. Scampy, as he is affectionately known has had a long and storied career as a linesman in the NHL. His 5-foot-7 frame and 163 pounds belie his ability and endurance on the ice. When Ray retired in 2004 after 33 years in the NHL, he had officiated in 2,500 regular season matches (never missing a game), 426 playoff games, and an astounding twenty Stanley Cup final series. His untouchable statistics make him a lock to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame as an official, but even they do not do justice to the respect he has earned from officials, players, coaches, and fans alike. On and off the ice, Scampy is considered one of hockey's great personalities, a consummate professional, a chronic practical joker, and a true ambassador of the sport.

Between the Lines gives a rare glimpse inside the world of hockey from an unusual perspective — through the eyes of one of the game's greatest and best-loved officials. Scampy shares his tales of life both on and off the ice as an official, an inside look at what those players and coaches are really like, what they really say and do, and what the game looks like between the lines. Full of fun stories, perspective on how the game has changed and evolved, and stories and interviews about Scampy from players, coaches, and other officials, Between the Lines is a captivating memoir of a truly unique life in hockey.

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Keith Horton - Globalisation and Equality (2004).jpg

Is globalization creating a more unequal world? Is it creating new forms of inequality? Does it make certain pre-existing forms of inequality more morally or politically significant than they would otherwise have been? Globalization and Equality examines these and related questions, exploring the way increasing globalization is challenging our conceptions of equality. The contributors explore these themes from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Some adopt a more abstract approach, exploring foundational questions concerning the meaning of equality, its social and political dimensions, and more specifically its moral implications in a global context. Others engage the general themes of globalization and equality by focusing on specific topics, such as welfare, citizenship, gender, culture, and the environment. Original in the questions it poses, and interdisciplinary in its approach, this collection of essays will appeal to all those with an interest in globalization and equality.

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Keith Horton - Globalisation and Equality (2004).pdf

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C. Edwin Baker - Media Concentration and Democracy , Why Ownership Matters (2006).jpg

Firmly rooting its argument in democratic and economic theory, the book argues that a more democratic distribution of communicative power within the public sphere and a structure that provides safeguards against abuse of media power provide two of three primary arguments for ownership dispersal. It also shows that dispersal is likely to result in more owners who will reasonably pursue socially valuable journalistic or creative objectives rather than a socially dysfunctional focus on the 'bottom line'. The middle chapters answer those agents, including the Federal Communication Commission, who favor 'deregulation' and who argue that existing or foreseeable ownership concentration is not a problem. The final chapter evaluates the constitutionality and desirability of various policy responses to concentration, including strict limits on media mergers.

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David Boaz - The Politics of Freedom, Taking on Th e Left, The Right and Threats to Our Liberties (20 08).jpg

Is it any wonder that Americans have become so dissatisfied with government today? Politicians have given us soaring federal spending, rampant violations of our constitutional rights, a futile war in Iraq, corruption, incompetence, and a growing nanny state. Now one of the leading libertarian critics of big government raises the flag of freedom. David Boaz takes on both liberals and conservatives who seek to impose their own partisan agendas on the whole country. He discusses the roots of American freedom, the growing libertarian vote in America, the arrogance of politicians, and everything from taxes and education to terrorism and the war on drugs. For the millions of Americans who don't fit the red-blue divide, who are fiscally conservative and socially liberal, who reject big-government conservatism and nanny-state liberalism, this book points the way to a new politics of freedom.

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David Boaz - The Politics of Freedom, Taking on Th e Left, The Right and Threats to Our Liberties (20 08).pdf

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James H. Hutson - Church and State in America, The First Two Centuries (2007).jpg

This book describes American ideas about and policies toward the relationship between government and religion from the founding of Virginia in 1607 to the presidency of Andrew Jackson, 1829-1837. Four principles were paramount during this period: the importance of religion to the public welfare; the resulting obligation of government to support religion; liberty of conscience and voluntaryism; the requirement that churches be supported by free will gifts, not taxation. The relevance of the concept of the separation of church and state during this period is examined in detail.

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Christopher Bigsby - Contemporary American Playwri ghts (2000).jpg

"Bigsby's study helps fill the void in criticism of contemporary American drama and will be useful as introductions to the playwrights for high school students and college undergraduates." Libraries Unlimited

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Steve Bogener - Ditches Across the Desert, Irrigat ion in the Lower Pecos Valley (2003).jpg

Settlement of the West came slowly, based on advances in technology and the harnessing of nature, especially water. Early on, the arid Pecos country seemed to have too little water to make it tamable. With the downturn in ranching in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas in the late 1870s, however, promoter Charles Eddy joined lawman Pat Garrett in a grandiose scheme. They would dam the Pecos River, build irrigation canals, and turn the area into an agricultural oasis. This book illuminates the myriad personalities and interests that combined and clashed over the Pecos Valley reservoirs and canals. Many Americans, including western lawmakers, considered irrigation to be America at its best.
Wealthy easterners invested in its development in the great traditions of American capitalism. Farmers laboring side by side to transform the desert into productive cropland represented the ideals of Jeffersonian yeoman democracy. These people, and the change of the Pecos Valley from rustic cattle territory to towns and irrigated farmland, form the framework for this rich story of the American West. By the end of the nineteenth century, investors led by James John Hagerman had poured more than $2.5 million into the Pecos ditches. Following episodes of violence, a natural disaster, and the financial downturn of 1893, settlers and capitalists deserted the valley, making its future uncertain. A series of financial reorganizations to raise much-needed capital attracted a major railroad to the valley, but the heyday of corporate irrigation was over. Instead, the irrigators turned to the federal government, and the U.S. Reclamation Service, although reluctant to rehabilitate the valleys irrigation system, agreed to take on the project and began a long, sometimes contentious relationship with water users in the valley.
Today the once formidable Pecos River has become a mere shadow of its former self. Dammed in many places for irrigation, its springs pumped dry in others, the Pecos today leads a precarious existence. Yet the contest over its water within New Mexico and between New Mexico and Texas through the Pecos River Compact continues.

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