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‘Nonfiction’ Category

  1. Charles Shields

    January 27, 2012 by lizhumes

    And So It Goes

    Kurt Vonnegut: A Life

     
    Original air date: January 27, 2012
     

    “The first authoritative biography of Kurt Vonnegut Jr., a writer who changed the conversation of American literature. And So It Goes is the culmination of five years of research and writing—the first-ever biography of the life of Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut resonates with readers of all generations from the baby boomers who grew up with him to high-school and college students who are discovering his work for the first time. Vonnegut’s concise collection of personal essays, Man Without a Country, published in 2006, spent fifteen weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and has sold more than 300,000 copies to date. The twenty-first century has seen interest in and scholarship about Vonnegut’s works grow even stronger, and this is the first book to examine in full the life of one of the most influential iconoclasts of his time.” - from the author’s website

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  2. Mark Evans

    January 20, 2012 by lizhumes

    Dirty Deeds:

    My Life Inside/Outside of AC/DC

     
    Original air date: January 20, 2012

    “At only 19 years old, Mark Evans joined AC/DC in 1975 when they were one of the hardest working and loudest rock bands in Australia. In the next few years AC/DC recorded four best-selling albums, and Mark found himself headlining world tours and living the life of a bona fide rock star. His memoir, Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside and Outside of AC/DC, is the first book written by an AC/DC insider, giving fans insight not only into the life of Evans but also that of singer Bon Scott (who died tragically in 1980) and other rock ‘n’ roll icons like George Harrison, Gene Simmons, Alice Cooper, Ronnie Wood, and members of Metallica.
    AC/DC remains one of the top-grossing bands of all time, and Mark’s memoir is the first to reveal the band dynamic from behind the scenes, painting a portrait of five extremely hardworking, talented, and mischievous musicians who were yet culpable to the demons that drive many bands apart: sudden fame, sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll.”

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  3. Matthew White

    December 30, 2011 by lizhumes

    The Great Big Book of Horrible Things

     
    Original air date: December 30, 2011
     

    “Evangelists of human progress meet their opposite in Matthew White’s epic examination of history’s one hundred most violent events, or, in White’s piquant phrasing, “the numbers that people want to argue about.” Reaching back to 480 BCE’s second Persian War, White moves chronologically through history to this century’s war in the Congo and devotes chapters to each event, where he surrounds hard facts (time and place) and succinct takeaways (who usually gets the blame?) with lively military, social, and political histories. With the eye of a seasoned statistician, White assigns each entry a ranking based on body count, and in doing so he gives voice to the suffering of ordinary people that, inexorably, has defined every historical epoch. By turns droll, insightful, matter-of-fact, and ultimately sympathetic to those who died, The Great Big Book of Horrible Things gives readers a chance to reach their own conclusions while offering a stark reminder of the darkness of the human heart.”

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  4. Leanne Meadows Ladin

    December 23, 2011 by lizhumes

    Legendary Santa’s: Stories from the Chair

    Original air date: December 23, 2011

    “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! He is Legendary Santa and he has made Richmond, Virginia his home for 75 years. From the day after Thanksgiving to the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Legendary Santa, sitting in his great gilded chair amidst the twinkling lights of Santa Land, listens to the Christmas wishes of thousands of youngsters and the young at heart.
    Generations of Richmonders have made visiting Legendary Santa a cherished Christmas tradition since he first set up shop downtown at the grand flagship store of Miller and Rhoads. His followers come from across town, as well as from across the country. They all make their pilgrimage, from near or far, because of one pure and enduring belief…this is the real Santa.”

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  5. Tony Horwitz

    November 25, 2011 by lizhumes

    Midnight Rising: John Brown
    and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War

     
    Original air date: November 25, 2011
     

    “Plotted in secret, launched in the dark, John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry was a pivotal moment in U.S. history. But few Americans know the true story of the men and women who launched a desperate strike at the slaveholding South. Now, Midnight Rising portrays Brown’s uprising in vivid color, revealing a country on the brink of explosive conflict.”

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