Decades ago, Harry Cain warned, “It is possible to become so safe that nobody can be free.” Still, the conflict rages on between individual freedom and national security. C. Mark Smith’s Raising Cain profiles a complex and controversial public servant who remained true to one goal: supporting the rights of the individual. Cain opposed the internment of Japanese American citizens during World War II, defended provocative figures as a U.S. Senator, worked for civil rights in Florida, and in the controversy that destroyed his public career, defied his president and his party to protect the freedom of thousands of Americans threatened during the McCarthy era.
Visit: www.raising-cain-book.com
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Forty first-person narratives dramatically bring to life the impact of discrimination and civil rights violations on US citizens before, during, and after WWII. Contributions by adults who when young experienced the incarceration in “camps” and the injustice give a view rarely told through the eyes of children. Written for readers of all ages, Omoide V details how discrimination mandated by the US government disrupted families and destroyed businesses. Fortunately, a few rays of light made their way through this dark time; we also hear of individuals who courageously rose above such treatment and reached out to help the Japanese-Americans and remind others that each person deserves respect.

Burning Forest: The Art of Marie Frank Abrams is a crucial addition to the literature of modernism in America and its expression among European exiles such as Marie Frank Abrams (b. 1924) in Seattle during the mid-twentieth century. With a preface by Peter Selz and foreword by Holocaust expert Deborah E. Lipstadt, Matthew Kangas’s new monograph deepens our vision of how Pacific Northwest art developed and flourished. In this lavishly illustrated study, art critic Matthew Kangas chronicles Abrams’s evolution from adored child artist to Holocaust survivor to second-generation Northwest School artist and late-blooming geometric abstract painter. Drawing intensively upon the artist’s interviews and oral histories, as well as family archives and photographs, Kangas makes the case for Abrams as an overlooked transitional figure in Pacific Northwest art: from “mystic” adherent to sophisticated, European-inspired modernist.

Visit: www.burningforest.net

The Randolph Women and Their Men paints a rich and vivid portrait of post-Revolution life in the South on the scale of Gone With the Wind–only this story is true. A professional historian, Ruth Doumlele has cleverly woven the many lives of the famous and infamous of that time into one seamless narrative. While the Randolphs hold center stage, their exploits bring them together with those influential people, such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Madison, who determined our nation’s legacy. Not only does Doumlele bring to life the significant event of those turbulent years, she also provides a scintillating view of the private lives of the privileged. Incest, betrayal, unrequited love, this book reveals the sometimes shocking, often poignant, always fascinating details of these remarkable women and their men.

Visit: www.randolphwomen.com

eBook

In The Nixons: A Family Portrait, Edward Nixon shares previously unknown incidents to paint a fascinating picture of his older brother, President Richard Nixon. Historians have the facts, but Nixon and co-author Karen Olson give the influences, thoughts, and “little stories” behind the man and the family that helped mold him. Full of personal insight into historical events and prominent people of the twentieth century, The Nixons introduces us to a thoughtful, intelligent, principled man who cared deeply about family and country. Readers are invited to discover the heart and soul of one of our nation’s most influential leaders.

Visit:  www.thenixons-afamilyportrait.com

The Alaska Pen: An Illustrated History of Unga is an extraordinary story about the last four decades in the life of a remote Alaskan village. Unga and its rich history were kept alive by The Alaska Pen, Unga High School’s monthly news magazine, and the only printed periodical in the entire Alaska Peninsula district. The collapse of the cod fishing industry, closure of the Apollo Mine, and the second World War all led to the decline of Unga and by the end of the 1960s the last few families were forced to leave, and Unga village ceased to exist. The Alaska Pen: An illustrated history of Unga’s editors, Thor Lauritzen, Peggy Arness and Edward Melseth, all spent their formative years in Unga. They tell a compelling story of a village that enjoyed a great community spirit. It is a story about a hardy people who eked out a living from the sea, whose lives were constantly challenged by the harsh environment in which they lived, whose isolation bred independence, whose joys were generously shared, and whose heartaches were felt by all. This is a story about Unga, told through the eyes of the children who once lived there, but a similar tale could be told about many of its Aleutian neighbors, which suffered the same fate.
Visit:  www.ungaalaska.com

Nothing grabs the mind like a finely crafted film. Memorable lines strike an instant impression, and classic imagery provides celluloid art for us to enjoy time and again. Manny Pacheco has studied motion pictures and understands Hollywood at its core. Through his love and passion for the stars of yesteryear, he presents a review of timeless films, which also uniquely capture seldom-told accounts of America’s story. Bypassing the legendary stars from the studios’ Golden Age, Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History focuses on the character actors and actresses that consistently delivered stellar performances while also offering a bold fresh new take of our collective past.
Visit: www.forgottenhollywood.com.

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