New Nonfiction



 

Beyond Good Intentions: A Journey into the Realities of International Aid by Tori Hogan

“Young and idealistic, Tori Hogan travels to Kenya as an intern for Save the Children, intent upon doing her part to improve the lives of refugees. But the cynicism of a young African boy changes Tori’s life and sets her on a course to reconsider everything she thought she knew about helping those in need. Years later, Tori returns to Africa and embarks on a journey through Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda, searching for the truth about what does and does not work in international aid.”–Cover.

 

Getting Better: Why Global Development is Succeeding and How We Can Improve The World Even More by Charles Kenny

“The global economy is nearly eight times larger than it was in 1950, and the world’s population has increased from 2.5 billion to 6.5 billion people. But the conventional wisdom remains that development has failed. Economist Charles Kenny argues against the naysayers. The story of the modern world, he demonstrates, is one of widespread and historically unprecedented progress. Even people today who remain as poor as their parents or grandparents have seen massive quality of life improvements, ranging from health and education to civil and political rights and access to infrastructure.”–Jacket.

Gideon’s Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad by Gordon Thomas

“In the secret world of spies and covert operations, no other intelligence service continues to be surrounded by myth and mystery, or commands respect and fear, like Israel’s Mossad. Formed in 1951 to ensure an embattled Israel’s future, the Mossad has been responsible for the most audacious and thrilling feats of espionage, counterterrorism, and assassination ever ventured. Gideon’s Spies draws from classified documents, confidential sources and closed-door interviews with Mossad agents, informants, and spymasters to reveal the organization’s deepest secrets.”–Cover.

Hamas: From Resistance to Government by Paola Caridi

“When the radical Islamist group Hamas was elected to lead Palestine in 2006, the Western world was shocked. How had the majority of Palestinians come to support an extremist organization and how would the group’s new political power affect the larger Israel/Palestine conflict? Italian journalist and historian Paola Caridi offers a clear-eyed account of how the conditions in this war-torn region led to the rise of Hamas and an unbiased look at the complex feelings that Palestinians have toward getting behind a government that supports violent resistance.”–Cover.

Have Not Been The Same by Jason Schneider, Michael Barclay, and Ian A. D. Jack.

“Have Not Been The Same captures the spirit of Canadian rock from 1985 to 1995, a time when it became cool to be Canadian. Indie labels flourished, campus radio exploded, MuchMusic changed the way we look at our music, major labels tapped into the underground, and an exciting new generation of artists created a new canon of CanRock that altered the musical landscape for generations to come.”–Publisher.

Maple Leaf Empire: Canada, Britain, and Two World Wars by Jonathan F. Vance

“During the two world wars, nearly a million Canadians were stationed in military camps across Britain, waiting to be sent to the front lines for their chance at valour and victory. For some, this was their first time away from home, while others returned to the familiar Mother Country that they had left not long before. Through meticulous research of primary source material, including personal letters and previously unseen photographs, Jonathan F. Vance reconstructs life on the British homer front and across battle lines during these defining moments in Canadian history.” –Jacket.

Palestine Betrayed by Efraim Karsh

“The 1947 UN resolution to partition Palestine irrevocably changed the political landscape of the Middle East, giving rise to six full-fledged wars between Arabs and Jews, countless armed clashes, blockades, and terrorism, as well as a profound shattering of Palestinian Arab society. Its origins, and that of the wider Arab-Israeli conflict, are deeply rooted in Jewish-Arab confrontation and appropriation in Palestine. But the isolated occasions of violence during the British Mandate era (1920–48) suggest that the majority of Palestinian Arabs yearned to live and thrive under peaceful coexistence with the evolving Jewish national enterprise. So what was the real cause of the breakdown in relations between the two communities? In Palestine Betrayed Efraim Karsh tells the story from both the Arab and Jewish perspectives.” –Jacket.

Selling Canada: Three propaganda campaigns that shaped the nation by Daniel Francis

“Between 1880 and the 1930s, the big railway companies, and the federal and provincial governments launched three aggressive campaigns to sell Canada at home and abroad. They persuaded millions of immigrants to make Western Canada their new home. They convinced over 500,000 young men to become soldiers, to risk their lives in the horrifying Great War of 1914-1918. They brought tourists from around the world to marvel at Canada’s expanse and experience our awe-inspiring wonders first hand. With compelling research, insight, and wit, Daniel Francis documents how these three campaigns established Canada as a destination for immigrants and tourists and turned us into proud defenders of western civilization.”–Jacket.

The Invention of the Land of Israel: From Holy Land to Homeland by Shlomo Sand

“The Invention of the Land of Israel deconstructs the age-old legends surrounding the Holy Land and the prejudices that continue to suffocate it. Sand’s account dissects the concept of historical right and tracks the creation of the modern concept of the Land of Israel by nineteenth-century Evangelical Protestants and Jewish Zionists. This invention, he argues, not only facilitated the colonization of the Middle East and the establishment of the State of Israel; it is also threatening the existence of the Jewish state today.” –Jacket.

Through Feminist Eyes: Essays on Canadian Women’s History by Joan Sangster

“In Through Feminist Eyes, historian Joan Sangster uses a selection of her writings, published over a period of three decades, as a gateway into reflections on the themes and theoretical concerns that have shaped both the writing of women's history in Canada and her own evolution as a feminist historian. As in the original essays themselves, she brings to these reflections her distinctive combination of insight, honesty, and impeccable scholarship.”–Cover.

Transforming Labour: Women and Work in Post-war Canada by Joan Sangster

“The increased participation of women in the labour force was one of the most significant changes to Canadian social life during the quarter century after the close of the Second World War. Transforming Labour offers one of the first critical assessments of women's paid labour in this era, a period when more and more women, particularly those with families, were going 'out to work'.”–Publisher.

Victory Harvest: Diary of a Canadian in the Women’s Land Army, 1940-1944 by Marion Kelsey

“Based on the diary Marion Kelsey kept while in the Women's Land Army during World War II, Victory Harvest is a personal remembrance of wartime Britain through the eyes of a young Canadian.”–Cover.