Booklist – April 2023
Beginning during World War II and continuing until 1976, Paul Harvey produced a radio program called The Rest of the Story. It consisted of stories presented as little-known or forgotten facts on a variety of subjects. Some authors take a “rest of the story” approach to the books they write. These authors cover their subject VERY broadly and from every aspect. Their books tell more than the familiar or obvious details of their story, they make new connections and show a bigger picture. The books on this month’s list tell the rest of the story!
“Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies” by Jared M. Diamond
While examining the development of human societies around the world in terms of wealth and power, we also learn about geography and environment and how they affected the development of agriculture, social institutions and technologies. DB082000 Armas, Germenes, y Acero (Spanish language)
“Seabiscuit: An American Legend” by Laura Hillenbrand
Seabiscuit was a racehorse who made news during the 1930’s. His story includes driving ambulances following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, horse racing in Mexico, and quotations from Shakespeare and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded, August 27, 1883” by Simon Winchester
Chronicles a cataclysmic eruption near Java in the Indian Ocean that killed 36,000 people. The story includes the history of the East India Company, the geology of plate tectonics and volcanoes, as well as the effect of the eruption on the paintings of J.M.W. Turner.
“The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics” by Daniel Brown
Recounts the accomplishments of nine working-class athletes from the University of Washington who beat elite teams at home and abroad and won the gold medal for rowing at the 1936 Nazi-orchestrated Berlin Olympics. Their story includes the training regime and injuries, as well as the construction of their boats and paddles.
“Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia” by Christina Thompson
An account of the early history of remote Oceania and the Polynesian people. The story includes the apparent dispersal of Polynesian peoples to every inhabitable island in the Pacific, including what we currently know about ancient navigation techniques and efforts to reconstruct that ancient knowledge.
And, of course, the original rest of the story by Paul Harvey himself.
DB017167 “Paul Harvey’s The Rest of the Story” by Paul Harvey
DB015954 “More to Paul Harvey’s The rest of the Story” by Paul Harvey
Both books contain short, offbeat stories culled from the news commentator’s columns and broadcasts.
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