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|  | Mule Trader by Eudora Welty, William R. Ferris
Readers captivated by this book will be happy that Bill Ferris found Ray Lum and that he thought to turn on a tape recorder. Lure (1891-1977) was a mule skinner, a livestock trader, an auctioneer, and an American original. This delightful book, first published in 1992 as You Live and Learn. Then You Die and Forget It All, preserves Lum's colorful folk dialect and captures the essence of this one-of-a-kind figure who seems to have stepped full-blooded from the pages of Mark Twain. This riveting talespinner was tall, heavy-set, and full of body rhythm as he talked. In his special world he was famous for trading, for tale-telling, and for com common-sense lessons that had made him a savvy bargainer and a shrewd businessman. His home and his auction barn were in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where mules were his main interest, but in trading he fanned out over twenty states and even into Mexico. A west Texas newspaper reported his fame this way: He is known all over cow country for his honest fair dealing and gentlemanly attitude.... A letter addressed to him anywhere in Texas probably would be delivered . Over several years Ferris recorded Lum's many long conversations that detail livestock auctioneering, cheery memories of rustic Deep South culture, and a philosophy of life that is grounded in good horse sense. Even among the most spellbinding talkers Lure is a standout both for what he has to say and for the way he says it. Ferris's lucky, protracted encounters with him turn out to be the best of good fortune for everybody. AUTHOR: Eudora Welty, William R. Ferris
PUBLISHER: University Press of Mississippi
FORMAT: Paperback
CATEGORY: History 
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 | The Proudest Day by Anthony Read, David Fisher
An account of the events that led to India's independence from Great Britain on August 14, 1947. AUTHOR: Anthony Read, David Fisher
PUBLISHER: Norton, W. W. & Company, Incorporated
FORMAT: Paperback
CATEGORY: History
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 | The Battle for New York by Barnet Schecter
Description not available.Provides a dramatic account of the seminal role played by New York City during the American Revolution, from its September 1776 fall to the British under General William Howe, through years of occupation, and beyond, interweaving illuminating profiles of the individuals on both sides of the conflict with a study of the cultural, political, social, and economic events of the eighteenth century. AUTHOR: Barnet Schecter
PUBLISHER: Walker & Company
FORMAT: Hardcover
CATEGORY: History
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 | A Documentary History of the United States by Richard D. Heffner
Description not available.Presents a valuable array of primary source documents that have played a key role in the history of the United States, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Emancipation Proclamation, John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, and George W. Bush's first speeches following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Reprint. AUTHOR: Richard D. Heffner
PUBLISHER: N A L
FORMAT: Paperback
CATEGORY: History
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 | The Anglo-Saxons by James Campbell
Description not available.Traces the history of England from the end of Roman rule to the Norman Conquest AUTHOR: James Campbell
PUBLISHER: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
FORMAT: Paperback
CATEGORY: History
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 | On Killing by Dave Grossman
The twentieth century, with its bloody world wars, revolutions, and genocides accounting for hundreds of millions dead, would seem to prove that human beings are incredibly vicious predators and that killing is as natural as eating. But Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman, a psychologist and U.S. Army Ranger, demonstrates this is not the case. The good news, according to Grossman - drawing on dozens of interviews, first-person reports, and historic studies of combat, ranging from Frederick the Great's battles in the eighteenth century through Vietnam - is that the vast majority of soldiers are loath to kill. In World War II, for instance, only 15 to 25 percent of combat infantry were willing to fire their rifles. The provocative news is that modern armies, using Pavlovian and operant conditioning, have learned how to overcome this reluctance. In Korea about 50 percent of combat infantry were willing to shoot, and in Vietnam the figure rose to over 90 percent. The bad news is that by conditioning soldiers to overcome their instinctive loathing of killing, we have drastically increased post-combat stress - witness the devastated psychological state of our Vietnam vets as compared with those from earlier wars. And the truly terrible news is that contemporary civilian society, particularly the media, replicates the army's conditioning techniques and - according to Grossman's controversial thesis - is responsible for our rising rates of murder and violence, particularly among the young. In the explosive last section of the book, he argues that high-body-count movies, television violence (both news and entertainment), and interactive point-and-shoot video games are dangerously similar to thetraining programs that dehumanize the enemy, desensitize soldiers to the psychological ramifications of killing, and make pulling the trigger an automatic response. AUTHOR: Dave Grossman
PUBLISHER: Little, Brown & Company
FORMAT: Paperback
CATEGORY: History
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