New at the Library

A book about a certain young wizard has dominated the publishing headlines for a while now, but since it's hit the shelves of bookstores and libraries everywhere, it might be a good time to look at some other titles that are new on the shelves of the Sumter County Library. The Berlin Wall stood for nearly thirty years as a symbol of oppression and totalitarianism before its fall. Author Frederick Taylor has written a book combining official history, archival materials and personal accounts in The Berlin Wall : a World Divided 1961-1989. He details the story of the Wall's rise and eventual fall, recounting the stories of those who risked their lives to scale the Wall to freedom and those who paid the ultimate price in attempting to do so.

The story goes that shortly after the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943, an Army Ranger on a beach in Salerno was asked by a staff officer where William Darby, one of the most successful officers of World War II, could be located. The Ranger replied, "You'll never find him this far back." Darby began the war as an artillery captain, but by 1945 had been promoted to colonel and had commanded Ranger battalions in twelve major battles. His story is told in Onward We Charge - the Heroic Story of Darby's Rangers in World War II by H. Paul Jeffers.

Continuing backwards on history's timeline, Amity Shales writes a reinterpretation of the Great Depression in The Forgotten Man - a New History of the Great Depression. She details the neglected stories of the individual Americans and their struggles during this time. And delving even further into the past, Privilege and Scandal - the Remarkable Life of Harriet Spencer, Sister of Georgiana tells the story of Lady Harriet Spencer, ancestor of Princess Diana. Janet Gleason pens the story of Harriet's life. Lady Spencer was an eyewitness of the French Revolution, traveled through Europe during the Napoleonic Wars, gambled excessively, and quarreled with Lord Byron when he pursued her younger daughter.

The Lincoln Highway : Coast to Coast From Times Square to the Golden Gate celebrates America's first transcontinental highway. The story begins in 1913 with a new highway that stretched across 3,389 miles and thirteen states. It lured newly motoring Americans to drive their Model Ts and explore a frontier that was even then beginning to fade away. After a period of decline, the Lincoln Highway has experienced a renewal of interest of late. Authors Michael Wallis and Michael S. Williamson report the finds that adventurous travelers can discover - from a portrait of Ronald Reagan made from 14,000 jelly beans in Illinois to the bends of the "Loneliest Road" in Nevada.

Finally, in Porch Talk - Stories of Decency, Common Sense, & Other Endangered Species, author and storyteller Philip Gulley reminds the reader of a time when life revolved around the front porch. Friends gathered, stories were told, and small moments took on large meanings.

You can find all these and much more at the Sumter County Library, so come and check us out.

Robert