Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 078

About this book

Twenty short nonfiction works, chosen by the readers. "That thing up there on the stand with the American flag on top is a machine gun, and those are bullets hitting the house. And that means your country is shooting at you." These are a mother's words to her six-year old daughter, recalled by Dr. Olivia Hooker testifying about the horrific destruction of Black-owned homes and businesses in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921. Strife and good will, the complexity of human society is the theme of many vol. 078 readings: (Little Sermons in Socialism; The Altar of Freedom, Perfection According to the Saviour, Napoleon's Argument for the Divinity of Christ, Chicago Race Riots, The Diggers' Manifesto, Arguments of Celsus, Freemasonry, Twenty Unsettled Miles, Progress of Ballot Reform, James Jesse Strang, Monitorial System of Harrow School, and Wedding on Maarken). A change of pace is found in The Lake Biwa-Kioto Canal, The New Madrid Earthquake, The History of Games, Rendering Clouds and Water, and Food in Little Italy. Summary by Sue Anderson