America250PA – Community Storytelling and Civic Engagement

A book that instantly captured the hearts of readers across the country, An American Childhood is Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Dillard’s poignant, vivid memoir of growing up in Pittsburgh in the 1950s and 60s.

Another Appalachia examines both the roots and the resonance of Avashia’s identity as a queer desi Appalachian woman, while encouraging readers to envision more complex versions of both Appalachia and the nation as a whole.

Bono had become homeless during Hurricane Sandy, had survived a serious infection, and needed daily medications. As a “special needs” cat, he was an unlikely candidate for adoption. But as affection between them grew, Helen resolved to see that Bono found his forever home. She didn’t know that he would change her life in ways she never dreamed possible and teach her lessons she would cherish ever after. This title is also available as an eBook on Libby, as an eBook on Hoopla, in eAudio on Libby, and in eAudio on Hoopla.

The story of Troy Maxson, once a baseball star in the Negro Leagues, now fighting for the right to be first black man to drive a garbage truck in 1950s Pittsburgh. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The story begins in 1619–a year before the Mayflower –when the White Lion disgorges “some 20-and-odd Negroes” onto the shores of Virginia, inaugurating the African presence in what would become the United States. It takes us to the present, when African Americans, descendants of those on the White Lion and a thousand other routes to this country, continue a journey defined by inhuman oppression, visionary struggles, stunning achievements, and millions of ordinary lives passing through extraordinary history.

From the Furnace, with Love is an exploration into the multi-generational influence of Shirley Cavanaugh, a 28-year-old sex worker whose testimonies against corrupt Pittsburgh police brought about the total dismantling and collapse of the revered 1950s Vice and Narcotics Squad.

From “master of language” (The New York Times) John Edgar Wideman, a reissue of the revered trilogy that launched his career–two novels and story collection all set in Wideman’s own hometown.

Filled with empowering, easy-to-follow tips for crafting stories that forge lasting bonds with friends, family, and colleagues alike, this book will help you connect authentically with the world around you and unleash the power of story in your life.

In The Pursuit of Liberty, Jeffrey Rosen explores the clashing visions of Hamilton and Jefferson about how to balance liberty and power in a debate that continues to define — and divide — our country: Jefferson championed states’ rights and individual liberties, while Hamilton pushed for a strong Federal government and a powerful executive.

A sweeping and overdue retelling of U.S. history that recognizes that Native Americans are essential to understanding the evolution of modern America.

The violence that erupted at Carnegie Steel’s giant Homestead mill near Pittsburgh on July 6. 1892, caused a congressional investigation and trials for treason, motivated a nearly successful assassination attempt on Frick, contributed to the defeat of President Benjamin Harrison for a second term, and changed the course of the American labor movement.

Delaplane brings over twenty years of experience to this book in showing how she gathers stories from her celebrity clients and researches their history for custom-bound heirloom books.

Talking Steel Towns captures the voices of the steel-driving men who built the ships and tanks for two World Wars as well as the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, the United Nations and the Twin Towers, and the voices of the Steel Valley women who fought their own battles against poverty and prejudice in the harsh world of the blast furnace.

Their Story: The History of Blacks/African Americans in Sewickley & Edgeworth is the definitive book of Black History for the Sewickley Valley.

A redemptive, healing novel, Two Cities brings to brilliant culmination the themes John Edgar Wideman has developed in fourteen previous acclaimed books. It is a story of bridges — bridges spanning the rivers of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, bridges arching over the rifts that have divided our communities, our country, our hearts.