The Peter White Public Library offers these new non-fiction books.

“Born to Be Hanged: The Epic Story of the Gentlemen Pirates Who Raided the South Seas, Rescued a Princess, and Stole a Fortune” by Keith Thomson.

A narrative history that takes place in the early 1680s, when a collective of buccaneering English pirates plotted to steal Spanish gold up and down the Pacific coastline of the new world. Inspired by the earlier exploits of Captain Henry Morgan, their combined force was formidable. They waged a proxy war against the Spanish to fill their own pockets. The geopolitical situation of the late 17th century is brought to light to provide a background to this campaign of piracy.

New adult non-fiction 972.8702 TH

“The Gotti Wars: Taking Down America’s Most Notorious Mobster” by John Gleeson.

Author Gleeson was an Assistant US Attorney in the Eastern District of New York during the period when John Gotti and the Gambino crime family were being brought to justice in the early 1990s. Gotti became involved in crime as a youth, and by 1977 was a “made man” in the Gambino crime family. He built a fearful reputation in NYC on his way to the top, and his nickname Teflon Don was attributed to his ability to beat the charges brought against him. This included a racketeering case prosecuted by Gleeson which ended in an acquittal. That of course was not the end of the story, as Gotti orchestrated a smear campaign against Gleeson, and a new investigation into the crime family was pursued.

New adult non-fiction 364.1062 GL

“Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America’s Empire” by Jonathan M. Katz.

Traces the path of the United States as it transformed into a world power, while examining the life of Smedley Butler, an influential power broker who became the most decorated Marine in US history. Nicknamed “Maverick Marine”, Butler was involved in the Philippine-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Mexican Revolution, conflicts in Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and in World War I. After his retirement in the early 1930s, he exposed an alleged plot by wealthy industrialists to overthrow the presidency of F.D. Roosevelt by recruiting the Bonus Army of WWI veterans to help them. Butler said that he had been a “high class muscle man” for wall street for most of his career, and was vocal about the true motivations behind US wars.

New adult non-fiction 973.916 KA

“Digital Writing: A Guide to Writing for Social Media and the Web” by Daniel Lawrence.

Gives writers and readers of online content several insights, by first offering tools to identify manipulation and targeted advertising. Using classical and contemporary rhetoric as examples, it gives content creators touchstones to evaluate their own writing. This is especially for people who are involved in, or preparing for careers in writing, marketing, and communications. It focuses on the ethical issues that surround social media, and other forms of digital content.

New adult non-fiction 808.0028 LA

By Bruce MacDonald, Assistant Director and Head of Technology