Frank Carlson Library

Young minister Charles Loring Brace founded the Children's Aid Society, sending orphans west to begin new lives with farm families. Until 1929, Brace's Society and other charities sent more than 150,000 neglected children by train to 47 states.

A look at the life of the 43rd president of the United States. Rising from a privileged alcoholic to a born-again Christian whose belief in religious destiny helped move him to the top ranks of political power. How he used Christianity to turn his life around, met and married his wife, and the days before his decision to declare war on Iraq are featured.

Anne Boleyn is a doe-eyed vixen who is ordered by her power-hungry uncle to bewitch King Henry VIII. Her shy sister Mary has always been in Anne's shadow. Anne is prettier, more accomplished, and desired by many men. So when the King picks Mary as his mistress, Anne turns on her sister and schemes to become not only the King's consort, but his new queen. Though the Boleyn girls' mother points out that her 'daughters are being traded like cattle for...

A story of the young Americans who volunteered to be part of the French military prior to the United States involvement in WWI, also known as Lafayette Escadrille, and how they became the country's first fighter pilots.

The true story of Port Authority policemen John McLoughlin and William J. Jimeno, who volunteered for rescue duty and became trapped in the rubble of the Towers on September 11, 2001. The men became two of the last survivors extracted from Ground Zero. It is a story of the true heroes and of that fateful time in United States history, when buildings would fall and heroes would rise, literally from the ashes to inspire the entire human race.

In 1929, an impoverished nine-year-old named Chiyo is sold to a geisha house in Kyoto's Gion district and subjected to cruel treatment from the owners and the head geisha Hatsumomo. Her stunning beauty attracts the vindictive jealousy in Hatsumomo and she is rescued by Hatsumomo's bitter rival, Mameha. Under Mameha's mentorship, Chiyo becomes the geisha named Sayuri, trained in all the artistic and social skills a geisha must master in order to survive...

1585: Philip II's Catholic Spain is the most powerful empire in the world. Only England, ruled by Protestant Elizabeth, stands against him. The Queen is threatened by a depleted treasury, constant threats of assassination, and plots by Philip to install her cousin, Queen Mary of Scotland, on her throne. To which end a great armada is poised to invade England--as punishment for the capture of his treasure-ships, and to make Europe safe for Catholicism--even...

John Wilmot, a 17th century poet, is the Earl of Rochester and from the beginning he treats his wife cruelly, drinks to relentless excess, abuses his friendships, and generally wallows in dissipation, much to the dismay of King Charles II. The king hopes that Rochester will write a play glorifying his reign. But Rochester finds his true inspiration when he sees a young actress named Lizzie Barry. Rochester sets out to make her the greatest actress...

When Canada is besieged by British forces, two brave lovers risk everything to protect their freedom and the freedom of Quebec.

In 1945, the United States and Japanese armies met on Iwo Jima. Decades later, hundreds of letters are unearthed from that stark island's soil. The letters give faces and voices to the men who fought there, as well as the extraordinary general who led them. Leading the defense is Lt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi. With little defense other than sheer will and the volcanic rock of the island itself, Gen. Kuribayashi's unprecedented tactics transform...