Frank Carlson Library

In 1889, while many Americans were disdainful of newly arrived immigrants, Jane Addams established Hull-House as a refuge for Chicago's poor. The settlement house provided an unprecedented variety of social services. In this inspiring autobiography, Addams chronicles the institution's early years and discusses the ever-relevant philosophy of social justice that served as its foundation. Addams, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 for her philanthropic...

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time
Published in 1975, Ragtime changed our very concept of what a novel could be. An extraordinary tapestry, Ragtime captures the spirit of America in the era between the turn of the century and the First World War.
The story opens in 1906 in New Rochelle, New York, at the home of an affluent American family. One lazy Sunday afternoon, the famous...

Norris--hero, icon, and legend--is back, packing a political and cultural punch with his new book. In it, Norris gives a no-holds-barred assessment of American culture and shows how Americans can get involved and change the nation's course for the better.

The American novelist and playwright presents sketches of such figures as Brando, Monroe, and Bogart, as well as vignettes from his personal life.

Clare and David-divided as children by a rigid social code that branded her as shanty Irish and him as gentry...brought together as adults by a desire that knew no class, no barriers, only the urgent hunger of two people destined to love-and ready to defy a world determined to keep them apart. Even at fifteen, David Power knew the echo would answer eleven-year-old Clare O'Brien's dearest wish, to win a school prize. But it was years before Dr. Power's...

From garbage-filled streets and spoiled food to bloody gladiator fights and deadly punishments, daily life in Rome was really rotten. Get ready to explore the nasty side of life in ancient Rome.

Cossette Consistently Brings the Old Testament to Life in an Engrossing, Fresh New Way Alanah, a Canaanite, is no stranger to fighting and survival. When her family is killed in battle with the Hebrews, she disguises herself and sneaks onto the battlefield to avenge her family. The one thing she never counted on was surviving. Tobiah, a Hebrew warrior, is shocked to find an unconscious, wounded woman among the Canaanite casualties. Compelled to bring...

Television shows such as Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs have captivated millions with the inside story of aristocratic Edwardian households. But what was life really like for the people who kept such a household running? Maloney takes readers behind the scenes to describe servants' daily life in this now vanished world.

The New York Times bestseller that tells the story of an overheated stock market and the financial disaster that led to the Great Depression of the 1930s. A riveting living history about Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929. Captures the era, the intoxicating expectancy, the hope that ruled men's heart and minds before the bubble burst and the black despair of the decade that followed.