INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS & EDITORS (IRE) BOOK AWARD WINNER • The story of the history-changing break-in at the FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, by a group of unlikely activists—quiet, ordinary, hardworking Americans—that made clear the shocking truth that J. Edgar Hoover had created and was operating, in violation of the U.S. Constitution, his own shadow Bureau of Investigation. “Impeccably researched, elegantly presented, engaging.”—David Oshinsky, New York Times Book Review • “Riveting and extremely readable. Relevant to today's debates over national security, privacy, and the leaking of government secrets to journalists.”—The Huffington Post It begins in 1971 in an America being split apart by the Vietnam War . . . A small group of activists set out to use a more active, but nonviolent, method of civil disobedience to provide hard evidence once and for all that the government was operating outside the laws of the land. The would-be burglars—nonpro’s—were ordinary people leading lives of purpose: a professor of religion and former freedom rider; a day-care director; a physicist; a cab driver; an antiwar activist, a lock picker; a graduate student haunted by members of her family lost to the Holocaust and the passivity of German civilians under Nazi rule. Betty Medsger's extraordinary book re-creates in resonant detail how this group scouted out the low-security FBI building in a small town just west of Philadelphia, taking into consideration every possible factor, and how they planned the break-in for the night of the long-anticipated boxing match between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, knowing that all would be fixated on their televisions and radios. Medsger writes that the burglars removed all of the FBI files and released them to various journalists and members of Congress, soon upending the public’s perception of the inviolate head of the Bureau and paving the way for the first overhaul of the FBI since Hoover became its director in 1924. And we see how the release of the FBI files to the press set the stage for the sensational release three months later, by Daniel Ellsberg, of the top-secret, seven-thousand-page Pentagon study on U.S. decision-making regarding the Vietnam War, which became known as the Pentagon Papers. The Burglary is an important and gripping book, a portrait of the potential power of nonviolent resistance and the destructive power of excessive government secrecy and spying.
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS & EDITORS (IRE) BOOK AWARD WINNER • The story of the history-changing break-in at the FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, by a group of unlikely activists—quiet, ordinary, hardworking Americans—that made clear the shocking truth that J. Edgar Hoover had created and was operating, in violation of the U.S. Constitution, his own shadow Bureau of Investigation. “Impeccably researched, elegantly presented, engaging.”—David Oshinsky, New York Times Book Review • “Riveting and extremely readable. Relevant to today's debates over national security, privacy, and the leaking of government secrets to journalists.”—The Huffington Post It begins in 1971 in an America being split apart by the Vietnam War . . . A small group of activists set out to use a more active, but nonviolent, method of civil disobedience to provide hard evidence once and for all that the government was operating outside the laws of the land. The would-be burglars—nonpro’s—were ordinary people leading lives of purpose: a professor of religion and former freedom rider; a day-care director; a physicist; a cab driver; an antiwar activist, a lock picker; a graduate student haunted by members of her family lost to the Holocaust and the passivity of German civilians under Nazi rule. Betty Medsger's extraordinary book re-creates in resonant detail how this group scouted out the low-security FBI building in a small town just west of Philadelphia, taking into consideration every possible factor, and how they planned the break-in for the night of the long-anticipated boxing match between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, knowing that all would be fixated on their televisions and radios. Medsger writes that the burglars removed all of the FBI files and released them to various journalists and members of Congress, soon upending the public’s perception of the inviolate head of the Bureau and paving the way for the first overhaul of the FBI since Hoover became its director in 1924. And we see how the release of the FBI files to the press set the stage for the sensational release three months later, by Daniel Ellsberg, of the top-secret, seven-thousand-page Pentagon study on U.S. decision-making regarding the Vietnam War, which became known as the Pentagon Papers. The Burglary is an important and gripping book, a portrait of the potential power of nonviolent resistance and the destructive power of excessive government secrecy and spying.
As a girl in Rosebud, Texas, Betty Thrasher learned about style and presentation at an early age. From the floor of her parents small-town department store, Betty had a view of the comings and goings of all walks of life. Former model and seamstress aunts, as well as worldly neighbors, took young Betty under their wings. Her brother joined the US Air Force and was written into history books as a sharp-dressed Top Gun, a testament to the upbringing in Rosebud. The Thrashers years in Gatesville brought the first incarnation of Bettys boutique, the RoseBud, which would go on to draw stylish shoppers from around the state when it moved to its permanent home in Temple. The RoseBud catered to professionals, politicians, and the medical community of Scott & White. After selling her business, Betty focused on charity work, staging numerous fashion shows and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for S&W. The mayor of Temple declared two separate Betty Thrasher Days, and first lady Anita Perry presented Betty with the Yellow Rose of Texas Award. In her memoir, Betty dispenses fashion and beauty advice while remembering all the people she met along her journey. Combined with her business acumen and photographic memories of her childhood playmates, Rosebud Roses is a memorable read for uptown and small-town folks alike.
The story about Betsy is of a time long ago when life everywhere was simpler and slow-paced. That was especially true in the farm country where Betsy lived as a little girl. You will learn about all the animals, and all the wonderful fun Betsy enjoyed with her family in every season of the year. Springtime brought baby animals -- fluffy yellow chicks, funny baby pigs with curly tales, and many others. Summertime brought the "threshers." Included is an adventure where an animal chased Betsy, really frightening her. A happy time was when Betsy shared her excitement about Christmas. This was a time before television sets, computers, cell phones, and video games. You might ask "what was there to do? Sounds pretty dull, doesn't it?" Not so. As you read this story imagine that you were living then. Imagination can take you any place you wish to travel - even back in time. This story can be entertaining and effective for bringing together little ones and their grandparents or great-grandparents that also have had interesting and unusual childhood experiences. Talking and listening with young children can be a most exciting and enlightening adventure. I choose not to teach, but to inspire.
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