New items are available at the Hancock County Public Library.
The following item is available at the Hancock County Public Library, 900 W. McKenzie Road. For more information on the library’s collection or to reserve a title, visit hcplibrary.org.
Adult fiction
“The Fifth Petal,” by Brunonia Barry
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When a teenage boy dies suspiciously on Halloween night, Salem’s chief of police, John Rafferty, wonders if there is a connection between his death and a notorious cold case. The triple homicide – dubbed the Goddess Murders — of three young women, all descended from accused Salem witches, were slashed on Halloween night 25 years ago. He finds unexpected help in Callie Cahill, the daughter of one of the victims newly returned to town. Neither believes that the main suspect, Rose Whelan, respected local historian, is guilty of murder or witchcraft. But exonerating Rose might mean crossing paths with a dangerous force. Were the women victims of an all-too-human vengeance, or was the devil raised in Salem that night? And if they cannot discover what truly happened, will evil rise again?
Adult nonfiction
“Divided We Stand: the battle over women’s rights and family values that polarized American politics,” by Marjorie Julian Spruill
Feminist Gloria Steinem called the National Women’s Conference in 1977 “the most important event nobody knows about.” When 1975 was designated the International Women’s Year, Congress funded state conferences to elect delegates to attend the national conference in Houston, where Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem and other feminists endorsed a platform supporting abortion rights, the Equal Rights Amendment and gay rights. Across town, Phyllis Schlafly, Lottie Beth Hobbs and the conservative women’s movement conducted a massive rally to protest federally funded feminism and launch a pro-family movement. “Divided We Stand” explores the role social issues have played in politics by reprising the battle between feminists and their conservative challengers, leading to Democrats supporting women’s rights and Republicans casting themselves as the party of family values. As the 2016 presidential election made clear, the women’s rights movement and the conservative women’s movement have irrevocably affected the course of modern American politics.
