1. Growing Up in the Lone Star State: Notable Texans Remember Their Childhoods
By Gaylon Finklea Hecker and Marianne Odom
Presents 47 oral history interviews describing Texas in the early twentieth century: detailing how growing up in the Lone Star State benefited the interviewees. Recalls tales about the Great Depression, the two world wars, former slave colonies and sharecropper fields, the modern growth of major cities, the race to the moon, and a variety of other topics. Includes interviews with Representative Senfronia Thompson, former Representative Sarah Weddington, Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison, Ruth Simmons, Dan Rather, Lady Bird Johnson, and Richard Overton.
Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin, 2021, 442 pages
976.4 H449G 2021

 

2. The Plague Year: America in the Time of COVID
By Lawrence Wright
Recounts the events of the year 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in a journalistic style. Includes interviews with politicians and political aides, the developers of the mRNA vaccines, public health officials, and COVID-19 patients and their families.
Alfred A. Knopf, 2021, 322 pages
614.5 W947P 2021

 

3. The Union League and Biracial Politics in Reconstruction Texas
By Carl H. Moneyhon
Traces the establishment and role of the Republican Union League of America, a secret organization introduced in Texas in 1867 to mobilize new Black voters during Reconstruction. Details the achievements of the organization's biracial coalition of delegates and how it impacted Black voters and politicians, including former Texas Senator George T. Ruby, who was elected president of the Union League in 1868. Addresses the political controversies that led to its disbandment in 1871 by the Texas Republican Party and the effect its demise had on Black Texans.
Texas A&M University Press, 2021, 426 pages
305.8009764 M742UN 2021

 

4. Releasing the Butterfly: A Love Affair in Four Acts
By Max Sherman
Describes the decades-long love story and marriage of former Texas Senator Max Sherman and his wife, Gene Alice. Explores how the couple learned to navigate their life together as equals while he served as a member of the Texas Senate, president of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, and Dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. Provides stories of their shared adventures, Texas politics, and ultimately, how they faced Gene Alice's struggle with Alzheimer's disease.
Max Sherman, 2020, 270 pages
920 SH553R 2020

 

5. Analyses of Proposed Constitutional Amendments, 87th Regular Session, November 2, 2021, Election
By Texas Legislative Council
Provides detailed information on the eight joint resolutions passed during the 87th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature that propose amendments to the Texas Constitution. Notes the amendments will be offered for approval by Texas voters in the upcoming November election. Includes extensive analysis, background information, comments from both supporters and opponents, the text of the joint resolution, and the ballot language.
Texas Legislative Council, 2021, 48 pages
L1400.7 C766 2021

 

6. Condensed Analyses of Proposed Constitutional Amendments, 87th Regular Session, November 2, 2021, Election
By Texas Legislative Council
Presents a one-page analysis for each proposed amendment to the Texas Constitution that passed during 87th Regular Session and will appear on the upcoming November election ballot. Includes the text of the proposed amendment, a summary analysis, and a summary of comments made by supporters and opponents during the legislative process.
Texas Legislative Council, 2021, 10 pages
L1400.7 C766C 2021