Central Kansas Library System

"This startling, vital book deserves our attention." --San Francisco Chronicle For fans of War Dogs and Bad Blood, an explosive look inside the rush to profit from the COVID-19 pandemic, from the award-winning ProPublica reporter who saw it firsthand. The United States federal government spent over 10 billion dollars on medical protective wear and emergency supplies, yet as COVID-19 swept the nation, life-saving equipment such as masks, gloves,...

"In this work of creative nonfiction, Kate Benz provides an intimate look at the present-day residents of Courtland, Kansas (population 285), a town whose economy depends almost entirely on agriculture. Her narrative shows how macro-level issues, from rising tariffs and operation costs to sinking commodity prices and infusions of federal farm subsidies affect these Americans' daily lives, and how their love of their community continues their collective...

"In 1854 all of Union Township, Clay County, Kansas, was part of the Public Domain. By 1894, every parcel in the township had moved from the government into private ownership. This book explores how these 155 settlers obtained their land. It examines various federal programs in the nineteenth century that moved Public Domain land into private hands (homesteading, preemption, railroad grants, school lands, timber culture, military bounties). The chapters...