February 2021 list by Elizabeth Hanby
 
All Lara's Wars
by Wojciech Jagielski

Jagielski tells us the facts of the Chechnyan wars and the reality of the Syrian war from the viewpoint of ISIS recruits, as well as the true account of one ordinary family that became part of the larger tragedy that has claimed so many victims in recent years.

American Democracy:  21 Historic Answers to 5 Urgent Questions
by Nicholas Lemann

Brilliant and insightful, Lemann presents key writings from the American past that speak to five contemporary flashpoints in our political landscape, including race, gender and citizenship, and opportunity and inequality.

A Black Man in Trumpland:  Why Didn't We Riot?
by Issac J. Bailey

A collection of essays from the award-winning journalist that explores what it means to be black in Trump’s America and how the media has underserved people of color by prioritizing the concerns and needs of the white working class.

Cassandra Speaks:  When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes
by Elizabeth Lesser

Lesser explores how humanity has outgrown the male-dominated mythologies of childhood fairytales, in a guide that encourages women to trust their instincts and find new guiding stories. 

Conservatism:  The Fight for a Tradition
by Edmund Fawcett

Conservatism describes the parties, politicians, and thinkers of the right, bringing out strengths and weaknesses in conservative thought. An appendix includes definitions of leading terms, a brief account of conservatism's philosophical origins and mini-lives of more than 200 conservatives. Historical and topical, neither celebration nor caricature, Conservatism is a unique, panoramic survey of the Western world's dominant political tradition.

A Demon-Haunted Land:  Witches, Wonder Doctors, and the Ghosts of the Past in Post-WWII Germany
by Monica Black

This history of post-World War II Germany examines the guilt and shame of a nation haunted by the recent past and how this manifested itself in a succession of strange events fueled by a preoccupation with evil. 

Dispatches from the Race War
by Tim J. Wise

In this collection of essays, Wise confronts the consequences of white supremacy in all its forms. This includes a discussion of the killing of Trayvon Martin, anti-immigrant hysteria, the rise of white nationalism, the violent policing of African Americans, the racial ramifications of COVID-19, the widespread protests which followed the police murder of George Floyd, and more.

The Domestic Revolution:  How the Introduction of Coal Into Victorian Homes Changed Everything
by Ruth Goodman

Goodman presents an immersive account of how English women helped launch the Industrial Revolution by adapting outdated culinary approaches to reflect the 16th-century transition from wood to coal-based kitchens. 

The Modern Detective: How Corporate Intelligence is Reshaping the World
by Tyler Maroney

An insider’s tour of the world of 21st-century private investigators examines how today’s detectives use unique creativity and resources to help catch corrupt politicians, international embezzlers, and corporate purveyors of human-rights abuses.

Mozart:  The Reign of Love
by Jan Swafford

Swafford shares insights into Wolfgang Mozart’s remarkable mind and how his boundless energy, hedonism, and extraordinary perspectives shaped his history-impacting achievements. 

One Billion Americans
by matthew Yglesias

Yglesias argues for a variety of programs, including increased government spending on childcare and day care, and increased immigration to the US under the general rubric of increasing the American population. He suggests that a substantial increase to the population of the US is necessary to perpetuate American hegemony.
 

Red Comet:  The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath
by Heather L. Clark

Focuses on Sylvia Plath's remarkable literary and intellectual achievements, while restoring the woman behind the long-held myths about her life and art. 

Revolution or Death:  The Life of Eldridge Cleaver
by Justin Gifford

Gifford explores one of the most notorious black revolutionaries in history, exploring the audacious dreams and spiritual transformations of the eccentric radical and placing him squarely within the context of his changing times.

This Thing Called Life:  Prince's Odyssey, on and off the Record
by Neal Karlen

An in-depth portrait of the iconic late music artist by his long-time friend and Rolling Stone interviewer, Karlen. Includes coverage of Prince’s childhood in 1970s Minneapolis, and his complicated relationship with his father. 

What Were We Thinking:  A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era
by Carlos Lozada

The Washington Post’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book critic, Lozada, uses the books of the Trump era to argue that our response to this presidency reflects the same failures of imagination that made it possible. 

White House, Inc.:  How Donald Trump Turned the Presidency into a Business
by Dan Alexander

Alexander takes us inside Trump's exclusive clubs, luxury hotels, overseas partnerships, commercial properties, and personal mansions, explaining how he believes Trump tried to translate power into profit, from the 2016 campaign to the ramp-up to the 2020 campaign.  

A World Beneath the Sands:  The Golden Age of Egyptology
by Toby A. H. Wilkinson

Egyptologist Wilkinson documents the history of the West's scramble to claim the discoveries of Egypt and how the past 200 years of archaeology have informed our understandings of the ancient world.