| Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II by Lena AndrewsWhat it is: an illuminating history celebrating the crucial yet overlooked contributions of 400,000 American women who served in World War II.
Featuring: interviews with surviving servicewomen.
About the author: CIA military analyst Lena Andrews makes her debut with this accessible account that will appeal to history buffs and newcomers alike. |
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| The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us About How and When This... by Neil HoweWhat it is: author Neil Howe's thought-provoking follow-up to his 1997 bestseller The Fourth Turning, co-written by the late William Strauss.
The theory: American history unfolds in cyclical patterns (or "turnings"), each lasting for a generation -- "High," "Awakening," "Unraveling," and "Crisis." Howe argues that America is currently in its "Millennial Crisis" era, which will end in the early-2030s. Will the fourth turning signal a future of promise -- or peril? |
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| Goodbye, Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land by Jacob MikanowskiWhat it is: a sweeping, millennia-spanning history of Eastern Europe, the "land of small states with complicated fates."
Why you might like it: Peppered with insights from his own family history, journalist Jacob Mikanowski's engaging debut deftly explores the ever-shifting political, religious, and ethnic makeup of the region, offering "a rewarding portrait of a diverse and complex part of the world" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| 24 Hours in Charlottesville: An Oral History of the Stand Against White Supremacy by Nora NeusWhat it's about: the consequences and aftermath of the violent 2017 white supremacist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Read it for: a compelling, hour-by-hour account that includes interviews with clergy, city officials, first responders, counterprotesters, and more.
Author alert: Emmy-nominated journalist and former Charlottesville resident Nora Neus field-produced CNN's coverage of the rally. |
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| Arguing for a Better World: How Philosophy Can Help Us Fight for Social Justice by Arianne ShahvisiWhat it's about: how philosophical frameworks can help us dismantle oppressive ideologies and structures.
Chapters include: "Is It Sexist to Say 'Men Are Trash?;'" "Do All Lives Matter?;" "Has Political Correctness Gone Too Far?"
Reviewers say: "a fascinating, pragmatic resource for those who want to make a difference but don't know where to start" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| The Mayflower: The Families, the Voyage, and the Founding of America by Rebecca FraserWhat it is: an evocative account of the 1620 voyage of the Mayflower and the Pilgrims' founding of Plymouth Colony.
What sets it apart: historian Rebecca Fraser's focus on political leader Edward Winslow, an important yet overlooked figure of the era who forged close relationships with the Wampanoag.
Read it for: a fast-paced and thought-provoking chronicle that reads like fiction. |
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| The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. GraffWhat it is: a heartwrenching collection of first-person accounts from survivors, first responders, and witnesses of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Is it for you? Intimate and apolitical, this vivid, hour-by-hour chronicle of one of America's most tragic days is unflinching in its depictions of loss.
Further reading: Mitchell Zuckoff's richly detailed history Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11. |
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| The President and the Assassin: McKinley, Terror, and Empire at the Dawn of the... by Scott MillerSeptember 6, 1901: While greeting attendees of the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, President William McKinley was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz and died from his injuries eight days later.
Read it for: an evocative blend of history and dual biography that explores the personal and cultural forces that led to the pair's fatal encounter.
Try this next: Susan Wels' An Assassin in Utopia, a stranger-than-fiction true crime account of President James Garfield's 1881 assassination. |
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| In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown by Nathaniel PhilbrickSeptember 5, 1781: a decisive French victory at the Battle of the Chesapeake heralded the final days of the American Revolution.
Why you might like it: Author Nathaniel Philbrick draws upon letters, journal entries, sea logs, and his own firsthand knowledge of sailing to deliver a dramatic account of a key battle.
Author alert: Pulitzer Prize finalist Philbrick is the National Book Award-winning author of In the Heart of the Sea. |
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| The Storm of the Century: Tragedy, Heroism, Survival, and the Epic True Story of America's... by Al RokerSeptember 8, 1900: a Category 4 hurricane ripped through Texas' Gulf Coast, becoming the deadliest natural disaster in United States history.
For fans of: Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson.
What sets it apart: author and beloved Today mainstay Al Roker's focus on how the storm impacted the area's thriving Black community. |
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