Our Time Is Now
by Stacey Abrams

What it is: a well-researched history of voter suppression and disenfranchisement in the United States.

Is it for you? Policy wonks and progressives looking for a hopeful rejoinder to current political discourse will be inspired by politician and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams' proposals to end suppression tactics.

Author alert: 2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate Abrams made history in 2019 by becoming the first African American woman to deliver the response to the State of the Union address.

Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward...
by Robert M. Gates

What it is: an incisive exploration of the uses and misuses of American power, written by former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates.

Topics include: the 2003 invasion of Iraq; China's rise as a global superpower; North Korea's nuclear capabilities; Russia's destabilizing influence. 

Reviewers say: "a judicious yet bracingly contrarian take on military and foreign policy from the ultimate insider" (Publishers Weekly).  

The Brothers York: A Royal Tragedy
by Thomas Penn

What it's about: As the Wars of the Roses raged on in 15th-century Europe, three men at the center of the conflict -- House of York brothers Edward, George, and Richard -- saw their fragile unity upended by shifting alliances, greed, and paranoia. 

Read it for: a dramatic and vivid narrative that reads like fiction, full of court intrigue, conspiracy plots, battles, and betrayals. 

For fans of: Game of Thrones and Shakespeare's Richard III.  

Paying the Land
by Joe Sacco

What it is: a sobering, richly illustrated history of the Dené, a First Nations group living in Canada's remote Northwest Territories.

Why it matters: This eye-opening chronicle foregrounds a people who have seen their traditional way of life erode due to government assimilation efforts and increased fracking and mining in the region. 

Art alert: Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Joe Sacco's realistic black-and-white illustrations accompany affecting oral histories.

Spies in the Family: An American Spymaster, His Russian Crown Jewel, and the...
by Eva Dillon

Who it's about: Russian double agent Dimitri Polyavok and his handler, American CIA operative Paul Dillon (the author's father), two men on opposite sides of the Cold War who nonetheless struck up a lifelong friendship. 

Why you might like it: Eva Dillon's intimate and well-researched account alternates between both men's experiences and explores the surprising commonalities in their home lives and career trajectories.  

The Moscow Rules: The Secret CIA Tactics That Helped America Win the Cold War
by Antonio & Jonna Mendez with Matt Baglio

What it is: a fast-paced account of husband-and-wife duo Antonio and Jonna Mendez's time spent working as CIA agents in 1970s Moscow. 

Don't miss: the gadgets (including a rappelling tool nicknamed "the Spiderman") and techniques (disguises, sleight of hand, and misdirection taught by magicians) the pair utilized in their spycraft.

Movie buzz: Ben Affleck portrayed Antonio Mendez in the Oscar-winning Argo. 

The Mysterious Affair at Olivetti: IBM, the CIA, and the Cold War Conspiracy to Shut Down...
by Meryle Secrest

What it's about: how the development of the Olivetti Programma 101, the world's first desktop computer, was stalled by American intelligence fearful of the technology's use by China and the Soviet Union.

What happened: Prior to the P101's release, two Olivetti employees who worked on the project, including company heir Adriano Olivetti, died under suspicious circumstances. Coincidence -- or cover-up? 

Who it's for: Readers who don't mind a bit of speculation in their history will enjoy this intensifying tale full of bizarre twists and turns. 

Blood and Sand: Suez, Hungary, and Eisenhower's Campaign for Peace
by Alex Von Tunzelmann

What it's about: how two 1956 crises -- the joint invasion of Egypt by Israeli, British and French forces, and a Soviet victory in the Hungarian Revolution -- almost plunged the world into nuclear war.

Read it for: a suspenseful, hour-by-hour account of the conflicts, which happened within weeks of each other.

Reviewers say: "an outstanding reexamination of these sad, history-altering events" (Booklist).