History and Current Events
July 2025
Recent Releases
Goliath's Curse: Why Societies Collapse and What It Means for Our Future
by Luke Kemp

A vast and unprecedented survey of societal collapse--stretching from the Bronze Age to the age of silicon--that digs through the ruins of fallen societies to understand the root causes of their downfall and the most dire consequences for our future.
The Drive Across Canada: the Remarkable Story of the Trans-Canada Highway
by Mark Richardson

In The Drive Across Canada, automotive journalist Mark Richardson tells the stories of the pioneers who first drove across the country in the early days of cars and motorcycles, even before any roads existed, and of the political fight to create a physical link that would connect Canadians to every province of their vast country.
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers
by Caroline Fraser

In her disturbing and well-researched true crime account, Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Fraser (Prairie Fires) examines the history of serial killers in the Pacific Northwest from the 1940s to the 1980s. For fans of: The Killer Across the Table: Unlocking the Secrets of Serial Killers and Predators with the FBI's Original Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker.
The Princes in the Tower: How History's Greatest Cold Case Was Solved
by Philippa Langley

In 1483, Edward V (age twelve) and his brother Richard, Duke of York (age nine), disappeared from the Tower of London. History has judged they were murdered on the orders of Richard III. This new book reveals the truth behind the greatest unsolved mystery in English history.
Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKULTRA
by John Lisle

Historian John Lisle's disturbing and well-researched latest examines the evolution of the CIA's MKULTRA mind control program in the mid-20th century, featuring hundreds of pages of never-before-seen testimonies from program participants and victims. Further reading: Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control by Stephen Kinzer.
The Sisterhood of Ravensbrück: How an Intrepid Band of Frenchwomen Resisted the...
by Lynne Olson

Historian Lynne Olson's (Empress of the Nile) disturbing yet inspiring latest focuses on four women French Resistance fighters who were captured and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp, detailing how they worked together to survive World War II, help their fellow prisoners, and, post-war, seek justice for the atrocities they experienced. Further reading: The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany by Gwen Strauss. 
When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World
by Jordan Thomas

In his unputdownable debut, anthropologist and former Los Padres Hotshot wildland firefighter Jordan Thomas recounts his experiences during the 2021 fire season in California, detailing how climate change, colonization, and political malfeasance have exacerbated the rise of megafires in the American West. Try these next: The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History by Manjula Martin; Wildfire Days: A Woman, a Hotshot Crew, and the Burning American West by Kelly Ramsey.
A People's History of the World
by Chris Harman

Examines the human history of the world through the lens of a narrative of ordinary people forming and re-forming complex societies in pursuit of common human goals.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
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