Forsyth County Public Library: History and Current Events: February 2026

Recent Releases

In Guns We Trust: The Unholy Trinity of White Evangelicals, Politics, and Firearms
by William J. Kole

In this investigation into white evangelicals' fusion of the gospel and guns, reporter William J. Kole exposes how some Christians are standing in the way of reasonable restrictions on firearms--and how it makes us all less safe. Our nation is awash in more guns than citizens. Kole pulls back the curtain on locked-and-loaded Christianity.

The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It's Too Late
by Judith Enck

Over the last seventy-five years, plastic has cradled our planet in a synthetic embrace. The Problem with Plastic critically examines the paradox of this material, first celebrated for its innovations and now recognized for its devastating effects. Urgent, eye-opening, and ultimately empowering, The Problem with Plastic reminds us: plastic is a problem--but together, we can be the solution.

Gemini: Stepping Stone to the Moon, the Untold Story
by Jeffrey Kluger

From the bestselling author of Apollo 13 comes the thrilling untold story of the pioneering Gemini program. With a war raging in Vietnam and lawmakers calling for cuts to NASA's budget, the success of the Gemini program--or the space program in general--was never guaranteed. Yet against all odds, the remarkable scientists and astronauts behind the project persevered, and their efforts paid off. Later, with the knowledge gained from the Gemini flights, NASA would launch the legendary Apollo program.

Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America's New Age of Disaster
by Jacob Soboroff

MSNBC correspondent Jacob Soboroff's urgent and affecting chronicle of the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires blends personal reflections (Soboroff's childhood home was destroyed) with accounts from meteorologists, firefighters, politicians, and area residents. For fans of: Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson.

Focus on: Black History Month

My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future
by Alice Randall

In her impassioned and insightful blend of history and memoir, Nashville-based songwriter and producer Alice Randall (the first Black woman to co-write a number one country song) spotlights trailblazing yet forgotten Black country musicians whose artistry has influenced the genre. Try this next: Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King by Preston Lauterbach.

Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore
by Char Adams

Longtime NBC News reporter Char Adams writes a deeply compelling and rigorously reported history of Black political movements told through the lens of Black-owned bookstores, which have been centers for organizing from abolition to the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter. As Adams makes clear, in an time of increasing repression, Black bookstores are needed now more than ever. Full of vibrant characters and written with cinematic flair, Black-Owned is an enlightening story of community, resistance, and joy.

The Black Family Who Built America: The McKissacks, Two Centuries of Daring Pioneers
by Cheryl McKissack Daniel with Nick Chiles

In her inspiring debut, Cheryl McKissack Daniel, president of America's oldest Black-owned construction firm McKissack & McKissack, details two centuries of her trailblazing family's influential yet overlooked contributions to American architecture, from their post-Emancipation projects to the present. Try this next: On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Bundles.

I Lived to Tell the Story: A Memoir of Love, Legacy, and Resilience
by Tamika D. Mallory

In I Lived to Tell the Story, Tamika Mallory takes us beyond the headlines and podiums, offering an unfiltered look at the moments that shaped her--not just as an activist but as a woman navigating love, loss, and self-discovery. From her early days as the daughter of civil rights organizers in Harlem to her battles with the personal pain that many never imagined--the trauma of sexual assault, the pressures of motherhood, the fallout of public scrutiny, and the fight to reclaim her peace--this is Tamika as the world has never seen her before.

Contact your librarian for more great books!