History and Current Events
July 2025

Recent Releases
Empire of AI : dreams and nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI
by Karen Hao

From a brilliant longtime AI Insider with intimate access to the world of Sam Altman's OpenAI, an eye-opening account of arguably the most fateful tech arms race in history, reshaping the planet in real time, from the cockpit of the company that is driving the frenzy.
The world walk : 7 years. 28,000 miles. 6 continents. : a grand meditation, one step at a time.
by Tom Turcich

"The emotional and exhilarating story of the tenth person and first dog to walk around the world. Together, Turcich and his dog, Savannah, covered twenty-eight thousand miles over the course of seven years. Through deserts, jungles, cities, and mountains, Turcich meditated on what's important in life and took lessons from cultures around the globe."
Charlottesville : an American story
by Deborah Baker

“Baker’s vividly detailed reconstruction is a worthwhile addition to a growing canon of narrative nonfiction aimed at documenting and interpreting the outburst of race- and hate-driven violence in America.”―Kevin Sack, The New York Times Book Review
Original sin : President Biden's decline, its cover-up, and his disastrous choice to run again
by Jake Tapper

Two respected American journalists offer an unflinching and explosive reckoning with one of the most fateful decisions in American political history: Joe Biden's run for reelection despite evidence of his serious decline--amid desperate efforts to hide the extent of that deterioration.
The American game : history and hope in the country of lacrosse
by S. L. Price

"Nearly a millennium ago, Native Americans created lacrosse as a means of training warriors and settling disputes. Co-opted by whites in the late 1800s, played for a century largely at elite east coast colleges, over the past thirty years lacrosse has exploded around the world, becoming the fastest growing sport in the U.S. while exposing the fault lines of prejudice and privilege that continue to dog its image. At the same time, the spiritual nature and dazzling style of the Native game has been elevated to center stage as the brilliant Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) play as a nation unto themselves, maintaining their deep traditions and hoping for inclusion in the 2028 Olympics."
Remember us : American sacrifice, Dutch freedom, and a forever promise forged in World War II
by Robert M. Edsel

"Remember Us, by Robert Edsel . . . begins in the pre-dawn hours of Hitler's invasion of Western Europe on May 10, 1940, when his forces rolled into the small rural province of Limburg in the Netherlands shattering more than 100 years of peace. Their freedom gone, the Dutch lived through four-and-a-half years of occupation until American forces reached Limburg in September 1944, the last portion of Western Europe liberated by the Allies before their advance on Nazi Germany slammed to a halt. Like The Monuments Men, Remember Us is an ensemble piece that follows twelve main characters over a six-year span..."
By the Second Spring: Seven Lives and One Year of the War in Ukraine
by Danielle Leavitt

Utilizing journals and extensive interviews, historian Danielle Leavitt profiles seven everyday Ukrainians in her evocative account of life during wartime. Further reading: Displaced: Civilians in the Russia-Ukraine War by Valery Panyushkin.
The Spinach King : the rise and fall of an American dynasty
by John Seabrook

One of The New Yorker's most acclaimed storytellers unravels the riveting saga of the Seabrook family.
 
"In The Spinach King, John Seabrook recounts how his grandfather turned a family farm into an industrial behemoth, and exposes the greed and malfeasance behind the prosperous facade."-- New York Times
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