LibraryAware September 2025

Recent Releases

King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic...
by Scott Anderson

In his thought-provoking and unputdownable latest, journalist and New York Times bestselling author Scott Anderson (The Quiet Americans) chronicles the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which saw the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini and ushered in an era of religious nationalism that continues to this day. Further reading: The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran by Andrew Scott Cooper.

Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run
by Peter Ames Carlin

Published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's iconic 1975 album Born to Run, journalist and biographer Peter Ames Carlin's evocative and richly detailed account offers a behind-the-scenes look into the making of the album, featuring interviews with Springsteen and key colleagues. Try this next: Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska by Warren Zanes.

The lost trees of Willow Avenue : a story of climate and hope on one American street
by Mike Tidwell

Chronicles a year of climate change impacts on a single urban block near Washington, D.C., intertwining personal stories of neighbors battling environmental and social challenges with reflections on the ethical dilemmas of geoengineering as a last-ditch effort to combat the crisis. Illustrations.

The devil reached toward the sky : an oral history of the making & unleashing of the atomic bomb
by Garrett M. Graff

Combines archival research with firsthand accounts from political leaders, scientists, soldiers, and survivors to chronicle the development and use of the atomic bomb, examining its ethical, military, and human consequences during the final months of World War II and the start of the Cold War. Illustrations. Maps.

Algospeak : how social media is transforming the future of language
by Adam Aleksic

An exploration of how the internet and social media are reshaping language, from viral slang to changing grammar, revealing how communication has evolved in response to algorithms, technology and cultural shifts in an era of unprecedented linguistic transformation. Illustrations.

They poisoned the world : life and death in the age of forever chemicals
by Mariah Blake

"A landmark investigation of the chemical industry's decades-long campaign to hide the devastating effects of "forever chemicals," told through the story of a small town on the frontline of an epic public health crisis"-- Provided by publisher

To lose a war : the fall and rise of the Taliban
by Jon Lee Anderson

Collects nearly twenty-five years of reporting to trace the evolution of the U.S. war in Afghanistan from early intervention to withdrawal, documenting battlefield victories, political missteps, and the long-term consequences of military overreach and shifting priorities. Illustrations.

Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America
by Michael Luo

New Yorker executive editor Michael Luo's intimate and richly detailed history chronicles Chinese immigration and exclusion in America from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. Further reading: Ghosts of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad by Gordon H. Chang; America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States by Erika Lee.

Contact your librarian for more great books!