History and Current Events
October 2025
Recent Releases
Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History
by Moudhy Al-Rashid

In her accessible and illuminating debut, historian Moudhy Al-Rashid utilizes eight artifacts, including cuneiform tablets and weapon fragments, to explore everyday life and culture in ancient Mesopotamia. Further reading: The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World by Selena Wisnom.
Cloud warriors : deadly storms, climate chaos--and the pioneers creating a revolution in weather forecasting by Thomas E. Weber
Cloud warriors : deadly storms, climate chaos--and the pioneers creating a revolution in weather forecasting
by Thomas E. Weber

An inside look at the scientists and innovators using AI, satellites and drones to improve weather forecasting, providing life-saving warnings against extreme events like hurricanes and tornadoes while exploring how better predictions can help mitigate climate change. 40,000 first printing.
The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze That Captured Turn-of-the-Century America
by David Baron

Science journalist David Baron (American Eclipse) chronicles how early-20th century astronomers, writers, and intellectuals popularized a cultural fascination with Mars (and its potential lifeforms) that ushered in a new era of exploration, tabloid journalism, and conspiracy theories. Try this next: Dead Air: The Night That Orson Welles Terrified America by William Elliott Hazelgrove.
Deadwood: Gold, Guns, and Greed in the American West
by Peter Cozzens

Historian Peter Cozzens' rollicking revisionist history of Deadwood, South Dakota, the Black Hills Gold Rush settlement famously immortalized in the HBO series Deadwood, offers a nuanced portrait of the town's origins and its larger-than-life characters. For fans of: Wild Bill: The True Story of the American Frontier's First Gunfighter by Tom Clavin.
The stained glass window : a family history as the American story, 1790-1958 by David Levering Lewis
The stained glass window : a family history as the American story, 1790-1958
by David Levering Lewis

The historian embarks on a personal journey to uncover his ancestry, revealing the intertwined narratives of his family's history, which includes both slaveholding white families and an up-from-slavery Black lineage, illuminating the complexities of race, equity and legacy in America.
Could Should Might Don't: How We Think About the Future
by Nick Foster

Futurist and designer Nick Foster's thought-provoking study blends history and current events to examine four mindsets of approaching the future -- "could" (based on projections), "should" (based on goals), "might" (based on data), and "don't" (based on consequences). Further reading: A Century of Tomorrows: How Imagining the Future Shapes the Present by Glenn Adamson.
Overshoot / :  How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown by Andreas Malm
Overshoot / : How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown
by Andreas Malm

"Andreas Malm and Wim Carton present a history of the present phase of the crisis, one likely to last decades as the fossil fuel industry swims in the largest profits ever made. Money continues to flow into the construction of pipelines, platforms, terminals, mines--assets that will have to be destroyed for the planet to remain liveable. Too much heat has become officially acceptable because such revolutionary destruction is not. But should the rest of us abide by these perverse priorities?"
The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces
by Seth Harp

Journalist and Iraq War veteran Seth Harp's disturbing debut chronicles the criminal exploits of United States Special Forces soldiers based at North Carolina's Fort Bragg military base, where a 2020 double murder exposed a drug trafficking operation. Try this next: Code Over Country: The Tragedy and Corruption of SEAL Team Six by Matthew Cole.
Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire
by Barry Strauss

Drawing upon historical documents and recent archaeological discoveries, historian Barry Strauss explores two centuries of Jewish rebellion against the Romans, from the conquest of Jerusalem in 63 B.C.E. to the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132-136 C.E. "There is no better history of this important but little-known subject," raves Library Journal. Further reading: Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations by Martin Goodman.
Anatomy of a Con Artist: The 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters, and Thieves
by Johnathan Walton

Podcaster and reality TV producer Johnathan Walton draws upon his own experiences as the victim of a con artist in this candid guide to helping readers avoid scams. For fans of: My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress by Rachel DeLoache Williams.
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