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.
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.
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.
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Drawing upon historical documents and recent archaeological discoveries, historian Barry Strauss explores two centuries of Jewish rebellion against the Romans, from the conquest of Jerusalem in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.
Goliath's Curse : The History and Future of Societal Collapse
by Luke Kemp

This sweeping analysis of societal collapse across history examines over 440 civilizations to uncover the deep systemic causes of their downfall and exploring what these patterns reveal about the risks and resilience of our interconnected world today.
Underworld
by Jared Savage

The brutal execution of an innocent man. The undercover DEA agent who fooled the Hells Angels in a 400kg cocaine plot. The brutal execution of a not-so innocent man. The never-ending quest to bring down New Zealand's most wanted gangsters. These stories read like a crime novel - delving down into a parallel universe that many do not know even exists.
Domination
by Alice Roberts

This is the story of the fall of an Empire - and the rise of another. Who spread Christianity, how, and why? In her quest to find the answer, Professor Alice Roberts takes us on a gripping investigative journey. From a secluded valley in south Wales to the shores of Brittany; from the heart of the Roman Empire in a time of political turmoil to the ancient city of Corinth in the footsteps of the apostle Paul; from Alexandria in the fourth century to Constantinople.
Someone Somewhere Knows Something 
by Meni Caroutas

In this powerful and gripping collection of real-life cases, Meni Caroutas – a former cop turned investigative journalist – reviews old evidence, hunts new leads and recounts shocking developments surrounding the disappearance or murder of 18 people. From the baffling case of a deceased newborn sent in the mail from Melbourne to Darwin, to the haunting abduction of 16-year-old Gordana Kotevski in 1994, and the chilling possibility of a 14-year-old girl falling victim to notorious serial killer Ivan Milat, these are cases that have left behind shattered parents, traumatised families and grieving friends still searching for answers.
 
Hiroshima : the Last Witnesses
by M. G. Sheftall

The first book in a two-volume series focuses on the atomic bomb drop at Hiroshima and draws on interviews with survivors that tell the story of the incomprehensible level of destruction and death brought upon Japan
The New Geography of Innovation : The Global Contest for Breakthrough Technologies
by Mehran Gul

The US is the source of just about all the technologies that define modern life: personal computers, operating systems, smartphones, e-commerce, web browsers, email, search engines, social networks, electric cars and the rest. And most of the tech companies that created and monetized these technologies are also in the US. In this book Mehran Gul asks: is that changing? The geography of innovation is shifting. The world has a lot more high-value tech companies than ever before, growing a lot faster than ever before, in a lot more places than ever before. This is a book about these places.
Contact your librarian for more great books!