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History and Current Events
October 2025
Recent Releases
Ordinary men : Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the final solution in Poland by Christopher R Browning
Ordinary men : Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the final solution in Poland
by Christopher R Browning

Retells the story a German reserve police battalion made up of mostly average middle-aged, working-class men, which was responsible for mass shootings as well as round-ups of Jewish people for deportation to Nazi death camps in Poland in 1942
Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City
by Bench Ansfield

Historian Bench Ansfield's thought-provoking exposé details the ongoing legacy of the 1970s arson epidemic, exacerbated by corrupt landlords and predatory insurance companies, that plagued urban neighborhoods throughout the United States, particularly in the South Bronx. Try this next: The Killing Fields of East New York: The First Subprime Mortgage Scandal, a White-Collar Crime Spree, and the Collapse of an American Neighborhood by Stacy Horn.
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.
Launching liberty : the epic race to build the ships that took America to war by Doug Most
Launching liberty : the epic race to build the ships that took America to war
by Doug Most

As German U-boats attacked in 1940, FDR and Hoover Dam contractor Henry Kaiser initiated a nationwide shipyard competition to construct ships as quickly as possible; driven by duty and the thrill of innovation, workers reduced the shipbuilding timeline from months to days. Illustrations.
The killing season : the autumn of 1914, Ypres, and the afternoon that cost Germany a war by Robert Cowley
The killing season : the autumn of 1914, Ypres, and the afternoon that cost Germany a war
by Robert Cowley

A thorough analysis of the First Battle of Ypres in late 1914, highlighting its significance as a turning point in World War I, chronicling the desperate efforts of British, French and Belgian troops that thwarted German advances and ultimately changed modern warfare.
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.
Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State
by Caleb Gayle

Journalist Caleb Gayle's compelling and well-researched history offers a nuanced portrait of Black separatist politician and entrepreneur Edward McCabe, whose attempts to establish Black-run communities in the post-Reconstruction Oklahoma Territory spurred the displacement of the Cherokee already living there. Try this next: The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an American Inheritance by Rebecca Clarren. 
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.
While Israel slept : how Hamas surprised the most powerful military in the Middle East by Yaakov Katz
While Israel slept : how Hamas surprised the most powerful military in the Middle East
by Yaakov Katz

Offers a powerful indictment of the political and military decisions that led to the events of October 7 in Israel.
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.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Mary Riley Styles Public Library
120 N. Virginia Ave, Falls Church, Virginia 22046
703-248-5030 (TTY 711)
www.mrspl.org