Culpeper County Library271 Southgate Shopping Center, Culpeper, Virginia 22701 | 540-825-8691https://www.cclva.org
History and Current Events
January 2026

Recent Releases
The American Revolution and the Fate of the World by Richard Bell
The American Revolution and the Fate of the World
by Richard Bell

Historian Richard Bell reveals the full breadth and depth of America's founding event: the American Revolution was not only the colonies' triumphant liberation from the rule of an overbearing England, it was also a cataclysm that pulled in participants from around the globe and threw the entire world order into chaos. Repositioning the Revolution at the center of an international web, Bell's narrative ranges as far afield as India, Africa, Central America, and Australia. As his lens widens, the 'War of Independence' manifests itself as a sprawling struggle that upended the lives of millions of people on every continent and fundamentally transformed the way the world works, disrupting trade, restructuring penal systems, stirring famine, and creating the first global refugee crisis--
Driven by the Monsoons: Through the Indian Ocean and the Seas of China
by Barry Cunliffe

Archaeologist Barry Cunliffe's sweeping and illuminating history surveys nearly two millennia of Asian history by exploring the role the Indian Ocean played in trade and travel. Try this next: The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World by William Dalrymple.
The Future Begins with Z: Nine Strategies to Lead Generation Z as They Disrupt the Workplace by Tim Elmore
The Future Begins with Z: Nine Strategies to Lead Generation Z as They Disrupt the Workplace
by Tim Elmore

Learn how to inspire and connect with the next generation of workers as they transform the workforce.
Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult
by Ellen Huet

In her disturbing true crime debut, Bloomberg News reporter Ellen Huet investigates OneTaste, an "orgasmic meditation" wellness company whose promises of women's empowerment belied abusive and cult-like practices; the company's co-founder, Nicole Daedone, was convicted of forced labor conspiracy in June 2025 and currently awaits sentencing. For fans of: Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM by Sarah Berman.
The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
by Walter Isaacson

Bestselling biographer Walter Isaacson (Steve Jobs) turns his attention to the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence (which begins with "We hold these truths to be self-evident..."), offering a word-by-word breakdown of its significance. Published to coincide with the document's 250th anniversary, this "short, smart analysis" (Kirkus Reviews) will appeal to fans of The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America by Jeffrey Rosen.
Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History...
by Christine Kuehn

Journalist Christine Kuehn's fast-paced debut details how she learned her grandfather, Otto Kuehn, was a Nazi intelligence agent whose family was sent to pre-World War II Hawaii after his half-Jewish daughter's affair with Joseph Goebbels was discovered. Try this next: Children of Radium: A Buried Inheritance by Joe Dunthorne.
 
The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World by Tilar J. Mazzeo
The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World
by Tilar J. Mazzeo

Summer, 1856. Nineteen-year-old Mary Ann Patten and her husband Joshua were young and ambitious. Both from New England seafaring families, they had already completed their first clipper-ship voyage around the world with Joshua as captain. If they could win [a] race to San Francisco that year, their dream of building a farm and a family might be within reach. It would mean freedom. And the price of that freedom was one last dangerous transit--into the most treacherous waters in the world. As their ship, Neptune's Car, left New York Harbor and sailed down the jagged coast of South America, Joshua fell deathly ill and was confined to his bunk, delirious. ... With no obvious option for a new captain and heartbroken about her husband, Mary Ann stepped into the breach and convinced the crew to support her, just as they slammed into a gale that would last 18 days. ... Set against the backdrop of the California Gold Rush and taking us to the brink of Antarctica, [this book] finally gives Mary Ann Patten--the first woman to command a merchant vessel as captain--her due--
Blank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty-First Century
by W. David Marx

Surveying a wealth of topics including influencer culture, generative AI, identity politics, and more, culture writer W. David Marx's incisive analysis examines the cultural stagnation of the 21st century, detailing how an emphasis on profits and popularity weakens artistic expression. Further reading: Culture Creep: Notes on the Pop Apocalypse by Alice Bolin.
Staying Gold: The Oral History of the Outsiders by Danny Boy O'Connor
Staying Gold: The Oral History of the Outsiders
by Danny Boy O'Connor

The definitive oral history of the 1967 novel for teens, turned blockbuster film turned Tony-winning musical, and commemorated with a newly opened museum. This groundbreaking story has managed to stay gold for nearly sixty years. *Includes interviews with Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell Leif Garrett, David Arquette, Dennis Quaid, and more!-- Provided by publisher.
Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to Overcome Anxiety, Panic, and Worry by Catherine M. Pittman
Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to Overcome Anxiety, Panic, and Worry
by Catherine M. Pittman

Now fully revised and updated, Rewire Your Anxious Brain offers a unique, evidence-based solution to overcoming anxiety based in cutting-edge neuroscience and research. In the book, readers will learn how the amygdala and cortex--both important parts of the brain--are essential players in the neuropsychology of anxiety. Using the practical self-assessments and proven-effective techniques in the book, readers will learn to rewire the brain processes that lie at the root of their fears.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Culpeper County Library271 Southgate Shopping Center, Culpeper, Virginia 22701 | 540-825-8691https://www.cclva.org