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

Historian Moudhy Al-Rashid utilizes eight artifacts, including cuneiform tablets and weapon fragments, to explore everyday life and culture in ancient Mesopotamia.
History matters by David G. McCullough
History Matters
by David G. McCullough

This posthumous collection of essays from the legendary historian looks at subjects such as the character of American leaders, the influence of art and mentors and the importance of understanding the past to better navigate the present and future.
The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze That Captured Turn-of-the-Century America
by David Baron

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.
Splendid liberators : heroism, betrayal, resistance, and the birth of American empire by Joe Jackson
Splendid Liberators : Heroism, Betrayal, Resistance, and the Birth of American Empire
by Joe Jackson

A new history of the Spanish-American War, spanning the US adventures and misadventures in Cuba and the Philippines, and paying particular attention to unsung characters such as Frederick Funston and David Fagen.
1929 : Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History--and How It Shattered a Nation by Andrew Ross Sorkin
1929 : Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History--and How It Shattered a Nation
by Andrew Ross Sorkin

Gripping account of the 1929 stock market crash, revealing how ambition, greed and denial among financiers and politicians fueled a historic economic collapse whose echoes still resonate today.
One Man's Freedom : Goldwater, King and the Struggle over an American Ideal by Nicholas Buccola
One Man's Freedom : Goldwater, King and the Struggle over an American Ideal
by Nicholas Buccola

Part dual biography, part history, One Man’s Freedom traces the actions and words of Goldwater and King over a crucial and eventful decade, from their dizzying rise through 1964, which ended with Goldwater’s landslide defeat in the presidential election and King’s Nobel Peace Prize. The book chronicles why Goldwater and King, who never met in person, came to view each other as perhaps the greatest threat to freedom in America.
Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State
by Caleb Gayle

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.
The Gales of November : The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon
The Gales of November : The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald
by John U. Bacon

Examines the 1975 storm that sank its largest, most profitable ship of the postwar economic powerhouse of the Great Lakes, using extensive interviews to reveal the disaster's causes and its profound impact on families.
The great contradiction : the tragic side of the American founding by Joseph J. Ellis
The Great Contradiction : The Tragic Side of the American Founding
by Joseph J. Ellis

Explores the contradictions at the founding of the United States, focusing on the coexistence of slavery and Native American displacement with ideals of freedom, and analyzes the debates and compromises of the Revolutionary generation that shaped early national policies and attitudes.
The Pursuit of Liberty : How Hamilton Vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle over Power in America by Jeffrey Rosen
The Pursuit of Liberty : How Hamilton Vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle over Power in America
by Jeffrey Rosen

Traces the enduring conflict between Hamilton's vision of strong federal power and Jefferson's emphasis on states' rights, examining how their constitutional interpretations have influenced key historical moments and continue to shape contemporary debates over executive authority and American democracy.
Contact your librarian for more great books!