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History and Current Events April 2026 |
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| The Price of Mercy: Unfair Trials, a Violent System, and a Public Defender's Search for... by Emily Galvin AlmanzaWhat it is: Co-founder and executive director of Partners for Justice and former public defender Emily Galvin Almanza presents a thought-provoking and incisive examination of the failures of the American criminal justice system and offers solutions for reform.
For fans of: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander; Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. |
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| Mafia: A Global History by Ryan GingerasWhat it's about: Historian Ryan Gingeras' (The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire) sweeping account surveys the origins and exploits of organized crime syndicates throughout the world, including the Mafia, yakuza, triad, and more.
Try this next: Naples 1343: The Unexpected Origins of the Mafia by Amedeo Feniello. |
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| Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth by Daisy HernándezWhat it is: Blending memoir and cultural criticism, Daisy Hernández's moving and incisive book explores the racialization and politicization of American citizenship, exploring how refugees and their descendants have difficulty obtaining citizenship.
Further reading: Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America by Laila Lalami; The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You by Dina Nayeri. |
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| The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy by Josh IrelandWhat it's about: Writer and editor Josh Ireland's fast-paced and compelling history details Soviet espionage efforts during World War II, focusing on the 1940 assassination of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky.
For fans of: The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre. |
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| American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union... by Jon Meacham (editor)What it is: Edited by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham and spanning 1619 to the present, this thought-provoking anthology explores the promises and failures of American democracy, featuring primary sources including speeches, letters, poems, and more.
Try this next: Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past, edited by Kevin M. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer. |
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| We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America by Norah O'Donnell with Kate Andersen BrowerWhat it's about: Emmy Award-wining journalist Norah O'Donnell's sweeping and inspiring book surveys women's contributions throughout American history via 35 biographical profiles.
Further reading: The American Women's Almanac: 500 Years of Making History by Deborah G. Felder. |
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| The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster by Shelley PuhakWhat it is: Writer and poet Shelley Puhak's (The Dark Queens) nuanced and demythologizing latest examines the life and exploits of 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman Elizabeth Báthory, whose conviction of (and imprisonment for) torturing and murdering 80 girls and women was the result of a smear campaign. It's "a stunning feminist reconsideration of one of history's most reviled villainesses" (Publishers Weekly).
Try this next: When Women Kill: Four Crimes Retold by Alia Trabucco Zerán. |
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Women of War: The Italian Assassins, Spies, and Couriers Who Fought the Nazis
by Suzanne Cope
What it's about: Historian Suzanne Cope illuminates the roles played by women while Italians struggled under dual foes: Nazi invaders and Italian fascist loyalists. Cope's research and storytelling introduce four brave and resourceful women who risked everything to overthrow the Nazi occupation and pry their future from the fascist grasp.
Reviewers say: “An inspiring, illuminating group biography.” (Kirkus)
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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