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History and Current Events May 2026 |
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| Praise: "Gripping... Keefe is a master at using true crime as a vehicle for exploring social and political pathologies." (NPR) |
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Mafia: A Global History by Ryan GingerasWhat it is: This gripping exploration of the hidden influence of organized crime on the global economy reveals the mafia as an uncredited architect of modern society. Ryan Gingeras' fascinating book draws on over a decade of research, unraveling the complex ties between crime syndicates, politicians, and law enforcement that have gone on for centuries. Praise: "Historian Gingeras offers a historical deep dive into the murky world of gangland, from the gritty streets of the Five Points area of early twentieth-century New York City to ravaged, post-WWII Japan; from drug running to human trafficking... a valuable historical reference on organized crime." (Booklist) |
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Nuremberg's Citizen Prosecutor: Benjamin Ferencz and the Birth of International Justice by Gregory S. GordonWhat's inside: An expansive biography of Benjamin Ferencz, a Romanian-born Jewish American lawyer of humble beginnings who prosecuted the Einsatzgruppen -- a group of Nazi SS detachments responsible for the murder of approximately 1.5 million civilians -- at Nuremberg in 1947. This biography also details the remainder of Ferencz's career, during which he worked on reparations and toward the establishment of a permanent International Criminal Court. He passed away in 2023 at the age of 103. About the author: Author Gregory Gordon is a former war crimes prosecutor himself (at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda), and the first author with access to Ferencz's personal papers. |
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Takes on the Political Moment
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| Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age by Ibram X. KendiWhat's inside: National Book Award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi (Stamped from the Beginning*) details the origins and evolution of the great replacement theory -- the far-right conspiracy that claims white European people are deliberately being replaced by non-white immigrants -- and examines how leading politicians around the globe openly propagate these views. Praise: “In a meticulously researched 500 pages, [Kendi] lays out an essential framework for parsing current events... [It] is an ambitious book that covers a lot of ground, intellectual and geographical... a worthwhile and accessible book [that] helps us to interpret current events [and] also offers a modicum of hope.” (The Guardian) |
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Somebody Should Do Something: How Anyone Can Help Create Social Change by Michael Brownstein, Alex Madva, and Daniel KellyWhat's inside: A trio of philosophy and ethics scholars team up to offer a novel and scientific approach to creating transformative social change, helping readers turn resignation about issues like climate change and racial injustice into empowered action. Praise: "A must-read for anyone interested in escaping the demoralizing effects of pessimism, in favor of defining their own role in fighting for social change." (Library Journal) |
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What's inside: Critically acclaimed essayist Rebecca Solnit examines the breadth and scale of social, political, scientific, and cultural change over the past three quarters of a century. In this sequel to her enduring bestseller Hope in the Dark, Solnit surveys a world that has changed dramatically since the year 1960. She argues that despite the forces seeking to turn back the clock on history, change is an inevitability headed towards interconnectedness and power to the people. Praise: “[A] remarkably lucid and fluent chronicle of social change... Solnit’s holistic anatomy of the dynamics of change is precise, compelling, and deeply clarifying.” (Booklist) |
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| Praise: "(Black Out Loud) is plenty informative, but it’s also infused with Bennett’s joy—and that joy sure is contagious. An insightful celebration of comedy stars that makes for good times." (Kirkus) |
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| Praise: "A witty roundup of coping strategies for navigating anxiety, creative block, and distraction...Lawson’s at her most winning when she’s relating her personal mishaps...to show how ordinary embarrassment can be reframed as evidence of persistence rather than failure. The result is an irreverent, idiosyncratic grab bag of tactics for getting through tough mental health days." (Publishers Weekly) |
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Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa HullsWhat's inside: In this astonishing, ambitious work which won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Memoir, Tessa Hulls tells the story of three generations of women: her grandmother, Sun Yi, a journalist and memoirist who escaped Communist China and fell into deep mental illness; her mother, Rose, a teacher and anxious parent, who immigrated to the U.S. from China via Hong Kong; and the author herself, a Chinese-American explorer, writer, artist, and self-described "cowboy" individualist, raised in California. Combining rigorous historical details of Communist China, astute psychological insight into family trauma and identity, searing analysis of colonialism, and haunting artwork, Feeding Ghosts is a remarkable storytelling achievement. Praise: "Hulls’s epic, elegantly etched graphic memoir debut tangles with trauma’s long tentacles... The result is a revelatory work as layered as the history it explores" (Publishers Weekly) |
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What it is: In this exquisitely written memoir, poet Jane Wong recalls a life of family, food, resistance, and growing up in a Chinese American restaurant. It's a vibrant homage to the working class Chinese American communities of the Jersey Shore. Praise: "Delightful... With a poet’s ear for language and a satirist’s eye for human foibles, Wong masterfully marries her personal story with larger questions about Chinese American identity. This is a winner." (Publishers Weekly) |
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What's inside: Historian and former congressman Robert Mrazek spotlights the riveting life of Florence Finch, an unsung heroine of World War II who saved countless American lives in the Philippines by diverting fuel from the Japanese army, selling it on the black market, and using the proceeds to provide medicine and food for hundreds of American POWs. When she died in 2016 at the age of 101, few of her Ithaca, NY neighbors knew this fearless heroine had earned a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Praise: "A riveting story of courage and sacrifice... Mrazek's book is a treasure, an eminently readable tribute to the wartime heroism of one brave woman." (New York Times Book Review) |
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What's inside: In her eagerly anticipated debut cookbook, acclaimed food writer Khushbu Shah spotlights the story of Indian American food with 125 flavor-packed recipes, presented alongside vibrant images, clever tips, and illuminating essays. Recipes include: Achari Paneer Pizza, Spinach Tadka Da, Classic Dosas, Keralan Fried Chicken Sandwiches, Pani Puri Mojitos, Masala Chai Basque Cheesecake, and more.
Praise: Amrikan was rated one of the best cookbooks of 2024 by Bon Appetit, The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, Saveur, Esquire, Wired, The Los Angeles Times, Library Journal, and more.
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Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life by Alice WongWhat it is: a groundbreaking, impressionistic scrapbook of the late author's life as an Asian American disabled activist, community organizer, media maker, and dreamer, which draws on a collection of original essays, previously published work, conversations, graphics, photos, and art commissioned by disabled and Asian American artists. Praise: "“Enlightening... Incisive critiques, humor, practicality, and optimism become compellingly inseparable... Memoir will be redefined for many readers by Wong’s candid voice, tenacious spirit and necessary truths." (The Washington Post) |
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What's inside: Séamas O'Reilly's mother died when he was five, leaving him, his ten brothers and sisters, and their beloved father in their sprawling bungalow in rural Derry. It was the 1990s; the Troubles were a background rumble, but Séamas was more preoccupied with dinosaurs, Star Wars, and the actual location of heaven than the political climate. This instant bestseller in Ireland is about a family of loud, argumentative, musical, sarcastic, grief-stricken siblings, shepherded into adulthood by a man whose foibles and reticence were matched only by his love for his children and his determination that they would flourish. Praise: "Northern Ireland in the time of the Troubles is often cast into a narrative that doesn’t allow room for joy or delight...O’Reilly’s recollection is a splendid paradox, both cheery and heartbreaking." (Booklist) |
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Contact your librarian for more great books! |
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