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History and Current Events February 2026 |
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| Praise: "[A] magisterial account... Gibson constructs a sweeping vision of resistance to slavery as a defining element of Western history that made “abstract concepts of freedom concrete.” Expansive and elegant, this is a marvel." (Publishers Weekly) |
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What it's about: By the close of World War II, Jewish Holocaust survivors had lost their homes, families, and entire way of life. From a people with a long-history of self-narration, survivors gathered in groups and wrote yizkor books to chronicle and remember all that had been destroyed. Writer Jane Ziegelman of the New York Tenement Museum (97 Orchard*) takes readers on a journey through this largely uncharted body of writing and the vanished world it depicts, resounding with the rich, multitudinous voices of Jewish collective memory. Praise: "... an animated tapestry..." (The Wall Street Journal); "... an immersive, dreamlike window into a tragically lost world." (Publishers Weekly) |
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Praise: "First-class reportage on an urgent dilemma...Not one to simply explain the problems, Rosen also provides a roadmap toward effective solutions. What might have been a stilted recitation of issues is instead an engrossing, soberly rendered cautionary tale." (Kirkus) |
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The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom...*by Tilar J. MazzeoWhat it's about: the astonishing story of Mary Ann Patten, who became the first woman to captain a merchant vessel when her husband, Captain Joshua Adams Patten, fell ill during their 1856 journey on the Neptune's Car in the icy waters off Cape Horn. Aged nineteen and pregnant, she commanded the ship successfully for 56 days, warding off mutiny and docking safely in San Francisco.
Praise: "A rip-roaring, seafaring adventure with a twist. Mazzeo has fashioned a captivating role-reversal tale [about how], for the first time ever, a woman became captain of a merchant ship―with the crew’s approval. A thoroughly entertaining, delightful story." (Kirkus)
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English History: Tudors and Stuarts
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The Dream Factory: London's First Playhouse and the Making of William Shakespeare by Daniel SwiftWhat's inside: Between 1576 and 1598, a playhouse called the Theatre stood in the suburbs of London, until it was secretly torn down and its timbers used to build the much more famous Globe. Dreamed up and run by former actor and notorious brawler James Burbage, the Theatre was plagued by litigation, debt, and condemnation by preachers and the Lord Mayor. It was also where the young William Shakespeare worked and wrote many of his early plays when he first arrived in the city. This is the riveting history of London's first purpose-built commercial playhouse and the people--actors, writers, builders, investors--who made it into a crucible of creativity.
Praise: "Brilliant... A transfixing portrait of the theater that made Shakespeare who he was. The Dream Factory is an indispensable account of a chaotic and creative period... Swift pays [Shakespeare] the compliment of recognizing the Bard in exactly the way that he would have recognized himself―as a laborer." (The New York Times)
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The Six Loves of James I by Gareth RussellWhat's inside: In this groundbreaking, insightful look at Queen Elizabeth I's enigmatic successor, James I, historian Gareth Russell (The Palace) chronicles the rollicking life of a monarch whose fraught family history and sexuality deeply affected his philosophical views and leadership style. Praise: "Vivid and exciting... A highly entertaining, gossipy, but polished biography.” (Library Journal) |
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Insurrectionists and Revolutionaries
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What it's about: In the 1970s-early 1980s, a novel wave of international terrorism broke out around the world, from the deserts of Jordan and the Munich Olympics to the Iranian Embassy Siege in London and the Beirut bombings. More ambitious, networked and far-reaching than ever before, new armed groups planned intricate plane hijackings and hostage missions, leaving governments scrambling to cope. Veteran foreign correspondent Jason Burke draws on decades of research, recently declassified files, and original interviews to give an unprecedented account of a period which shaped today's world and probes the complex relationship between violence, terrorism, and revolution. Praise: "[A] huge, roving, and painstakingly researched account of the rise of modern terrorism." (Financial Times) |
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| Praise: "... [a] gripping, unshakeable firsthand account... Soboroff dumps readers headfirst into the turmoil of fire trucks running out of fuel and hydrants low on water and pressure, giving us a chance to imagine what it must feel like to lose everything worth saving without a moment’s notice." (The San Francisco Chronicle) |
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Tigers Between Empires: The Improbable Return of Great Cats to the Forests...*
by Jonathan C. Slaght
What's inside: In this thrilling, "pure widescreen epic" (Chicago Tribune) acclaimed author and conservationist Jonathan C. Slaght (Owls of the Eastern Ice*) chronicles the modern effort to save the Amur tiger, whose population veered towards extinction after the fall of the Soviet Union. In a time of unrestricted poaching and logging, scientists formed the Siberian Tiger Project, now the longest-running tiger research initiative. In documenting the Project's challenges and successes, Slaght explores how these remarkable creatures have been shaped by the history and politics of empires.
Praise: "Remarkable... Part travelogue, part natural history, and part adventure tale... Lyrical and evocative." (BookPage)
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Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore by Char AdamsWhat's inside: Longtime NBC News reporter Char Adams writes a deeply compelling and rigorously reported history of Black-owned bookstores: long centers of Black political organizing, from abolitionism to the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter. Praise: "Adams chronicles the courageous, determined, and tenacious people who ran legendary bookstores across the country... Despite overt racism, gentrification, and the online, revolution, the Black bookstore will never vanish." (Booklist) |
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| HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience by Ayesha Rascoe (editor)What's inside: Edited by NPR's Ayesha Rascoe, this inspiring essay collection features 16 pieces penned by graduates of historically Black colleges and universities, detailing how their college experiences shaped them. Contributors include: Stacey Abrams, Oprah Winfrey, Roy Wood Jr., Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, and others.
Praise: "...a resounding rebuttal to doubters, revealing the unique joys, challenges, frustrations, and rewards of the HBCU experience… Essential reading for our cultural moment." (Booklist)
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| Praise: "In a culture where Black women are often portrayed as unqualified, uninspiring, and un-American, The Conjuring of America makes clear that their innovations are woven into the very fabric of American identity, and that Black women continue to shape who we are and how we live." (Bookpage) |
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| Praise: “Tolliver reveals the intimate inner workings of how Black Hollywood, Black activists, and Black leaders coalesced behind a former-schoolteacher turned history-maker. In doing so, Tolliver also offers insight on how we may be able to better work together in service of new leadership today." (Elle) |
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Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam HigginbothamWhat's inside: Acclaimed journalist Adam Higginbotham (Midnight in Chernobyl*) offers an evocative, incisive, deeply researched account of the events surrounding the 1986 Challenger explosion.
Praise: "Superb... In the hands of Higginbotham, the narrative comes to life in a fresh telling fueled by meticulous detail and exacting prose... A compelling and exhaustively researched chronicle of the calamity that traces its full arc—the evolution of the enabling culture that allowed it, the terrible day itself, and its enduring legacy." (Washington Post)
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Contact your librarian for more great books! |
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