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History and Current Events January 2026 |
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Capitalism and Materialism
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| Capitalism: A Global History by Sven BeckertWhat's inside: In this panoramic, engaging epic, Harvard historian Sven Beckert (Empire of Cotton) explores the development of capitalism around the globe in a tome that is "a joy to read" and "a monumental achievement" (Publishers Weekly). Why you should read it: The New York Times describes the merits of Beckert's colossal history as such: "Previous histories have usually treated capitalism as a European invention, but Beckert, as ambitious as he is erudite, shows how capitalism arose as a global phenomenon, the peculiar behavior of a few merchants in places as far apart as Cairo and Changzhou... Beckert enriches his story by recreating for the reader the places where his subjects made their fortunes... Readers around the world will study and ponder this monumental work of history, agreeing and arguing with it, all the while affirming its generational importance, for decades to come." |
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| Barbieland: The Unauthorized History by Tarpley HittWhat's inside: Journalist Tarpley Hitt's funny and fast-paced history details the origins, evolution, and cultural impact of the iconic Barbie doll since it first debuted in 1959. Praise: "The real story of Barbie’s origins is much messier, and more interesting [than the 2023 movie] — especially as told in Barbieland, Tarpley Hitt’s rollicking tale ... Hitt illuminates the intertwined histories of motivational research and intellectual property, labor, and plastics ... For anyone who liked the movie — or did not — and is ready for the human version." (The New York Times Book Review) |
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Revisionist Atlantic Histories
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| Mexico: A 500-Year History by Paul GillinghamWhat's inside: Historian Paul Gillingham offers an evocative and nuanced history of Mexico's global influence, chronicling the region's evolution through the rule of the Aztec Empire, to the colonial era under New Spain, to the unstable period of regime change and military dictatorship, to the establishment of the modern republic. Praise: "A breathtaking new book... every one of [its] pages is worth reading... Gillingham writes with sparkling verve, and reveals Mexican history in all its kaleidoscopic complexity." (The Washington Post) |
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| Praise: "... a remarkable reorientation of the history of the modern world." (Publishers Weekly) |
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| Captain's Dinner: A Shipwreck, an Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial That Changed Legal History* by Adam CohenWhat it's about: In 1884, the starving crew of the shipwrecked yacht Mignonette killed and cannibalized the vessel's cabin boy in accordance with the "custom of the sea." The resulting murder trial -- R v. Dudley and Stephens -- set the precedent that necessity cannot justify murder, a principle that continues to shape Anglo-American law today. With rich detail, journalist Adam Cohen gives an account which illuminates the rapidly shifting mores of the Victorian era. |
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| Driven by the Monsoons: Through the Indian Ocean and the Seas of China by Barry CunliffeWhat's inside: Archaeologist Barry Cunliffe's illuminating book surveys nearly two millennia of human history in the Indian Ocean, examining the sea's role in the prehistoric population of Asia, the golden age of trade between Egypt, the Middle East, India, and China, and the emergence of Portuguese control and rise of colonization. Praise: "This history of globalization is essential reading for scholars and students alike." (Library Journal) |
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| The Greatest Sentence Ever Written* by Walter IsaacsonWhat's inside: In this "short, smart analysis" (Kirkus), bestselling biographer Walter Isaacson (Steve Jobs*) turns his attention to the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence ("We hold these truths to be self-evident..."), offering a word-by-word breakdown of its significance in the lead-up to the document's 250th anniversary. |
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What's inside: a vividly written, deeply researched biography of radical entrepreneur and activist Victoria Woodhull. Born into poverty in an obscure Ohio settlement, Woodhull grew up with her Mesmeric mother, abusive con-man father, and an alcoholic husband whom she married (and was perhaps abducted by) at age 15. Nevertheless she overcame her upbringing -- and a complex legacy with the law and the press -- to co-found a successful stock brokerage on Wall Street, launch a newspaper, champion women's suffrage and labor rights, and become the first woman to run for the United States presidency in 1872. Praise: "[A] fast-paced, dramatic narrative... a splendid account of a unique woman who was ahead of her time, and perhaps ours too." (Bookpage) |
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| Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History...* by Christine KuehnWhat it's about: In the mid-1990's, a disturbing letter upended author Christine Kuehn's quiet life in suburban Maryland. In the thirty years that followed, Kuehn began to unravel her dark family history: when Joseph Goebbels found out that the Berlin woman with whom he'd had an affair was half-Jewish (Ruth Kuehn, the author's aunt), he sent her entire family to Hawaii to establish a Nazi intelligence operation in the years leading up to World War II. Moving between the author's timeline and that of her relatives, between emotional memoir and hard history, Kuehn's book is a troubling story of one family's entanglement with the Third Reich. Praise: "An amazing and gripping tale, full of suspenseful twists and cinematic details." (The New York Times Book Review) |
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The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History by Kassia St ClairWhat's inside: Journalist Kassia St. Clair (The Secret Lives of Color) explores how humankind's continuing relationship to and reinvention of cloth reveals the socioeconomic, cultural, and political "fabric" of our civilizations. This broad-reaching and fascinating history examines the meaning behind the 10,000-year old threads recently discovered in a Georgian cave, the linen wrappings of Tutankhamun's mummy, the eponymous silk of the Silk Roads, the woolen Viking sails that reached America, the Indian calicoes that spurred the Industrial Revolution, and other textorial marvels.
Praise: "[A] spirited, illuminating cultural history on essential fibers that have been spun, knitted, and woven throughout time... vibrant, entertaining, and brightly informative." (Kirkus)
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Contact your librarian for more great books! |
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