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History and Current Events April 2025 |
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99% Perspiration: A New Working History of the American Way of Life
by Adam Chandler
An engaging exploration of the myth of American self-reliance, examining how the obsession with hard work and individual success distorts reality, deepens inequality and overlooks the importance of community, historical privilege and systemic factors in shaping achievement. As the wealth gap widens, communities crumble, and Americans work more for less, Adam Chandler raises the question: What happens when perspiration isn't enough?
Reviewers Say: "An articulate critique of rags-to-riches mythology and government policies about labor in the United States.” — Library Journal
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
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Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe
by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry
The story of the Carolingian Civil War, a bloody, protracted battle pitting brother against brother, father against son, that would end an empire, upend a continent, and lay down the modern borders of Europe.
Reviewers Say: "This rousing history of a real-life Game of Thrones details the ninth-century battle among Charlemagne’s heirs for control of his empire.” — New York Times Book Review
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book as well as in eAudiobook format.
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Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-wing Conspiracy Inside the Catholic Church
by Gareth Gore
Recounting how members of Opus Dei—a secretive, ultra-conservative Catholic sect—pushed its radical agenda within the Church and around the globe, using billions of dollars siphoned from one of the world's largest banks.
Reviewers Say: "Moving with the suspenseful twists and turns of a political thriller, this well-documented book reveals the hidden agendas and intrigue that belie institutional structures in a post-truth world. Unsettling, informative reading.” — Kirkus Reviews
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
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The Last Tsar: The Abdication of Nicholas II and the Fall of the Romanovs
by Tsuyoshi Hasegawa
When Tsar Nicholas II fell from power in 1917, Imperial Russia faced a series of overlapping crises, from war to social unrest. Though Nicholas's life is often described as tragic, it was not fate that doomed the Romanovs--it was poor leadership and a blinkered faith in autocracy. Based on a trove of new archival discoveries, The Last Tsar uncovers how Nicholas II stumbled into revolution, taking his family, the Romanov dynasty, and the whole Russian Empire down with him.
Reviewers Say: "Hasegawa suspensefully recounts scenes of Nicholas…[His] analysis of alternative outcomes to the unfolding tragedy makes for compelling ‘what-ifs’ and provocative history.”―Booklist (starred review)
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
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I Am Nobody's Slave: How Uncovering My Family's History Set Me Free
by Lee Hawkins
This memoir examines a Black family's pursuit of the American Dream, exploring generational trauma from slavery and systemic racism, revealing how racial violence shaped their lives, and uncovering the emotional toll and resilience passed down through generations.
Reviewers Say: "Harrowing and insightful …A profound work about the Black experience and white oppression.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
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Burdened: Student Debt and the Making of an American Crisis
by Ryann Liebenthal
An expert on the student loan crisis examines the corruption and bad policies that have led to the $1.7 trillion crisis that has saddled college graduates with crippling debt while lining the pockets of private lenders.
Reviewers Say: "A trenchant examination of how higher education became unaffordable for all but the wealthiest Americans. . . . This incisive cri de coeur brings clarity to an ostensibly intractable problem.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
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Explorers: A New History
by Matthew H. Lockwood
A professor of history reveals the overlooked stories of diverse explorers across 40 centuries and six continents, highlighting the contributions of immigrants, indigenous interpreters, female voyagers, local guides and others typically excluded from traditional narratives of exploration.
Reviewers Say: "An examination of the travels of both famous and less-known individuals that seeks to redefine the meaning of exploration . . . reminds readers that discovery itself is “not unidirectional and never belongs to a single group of people.” ― Kirkus Reviews
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
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Overshoot: How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown
by Andreas Malm and Wim Carton
A scathing critique of proposals to geoengineer our way out of climate disaster by the bestselling author of How to Blow Up a Pipeline. In the era of "overshoot," schemes abound for turning down the heat – not now, but a few decades down the road. Two leading climate scholars present a history of the present phase of the crisis, one likely to last decades as the fossil fuel industry swims in the largest profits ever made. Too much heat has become officially acceptable because such revolutionary destruction is not. There can be no further delay. The climate revolution is long overdue, and in the end, no technology can absolve us of its tasks.
Reviewers Say: ". . . A galvanizing wake-up call for a world grown complacent." — Best Books of 2024, Publishers Weekly
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
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Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People
by Imani Perry
National Book Award winner Imani Perry (South to America) explores the connections between the color blue and Black history in her lyrical and well-researched latest. Try this next: Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History by Kristina R. Gaddy.
Reviewers Say: "National Book Award winner Perry offers surprising revelations about the connection between the color blue and Black identity as she explores myth and literature, art and music, folklore and film. . . . An innovative cultural history.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
In Our Collection: This is available as an Adult Nonfiction book.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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