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History and Current Events
July 2026
Recent Releases
The Last of the Old Breed: An Oral History of the Final Marines from World War II by Scott Davis cover
The Last of the Old Breed: An Oral History of the Final Marines from World War II
by Scott Davis

Historian Scott Davis' evocative debut is an immersive oral history told by the last surviving Marines who fought in World War II's Pacific Theater, offering "a raw record of a generation's little discussed trauma" (Publishers Weekly). Try this next: The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb by Garrett M. Graff.
Boomtown: The True Story of the Wickedest Town in Texas by Joe Pappalardo cover
Boomtown: The True Story of the Wickedest Town in Texas
by Joe Pappalardo

Joe Pappalardo tells the true story of the corrupt and violent town of Borger, Texas in 1927 and the legendary Texas Ranger tasked with taming it. Just a year after the town of Borger, Texas was founded, the press already called it the wickedest in the state. The town, sprung into existence overnight to support new oilfields, was a lawless haven for bootleggers, pimps and gamblers, run by a crooked city hall and corrupt police. The town also became a haven for those seeking second chances, including dance hall operators, storeowners, wrestlers, lawyers and freelance oil well firefighters. But the raucous environment attracted some of the most unsavory characters in prohibition America, including a gang of murderous bank robbers who head into Borger to spend their money on booze, gambling and prostitutes. In the span of weeks, the robbers killed three law enforcement officers, bringing the worst heat imaginable: iconic Texas Ranger Captain Frank Hamer, just a few years before his takedown of Bonnie and Clyde. His arrival threatens to break the hardest boomtown in America if it doesn't kill him first. Further reading: The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild by Bryan Burrough.
The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise by Casey Sherman cover
The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise
by Casey Sherman

Journalist Casey Sherman's richly detailed true crime account chronicles the shocking 1914 murders and arson that took place at architect Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin compound in Wisconsin. Among the victims were Wright's mistress, her two children, and four staffers; the suspected murderer died by suicide while being apprehended, leaving his motives a mystery. For fans of: Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress, and Dr. Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold.
The Dangerous Shore: How a Motley Crew of Scientists, Mobsters, Double Agents, Retirees, Volunteer Pilots (and a Boy Scout) Stopped the Invasion of America by Sara Vladic cover
The Dangerous Shore: How a Motley Crew of Scientists, Mobsters, Double Agents, Retirees, Volunteer Pilots (and a Boy Scout) Stopped the Invasion of America
by Sara Vladic

Sara Vladic, New York Times bestselling author of Indianapolis, reveals the gripping, untold history of the United States under attack during World War II and the improbable patriots who stepped up to defend their country in her hour of need. Throughout the Second World War, German U-boats presented a very real threat to America's eastern coastline, destroying ships, landing spies, and planning assaults on cities. With the country's attention focused on the European and Pacific fronts, the U.S. would have been left undefended, if not for a ragtag bunch of characters who rose to the occasion. Comprised of misfits, rejects, and outlaws, this motley crew came from unexpected places. Among their ranks was the stalwart Gill Robb Wilson, leader of a barnstorming corps of volunteer civilian pilots; the brilliant Dayton engineer, Joe Desch; and the nearsighted yet clairvoyant Kenneth Knowles, commander of the Phantom Fleet, entrusted with ULTRA intelligence. Meanwhile, the cooperation of Grace Buchanan-Dineen, a self-styled countess and German spy turned double agent, helped the FBI net even more spies. Notorious but all-American mobsters Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, and Socks Lanza struck deals with Naval Intelligence and kept watch over critical ports. Together their efforts turned the tide of war at home and saved thousands of American lives. Try this next: Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II by Elyse Graham. 
Focus on: The American Revolution
Running from Bondage: Enslaved Women and Their Remarkable Fight for Freedom in Revolutionary America by Karen Cook Bell cover
Running from Bondage: Enslaved Women and Their Remarkable Fight for Freedom in Revolutionary America
by Karen Cook Bell

Scholar Karen Cook Bell's enlightening and well-researched history draws upon primary resources to detail enslaved women's resistance during America's Revolutionary era, spotlighting five women fugitives (whom she refers to as "Black Founding Mothers") who fought for their freedom while the nascent country was seeking independence. Try this next: The Escapes of David George: An Odyssey of Slavery, Freedom, and the American Revolution by Gregory E. O'Malley.
The American Revolution and the Fate of the World by Richard Bell cover
The American Revolution and the Fate of the World
by Richard Bell

In his lively and accessible latest, historian Richard Bell reveals how the American Revolution was "a world war in all but name," detailing how the conflict impacted countries throughout the globe. Further reading: The American Revolution: A World War edited by Daniel K. Allison and Larrie D. Ferreiro.
The Cause: The American Revolution and Its Discontents, 1773-1783 by Joseph J. Ellis cover
The Cause: The American Revolution and Its Discontents, 1773-1783
by Joseph J. Ellis

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph J. Ellis' thought-provoking chronicle of the American Revolution explores the complexities and contradictions of the colonists' fight for independence, which they referred to as "The Cause." This richly detailed rethinking of a pivotal era includes profiles of forgotten figures including Mohawk chief Joseph Brant and Billy Lee, George Washington's enslaved valet. Further reading: Our First Civil War: Patriots and Loyalists in the American Revolution by H.W. Brands.
Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution by Woody Holton cover
Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution
by Woody Holton

Award-winning historian Woody Holton's revisionist account reveals how Black and Indigenous Americans, enslaved people, and women helped shape the outcome of the American Revolution, despite their conflicts with the colonists. Try this next: Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution by Denise Kiernan.
The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America by Kostya Kennedy cover
The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America
by Kostya Kennedy

Journalist Kostya Kennedy's insightful and accessible history chronicles Paul Revere's fateful midnight ride to warn American minutemen of the British army's impending arrival on April 18, 1775. Further reading: The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 by Rick Atkinson.
Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters by Edward J. Larson cover
Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters
by Edward J. Larson

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward J. Larson's concise history chronicles the events of the pivotal year of 1776, which began with many colonists not advocating for independence, and ended with the majority taking up the cause. For fans of: 1776 by David McCullough.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Forsyth County Public Library
585 Dahlonega Street, Cumming, Georgia 30040
770-781-9840
ForsythPL.org