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History and Current Events December 2025 |
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Staff Picks: Favorite History Books |
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Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic
by Tom Holland
A vivid historical account of the social world of Julius Caesar's Rome as it moved from republic to empire, from the acclaimed author of Dynasty and co-host of the hit podcast The Rest Is History A fascinating picture of Roman city life . . . In every aspect of this story, Holland expertly makes the Romans, so alien and yet so familiar, relevant to us.--Los Angeles Times Stunning . . . Holland keeps his narrative moving at chariot-race speed.--Newsday In 49 B.C., the seven hundred fifth year since the founding of Rome, Julius Caesar crossed a small border river called the Rubicon and plunged Rome into cataclysmic civil war. Tom Holland's enthralling account tells the story of Caesar's generation, witness to the twilight of the Republic and its bloody transformation into an empire. From Cicero, Spartacus, and Brutus, to Cleopatra, Virgil, and Augustus, here are some of the most legendary figures in history brought thrillingly to life. Combining verve and freshness with scrupulous scholarship, Rubicon is not only an engrossing history of this pivotal era but a uniquely resonant portrait of a great civilization in all its extremes of self-sacrifice and rivalry, decadence and catastrophe, intrigue, war, and world-shaking ambition.
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Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident
by Donnie Eichar
A New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller - What happened that night on Dead Mountain?The mystery of Dead Mountain: In February 1959, a group of nine experienced hikers in the Russian Ural Mountains died mysteriously on an elevation known as Dead Mountain. Eerie aspects of the incident--unexplained violent injuries, signs that they cut open and fled the tent without proper clothing or shoes, a strange final photograph taken by one of the hikers, and elevated levels of radiation found on some of their clothes--have led to decades of speculation over what really happened.As gripping and bizarre as Hunt for the Skin Walker: This New York Times bestseller, Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident, is a gripping work of literary nonfiction that delves into the mystery of Dead Mountain through unprecedented access to the hikers' own journals and photographs, rarely seen government records, dozens of interviews, and the author's retracing of the hikers' fateful journey in the Russian winter.You'll love this real-life tale: Dead Mountain is a fascinating portrait of young adventurers in the Soviet era, and a skillful interweaving of the hikers' narrative, the investigators' efforts, and the author's investigations. Here for the first time is the real story of what happened that night on Dead Mountain.
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| Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy by Julia IoffeIn this "pensive account of a revolution betrayed" (Kirkus Reviews), Moscow-born journalist Julia Ioffe's National Book Award finalist (as of publication time) explores a century of feminist history in Russia, revealing how women's freedoms after the Russian Revolution have devolved under the regime of Vladimir Putin. Try this next: Red Valkyries: Feminist Lessons from Five Revolutionary Women by Kristen Ghodsee. |
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| We Survived the Night by Julian Brave NoiseCatBlending elements of memoir and reportage with oral storytelling traditions, Tsq̓éscen̓ First Nation filmmaker and activist Julian Brave NoiseCat spotlights contemporary Indigenous life in North America, highlighting the triumphs and travails of misrepresented communities. Try this next: Sugarcane, NoiseCat's documentary for which he became the first Indigenous American filmmaker nominated for an Academy Award; Rez Rules: My Indictment of Canada's and America's Systemic Racism Against Indigenous Peoples by Chief Clarence Louie. |
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| Dead and Alive: Essays by Zadie SmithZadie Smith's wide-ranging and witty latest collects 30 essays and talks penned during the last ten years, offering the author's reflections on pop culture, politics, loss, aging, and more. For fans of: Like Love: Essays and Conversations by Maggie Nelson. |
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| On My Honor: The Secret History of the Boy Scouts of America by Kim ChristensenPulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kim Christensen's posthumous exposé unflinchingly examines decades of sexual abuse in the Boy Scouts of America, whose known victims number 82,000 and counting. Further reading: Scout Camp: Sex, Death, and Secret Societies Inside the Boy Scouts of America by James Renner. |
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| Before Gender: Lost Stories from Trans History, 1850-1950 by Eli ErlickIn this "essential and eye-opening paradigm shift" (Publishers Weekly), Trans Student Educational Resources founder Eli Erlick profiles 30 trailblazing transgender people whose stories have often been intentionally erased from history. Try this next: Nothing Ever Just Disappears: Seven Hidden Queer Histories by Diarmuid Hester. |
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| Lost at Sea: Poverty and Paradise Collide at the Edge of America by Joe KlocJournalist Joe Kloc's compelling debut details how the anchor-outs, an impoverished Sausalito, California community living in abandoned boats, have navigated eviction, homelessness, and dehumanization in their efforts to maintain their way of life. For fans of: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond. |
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| Ancestors: Identity and DNA in the Levant by Pierre ZallouaPopulation geneticist Pierre Zalloua's "powerful argument against present-day sectarianism and nationalism" (Publishers Weekly) incisively examines the complex genetic and cultural history of the ancient Levant, eschewing oversimplified or interchangeable understandings of heritage and ethnicity gleaned from genetic testing results. Further reading: The Trouble with Ancient DNA: Telling Stories of the Past with Genomic Science by Anna Källén. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Charlotte County Library
112-116 LeGrande Avenue,
P.O. Box 788, Charlotte Court House, Virginia 23923
(434) 542-5247https://cclibrary.net/ |
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