Smyrna Public Library: History and Current Events: February 2026

Recent Releases

Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution
by Jonathan Turle

Jonathan Turley examines how America’s unique founding avoided the cycles of violence that doomed other revolutions. Drawing on history, philosophy, and little-known facts, he explores whether American democracy can survive modern pressures from AI and economic upheaval. Turley offers a hopeful warning: our greatest danger is not forgetting history but who we were within it.

Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote
by Michael Eric Dyson

An exploration of the ongoing fight for democracy in the United States, from the American Revolution to the present day--

Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic
by Kenneth R. Rosen

Journalist Kenneth R. Rosen's compelling debut blends science writing, travelogue, and geopolitical analysis to detail how the Arctic could become the site of a new cold war, with Russia, China, and America all vying for control of the complex region.

Fear and Fury: The Reagan Eighties, the Bernie Goetz Shootings, and the Rebirth of White Rage
by Heather Ann Thompson

Heather Ann Thompson reexamines the 1984 New York subway shooting that exposed deep racial resentments and reshaped American attitudes toward crime and violence. Her gripping account traces how Bernhard Goetz became a media-made hero while his four Black teenage victims were vilified, fueling a new politics of fear.

Moon U.S. Civil Rights Trail: A Traveler's Guide to the People, Places, and Events That Made the Movement
by Deborah D. Douglas

The U.S. Civil Rights Trail brings to life Black America’s fight for freedom through powerful landmarks, culture, and stories across the South and beyond. From iconic sites like the Lorraine Motel and Little Rock Nine Memorial to music, food, and museums, the trail connects past struggles to the present. With expert insight, flexible itineraries, and practical travel tools, the guide helps travelers explore, reflect, and engage meaningfully.

The Free and the Dead: The Untold Story of the Black Seminole Chief, the Indigenous Rebel, and America's Forgotten War
by Jamie Holmes

This gripping history recounts America’s 1835 assault on the Seminoles and the multiracial communities who resisted removal and re-enslavement in pre-statehood Florida. It centers on the alliance between Abraham, a free Black American, and Osceola, a famed Indigenous warrior, as they fought to defend their people and land.

Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America's New Age of Disaster
by Jacob Soboroff

MSNBC correspondent Jacob Soboroff's urgent and affecting chronicle of the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires blends personal reflections (Soboroff's childhood home was destroyed) with accounts from meteorologists, firefighters, politicians, and area residents.

Focus on: Black History Month

The African lookbook : a visual history of 100 years of African women
by Catherine E. McKinley

A curator and writer, drawing on her extensive collection of historical and contemporary photos, presents this unprecedented visual history of African women across centuries.

Freedom season : how 1963 transformed America's civil rights revolution
by Peniel E. Joseph

In Freedom Season, Peniel E. Joseph chronicles 1963 as the pivotal year of the Black freedom struggle amid intense conflict and change. From the Emancipation Proclamation centennial to a nation in mourning, the year reshaped America’s conscience. Joseph shows how these upheavals laid the groundwork for landmark civil rights legislation and renewed hope.

American Soul: The Black History of Food in the United States - Including 40 Recipes
by Anela Malik

This narrative reveals the rich, indelible, and often unrecognized contributions of Black culture to American cuisine.

HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience
by Ayesha Rascoe (editor)

Edited by NPR's Ayesha Rascoe, this inspiring essay collection features 16 pieces penned by graduates of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), detailing how their college experiences shaped them.

Soul culture : black poets, books, and questions that grew me up
by Remica Bingham-Risher

Interweaving personal essays and interviews with 10 distinguished Black poets, an acclaimed essayist explores the impact of identity, joy, love and history on the artistic process. This brings to life the historical record of Black poetry from the latter half of the 20th century to the early decades of the 21st.

Contact your librarian for more great books!