History and Current Events
August 2025
Recent Releases
Victory '45 : The End of the War in Eight Surrenders
by James Holland

In May 1944 and then again in August and early September, the seemingly endless World War II finally came to a close in six dramatic surrender ceremonies, four in Europe and the last two in Japan. On the 80th anniversary of those historic events, James Holland and Al Murray chronicle them in turn, focusing on the human dramas behind each surrender and relating stories and perspectives.
The undiscovered country : triumph, tragedy, and the shaping of the American West
by Paul Andrew Hutton

Revisits the American West of 1755 to 1890 through the lives of four frontiersmen and three Native leaders, examining the violent realities, cultural myths, and environmental costs behind the celebrated narrative of national expansion and identity. 
The devil reached toward the sky : an oral history of the making & unleashing of the atomic bomb
by Garrett M. Graff

Combines archival research with firsthand accounts from political leaders, scientists, soldiers, and survivors to chronicle the development and use of the atomic bomb, examining its ethical, military, and human consequences during the final months of World War II and the start of the Cold War. 
Latino firsts : trailblazers and milestones in United States history
by Nicolâas Kanellos

Latino Firsts gathers more than 1,250 events in Latino American history. Hard-won victories, barrier-breaking triumphs, inspirational stories, amazing people, and remarkable achievements are presented in areas including everything from government and labor movements to entertainment and sports.
The mission : the CIA in the 21st century
by Tim Weiner

A history of the CIA in the 21st century spans from 9/11 through the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to today's battles with Russia and China - and with the President of the United States
A Light in the Northern Sea : Denmark's Incredible Rescue of Their Jewish Citizens During Wwii
by Tim Brady

This is a  gripping, remarkably little-known true story of how the people of Denmark banded together during WWII to rescue nearly all of their Jewish citizens from Nazi persecution by ferrying them just a few at a time to sanctuary in Sweden.
Georgia's historical recipes : seeking our state's oldest written foodways and the stories behind them
by Valerie J. Frey

Georgia's Historical Recipes is a survey of Georgia's historical cookbooks, recipes, and related foodways from 1733 to the end of World War II. It offers many recipes while also weaving together information and some of the history and stories of Georgia's old cookbooks and their authors. 
King of kings : the Iranian revolution : a story of hubris, delusion and catastrophic miscalculation
by Scott Anderson

This is the revelatory narrative history of how dictator Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's blindness to the disdain of his subjects and the stupidity of the American government led to a world-shattering event—the Iranian Revolution. 
The chancellor's mansion : a renovation story of family, home, history, and mystery
by Jamie Arty

The breathtaking story of one family's journey to restore, renovate, and preserve a historic mansion. The Chancellor's mansion was built by William Townsend McCoun, a public servant and abolitionist in New York City. The grand house on a hill in Oyster Bay, Long Island, had been abandoned for years. Jamie and Frantz Arty realized the house had more to give and not have it torn down.
The origin of language : how we learned to speak and why
by Madeleine Beekman

In a radical new story about the birth of our species, Beekman argues that it was not hunting, fighting, or tool-making that forced early humans to speak, but the inescapable need to care for our children. Faced with highly dependent infants, early human communities needed to cooperate and coordinate, and it was this unprecedented need for communication that triggered the creation of human language.
On power
by Mark R. Levin

This is an analysis of the philosophy and structure of power and the critical impact of liberty on our collective future. Mark R. Levin's On Power examines how power shapes history, offering invaluable insights into individual liberty, unalienable rights, and conservative principles
The conjuring of America : mojos, mermaids, medicine, and 400 years of Black women's magic
by Lindsey Stewart

Emerging first on plantations in the American South, enslaved conjure women used their magic to treat illnesses. These women combined their ancestral spiritual beliefs from West Africa with local herbal rituals and therapeutic remedies to create conjure, forging a secret well of health and power hidden to their oppressors and many of the modern-day staples we still enjoy.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Smyrna Public Library
100 Village Green Circle, Smyrna, Georgia 30080
770-431-2860
www.smyrna-library.com