History and Current Events
October 2023
Recent Releases
Live to See the Day: Coming of Age in American Poverty
by Nikhil Goyal

Sociologist Nikhil Goyal affectingly explores the impact of poverty on three Puerto Rican boys living in one of Philadelphia's poorest neighborhoods. Read-alikes: Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond; Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City by Andrea Elliott.
The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts
by Loren Grush

Bloomberg News reporter Loren Grush's inspiring history spotlights the first six American women astronauts: Anna Fisher, Shannon Lucid, Judy Resnik, Sally Ride, Rhea Seddon, and Kathy Sullivan. Grush's accessible reportage blends biographical sketches with engrossing accounts of the women's triumphs and trials. Read-alike: The New Guys: The Historic Class of Astronauts That Broke Barriers and Changed the Face of Space Travel by Meredith Bagby.  
The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking About Race
by Farah Karim-Cooper

Shakespeare scholar Farah Karim-Cooper's thought-provoking analysis
examines how the Elizabethan playwright's representations of race continue to resonate in the 21st century. Read-alikes: Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics by Stephen Greenblatt; Shakespeare in a Divided America: What His Plays Tell Us About Our Past and Future by James Shapiro.
Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity
by Laura Meckler

Washington Post reporter and Shaker Heights native Laura Meckler’s thought-provoking debut chronicles the ongoing efforts to desegregate the Ohio city, which was initially established as an affluent, predominantly white Cleveland suburb in the early 20th century. Read-alike: A Most Tolerant Little Town: The Explosive Beginning of School Desegregation by Rachel Louise Martin.
Gallop Toward the Sun: Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison's Struggle for the Destiny of a...
by Peter Stark

Historian Peter Stark’s compelling latest offers fresh insights on the conflict between Shawnee chief Tecumseh and future president William Henry Harrison as the former established an Indigenous confederacy to fight westward expansion during the War of 1812. Read-alike: Tecumseh and the Prophet: The Shawnee Brothers Who Defied a Nation by Peter Cozzens. 
The Women of NOW: How Feminists Built an Organization That Transformed America
by Katherine Turk

Historian Katherine Turk’s engaging study spotlights three lesser-known figures who were instrumental in the foundation and evolution of the National Organization for Women (NOW): union organizer Aileen Hernandez, NOW Chicago chapter president Mary Jean Collins, and artist and activist Patricia Hill Burnett. Read-alike: 50 Years of Ms.: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine That Ignited a Revolution edited by Katherine Spillar.
Contact your librarian for more great books!