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History and Current Events
June 2026

Recent Releases
Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground by Zayd Ayers Dohrn
Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground
by Zayd Ayers Dohrn

The son of Weather Underground radicals tells the story of a childhood on the run and a half-century of revolutionary struggle in America.
Vengeance: The Last Stands of Custer, Crazy Horse, and Sitting Bull
by Tom Clavin

Historian Tom Clavin's (Running Deep: Bravery, Survival, and the True Story of the Deadliest Submarine in World War II) gruesome and cinematic latest chronicles the Battle of the Little Bighorn, published in time to mark the 150th anniversary of the event. Further reading: The Earth Is All That Lasts: Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and the Last Stand of the Great Sioux Nation by Mark L. Gardner.
Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better
by David Epstein

Featuring notable case studies throughout history, journalist David Epstein's well-researched exploration of how limitations foster creativity is "a game changer" (Publishers Weekly) that's "for anyone who has ever been overwhelmed in a grocery aisle" (Booklist). Try this next: The Elements of Choice: Why the Way We Decide Matters by Eric J. Johnson.
This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis & Clark
by Craig Fehrman

Historian Craig Fehrman utilizes primary documents to offer fresh insights on the 1804-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition, featuring profiles of its lesser-known members including Shoshone translator Sacajawea and enslaved body servant York. Try this next: The Westerners: Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier by Megan Kate Nelson.
Stealing America: The Hidden Story of Indigenous Slavery in U.S. History
by Linford D. Fisher

Brown University historian Linford D. Fisher's sweeping and well-researched revisionist history reveals the enslavement of approximately 600,000 Indigenous North Americans between 1492 and the 19th century, detailing how the practice spurred land theft, forced removal, and the establishment of Indian boarding schools. Further reading: The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America by Andrés Reséndez.
American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed
by Isaac Fitzgerald

In his reflective and engaging travelogue, New York Times bestselling memoirist Isaac Fitzgerald (Dirtbag, Massachusetts) spends a year retracing 18th-century gardener John Chapman's (aka Johnny Appleseed) trail from Massachusetts to Indiana, sharing insights on American history and Chapman's role in it. For fans of: Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat-Moon; This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History by Beverly Gage.
Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old by Mary Beard
Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old
by Mary Beard

The incomparable Mary Beard is back, and she's talking all things classics. Why the ongoing fascination with the ancient world? This witty, approachable book asks why--for better or (sometimes) worse--antiquity continues to exert such a powerful hold on the contemporary imagination. This charming, sharp, and readable book from one of the world's most entertaining classicists offers something for both new and established fans of classics, bringing new wonder and curiosity to even the most ancient of ideas.
The Secret War Against Hate: American Resistance to Antisemitism and White...
by Steven J. Ross

Pulitzer Prize finalist Steven J. Ross' urgent and well-researched follow-up to Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America chronicles the evolution of fascist hate groups in the United States from the post-World War II era to the present. For fans of: Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow. 
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Mary Riley Styles Public Library
120 N. Virginia Ave, Falls Church, Virginia 22046
703-248-5030 (TTY 711)
mrspl.org