Rolling Meadows Library: History and Current Events: June 2026

Recent Releases

When the World Sleeps: Stories, Words, and Wounds of Palestine
by Francesca Albanese; translated by Gregory Conti

Italian legal scholar and human rights expert Francesca Albanese, the first woman to serve as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, profiles ten individuals who have shaped her thinking on the reality of day-to-day life for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. For another heart-wrenching and incisive look at this complex region, read A Genocide Foretold: Reporting on Survival and Resistance in Occupied Palestine by Chris Hedges.

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.

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.

Screen People: How We Entertained Ourselves into a State of Emergency
by Megan Garber

The Atlantic staff writer Megan Garber incisively examines the internet's toxic impact on American society, leading to misinformation, alienation, online bullying, depersonalization, and more. Try this next: All the Feels: How to Stay Human in the Digital World by Pamela Pavliscak.

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!