History and Current Events
November 2024
Recent Releases
Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Origin Story of the...
by Jack Carr and James M. Scott

Bestselling thriller author and former Navy SEAL Jack Carr (The Terminal List) and Pulitzer Prize finalist James M. Scott (Black Snow) co-wrote this well-researched account of the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, Lebanon, which killed 241 American servicemen. Further reading: When Reagan Sent in the Marines: The Invasion of Lebanon by Patrick J. Sloyan.  
Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II
by Elyse Graham

Historian Elyse Graham's evocative and engaging account reveals the origins of the United States Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which developed during World War II by recruiting librarians and academics for intelligence gathering. Try this next: Cracking the Nazi Code: The Untold Story of Agent A12 and the Solving of the Holocaust Code by Jason Bell.
Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments
by Joe Posnanski

Sportswriter Joe Posnanski follows up his New York Times bestseller Why We Love Baseball with this sweeping and impassioned ode to football, spotlighting 100 notable moments throughout the sport's history. For fans of: Playmakers: How the NFL Really Works and Doesn't by Mike Florio; NFL Century: The One-Hundred Year Rise of America's Greatest Sports League by Joe Horrigan.
The Highest Calling: Conversations on the American Presidency
by David M. Rubenstein

Author and philanthropist David M. Rubenstein (The American Story) explores the role of the American presidency in this accessible work featuring interviews with historians, presidential scholars, and former presidents. Further reading: Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House by Jared Cohen.
The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi
by Wright Thompson

Mississippi native Wright Thompson (Pappyland) examines Emmett Till's 1955 murder and its ongoing impact in this "profoundly affecting, brilliantly narrated story" (Kirkus Reviews). Further reading: The Blood of Emmett Till by Timothy B. Tyson; A Few Days Full of Trouble: Revelations on the Journey to Justice for My Cousin and Best Friend, Emmett Till by Reverend Wheeler Parker Jr. and Christopher Benson. 
Focus on: Native American Heritage Month
The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an American Inheritance
by Rebecca Clarren

Author Rebecca Clarren's thought-provoking and eye-opening history explores how her Jewish immigrant family's homesteading life in early 20th-century South Dakota came at the expense of the Lakota, who were forced off the land by the United States government. Try this next: We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power by Caleb Gayle.
A Brutal Reckoning: Andrew Jackson, the Creek Indians, and the Epic War for the American...
by Peter Cozzens

Acclaimed historian Peter Cozzens' well-researched latest chronicles the early 19th-century conflicts between the Creek Nation and the United States government that led to the Trail of Tears. Try this next: The Earth Is All That Lasts: Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and the Last Stand of the Great Sioux Nation by Mark Lee Gardner.
Born of Lakes and Plains: Mixed-Descent Peoples and the Making of the American West
by Anne F. Hyde

In this "essential reconsideration of Native American history" (Publishers Weekly), Anne F. Hyde explores how mixed-descent families created from Indigenous-European intermarriages made their mark on the American West from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Try this next: Growing Up with the Country: Family, Race, and Nation After the Civil War by Kendra Taira Field.
We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans &...
by Kliph Nesteroff

Doukhobor comedian Kliph Nesteroff's compelling and well-researched history of Native representation and influence in the American comedy scene features profiles of groundbreaking comics including Will Rogers and Charlie Hill (whose famous punchline serves as the book's title), as well as interviews with currently working comedians. Try this next: Starring Red Wing! The Incredible Career of Lilian M. St. Cyr, the First Native American Film Star by Linda M. Waggoner.
Brothers on Three: A True Story of Family, Resistance, and Hope on a Reservation in...
by Abe Streep

Abe Streep's inspiring and action-packed tale of a community's triumph over adversity focuses on the Arlee Warriors, an underfunded high school basketball team on Montana's Flathead Indian Reservation who set their sights on the state championship title during the 2017-2018 season. Try this next: Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation by Michael Powell.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Sonoma County Library
707-545-0831www.sonomalibrary.org