PositiveLibrary JournalThis deeply researched and engaging account shines a light on a vital but little-known aspect of intelligence gathering. Readers interested in World War II espionage and the role scholars have played in surveillance and reconnaissance campaigns will enjoy this volume.
Maurice Isserman
RaveLibrary Journal[Isserman] expertly chronicles the many contradictions and ambiguities in the movement, while placing the party’s history in its 20th-century American context ... Readers of U.S. history, especially about movements deemed radical, will be interested in this title.
Caroline Alexander
RaveLibrary JournalReaders interested in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II and Asian history will enjoy Alexander’s detailed and beautifully written account.
Ilyon Woo
RaveLibrary JournalIn this superbly researched and masterfully written book, Woo gives William and Ellen Craft’s story the detailed attention it so richly deserves. She expertly places their tale, especially their experiences as abolitionist speakers facing hostile and sometimes violent crowds, in the social conditions of antebellum America.
James M Scott
RaveLibrary Journal... meticulously researched and finely written ... Using witness and survivor testimony as well as troves of military records, Scott renders in compassionate detail the hell experienced by the victims of the fire-bombing ... Anyone who wants to understand the last year of the air war in the Pacific and the bomber commander’s role should read this excellent book.
Max Hastings
PositiveLibrary JournalAward winning journalist and historian Hastings masterfully places the Cuban Missile Crisis within the tensions and relations between the United States and the Soviet Union in their Cold War context. The tense and suspenseful atmosphere interweaving the negotiations and political developments as they occurred between Cuba, the Soviet Union, and the U.S. are palpable in this elegantly written account. The personalities of all major players, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, Fidel Castro, U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and other minor diplomats and government officials are all fully realized in this book. The author does an excellent job of incorporating the views of other foreign governments, such as Great Britain and France, who recognized the gravity of the situation but viewed Berlin as the focal point of the Cold War. Based on extensive archival research, including in the UK, this eminently readable account provides a nice, single volume overview of the Cuban Missile Crisis ... Recommended for readers interested in this specific crisis and Cold War history in general.
Margaret A. Burnham
RaveLibrary JournalBurnham demonstrates how Black Americans challenged racial violence and the legal system that supported it, including efforts in Northern states to thwart rendition of fugitives back to the South ... A final eloquent chapter makes clear the need for reparations to Black communities ... Readers interested in the long history of the civil rights struggle should definitely read this.
Max Fisher
RaveLibrary JournalFisher’s insightful and sometimes frightening look into social media companies is rooted in court records and hundreds of interviews with researchers and Silicon Valley employees and executives ... A deeply researched and well-written study for anybody interested in social media or technology and their effects on society and the transmission of news.
Brendan Simms
PositiveLibrary JournalA distinctive retelling ... By focusing on three German Americans, this work casts a unique light on the Pacific war effort ... This non-specialist history will appeal to general readers of World War II and naval history.
Roger Lowenstein
RaveLibrary JournalBased on Chase’s papers and other documents, Lowenstein’s clearly argued book shines a light on an oft-neglected history of the American Civil War and how it shaped the U.S. economy.
Allen C Guelzo
RaveLibrary JournalGuelzo paints a nuanced portrait of Confederate Army general Robert E. Lee (1807–70) in this superb biography ... Guelzo gives due consideration to Civil War history without getting bogged down in extraneous details ... Based on family letters and other primary documents, this fine biography is a must-read for Civil War enthusiasts and those interested in Lee’s legacy.
Robert S Levine
RaveLibrary Journal... engaging ... Recommended for readers who enjoy 19th-century history or presidential studies, and those seeking to understand the failures of Reconstruction. This thorough account adds a much-needed perspective on Reconstruction and Johnson’s presidency; it speaks to the ongoing battles over voting rights and racism.
Kate Moore
RaveLibrary JournalUsing Packard’s extensive writings, trial testimonies, and governmental reports, Moore’s latest work brings to life the activist’s tireless efforts and the advocacy work she accomplished in the mid-20th century ... A must-read for anybody interested in women’s history or the history of reform in the United States. Like Radium Girls, this volume is a page-turner.
Elizabeth Hinton
RaveLibrary JournalThis penetrating and incisive account of Black rebellion is based on extensive primary research, particularly from the archives of the Lemberg Center for Study of Violence ... Readers interested in social movements in the United States, past or present, will not want to miss this illuminating work.
Jon Grinspan
RaveLibrary JournalThis turbulent time in American politics is expertly captured by historian Grinspan ... The highly readable account is based on extensive primary resources, such as the voluminous correspondence between the Kelleys ... This compelling history of a time that mirrors our own will be enjoyed by readers interested in American history and politics.
Charles J. Chaput
PositiveLibrary JournalChaput explores the idea that the things in life we believe are worth dying for are, instead, the things most worth living for and which should give us meaning and purpose ... While the chapters revolve around a central theme, each may be read independently. Written with passion and erudition, this title will appeal to Catholics and Christians searching for meaning during this time.
Henry Louis Gates Jr.
PositiveLibrary JournalThis book, a companion to Gates’s PBS series of the same name, features interviews with scholars and ministers to give a thoughtful analysis of the Black church. A gallery of important Black religious leaders and figures, both historic and modern, is a nice addition to the text ... Readers of American religious and African American history will not want to miss this title.
Monica Black
PositiveLibrary JournalReaders interested in German and Cold War history and cultural studies of religious and supernatural beliefs will find much to enjoy in this rich study.
James Holland
RaveLibrary JournalHistorian Holland covers the operation giving attention in equal measure to the men, tactics, and weapons used by all sides ... Based on extensive archival research, firsthand accounts, and interviews, Holland paints a detailed portrait of both Sicily and the battle ... An excellent and accessible telling of the invasion that will be enjoyed by military history and World War II enthusiasts alike.
Alan Allport
RaveLibrary JournalAllport paints a rich and highly readable portrait of Britain in the 1930s ... The opening battles of World War II, including the Battle of Britain in 1940 and the Blitz in 1940-41 as well as the earliest battles in North Africa and the beginning of Britain’s bombing campaign are given sharp and concise explorations that highlight the roles of lesser-known but vital figures. Insightful maps are an added bonus ... This thoroughly researched work will engage anyone interested in military, social, and political history of Britain during World War II.
Bradley Garrett
PositiveLibrary JournalA glossary of terms helps to make sense of prepper lingo ... Readers interested in current topics, cultural studies, and survivalism will enjoy this insightful look at prepper culture.
Michel Paradis
RaveLibrary JournalBased on extensive archival research, this narrative by Paradis expertly renders the complexities and nuances of war crimes trials into readable prose as well as fleshing out the backstories and personalities of the major protagonists ... Will appeal to readers of military and World War II history and legal thrillers.
Katherine Sharp Landdeck
RaveLibrary JournalBased on hundreds of oral histories with surviving WASP women, along with letters, diaries, and government documents, Landdeck explains the women’s vital role ferrying planes, the group’s disbandment, and their fight decades later to be rightfully recognized as veterans ... A must-read for those interested in women’s and World War II history.
Heather Cox Richardson
PositiveLibrary Journal... clearly written prose ... Those interested in American history, politics, and its historical development will find much to enjoy in this well-written, argued work.
Katherine Stewart
PositiveLibrary JournalJournalist Stewart...paints a disturbing picture in this thorough accounting of the rise of religious nationalism ... Stewart explains how, under the Trump administration, religious nationalists have regular access to senior government officials through Bible studies attended by legislators and cabinet officials ... A must-read for those interested in the influence of religion on politics and the effects on our political institutions.
Caroline Moorehead
PositiveLibrary JournalBased on extensive archival research, this is a fine history that centers women in the story of the Italian resistance ... Recommended for those interested in World War II and women’s history.
Megan Kate Nelson
RaveLibrary JournalNelson adroitly weaves the lives and experiences of nine people, including a Union army wife, a Navajo woman, an Apache chief, a rancher, and a young lawyer, to show how their lives were affected by the War ... Based on extensive archival research, Nelson’s work expands our understanding of how the Civil War affected Indigenous peoples and helped to shape the nation ... Readers interested in the Civil War and Western history will enjoy this nuanced portrait of the era.
Sarah Milov
PositiveLibrary JournalIn her first book, Milov (history, Univ. of Virginia) keenly describes the history of the U.S. tobacco industry during the 20th century, arguing that the government promoted smoking beginning with the New Deal ... Drawing on a wide variety of trade publications, government studies, and activist literature, Milov provides a thoughtful and penetrating analysis of both the tobacco industry, and its relationship to government.
Susan Ashline
RaveLibrary JournalBasing her work on extensive interviews with former churchgoers, as well as police, prosecutors, and public documents, Ashline skillfully unfolds the events in a compassionate, thoughtful voice ... Readers interested in true crime and cults will be enthralled by this expertly rendered tale of extremism.
Christian B. Keller
PositiveLibrary JournalMaking use of letters, diaries, and memoirs, many well-known to experts, Keller adds a new and important dimension to the historiography surrounding Lee and Jackson ... Readers interested in the American Civil War and its leaders will find much to enjoy in this fresh, new interpretation.
James Longo
PositiveLibrary JournalLongo interviewed a number of Habsburg descendants, telling the heartbreaking story of the orphaned royals but also the bravery and courage of conviction it took for them to uphold their beliefs and resist in the face of evil ... The author\'s in-depth research paints a vivid picture of this family, producing a richly detailed portrait that will appeal to readers interested in the origins of both world wars and European royal history.
Joanne B. Freeman
PositiveLibrary JournalBenjamin French, a New Hampshire native, spent more than three decades living and working in Washington, DC ... Little escaped his attention, and several details were recorded in his voluminous diary. This unique source, used to great effect by historian Freeman...helps to uncover the rowdy and violent behavior in the House that mirrored the wider society in the decades preceding the American Civil War ... A thought-provoking and insightful read for anybody interested in American politics in the lead up to the Civil War.
