History

"Superb . . . Having been squeezed out of a role in national civil and women's rights organizations, Wells lost a prominent place in the historical record. It took several generations before her relentless and often discomforting agitation for social justice received the appreciation it deserved, as scholars over the last twenty years gradually reestablished her place in history. Mia Bay's lucid biography contributes enormously to this project."—Andrew Feffer, History News Network

"Pulitzer Prize winner Brinkley adds his bit to the American Presidents series, edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger and Sean Wilentz, with this focused biography of John F. Kennedy. Especially valuable if you are collecting the series or have students needing something concise." —Library Journal

"A book to astonish readers:  never before has Stalin’s Gulag been the setting for a love affair. This powerful narrative by a distinguished historian will take its place not just in history but in literature."—Robert K. Massie, author of Catherine the Great

"[Travels in Siberia is] an uproarious, sometimes dark yarn filled with dubious meals, broken-down vehicles, abandoned slave-labor camps and ubiquitous statues of Lenin—On the Road meets The Gulag Archipelago . . . As he demonstrated in Great Plains, Frazier is the most amiable of obsessives . . . he peels away Russia's stolid veneer to reveal the quirkiness and humanity beneath . . . Frazier has the gumption and sense of wonder shared by every great travel writer, from Bruce Chatwin to Redmond O'Hanlon, as well as the ability to make us see how the most trivial or ephemeral detail is part of the essential texture of a place . . . [An] endlessly fascinating tale."—Joshua Hammer, The New York Times Book Review

"The global economy of the last several decades has been underpinned by two simple principles: the frugal Chinese make everything, and the spendthrift Americans will buy anything. But what happens when Chinese consumers begin to lead the world and to define global tastes?  We’re not there yet, but Karl Gerth’s new book guides us through China’s consumer revolution to a future modeled in part on America—a future of cars and conspicuous consumption; of the selling of land, labor, and sex; of growing inequality and interlocking elites of business and politics; of wanton environmental degradation. This engaging and provocative book captures with skill and wit the changes that define Chinese markets today and that may, in time, transform the world. Read it before your next trip to China."—William Kirby, Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

"Lori Ginzberg makes a convincing case for Stanton as the founding philosopher of the American women’s rights movement in a lively voice that enhances her eccentric subject."—Andrea Cooper, American History

“Gordin zeros in on the crucial years from Hiroshima to the first flash of ‘Joe 1’ in 1949, the first Russian bomb and the ninth nuclear explosion. Using a spectacular variety of sources from Soviet and American sources, Gordin gives us a book that must be read to understand how we came to the sprawling nuclear proliferation in which we now live.”—Peter Galison, Joseph Pellegrino University Professor, Harvard University

"'Why keep on?' asks Claudine Kayitesi, a Tutsi survivor living in relative peace in Nyamata, Rwanda. Her question is not a philosophical one, though that would be understandable given what she has experienced—rape, displacement, the murder of a sister and many others. Rather, her query is directed at the persistent questions of the French journalist Jean Hatzfeld, who has returned to the war-torn landscape he wrote about in two previous books, The Machete Season and Life Laid Bare, to speak again to survivors and perpetrators of the 1994 genocide. Why Hatzfeld keeps on asking questions is among the many thought-provoking issues at the heart of his new book, The Antelope's Strategy. Seven years after his reporting for Machete Season, Hatzfeld finds a much-changed Rwanda: The terrors of war have been replaced by an awkward—and sometimes dangerous—atmosphere of forced reconciliation. Some Hutu prisoners have been released or have returned from exile to live among the families of those they killed. 'Not one prisoner came asking for forgiveness,' says Kayitesi. A Hutu ex-convict notes, 'I was charged, I was convicted, I was pardoned. I did not ask to be forgiven.' Hatzfeld captures this tension gracefully, weaving lengthy interview excerpts with his own artfully written observations. The result is a book that illustrates vividly the thorny realities that accompany survival and appeasement. 'People are living peacefully, but actually they are avoiding one another,' Kayitesi comments in the book's final pages. 'We'll be humble and nice, we'll share, we'll cooperate as we should. But believing them is unthinkable.'"—Nora Krug, The Washington Post

“A brilliant, sweeping portrait of Afro-American history that transports the reader from the first arrival of slaves in Virginia in 1619 to the election of President Barack Obama.  Like Alex Haley’s Roots, this historic publication vividly reminds us of the long, painful experience of violence that African-Americans have endured and survived.  Thomas C. Holt’s Children of Fire is a monumental work that should be required reading for every American.”—William Ferris, Professor of History, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill

“The Shock Doctrine is Klein’s ambitious look at the economic history of the last 50 years and the rise of free-market fundamentalism around the world . . . Klein provides a rich description of the political machinations required to force unsavory economic policies on resisting countries, and the human toll. She paints a disturbing portrait of hubris, not only on the part of Friedman but also of those who adopted his doctrines, sometimes to pursue more corporatist objectives. It is striking to be reminded how many of the people involved in the Iraq war were involved earlier in other shameless episodes in United States foreign policy history.”—Joseph E. Stiglitz, The New York Times Book Review

“Lewis takes on this tumultuous journey in a fact-based account of the movement’s moral and political dilemmas . . . His view of the student movement working in the shadow of the iconic Martin Luther King is both insightful and alarming . . . The extent of Lewis’s research makes this an excellent tool and especially fertile ground for screenwriters, politicians, and anyone interested in this polarizing period of history.” —Sheli Ellsworth, San Francisco Book Review

 

"Bradford Martin’s fascinating and extensively researched book will take you on a revelatory trip to the other side of Reagan’s 1980s."—Judith E. Smith, Professor of American Studies, University of Massachusetts, Boston

"Exactly what political history ought to be—incisive, fast-paced and fun to read."—Matt Bai, The New York Times Book Review