The most recommended new history books

Who picked these books? Meet our 386 experts.

386 authors created a book list with a new history book, and here are their favorites. 

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Book cover of Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough

Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani Author Of The Cities We Need: Essential Stories of Everyday Places

From my list on struggles through the stories of real people.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up in New York, the child of New Yorkers, every corner was replete with memories and histories that taught me life values. Walking through these meaningful places, I learned that the multiplicity of people’s stories and struggles to make space for themselves were what made the city and enriched everyone’s lives. The books here echo the essential politics and personal connections of those stories, and all have been deeply meaningful to me. Now, with my firm Buscada, and in my writing and art practice, I explore the way people’s stories of belonging and community, resistance and rebuilding from cities around the globe help us understand our shared humanity.

Gabrielle's book list on struggles through the stories of real people

Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani Why did Gabrielle love this book?

The people in this book shaped the spaces and sidewalks of a city I know well. Prithi Kanakamedala’s telling of four Black families’ stories and the ways they shaped Brooklyn gave depth to my own way of thinking, writing, and caring about the borough. 

I love this book because it makes people who are often absent from written histories feel vital and real–it introduces us to Black people who have agency in shaping their own lives and places, and specifically, to brilliant Black women who are almost invisible in the archive. 

I could imagine talking with these people, seeing the signs they saw, hearing the smells they smelled, and walking their streets; the book allowed me to see how Black people shaped their place–and shaped the place Brooklyn would become–and how this making of the place was really making the arguments for freedom. What else could you want?

By Prithi Kanakamedala,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Brooklynites as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Meet the Black Brooklynites who defined New York City's most populous borough through their search for social justice
Before it was a borough, Brooklyn was our nation's third largest city. Its free Black community attracted people from all walks of life-businesswomen, church leaders, laborers, and writers-who sought to grow their city in a radical anti-slavery vision. The residents of neighborhoods like DUMBO, Fort Greene, and Williamsburg organized and agitated for social justice. They did so even as their own freedom was threatened by systemic and structural racism, risking their safety for the sake of their city. Brooklynites recovers the lives…


Book cover of Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials

Averill Earls Author Of Spiritualism's Place: Reformers, Seekers, and Seances in Lily Dale

From Averill's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Averill's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Averill Earls Why did Averill love this book?

When this book publication announcement came across my email, I had to have it. I think about witchcraft history a lot. The history of witchcraft is my Roman Empire. Gibson brings nuance to the study of witch panics, hunts, and trials. Some of the trials she highlights are familiar - if you listen to the History of Witchcraft podcast, or Dig: A History Podcast, or if you’ve seen any version of The Crucible production, you’ll recognize names and places in some of these chapters. But there are some surprises in there. The story of a woman who beat Heinrich Kramer, famed witch hunter and author of Malleus Maleficarum; the intersections of disability and witchcraft accusations during the English Civil War (and beyond); a witch trial of “Shula” in Basutoland, Africa. These are fascinating (sometimes horrifying) snippets from history. Her last chapter is on the trial of Stormy Daniels: a reminder…

By Marion Gibson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Witchcraft as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Salem, King James VI, Malleus Maleficarum. The world of witch hunts and witch trials sounds antiquated, relics of an unenlightened and brutal age. However, 'witch hunt' is heard often in the present-day media, and the misogyny it is rooted in is all too familiar today. A woman was prosecuted under the 1735 Witchcraft Act as recently as 1944.

This book uses thirteen significant trials to explore the history of witchcraft and witch hunts. As well as investigating some of the most famous trials from the middle ages to the 18th century, it takes us in new and surprising directions. It…


Book cover of A Disappearance In Fiji

Karen McMillan Author Of The Paris of the East

From Karen's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Imaginative dreamer Enthusiastic researcher Traveler Lover of life

Karen's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Karen McMillan Why did Karen love this book?

Set in 1914 in Fiji, 25-year-old Akal Singh, would rather be anywhere else in the world than in this far-flung colony. But then an indentured Indian woman goes missing from a sugarcane plantation, and Akal is assigned the case.

Those in the plantation say she has run off with the overseer, the newspaper headlines scream it is a kidnapping. Akal is keen to prove himself, but he quickly finds himself invested in the case for many more reasons as the cruelties of the indenture system are revealed in shocking clarity.

A Disappearance in Fiji is charming and full of warmth and wit. The characters are created with a great deal of heart and empathy, and this page-turning mystery also shows the impact of colonialism in Fiji with care and nuanced historical detail.

By Nilima Rao,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Disappearance In Fiji as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A charming debut historical mystery set in 1914 Fiji. Perfect for fans of Abir Mukherjee, Vaseem Khan and Sujata Massey.

'AN UTTERLY CHARMING NOVEL ... NILIMA RAO IS AN AUTHOR WELL WORTH DISCOVERING' ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH

'AN EXCEPTIONALLY PROMISING DEBUT' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED REVIEW

1914, Fiji: Sergeant Akal Singh would rather be anywhere than this tropical paradise - or, as he calls it, 'this godforsaken island'. After a promising start to his police career in Hong Kong, Akal has been sent to the far-flung colony of Fiji as punishment for a humiliating professional mistake. Lonely and embarrassed, he dreams of…


No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944

By Rona Simmons,

Book cover of No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944

Rona Simmons Author Of No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I come by my interest in history and the years before, during, and after the Second World War honestly. For one thing, both my father and my father-in-law served as pilots in the war, my father a P-38 pilot in North Africa and my father-in-law a B-17 bomber pilot in England. Their histories connect me with a period I think we can still almost reach with our fingertips and one that has had a momentous impact on our lives today. I have taken that interest and passion to discover and write true life stories of the war—focusing on the untold and unheard stories often of the “Average Joe.”

Rona's book list on World War II featuring the average Joe

What is my book about?

October 24, 1944, is not a day of national remembrance. Yet, more Americans serving in World War II perished on that day than on any other single day of the war.

The narrative of No Average Day proceeds hour by hour and incident by incident while focusing its attention on ordinary individuals—clerks, radio operators, cooks, sailors, machinist mates, riflemen, and pilots and their air crews. All were men who chose to serve their country and soon found themselves in a terrifying and otherworldly place.

No Average Day reveals the vastness of the war as it reaches past the beaches in…

No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944

By Rona Simmons,

What is this book about?

October 24, 1944, is not a day of national remembrance. Yet, more Americans serving in World War II perished on that day than on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, or on June 6, 1944, when the Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy, or on any other single day of the war. In its telling of the events of October 24, No Average Day proceeds hour by hour and incident by incident. The book begins with Army Private First-Class Paul Miller's pre-dawn demise in the Sendai #6B Japanese prisoner of war camp. It concludes with the death…


Book cover of Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate

Hall Gardner Author Of Dangerous Crossroads: Europe, Russia, and the Future of NATO

From my list on the genesis of the “second" Cold War.

Why am I passionate about this?

For 30 years, my books, articles, and talks have warned the U.S. failure/refusal to work with Russia and the Europeans to forge a new system of global security after the Cold War could provoke a Russian nationalist backlash, a war between Moscow and Kyiv, and possibly major power conflict. My book World War Trump warned that Trump could stage a coup. Toward an Alternative Transatlantic Strategy warned Biden’s support for Ukraine would provoke conflict with Russia. I have also written poems and novels on IR theory, plus two novels based on my experiences in China during the tumultuous years of 1988-89 and in France during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hall's book list on the genesis of the “second" Cold War

Hall Gardner Why did Hall love this book?

This well-researched book, using prime sources, is an objective and important history. It explains why Washington failed to forge a new European security order in working with Moscow at the end of the “first” Cold War.

Sarotte examines the question as to why Mikhail Gorbachev appeared to be promised by then-US Secretary of State James Baker (and other Western officials) that NATO membership would not expand beyond East Germany at the time of German unification. Just as importantly, Sarotte’s book examines why the US-proposed “Partnership for Peace”―which could have helped to establish a new system of security for eastern European states with Russian cooperation, in my view―was not pursued.

Instead, as I had argued in Dangerous Crossroads, Clinton opted to pursue the NATO “Self-Limitation”  approach (no troops, no nuclear weapons), knowing full well that both Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin had warned that NATO’s expansion without strong Russian input…

By M. E. Sarotte,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Not One Inch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A leading expert on foreign policy reveals how tensions between America, NATO, and Russia transformed geopolitics in a Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2021

"Sarotte has the receipts, as it were: her authoritative tale draws on thousands of memos, letters, briefs, and other once secret documents-including many that have never been published before-which both fill in and complicate settled narratives on both sides."-Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker

"The most engaging and carefully documented account of this period in East-West diplomacy currently available."-Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs

Prize-winning historian, M.E. Sarotte pulls back the curtain on the crucial decade between the fall of…


Book cover of A Gentleman from Japan: The Untold Story of an Incredible Journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth's Court

Paul French Author Of Her Lotus Year

From Paul's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Compulsive reader

Paul's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Paul French Why did Paul love this book?

An amazing story of the first Japanese men to reach British shores and the start of interactions between Britain and Japan in 1588.

Book cover of The Year of Living Constitutionally

Richard W. Kelly Author Of The American Martyr

From Richard's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author All Genres writer Pro-wrestling fanatic Disney Adult Analytic Dreamer

Richard's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Richard W. Kelly Why did Richard love this book?

I love AJ Jacobs. He is funny and one of the few people who can do narrative non-fiction well. This isn't his strongest outing, but so much fun still.

By A.J. Jacobs,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Year of Living Constitutionally as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically chronicles his hilarious adventures in attempting to follow the original meaning of the Constitution, as he searches for answers to one of the most pressing issues of our time: How should we interpret America’s foundational document?

“I don’t know how I learned so much while laughing so hard.”—Andy Borowitz

A.J. Jacobs learned the hard way that donning a tricorne hat and marching around Manhattan with a 1700s musket will earn you a lot of strange looks. In the wake of several controversial rulings by the Supreme Court and…


Book cover of Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day

María José Fitzgerald Author Of Turtles of the Midnight Moon

From my list on animal and nature-loving-empaths who are curious.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up near the outskirts of a lush Honduran cloud forest, I remember searching for magic in the woods, a fairy behind the waterfall, and an emerald quetzal bird in the canopy. I have always been a lover of nature, ecology, and wildlife, and I appreciate how each of these five books speaks to the passion that I have for ecology in a unique way. From fantastical rabbits to hidden systems we all rely on, to turtles and whales and the entire animal kingdom, these books will resonate with those of us who believe that we each have a place in our interconnected planet.

Maria's book list on animal and nature-loving-empaths who are curious

María José Fitzgerald Why did Maria love this book?

In Dan Nott’s eye-opening and masterfully drawn nonfiction book, we get a glimpse into the intricacies of how the systems we use (and take for granted) every day actually work!

I love this book because my kids can pick it up from our coffee table, read a few pages, and unlock a mystery. I also appreciate how Dan’s explanations included the social and ecological impacts and implications of these systems. This book is for anyone who has ever been curious about our world and the fascinating things humans have built. 

By Dan Nott,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hidden Systems as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

We use water, electricity, and the internet every day--but how do they actually work? And what’s the plan to keep them running for years to come? This nonfiction science graphic novel takes readers on a journey from how the most essential systems were developed to how they are implemented in our world today and how they will be used in the future.

What was the first message sent over the internet? How much water does a single person use every day? How was the electric light invented?

For every utility we use each day, there’s a hidden history--a story of…


Book cover of Necropolis: Disease, Power, and Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom

Peter B. Dedek Author Of The Cemeteries of New Orleans: A Cultural History

From my list on the history of life, death, and magic in New Orleans.

Why am I passionate about this?

Being from Upstate New York I went to college at Cornell University but headed off to New Orleans as soon as I could. By and by I became an instructor at Delgado Community College. Always a big fan of the city’s amazing historic cemeteries, when teaching a world architectural history class, I took the class to the Metairie Cemetery where I could show the students real examples of every style from Ancient Egyptian to Modern American. After coming to Texas State University, San Marcos (30 miles from Austin), I went back to New Orleans on sabbatical in 2013 and wrote The Cemeteries of New Orleans. 

Peter's book list on the history of life, death, and magic in New Orleans

Peter B. Dedek Why did Peter love this book?

Necropolis describes how the yellow fever shaped New Orleans society in the 1800s.

While the fever was killing tens of thousands of people for almost two centuries from the founding of the city in 1718 until the last yellow fever epidemic in 1905, giving its victims horrible deaths in which they cried blood and vomited tar-like bile in the process, the disease helped preserve the city’s Creole culture by killing off a large proportion of immigrants to the city who were more susceptible than native-born New Orleans.

Before reading this book, I had no idea that being “acclimated” to yellow fever by surviving a case of this horrible disease was what made white transplants into bonafide citizens of the city. 

By Kathryn Olivarius,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Necropolis as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Disease is thought to be a great leveler of humanity, but in antebellum New Orleans acquiring immunity from the scourge of yellow fever magnified the brutal inequities of slave-powered capitalism.

Antebellum New Orleans sat at the heart of America's slave and cotton kingdoms. It was also where yellow fever epidemics killed as many as 150,000 people during the nineteenth century. With little understanding of mosquito-borne viruses-and meager public health infrastructure-a person's only protection against the scourge was to "get acclimated" by surviving the disease. About half of those who contracted yellow fever died.

Repeated epidemics bolstered New Orleans's strict racial…


Book cover of Ghosts of Honolulu

Tiffany Thomas Author Of Fine Eyes & Beastly Pride

From Tiffany's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Crohn’s warrior Homeschooling mom Math teacher Mormon Trekkie

Tiffany's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Tiffany Thomas Why did Tiffany love this book?

I'm a big fan of NCIS, and this book was written by Mark Harmon - the lead actor in NCIS - and Leon Carroll - the NCIS technical advisor for most of the show's seasons. It tells the true stories of NCIS's role in the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

By Mark Harmon, Leon Carroll, Jr.,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ghosts of Honolulu as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"A fast-paced debut...Espionage buffs will savor this vibrant account." - Publishers Weekly

A U.S. naval counterintelligence officer working to safeguard Pearl Harbor; a Japanese spy ordered to Hawaii to gather information on the American fleet. On December 7, 1941, their hidden stories are exposed by a morning of bloodshed that would change the world forever. Scrutinizing long-buried historical documents, NCIS star Mark Harmon and co-author Leon Carroll, a former NCIS Special Agent, have brought forth a true-life NCIS story of deception, discovery, and danger.

Hawaii, 1941. War clouds with Japan are gathering and the islands of…


Book cover of Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough
Book cover of Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials
Book cover of A Disappearance In Fiji

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