History
Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power, by Jefferson Cowie (Basic Books)
A resonant account of an Alabama county in the 19th and 20th centuries shaped by settler colonialism and slavery, a portrait that illustrates the evolution of white supremacy by drawing powerful connections between anti-government and racist ideologies.
Covered with Night, by Nicole Eustace (Liveright/Norton)
A gripping account of Indigenous justice in early America, and how the aftermath of a settler’s murder of a Native American man led to the oldest continuously recognized treaty in the United States.
Cuba: An American History, by Ada Ferrer (Scribner)
An original and compelling history, spanning five centuries, of the island that became an obsession for many presidents and policy makers, transforming how we think about the U.S. in Latin America, and Cuba in American society.
Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, by Marcia Chatelain (Liveright/Norton)
A nuanced account of the complicated role the fast-food industry plays in African-American communities, a portrait of race and capitalism that masterfully illustrates how the fight for civil rights has been intertwined with the fate of Black businesses.
Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America, by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)
A masterfully researched meditation on reparations based on the remarkable story of a 19th century woman who survived kidnapping and re-enslavement to sue her captor.
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, by David W. Blight (Simon & Schuster)
A breathtaking history that demonstrates the scope of Frederick Douglass’ influence through deep research on his writings, his intellectual evolution and his relationships.
The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea, by Jack E. Davis (Liveright/W.W. Norton)
An important environmental history of the Gulf of Mexico that brings crucial attention to Earth’s 10th-largest body of water, one of the planet’s most diverse and productive marine ecosystems.
Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy, by Heather Ann Thompson (Pantheon)
For a narrative history that sets high standards for scholarly judgment and tenacity of inquiry in seeking the truth about the 1971 Attica prison riots.
Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America, by T.J. Stiles (Alfred A. Knopf)
A rich and surprising new telling of the journey of the iconic American soldier whose death turns out not to have been the main point of his life. (Moved by the Board from the Biography category.)
Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People, by Elizabeth A. Fenn (Hill and Wang)
An engrossing, original narrative showing the Mandans, a Native American tribe in the Dakotas, as a people with a history.
The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832, by Alan Taylor (W.W. Norton)
A meticulous and insightful account of why runaway slaves in the colonial era were drawn to the British side as potential liberators.
Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam, by Fredrik Logevall (Random House)
A balanced, deeply researched history of how, as French colonial rule faltered, a succession of American leaders moved step by step down a road toward full-blown war.
Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, by Manning Marable (Viking)
An exploration of the legendary life and provocative views of one of the most significant African-Americans in U.S. history, a work that separates fact from fiction and blends the heroic and tragic.
The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery, by Eric Foner (W.W. Norton & Company)
A well orchestrated examination of Lincoln's changing views of slavery, bringing unforeseeable twists and a fresh sense of improbability to a familiar story.
Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World, by Liaquat Ahamed (The Penguin Press)
A compelling account of how four powerful bankers played crucial roles in triggering the Great Depression and ultimately transforming the United States into the world's financial leader.
The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family, by Annette Gordon-Reed (W.W. Norton & Company)
A painstaking exploration of a sprawling multi-generation slave family that casts provocative new light on the relationship between Sally Hemings and her master, Thomas Jefferson.
The Impending Crisis, 1848-1861, by David M. Potter (Harper)
(A posthumous publication; manuscript finished by Don E. Fehrenbacker.)
The War with Mexico, by Justin H. Smith (Macmillan)
Two volumes.