December’s Top Picks in History

The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters, by Karl Rove
William McKinley is an oft-overlooked figure: despite a presidency filled with important political moments, he is remembered more for his death-by-assassination than for his life. Republican strategist Rove brings McKinley’s story back to life in The Triumph of William McKinley, arguing that the issues facing America in 1896 bear a startling resemblance to those we face today, and that the solutions McKinley’s campaign hit upon over a century ago might still have merit.

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Philbrick
This is not the first book based on the horrific tale of the Essex, a whaleship struck by a sperm whale and sunk, leaving its twenty-person crew adrift for months. Thirty years after the tragedy, it served as part inspiration for a little story called Moby Dick. In this riveting account, the basis for Ron Howard’s same-titled movie, opening on December 11th, Philbrick weaves a gripping, terrifying tale of survival that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History, by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger
The young United States faced many problems when President Thomas Jefferson took office in 1801. Chief among them: the country was seriously in debt and needed money quickly, but pirates off the North African coast were capturing merchant ships and forcing their sailors into slavery. In this fast-paced, exciting book, Kilmeade and Yaeger describe Jefferson’s initial attempts at diplomacy and the events of what would become the first Barbary War. A great choice for anyone interested in military or American history.

Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, by Jon Meacham
This in-depth biography from Pulitzer Prize-winner Meacham draws from personal interviews and wide-spanning access to President Bush’s White House diaries (as well as the papers of his wife, Barbara), creating an intimate portrait of our 41st president. Following him from his Connecticut childhood through his service in WWII, his entry into the oil business, and his meteoric political career, Destiny and Power has received significant praise from people like David McCullough, Walter Isaacson, and Tom Brokaw.

The Witches: Salem, 1692, by Stacy Schiff
In the winter of 1692, 20 people in Massachusetts, mostly women, were put to death for practicing witchcraft. Nineteen of them were hanged; one old man was crushed to death under a pile of rocks over the course of two days. Pulitzer Prize-winner Schiff, the author of Cleopatra: A Life, brings that winter to life in a beautifully written, impeccably researched story. An important book for anyone interested in Salem, early American history, women’s history, or stories centering on religion.

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, by Mary Beard
The latest from Mary Beard, widely held to be one of the most accessible classicists working today, SPQR is a sweeping history of ancient Rome that still manages to be readable, enjoyable, and frequently even funny. Covering almost a thousand years, Beard deftly weaves dozens of threads together, from the lives of women and slaves, to the struggle between democracy and autocracy, to the ways our modern world is still framed by ancient Rome. An absolute must-read for Rome fanatics and history buffs in general.