Fall’s Best New History Books

All the Gallant Men, by Donald Stratton and Ken Gire
The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor occurred 75 years ago, and Donald Stratton was there, serving on the U.S.S. Arizona. This riveting firsthand account of the attack begins with Stratton’s childhood, offering a fascinating, educational glimpse into the mindset of the men who joined the service before the war—and how it changed in the wake of the attack. With corroboration and additional research from Gire, Stratton offers an informative and gripping account of an event that shaped America, and continues to affect our nation’s military, politics, and social structures.

Writing to Save a Life: The Louis Till File, by John Edgar Wideman
It’s sometimes hard to remember that historical figures don’t emerge fully formed from nothing to play their parts in world events, and then disappear. Emmett Till was murdered in 1955 at the age of 14 after being accused of flirting with a white woman in Mississippi. The men charged with the murder were given access to Emmett’s father Louis’ army records for their defense; Louis Till was one of 83 African-American soldiers executed by the army during World War II, charged with rape and murder. Wideman’s remarkable book examines and makes connections between the pervasive and virulent racism at play in the lives of both Till men, and the modern day relationships between black men, police, and society at large. The book prompts questions that every American should consider, and reminds us that a person like Emmett Till was just that, a person, with a family and a life, and that his fate was not isolated—or unique.

The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy, by Jean Kennedy Smith
It can seem like the famous names of history have always been nothing more than icons, portraits, and old news footage. But the men and women who populate our history books were real people, and they came from somewhere. The Kennedy family is no exception, and the last surviving daughter of Joseph and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy has given us not a politically-focused memoir, but rather the story of a family like (and unlike) any other. Beginning in the 1930s and concluding with the election of her brother Jack to the presidency, Jean reminds us of the anti-Irish prejudice her family suffered, charts their rise through Boston society, and recounts how her parents made the siblings into the remarkable men and women they became.

Alexander Hamilton: The Illustrated Biography, by Richard Sylla
If you thought you knew everything about Alexander Hamilton, think again. As with any complex and celebrated historical figure, there is so much to know about Hamilton, people have dedicated their lives to studying him—people like the author of this incredible book, Richard Sylla (who’s also Chairman of the Museum of American Finance). Sylla book offers a detailed look at the man’s life and accomplishments, and his spectacularly unlikely death, enriched by a wealth of illustrations that bring a man, a time period, and a culture to vibrant life. If your curiosity was piqued by the Broadway musical and Ron Chernow’s brilliant biography, this beautiful book is the ideal way to complete your Hamilton education.

The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific 1944-1945, by James D. Hornfischer
It’s difficult for modern-day Americans to understand how unprepared the U.S. was for World War II. When hostilities broke out in the late 1930s, the U.S. had a relatively small military. By the time we waged total war on the Empire of Japan in 1944, we had become a military superpower. Award-winning historian Hornfischer details the final push against Japan in the Pacific, an all-out assault that included a vast array of material and men, and offers up compelling portraits of the people making fateful decisions, the equipment and machines they had at their disposal, and the units and concepts that changed warfare forever, including an account of the special Navy unit that later informed the creation of the SEALs. Anyone interested in World War II will find this one to be a must-read.

Victoria: The Queen, by Julia Bird
Very few people get to rule empires, and very few of those that do have entire eras named after them. Queen Victoria is one of them, and Bird’s new examination of her extraordinary life is bursting with incredible details. For all her power and obvious charisma, Victoria remains the victim of several myths designed to reduce her legacy, from rumors of her inability to love her children, to her reliance on her husband for guidance in matters of state. Bird deflates these myths, restoring Victoria to her rightful place as a strong and singular woman who may have inspired to some degree the suffrage movement and feminism itself, simply by ruling effectively in a time when women were supposed to know their place. Queen Victoria is a figure who deserves to be examined more closely, and this book is a fine place to start.

Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 3: The War Years and After, by Blanche Wiesen Cook
Eleanor Roosevelt is one of the most dynamic and interesting people in American history. This third and final volume in Cook’s exhaustive examination of her extraordinary life of service brings home the fact that she was far more than the wife of a president—or even just a president’s most trusted advisor and partner. During World War II, Eleanor and FDR found themselves increasingly at odds, and for the first time in their relationship, strain and distance emerged, and Eleanor found herself somewhat sidelined. After FDR’s death, Eleanor emerged from the White House and went on to have a remarkable career, proving herwas one of the most capable, energetic, and dedicated public servants in American history. As we contemplate the election the first woman president in our history, it’s a tonic to be reminded that one of the most effective politicians of the 20th century was a woman, albeit one working from outside traditional circles of power.

A Matter of Honor: Pearl Harbor, by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan
Today, Pearl Harbor is an iconic historic event, and much of the aftermath and impact has been buried by time. In the moment, though, there was outrage, investigation—and blame. Who was responsible for allowing America to be catastrophically attacked, its navy crippled? At the time, most concluded it was Admiral Husband Kimmel, the man responsible for the Pacific Fleet, and his reputation and career were ruined. Summers and Swan set out to examine the facts, and find that not only did Kimmel ask several times for equipment, budget, and money to shore up our Pacific defenses, even if his requests had been honored, he would not have been able to predict or withstand the surprise attack. As his family pushes to have Kimmel’s full rank of four-star admiral restored posthumously, Summers and Swan’s work here is a stark reminder that the demands for blame after a disaster can often simply lead to additional tragedy.

Pearl Harbor: 75 Years Later, by The Editors of LIFE
Few entities have the visual and journalistic legacy of LIFE magazine. Seventy-five years after the fateful day when Japanese warplanes attacked Pearl Harbor, dragging the United States into World War II, LIFE  has compiled a remarkable collection of photos and stories covering the war, from Hitler’s rise in Germany, to his the alliance with Japan, and the attack on Pearl Harbor. It covers the aftermath of the attacks and the U.S. involvement in the war, and devotes a section to the modern-day Pearl Harbor. Few books offer such a wealth of compelling photographs coupled with detailed writing that lays out the sequence of events, the consequences, and the cultural changes inspired by the day that lives in infamy.