February’s Top Picks in History

Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror, by Michael V. Hayden
This unapologetic insider’s view from General Michael Hayden, who ran the National Security Agency from 1999 to 2005 and the Central Intelligence Agency from 2006 to 2009, is a fascinating—and terrifying—look at intelligence operations post-9/11. Hayden offers no excuses as he takes readers through some of the most controversial government actions in recent memory, including the NSA’s domestic phone surveillance, the lead-up to the Snowden leak, and the CIA’s targeting killing program. An engrossing read for anyone interested in the expansion of the intelligence community.

The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America, by Michael Eric Dyson
As Barack Obama’s presidency comes to a close, it’s a good time to begin to look back on the last several years. Dyson’s book focuses on the way race has shaped Obama’s tenure and the ways he has reacted to the many racially charged tragedies that have punctuated it. It has been lauded by a wide variety of public figures, from author Walter Isaacson to actor Jesse Eisenberg. The Black Presidency benefits from a number of high profile interviews, including one with the president himself.

United States of Jihad: Investigating America’s Homegrown Terrorists, by Peter Bergen
An intense, timely examination of American-born jihadists, United States of Jihad draws on the author’s numerous contacts within the intelligence community to paint a complicated picture of homegrown terrorism, weaving together confused agencies, social media, racial profiling, and the political and legal backdrop as he follows a handful of high-profile actors, including Anwar al-Awlaki, Samir Khan, and Omar Hammami. Well researched and highly readable, Bergen’s book has already received significant critical praise.

Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation’s Leaders, by Brady Carlson
And now for something a little lighter—a book entirely about death. In this highly amusing, often thought-provoking book, radio host and reporter Carlson takes the reader on a cross-country road trip, visiting graves and memorials as he tells entertaining stories about the deaths and occasionally very weird afterlives of our nation’s presidents. Did you know that Millard Fillmore is buried next to musical icon Rick James? And why was Zachary Taylor exhumed almost a century and a half after his death?

Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, by Jane Mayer
In this fascinating, intensively researched book, the best-selling author of The Dark Side turns her attention to the financial side of politics. Relying on five years of interviews, Mayer paints a picture of a libertarian political network, funded by some of the country’s richest people (most prominently Charles and David Koch), that has, over the past several decades, slowly gained control over many of the nation’s most significant institutions, from universities to Congress. Including interviews with sources within the network, Dark Money raises important questions about reform and politics in America today.

The Three Battles of Wanat: And Other True Stories, by Mark Bowden
This well-reviewed essay collection from the author of Black Hawk Down brings some of his best long-form war reporting together with essays on topics ranging from internet journalism, to a profile of the creator of The Wire, to a fascinating and hilarious piece on Kim Jong-un. A great collection for any fan of long-form journalism, war reporting, or accessible and energetic non-fiction, The Three Battles of Wanat will make you laugh, make you think, and make you cry.