March’s Best New History Books

Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors, by George W. Bush
It’s impossible to tell how history will treat ex-presidents. Since leaving office, George W. Bush has kept a low political profile, but has been busy in other, more important ways—working with veterans. As the former commander-in-chief who personally ordered our men and women in uniform into harm’s way, President Bush has been quietly meeting some of America’s veterans, listening to their stories—and painting their portraits. Sixty-six of these amazing works of art have been collected in this beautiful book, each accompanied by an essay about the veteran’s service, penned by the artist. The president’s devotion to our servicemen and women is a testament to his character, as is the fact that the profits will all be donated to the George W. Bush Presidential Center, a non-profit organization that seeks to highlight the struggles of returning veterans and provide practical assistance as they adapt to civilian life.

Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West, by Tom Clavin
Bringing a level of factual rigor to the legend of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson in Dodge City isn’t an easy task; the story of those pioneering lawmen, and the famed gunfight at the OK Corral, is slathered with mythic overtones. In this revealing work, Clavin strips away the unnecessary flourishes to focuses on the facets of the story he can verify—and that unadorned tale turns out to be just as fascinating, especially his telling of the lesser-known Dodge City War, a bloodless affair that saw Earp and Masterson return to the area years later to firmly establish the rule of law, once and for all. You might think you know the story of Dodge City’s most famous gunslingers, but like as not, you only know the Hollywood version. Here’s your chance to fix that.

Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government’s Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis, by Annie Jacobsen
Jacobsen wants to believe, and after reading this book, you might too. Drawing on sources both public and formerly classified, Jacobsen traces the interest in paranormal phenomena from the Third Reich to the present day, detailing various government-funded projects to explore the possibility of weaponizing ESP and other fringe areas of study. While you may not be as inclined to believe these phenomena are real, the projects Jacobsen describes are real enough, ranging from CIA initiatives to study the effects of hallucinogenics on our ability to read minds and effect the physical world with mental energies, to a NASA experiment that saw astronauts attempting to communicate with psychics on Earth. Jacobsen makes her case with plenty of supporting data, making this a fascinating read for anyone who thinks we might not know the whole story.

Richard Nixon: The Life, by John A. Farrell
This may be the ideal moment for a closer look at the legacy of our 37th President, one of the most complex people to ever hold the office. Brilliant, mercurial, vindictive,and petty, Nixon doggedly pursued the office and then surprised everyone with the policies he supported while there—and then descended into a scandal of epic proportions that eventually led him to be the only president to-date to resign (so far). Farrell finds new angles as he explores one of the most-studied men in modern American history, offering insights into his failed bid for the 1960 election and the effects of a raft of historically-important political decisions only now becoming clear to historians, 50 years later.

Cop Under Fire, by David Clarke, Jr.
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke made a name for himself when he appeared at the 2016 Republican National Convention, speaking about the issues close to his heart: crime, the state of race relations in America, trust in government institutions, and his personal faith. In Cop Under Fire, Clarke discusses his views on the problems facing our nation, and offers some solutions. His philosophy begins with personal responsibility, and is rooted in his own story, tinged with optimism stemming from his belief in America’s potential for greatness. Whatever your political beliefs, you’ll find this a thoughtful examination of the current state of affairs from one of the country’s most successful law enforcement officers, and a rare opportunity to benefit from an expert’s analysis.

Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich, by Norman Ohler
The Nazis, who were known to dabble in weird science and the occult, were pretty bonkers in general, not to mention flat-out evil. But in this book, Ohler makes the case that they were also pretty much stoned the entire time too—especially Hitler himself. Ohler goes beyond the stimulants issued to the soldiers (think what was essentially crystal meth—a pretty common practice, and one shared by the U.S. army to this day) to detail the truly awe-inspiring amount of stimulants and euphorics consumed by the top Nazis. He even speculates that, rather than suffering from Parkinson’s disease, Hitler’s erratic behavior and frail appearance toward the end of the war were due to withdrawal symptoms after the Allies bombed the factory manufacturing his pills. To say that World War II would have been very different if the Nazis had been sober may be the understatement of the 20th century.