November’s Top Picks in History

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History, by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger
The young United States faced a lot of 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 advance 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.

Ardennes 1944: The Battle of the Bulge, by Antony Beevor
This widely praised release from award-winning British historian Beevor brings significant new angles, remarkable research, and vivid prose to the frequently-examined Battle of the Bulge. Criss-crossing battle lines, Ardennes 1944 delves deep into the motivations of the American, French, and German soldiers who fought so desperately that winter. Beevor also shines light on breaches of the rules of combat committed by both sides, and on the leadership decisions, good and bad, that framed the battle, resulting in an impressive and extraordinarily thorough account.

Magna Carta: The Birth of Liberty, by Dan Jones
Almost exactly 800 years ago, King John signed the Magna Carta, a peace treaty between himself and a group of discontented barons that emphasized rights and attempted to force the king to adhere to the law—and which was broken almost immediately. Despite its failure, this novel document was resurrected both in itself, and in the ways it influenced our own Constitution. Dan Jones tracks the birth and influence of the Magna Carta in this enjoyable and hugely informative book, explaining the bloody context from which it emerged and tracing its transformation into a touchstone of liberty.