October’s Best New History Books

Killing the Rising Sun, by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
O’Reilly and historian Dugard are back with the latest in the mega-successful Killing series. This time, instead of an individual, O’Reilly casts the Empire of Japan in the role of victim, exploring the final days of the war, when Japan seemed destined to stage a brutal, bloody last stand that would cost millions of lives. As General Douglas MacArthur planned the invasion of Japan, the Manhattan Project was finishing work on what would become the biggest game-changer in geopolitics and warfare ever: the atomic bomb. When FDR died in office, Harry Truman suddenly found himself forced to make the most fateful decision of the war: invade Japan and pay the butcher’s bill, or drop the bomb and change the world. As always, O’Reilly employs a deft eye for drama to clarifies the issues surrounding a complicated, momentous event.

Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain’s Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War, by Ben Macintyre
The British Army’s Special Air Service (SAS) was formed in the midst of World War II, the brainchild of a junior officer recovering in hospital. Brash and controversial, the SAS routinely parachuted behind enemy lines to conduct operations against the enemy. Some felt this violated the supposed rules of war, and the behavior of the young officers inducted into this secret unit was often less than honorable. Few can argue that the SAS didn’t change the course of the war—and of warfare in general, creating a template for the modern mode of combat. Macintyre has access to all surviving SAS-related material, and offers up a comprehensive story of this remarkable chapter in the history of World War II.

The General vs. the President: MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War, by H.W. Brands
While battles and acts of heroism grab most of the attention, sometimes the most interesting moments in history are administrative. In 1951, President Harry Truman fired the top-ranking officer in the U.S. military, General Douglas MacArthur. MacArthur, a very popular public figure, was leading the U.N. forces in Korea—and not doing a great job of it. Forced into a retreat when the Chinese entered hostilities (something MacArthur had assured Truman would never happen), MacArthur’s response was to demand an attack on China. Truman, along with the support of his other military advisors, endured MacArthur’s tantrum for months before firing him. The act was controversial in the moment, but is today celebrated as evidence of Truman’s steadiness and authority. Brands dives deep into both personalities and offers keen insights into this pivotal moment in history—one that informs our current political situation in many ways.

Lucky 666: The Impossible Mission, by Bob Drury
The fog of war takes decades—sometimes centuries—to dissipate; only as it fades can the most incredible stories emerge. World War II is very well-documented, but most readers will be new to the story of Captain Jay Zeamer and the “Old 666” B-17 Bomber he and his crew flew on a long-distance reconnaissance mission to Bougainville. Zeamer is a fascinating biographical subject—a brilliant pilot, bored with his duties, who entertained himself and his crew by rebuilding (by hand) a derelict B-17, the same craft they would fly 600 miles north in order to obtain vital intelligence on Japanese defenses. The plane returned filled with dead and injured men, and never flew again; the crew became the most highly-decorated in the history of the war. A compelling mix of historical fact and imagined dialog and inner monologue, this is a book for both World War II enthusiasts and fans of exciting adventure stories.

Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother’s Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South, by Beth Macy
In 1899 two brothers—10-year old black albino children named Willie and George Muse—were kidnapped from a tobacco field. For more than a decade, they were displayed as a part of traveling freak shows, represented as missionaries from Africa, genetic oddities, and even Martians. Their mother’s tireless efforts to locate and reclaim them finally succeeded in 1927, but the brothers returned to the freak show circuit, this time as slightly-better treated contract performers. The idea that this story could happen in the 20th century is a chilling reminder that we haven’t come as far as we think in terms of race relations—or human relations.

Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved, and Died Under Nazi Occupation, by Anne Sebba
Stories set during the Nazi occupation of Paris tend to lean towards spy thrillers or other wartime adventures, but for many Parisians, life simply went on. Sebba focuses on the impossible choices that women had to make while living under the fascist regime that had invaded their country, and the result is absorbing and electric. She casts a wide net, opting to tell the stories of a wide range of women, from native residents to more recent immigrants to the City of Light, including the “grey mice”—German women who followed in the wake of the army. The result proves that there are always new stories to tell about even the most-examined events in history.

American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant, by Ronald C. White
Ulysses Grant has long been considered a great general, but a mediocre president. This massive, entertaining book challenges those assumptions. White has stated explicitly that he was inspired to tackle the outsize life of our 18th president because Grant, for all his achievements, has become one of the forgotten presidents. Here, White successfully rehabilitates Grant’s reputation as a politician and delves into his military and personal lives, the latter of which the author believes to have been unfairly ignored in past biographies. The result is one of those “epiphany books,” shifting your perception of history just enough to let you see things in a new light.