HISTORY An asterisk (*) highlights books on American History
Where Now Begins by Elisabeth Asbrink, Fiona Graham In a little over a year after the end of WWII, the seeds for all of today's conflicts and much of today's culture were laid. An excellent book for the advanced teen reader with an interest in history and world events. *America's Great Game: The CIA'S Secret Arabists and the Shaping of the Modern Middle East by Hugh Wilford How America got involved in the politics of the Middle East (1940s-1960s): this clear, in-depth accounting will be of interest to advanced teen readers with a particular interest in foreign affairs. *Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides The legendary trapper, scout, and soldier Kit Carson is at the center of this fascinating account of the conquest of the American Southwest. Great history and thought-provoking. For teens of all ages. China 1945: Mao's Revolution and America's Fateful Choice by Richard Bernstein Diplomacy is the other option from war and good intentions are not enough. This wonderfully well-written and well-researched book tells the story of how America failed to get it right on the cusp of the Chinese Revolution and serves as a good study for today's foreign conflicts. Excellent for experienced teen readers with an interest in history and foreign service. *Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap? by Graham Allison The meteoric rise of China in the last few decades positions it to surpass America as the world's superpower. Easily accessible for the advanced teen reader with an interest in history and the world that awaits, this book lays out the case that war can be avoided with an astute knowledge of precedent and clear minds. *Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard This spell-binding tale of the short presidency and the painful death of James Garfield paints a clear portrait of America in the late nineteenth century, ranging from politics to social struggles to technological and medical breakthroughs. For experienced teen readers who love history. *Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King This extremely accessible and well-written narrative tells the story of how talent, hard work, courage, and dedication brought about significant social change in a democratic society. For teens of all ages. Former People: The Final Days of the Russian Aristocracy by Douglas Smith The early twentieth-century Russian revolution removed the centuries-old hereditary upper class. This is the first book to clearly explain what happened to those people. Excellent reading and thought-provoking, it will appeal to older teens who love history. Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Remaking of Israel by Dan Ephron Kudos to Dan Ephron for giving us this concise account of the complexities of Israel that resulted in the one and only assassination of a Prime Minister and by one of their own. For all teens interested in international affairs and politics. Lawrence of Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Scott Anderson Advanced teen readers who like history will enjoy this highly readable and fascinating story of WWI and the beginnings of today's Middle East. *Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick Every American child learns how the Mayflower brought the Pilgrims across the ocean to establish a colony on the New England Coast. For the older teen reader, Philbrick's enthralling book fills in the details of that journey and the first half-century of their lives on that shore. Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham A riveting story well-told of the science, the history, and the political dynamic that spawned the world's largest man-made disaster, this book will appeal to well-read, mature teens with an interest in science, politics, and human nature. My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel by Ari Shavit Born in Israel, living in Israel, and willing to die for Israel, center-left journalist Ari Shavit has written an immensely illuminating and personal account of the history of the State of Israel. Mature teen readers with an interest in international politics will enjoy this book. No Good Men Among the Living: America, The Taliban, and the War Through Afghan Eyes by Anand Gopal Gopal moved to Afghanistan in 2008 and spent four years looking at America's longest war through the eyes of the Afghans.. His story is clear, well-written and a fine example of the value of excellent journalism. This would be a good book for a mature teen with an interest in foreign service. However, it is a harsh and heartbreaking story: teens who already have a sense of world realities will handle it best. *Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954 to 1963 by Taylor Branch This Pulitzer Prize-winning account of America's Civil Rights Movement is jaw-dropping and humbling. Advanced teen readers with an interest in American history will enjoy this book. Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer by Tim Jeal Has there ever been anyone who has done more wild and crazy things and lived to a ripe old age? Henry Morton Stanley was just a kid with nothing in the world but his own wits when he set out on this life. He is best known for finding Dr. Livingston in Africa, mid-eighteen hundreds, but that episode doesn't even scratch the surface. Pure adventure for any teen so inclined. *The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, A Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War. Is there a place in the worst of situations for the best of intentions? Gladwell addresses that dream that arose out of the ashes of the First World War and floundered during the Second World War. For advanced teen readers with an interest in history and international relations. *The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War by Stephen Kinzer This is a joint biography of two brothers, the first a secretary of state, the latter a director of the CIA during the 1950's who shaped and drove US foreign policy during that decade and arguably shaped world opinion of the US for ensuing decades. Mature teen readers who have an interest in US history and political science will find this book interesting. *The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson Set in Chicago circa 1893, this multiple award-winning book narrates the intertwined tales of the architect who overcame enormous obstacles to build the ground-breaking Chicago World's Fair, and the twisted Doctor who used the World Fair to lure multiple victims to their deaths. Nonfiction portrayed in a novelistic style, this book will appeal to serious teen readers. *The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko The sub-title of this book does not do it justice. This is a history/wilderness/engineering/philosophy/human endurance story that demands the reader's participation and rewards it in spades. For older, experienced teen readers and especially those who love the outdoor sports. *The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire by Stephen Kinzer The turn of the last century, when America first decided to interfere militarily in the sovereignty of other nations. Of interest to mature teen readers with an interest in history and the origins of current foreign interventions. *The Floor of Heaven: A True Tale of the Last Frontier and the Yukon Gold Rush by Howard Blum Just when you thought the Wild West was over, someone discovers gold in the Yukon. A prospector, a con artist, and a cowboy turned Pinkerton detective cross paths in this true adventure story that spans from the Midwest, through Colorado, California and Alaska. Great for all teens, especially those who like historical adventure. *The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer Treuer, an Ojibwe Indian, Ph.D. in anthropology, professor of literature and writing, summarizes the history of the American Indian up to the battle at Wounded Knee where most histories end. He then fills us in on the history since and ties us all together in the rocky pursuit of the American Promise. For advanced teen readers interested in history and their place therein. *The Unbrokenby Laura Hillenbrand An airman goes down with his plane in the Pacific during World War II. First he must survive the ocean, then a Japanese concentration camp. This compelling narrative rivets even the youngest teens. The Unvanquished: Why the First World War Failed to End by Robert Gerwath The end of the fighting of The First World War did not mean the end of the violence that would then shape much of the following century. An excellent history that sheds light on our world as it is today. For all advanced teen readers with an interest in History and the greater world. *The Wright Brothers by David McCullough One day in the earliest years of the twentieth century, two brothers figured out how to fly. McCullough sets this phenomenal story in a rich depiction of the culture of the times. Great for teens with both an interest in history and in stepping up to the possibilities of the time they live in, from middle grade readers on up. *They Marched Into Sunlight: War and Peace; Viet Nam and America, October 1967 by David Mariniss Mariniss tells the whole story of the complexity and tragedy of the Viet Nam War by contrasting soldiers marching into battle with war protestors at home over the course of a few significant days in October, 1967. For advanced teen readers with an interest in history. Thirteen Days in September by Lawrence Wright In September 1978, the leaders of Egypt, Israel, and the United States spent thirteen days in Camp David trying to work out a peace agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbors. As in his other books of interest to teens, The Looming Tower and Going Clear, Wright makes a complex history clear and fascinating. Nearly forty years later, peace is still elusive in this conflict, and will be a central issue for novice world citizens in the years to come. For advanced teen readers with an interest in history, politics, and diplomacy. *Undaunted Courageby Stephen E. Ambrose In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark launched an expedition from St. Louis charged by President Jefferson to find a waterway through to the Pacific. The journey to the mouth of the Columbia river and back took a little over two years. Mature teen readers who enjoy nature and history will like this book. *We were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates A deeply probing memoir/commentary on Obama's eight years as president, its effect on this writer, and its place within the United States' long and troubled racial conflict. For advanced teen readers with an interest in history and social conflict. *See also good American historical fiction in my fiction list: Caleb's Crossing, Orphan Train, The Good Lord Bird, The Heretic's Daughter, The Century Trilogy