United States

John Bolton served as national security advisor to President Donald Trump for 519 days. What Bolton saw astonished him: a president for whom getting reelected was the only thing that mattered, even if it meant endangering or weakening the nation....

For the first time, and with surprising and revealing insights, Kamala Harris tells the story of one of the wildest and most consequential presidential campaigns in American history.

From acclaimed columnist and political commentator Michael Harriot comes a searingly smart and bitingly hilarious retelling of American history that corrects the record and showcases the perspectives and experiences of Black Americans....

Over two grim nights in Los Angeles, the young followers of Charles Manson murdered seven people. Twenty years ago, when journalist Tom O'Neill was reporting a magazine piece about the murders, he worried there was nothing new to say. Then he unearthed shocking evidence of a cover-up....

As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science....

From the New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in Chernobyl comes the definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the Challenger disaster, based on fascinating in-depth reporting and new archival research—a riveting history that flows like a thriller.

This exhilarating account delivers a sweeping narrative that encompasses Spanish colonialism, the Civil War, the destruction of the buffalo herds, and the arrival of the railroads....

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Prairie Fires comes a terrifying true-crime history of serial killers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond—a gripping investigation of how a new strain of psychopath emerged out of a toxic landscape of deadly industrial violence.

In this searing classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement....

"Russian influence" may have entered our national pop-consciousness in Election 2016, but it is the shiny, deceptive, contested, and buried X-factor of a century of wars in Washington. In American Betrayal, Diana West digs deep to uncover a body of lies....

An epic, sweeping history of Cuba and its complex ties to the United States—from before the arrival of Columbus to the present day—written by one of the world’s leading historians of Cuba....

A shocking and revelatory account of the murder of Emmett Till that lays bare how forces from around the world converged on the Mississippi Delta in the long lead-up to the crime, and how the truth was erased for so long.

Timely and engaging, Code Name: Pale Horse is an eye-opening and crucial true story of one man risking his life to infiltrate the most dangerous neo-Nazi group in the United States.

In riveting prose, These Truths tells the story of America, beginning in 1492, to ask whether the course of events has proven the nation's founding truths or belied them....

The true tale of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and the cunning serial killer who used the magic and majesty of the fair to lure his victims to their death....

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Already a major international bestseller, Zeinab Badawi’s sweeping and much-needed survey of African history traces the continent’s extraordinary legacy from prehistory to the present from the African perspective.

It would be difficult to overstate the influence of The Federalist Papers. Books That Matter: The Federalist Papers gives you the chance to delve into this magisterial blueprint for yourself....

From the creators of the New York Times bestselling audio series Campfire Stories and MeatEater’s American History comes a new audiobook original that plunges listeners into the untamed world of a celebrated and misunderstood group of nineteenth-century outdoorsmen: the Mountain Men.

The Warmth of Other Suns is a bold, remarkable, and riveting work, a superb account of an “unrecognized immigration” within our own land.

A dramatic expansion of a groundbreaking work of journalism, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story offers a profoundly revealing vision of the American past and present....

The history of the Constitution is therefore a history of ideas that define our country and our national identity—and it’s a fascinating and revealing story. The US Constitution Through History gives you the opportunity to explore the story of this powerful document....

In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world....

In this sweeping, foundational work, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Hackett Fischer draws on extensive research to show how enslaved Africans and their descendants enlarged American ideas of freedom in varying ways in different regions of the early United States....

In the second volume of the landmark American Revolution trilogy by the Pulitzer Prize-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The British Are Coming, George Washington’s army fights on the knife edge between victory and defeat.

The building of the atomic bomb is the most audacious undertaking in human history: a rush by a small group of scientists and engineers in complete secrecy to unlock the most fundamental power of the universe. Even today, the Manhattan Project evokes boldness, daring, and the grandest of dreams: bringing an end to World War II in the Pacific. As Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen fight overseas, men and women strive to discover the atom’s secrets in places like Chicago, Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Hanford, and Los Alamos.

Joseph Smith Jr. (1805–1844) was one of the most successful and controversial religious leaders of nineteenth-century America, publishing the Book of Mormon and starting what would become the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He built temples, founded a city-state in Illinois, ran for president, and married more than thirty women. This self-made prophet thrilled his followers with his grand vision of peace and unity, but his increasingly grandiose plans tested and sometimes shattered their faith.

Marion Graves Anthon Fish, known by the nicknames “Mamie” and “The Fun-Maker,” threw the most epic parties in American history. This Gilded Age icon brought it all: lavish decor; A-list invitees; booze; pranks; and large animal guest stars. If you were a member of New York high society in the Peak Age of Innocence Era, you simply had to be on Mamie Fish’s guest list. Mamie Fish understood that people didn’t just need the formality of prior generations—they needed wit and whimsy.

The Conjuring of America tells the epic story of conjure women, who, through a mix of spiritual beliefs, herbal rituals, and therapeutic remedies gave rise to the rich tapestry of American culture we see today. Feminist philosopher, Lindsey Stewart, tells the stories of Negro Mammies of slavery; the Voodoo Queens and Blues Women of Reconstruction; and the Granny Midwives and textile weavers of the Jim Crow era. These women, in secrecy and subterfuge, courageously and devotedly continued their practices and worship for centuries and passed down their traditions.

New York City entered 1986 as a city reborn, with record profits on Wall Street sending waves of money splashing across Manhattan and bringing a once-bankrupt, reeling city back to life. But it also entered 1986 as a city divided. Nearly one-third of the city’s Black and Hispanic residents were living below the federal poverty line. Thousands of New Yorkers were sleeping in the streets—and in many cases addicted to drugs, dying of AIDS, or suffering from mental illness.

In 1985, a white man walked into a South Georgia church and brutally murdered Harold and Thelma Swain, two pillars of the area's Black community. For fifteen years, the case remained unsolved. Then authorities zeroed in on Dennis Perry, a carpenter who grew up nearby. Convicted with devastatingly flawed evidence, Perry received a double life sentence. When award-winning journalist and South Georgia native Joshua Sharpe retraces the case, he discovers a winding path of corruption, devastating missteps, and secrets.

The Undiscovered Country strips away the layers of myth to reveal the true story of the American West. From the forests of Pennsylvania and Kentucky to the snow-crested California Sierras, and from the harsh deserts of the Southwest to the buffalo range of the Great Plains, Paul Andrew Hutton masterfully chronicles a story that defined America and its people. From Braddock’s 1755 defeat to the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre, he unfolds a grand narrative steeped in romantic impulses and tragic consequences.

Few women of the American Revolution have come through 250 years of US history with such clarity and color as Angelica Schuyler Church. She was Alexander Hamilton's "saucy" sister-in-law, and the heart of Thomas Jefferson's "charming coterie" of artists and salonnières in Paris. Her transatlantic network of important friends spanned the political spectrum of her time and place, and her astute eye and brilliant letters kept them well informed.

Alexis Okeowo grew up in Montgomery—the former seat of the Confederacy—as the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. Here, she weaves her family’s story with Alabama’s, defying stereotypes about her endlessly complex, often-pigeonholed home state. She immerses us in a landscape dominated today not by cotton fields but by Amazon warehouses, encountering high-powered Christian business leaders lobbying for tribal sovereignty and small-town women coming out against conservative politics. Okeowo shows how people can love their home while still acknowledging its sins.

The full story of an industry, a city, and two men—one who got everything he ever wanted, one who never got what he thought he deserved—and what happened the night it all came apart.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is burning!” This phrase was supposedly uttered by announcers during the 1977 World Series as flames rose above Yankee Stadium, and it became a defining expression of a turbulent time in American history. Throughout the 1970s, a wave of arson coursed through American cities, destroying entire neighborhoods home to poor communities of color.

Grace to Overcome invites you on a spiritual and historical journey, interweaving the rich tapestry of black history with the profound narratives of the Bible. Crafted by Pastor Bryan C. Loritts, an influential voice in multiethnic church movements, Grace to Overcome is a powerful collection of thirty-one devotions that bring to life the stories of both renowned and lesser-known figures who have help shaped society.

With a blend of reportage, historical data, and pop culture, Black Genius touches on timely issues of race, class, and creativity. Tre’s life and career put him in a unique position to become a cultural observer, diving into predominantly-Black cities, communities, and schools with an ever-watchful eye of what was happening around Black opportunity, mobility, politics, and institutions. In this collection Tre pinpoints four key aspects of Black American genius—innovation, family, celebration, and community as the recipe to coming out on top.

In this comprehensive work, David Eltis offers a two-thousand-year perspective on the trafficking of people, and boldly intervenes in the expansive discussions about slavery in the last half-century. Using new and underexplored data made available by slavevoyages.org, Eltis offers compelling explanations of why the slave trades began and why they ended, and in the process debunks long-held assumptions, including how bilateral rather than triangular voyages were the norm, and how the Portuguese rather than the British were the leading slave traders.

The deep woods of the Lone Star State hold secrets. On lonely backroads and in the shadow of sprawling suburbs, ordinary people have been confronted by an impossible, terrifying reality. For decades, whispers of a giant, hair-covered creature—a monster that walks on two legs—have haunted the dense, swampy bottomlands. Most dismiss them as folklore. But what if the stories are true? This chilling collection brings together the most compelling and detailed eyewitness testimony ever recorded. From a driver’s blood-chilling encounter on a dark highway and a teenager’s glimpse of a ...

America’s National Parks are cathedrals of nature, promising escape and profound peace. But for some, that promise is broken. The same vast, rugged landscapes that offer sanctuary can become the perfect place to disappear. This gripping collection of true crime stories and chilling unsolved mysteries delves into the darkness that lurks behind the scenic vistas. Journey into the heart of these baffling cases: the #vanlife influencer whose curated dream ended in a shallow grave near the Tetons ; the honeymooning couple who vanished from their boat in the Grand Canyon, leaving behind an ...

When the idea that the United States should purchase Greenland was raised, it was dismissed by the world as a whimsical and anachronistic fantasy. This book moves beyond the headlines to reveal the powerful historical precedent and compelling strategic logic that makes this proposition one of the most consequential foreign policy ideas of the 21st century. It meticulously builds the case that this seemingly radical notion is, in fact, the most pragmatic solution to a complex international dilemma. Greenland today finds itself at a historical crossroads, trapped in an economic model of ...

Why Arizona? From ancient petroglyphs etched in stone to the restricted airspace over the nation's most advanced military bases, the story of the unknown is written into the state's very landscape. This is the complete case file of a global epicenter for unexplained aerial phenomena. This meticulously researched account goes beyond speculation to present the hard evidence and credible testimony that officials have tried to ridicule and deny for decades. Inside, you will discover: The full story of the 1997 Phoenix Lights, a silent, mile-wide craft that passed directly over the city, an ...

Benjamin Franklin & The Practical Philosopher strips away hagiography to reveal the working mind behind the myth: a printer who treated the world like a laboratory, an inventor who turned thrift into discovery, a diplomat who turned manners into leverage, and a public thinker who made everyday experiments matter to millions. Sharp, humane, and unromantic, this book traces how Franklin's habits—curiosity hooked to craft, wit harnessed to purpose, and thrift married to civic ambition—became a practical philosophy anyone can learn and use. Clear-eyed analysis, brisk storytelling, and moral...

Behind the Seal: The Hidden History of the White House and the Presidency Step inside America’s most famous address and discover the untold stories behind the presidents, the families, and the people who have kept the White House running for more than two centuries. From the smoke-filled ruins of 1814 to glittering state dinners, from whispered moments of crisis in the Situation Room to holiday traditions that warm the nation, Behind the Seal reveals the human side of the presidency — and the building that symbolizes it. Through richly detailed chapters, you’ll walk the halls where ...

Is a real, undiscovered primate stalking the swamps and suburbs of the Sunshine State? This definitive collection of evidence plunges deep into one of America's most enduring and frightening mysteries. Journey through a century of sightings, from the earliest legends of wildmen in the cypress domes to the shocking, modern encounters captured on video and film. Inside, you will find a chilling and methodical investigation of the creature's existence, including: The shocking Myakka Skunk Ape photos that baffled a sheriff's office and became a global sensation. A frame-by-frame analysis of the...

A Month in Boston The Vardiman family has traveled a lot, for week-long vacations, visits to the family in St. Louis, and trips to Disneyland. But, this trip was different. We were on our way to Boston, one of the birthplaces of our country. Living in the Midwest, Colorado, and on the West Coast provides only a limited exposure to the early history of our country, We were going to see where the shot heard around the world was fired, the Old North Church, the USS Constitution, and, maybe, Benjamin Franklin, if he happened to be visiting the Concord Inn while we are there. We anticipate ...

Arguably the most intellectual, creative, cosmopolitan, and curious of the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin is the only top-tier Founder not to have served as president. Despite not becoming the Chief Executive, Franklin played an active role in American politics and served the aspiring and young United States in the key European capitals. His prodigious reading and appetite for learning are epic. As he did in works about Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, Kevin J. Hayes interprets the life and mind of Franklin through what he read.

Orrin Porter Rockwell believed in his prophet, Joseph Smith. He spent most of a year chained in an Independence dungeon for his belief, then walked across Missouri to Nauvoo, stumbling into Joseph’s house on Christmas Day. Joseph said to him then, “Cut not thy hair and no bullet or blade can harm thee,” and the legend was born. But although he walked with presidents and generals, scholars and scoundrels, in a life lived at the center of many of the great events of the American frontier, he has remained an enigma, a source of continuing controversy.

He lived in lightning—brilliant, eccentric, often misunderstood. From a Croatian farm to Manhattan’s electric glow, Nikola Tesla carried visions so audacious they read like prophecy: wireless power, radio waves, machines that felt like magic. This is the story of a mind that lit the modern world and the ruthless currents that tried to drown it out. Sharp, unsentimental, and fast-paced, JD Arden cuts through myth to reveal the human logic behind invention: the equations, the obsessions, and the theater. The War of Currents—AC versus DC—becomes more than a technical quarrel; it’s a ...