Town Histories

Perfect for fans of the musical Come From Away! When 38 jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land at Gander International Airport in Canada by the closing of U.S. airspace on September 11, the population of this small town on Newfoundland Island swelled from 10,300 to nearly 17...

“A bonkers, kitchen-sink cultural history of Oklahoma City, with the local Thunder’s would-be dynasty as its driving soul.”—The New York Times “Dizzyingly pleasurable . . . curious, hilarious, and wildly erudite.”—The New Yorker A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book...

"Narrator Susan Bennett offers a moving performance of this multilayered story of two women whose lives are affected by a WPA mural...Overall, Bennett adds an exciting dimension to a gripping story of racism, madness, murder, and even romance." — AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner From...

This is the first thorough historical account of Chief Seattle and his times - the story of a half century of tremendous flux, turmoil, and violence, during which a native American war leader became an advocate for peace and strove to create a successful hybrid racial community.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A long-abandoned silver mine for sale sounded like an adventure too great to pass up, but it turned into much more—a calling, a community of millions, and hard-earned lessons about chasing impractical dreams. “Inspiring and meditative—the story of man vs...

Sundown Towns examines thousands of all-white American towns that were - and still are, in some instances - racially exclusive by design.

A collection of stories capturing what it means to be a cowboy.

An old house blemished with the putrid stench of past shame, an historic murder that was never satisfactorily solved, and a truth that is determined to show itself. Rob and his wife Julie are aware of their new house's unsavory past when they buy the property, but the place is a bargain that's too good to pass up. Located a short distance from the nearest town and in a prime position offering spectacular sea views, it's the perfect place for the couple to care for their foster children. However, it isn't long before the shadow of their new home's terrible past begins to taint their day-to-...

In 1349, one small town in Germany disappeared and was never resettled. Tom, a contemporary historian, and his theoretical-physicist girlfriend, Sharon, become interested. By all logic, the town should have survived, but it didn't. Why? What was special about Eifelheim that it utterly disappeared more than 600 years ago?

From legendary journalist Gay Talese, a collection of his greatest reporting on New York City. “Along with Joan Didion, Norman Mailer, Tom Wolfe and others, Mr. Talese has been acclaimed as a virtuoso of the novelistic New Journalism.” —Wall Street Journal “They fly in...

Based on the real-life adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little Town on the Prairie is the seventh book in the award-winning Little House series, which has captivated generations of readers. In Little Town on the Prairie, the young town of De Smet has survived the long, harsh winter of...

When the bodies of two Black men were found sitting with a crackpipe in a parked car in a rundown section of town in 1994, it seemed just another day in Kansas City, Kansas. The swift arrest and conviction of a seventeen-year-old Black kid from a broken home raised no eyebrows either. And yet, thirty years later, Lamonte McIntyre would prove to be the David that took down the Goliath of corruption that had long controlled the city’s power structure and enveloped the city’s justice system.

Often overshadowed by San Francisco, its larger and more glamorous twin, Oakland has a fascinating history of its own. From serving as a major transportation hub to forging a dynamic manufacturing sector, by the mid-twentieth century Oakland had become the urban center of the East Bay. Hella Town focuses on how political deals, economic schemes, and technological innovations fueled this emergence but also seeded the city's postwar struggles.

California's Screamin' with Haunted hotels, Deserted prisons. and Forgotten ghost towns. California’s golden promise has always come with a darker side—and its ghosts never let us forget it. From the shadowy halls of Alcatraz to the eerie streets of Bodie, from Hollywood’s tragic stars to Disneyland’s whispered legends, Golden State Ghosts uncovers the real stories behind California’s most haunted places. These aren’t just campfire tales—they are echoes of history, shaped by violence, ambition, greed, and dreams gone wrong. Inside you’ll discover: The true events that gave ...

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK "Captivated me from the first chapter to the final page."—Reese Witherspoon Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman’s struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An explosive, deeply reported exposé of McKinsey & Company, the international consulting firm that advises corporations and governments, that highlights the often drastic impact of its work on employees and citizens around the world "Meticulously reported, and...

Nel Cassidy is running for her life. She escaped a vicious gang with her young son, Adam, but the New Mexico desert offers no mercy to a woman with no supplies and nowhere to go. Unless she finds help fast, the desert will finish what the gang started. Harry Swann is the young sheriff of Copperhead, a town carved out of lawless territory and kept safe by his steady hand. He has known loss and violence, but his days are quiet until Nel and her son stumble into his life. When he chooses to protect them, he does not yet understand the storm riding hard for his town. Harry vows to stand between...

Designed for visitors wishing to explore the archaeological landscape, this user-friendly guide sets out a plan of 20 Roman towns – explaining how visitors can find the site and what they may expect to see. Where appropriate, this book explores how the town developed from an Iron Age settlement or where it began life as a military fortress or fort.

"Brilliantly written, masterful storytelling, and hard to put down. This story will stay with me for a very, very long time." —Heather Morris, #1 bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz An empowering, uplifting tale of two women from opposite sides of society, and their extraordinary...

A quiet southern college town. A series of sudden student deaths. A tenured professor’s mysterious behavior. A young man haunted by encounters in the night he can’t explain. When history lecturer Jack Turner begins reliving the past in vivid, nighttime encounters, his world starts to unravel. It threatens to derail a budding romance with a beautiful teaching assistant, Rachel Cook. As local detective Joe Boyd investigates a string of strange student deaths, the two men find themselves pulled into a chilling web of secrets, lies, and a dangerous conspiracy that blurs the line between ...