Year of Wonders
Geraldine Brooks
In the spring of 1666, as the Great Plague descends upon the quiet Derbyshire village of Eyam, its villagers make the extraordinary decision to isolate themselves in a fateful quarantine. Through the eyes of eighteen-year-old Anna Frith, we witness the devastating loss of her family, the disintegration of her community, and the emergence of a dangerous and illicit love. Based on a true story, this powerful novel explores themes of love, fear, fanaticism, and the clash between seventeenth-century science and religion at the dawn of the modern era, as Anna navigates a world transformed by suffering and resilience.
The Ornament of the World
María Rosa Menocal
Challenging conventional narratives of the 'Dark Ages,' María Rosa Menocal unveils the vibrant, multicultural civilization of al-Andalus, medieval Spain, where Muslims, Jews, and Christians forged an extraordinary culture of tolerance, intellectual flourishing, and artistic innovation. Through vivid historical vignettes, Menocal explores how this unique society thrived for centuries, leaving an indelible mark on European history, and ultimately grapples with the forces that led to its tragic decline. This illuminating work offers a timely reflection on the complexities of coexistence and the enduring legacy of a lost world.
On Savage Shores
Caroline Dodds Pennock
Shattering the Eurocentric narrative of discovery, 'On Savage Shores' unveils the untold stories of thousands of Indigenous Americans who journeyed to Europe from 1492 onwards. From diplomats and interpreters to enslaved individuals, these forgotten pioneers navigated a strange new world, profoundly influencing European culture and challenging its preconceptions. This meticulously researched history reveals a complex, often brutal, transatlantic exchange, highlighting the resilience, agency, and tragic fate of Native peoples at the heart of empire.
The Rediscovery of America
Ned Blackhawk
Challenging conventional narratives, this groundbreaking book reframes U.S. history by centering the experiences, struggles, and enduring sovereignty of Native American peoples. From the Spanish borderlands to the Cold War era, it exposes how the nation's development was inextricably linked to settler colonialism, dispossession, and Indigenous resistance, urging readers to confront a more complex and truthful American past.
Wrestling with Moses
Anthony Flint
This riveting account chronicles the epic clash between Jane Jacobs, a visionary author and activist, and Robert Moses, New York's formidable master builder. Delving into their legendary battle over the future of New York City, particularly the proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway, the book reveals how Jacobs's grassroots efforts and revolutionary ideas challenged Moses's top-down urban renewal projects, ultimately transforming the landscape and philosophy of American city planning forever.
An Emancipation of the Mind
Matthew Stewart
This book offers a groundbreaking intellectual history of the American struggle over slavery, revealing how radical European philosophy, particularly German thought, profoundly influenced key figures like Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Parker. It challenges conventional narratives by exposing the deep complicity of American Christianity in perpetuating slavery and highlighting the 'infidelity' of abolitionists. Through an examination of the 'worldwide commerce in ideas' and the politico-theological crisis of the era, the book argues that the Civil War was not merely a conflict over states' rights but a culmination of a global intellectual movement to refound America on principles of universal freedom and reason.
The Vaster Wilds
Lauren Groff
A young girl flees a starving colonial settlement in the New World, escaping into a brutal, untamed wilderness. As she battles the elements, hunger, and the constant threat of pursuit, she embarks on a profound journey of survival, faith, and self-discovery, confronting the raw realities of nature and the depths of human endurance. This gripping novel explores themes of freedom, civilization, and the wildness within.
Free
Lea Ypi
In a captivating memoir, Lea Ypi recounts her childhood in Albania during the final years of communism and its tumultuous collapse. Through the eyes of a young girl grappling with conflicting narratives from her family and the state, the book explores the profound and often bewildering transition from a totalitarian regime to a new, uncertain freedom. It's a deeply personal and philosophical journey into the meaning of liberty, identity, and the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of a changing world.