Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945

Max Hastings. Hastings emphasizes personal experiences as well as his often squirm-inducing opinions. Most general histories sprinkle their pages with anecdotes, but Hastings has this down to a science. He employs numerous specialists, delving into Russian and Italian archives and personally tracking down obscure, vivid, often painful stories from the usual combatants as well as Poles, Bengalese, Chinese and Japanese. Excellent general WWII accounts abound—including those by historical superstars such as Stephen Ambrose and John Keegan—but Hastings is matchless.--Kirkus (Check Catalog)

Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns

Avlon, John (Editor), Angelo, Jesse (Editor), Louis, Errol (Editor). Well-catalogued and categorized, this exultant retrospective of American journalism seems ideal for today's attention spans and travel schedules. "Well done is better than well said," Benjamin Franklin wrote, but as far as this essential anthology goes, it's so well done, there's nothing left to say.--Publisher's Weekly (Check Catalog)

Fatal Crossroads: The Untold Story of the Malmedy Massacre at the Battle of the Bulge

Danny Parker. Military historian Parker returns with a sharply focused look at a grisly 1944 incident, the massacre of more than 80 American prisoners outside Malmédy, Belgium. Assembling a massive amount of data, the author views the tragedy from the perspectives of survivors, the Germans and the Belgian civilians, some of whom aided the wounded, some of whom did not. Comprehensive, definitive, grim and gripping.--Kirkus (Check Catalog)

Taking Liberties: The War on Terror and the Erosion of American Democracy

Susan Herman. A focused, thorough account of the federal government's panicked response to 9/11 and the consequent rollback of our civil liberties. Divided into three major sections—"Dragnets and Watchlists," "Surveillance and Secrecy" and "American Democracy"—the book offers a compelling case that the basic constitutional protections most Americans take for granted, including the rights to free speech, a fair trial and due process, as well as freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, were seriously compromised after 9/11 as a result of the government's well-meaning but ill-conceived efforts to safeguard the country against another attack.--Kirkus (Check Catalog)

Moscow, December 25, 1991 : the last day of the Soviet Union

Conor O'Clery. The author gives microscopic attention to the telling details: whose pen was used to sign documents, how CNN got to broadcast Gorbachev's speech and much more. Shaping the day, writes O'Clery, were the successive effects of the bitterness, resentments and grudges of the five-year rivalry between Gorbachev and Yeltsin. A compelling story about how sometimes the little everyday things can shape the broad sweep of history more powerfully than ideologies or competitive economic systems.--Kirkus (Check Catalog).