The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England

Dan Jones. A novelistic historical account of the bloodline that "stamped their mark forever on the English imagination." With a bit of background on the civil war between Stephen and Matilda that first gained the throne for Henry, Jones splits his tale in two at the usurpation of Richard II in 1399 by his first cousin Henry IV. This structure will whet readers' appetites for the second volume, which will cover the War of the Roses, the princes in the Tower and Richard III. Historians may question a few dates and events, but for enjoyable historical narratives, this book is a real winner.--Kirkus

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The War Below: The Story of Three Submarines That Battled Japan

James Scott. Using voluminous official records plus interviews and an amazing number of unpublished diaries and letters, Scott delivers a gripping, almost day-by-day account of the actions of three submarines, Silversides, Tang and Drum, from Pearl Harbor to VE Day. Nazi U-boats get the publicity, but America's submarines were more effective, sinking so many Japanese vessels that by the end of World War II, civilians were starving and factories barely functioning. Military buffs will lap it up, but general readers may find it difficult to resist the tension, drama and fireworks of this underappreciated but dazzlingly destructive American weapon of WWII.

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Above the Din of War: Afghans Speak about Their Lives, Their Country, and Their Future-And Why America Should Listen

Peter Eichstaedt. Veteran journalist Eichstaedt delivers from Afghanistan a dismal report on that country's continued disintegration and decline and the failure of U.S. efforts to prevent it. When U.S. and coalition forces entered Afghanistan in 2001 and defeated the brutal Taliban regime, hopes ran high for peace and prosperity. Neither, reports the author, has occurred. Rather, Afghanistan remains a country "crumbling at the edges and collapsing at its core." Heartbreaking and spellbinding dispatches from a country descending into madness.--Kirkus

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The Civil War in 50 Objects

Harold Holzer. This excellent collection of 50 Civil War artifacts is accompanied by beautifully written and incisive essays by acclaimed historian Holzer. Timed for publication to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, the book's 50 artifacts have been well selected in an effort to emphasize the personal, human aspects of the conflict. For both Civil War buffs and general readers, this collection should be a treasure.--Booklist

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Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution

Nathaniel Philbrick. Philbrick will be a candidate for another award with this ingenious, bottom-up look at Boston from the time of the December 1773 Tea Party to the iconic June 1775 battle. Bunker Hill was the first and bloodiest engagement of the eight years of fighting that followed. A rewarding approach to a well-worn subject, rich in anecdotes, opinion, bloodshed and Byzantine political maneuvering.-- Kirkus

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The Enlightenment: And Why It Still Matters

Anthony Pagden. Pagden demonstrates the breadth and depth of his knowledge and his impeccable research of the period we refer to as the Enlightenment. Seeking to define men and their relationships with nature, and especially with each other, led to this scientific revolution; it was an intellectual process, a philosophical project and a social movement. Pagden impressively illustrates the significant discussions that took place as the scientists, historians and other intellectuals of the period tried to fathom man's nature and subject dogma to reason. A book that should be on every thinking person's shelf--the perfect primer for anyone interested in the development of Western civilization.--Kirkus

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The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia

Andrei Lankov. Examination of North Korea's misery-producing dictatorship, why it cannot last and how to replace it. A Russian historian who spent time in North Korea as an exchange student and lived through his own country's break with Soviet authoritarianism, Lankov (History/Koomkin Univ., Seoul; North of the DMZ: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea, 2007, etc.) offers an astute look into the lethal absurdities of the North Korean regime, from the time of Great Leader Kim Il-sung to grandson Kim Jong-un. A well-reasoned survey by a scholar who excels at long-term thinking. --Kirkus

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Above the Din of War: Afghans Speak about Their Lives, Their Country, and Their Future-And Why America Should Listen

Peter Eichstaedt. Veteran journalist Eichstaedt delivers from Afghanistan a dismal report on that country's continued disintegration and decline and the failure of U.S. efforts to prevent it. Eichstaedt interviewed Afghans from all walks of life: government officials, Taliban leaders, shopkeepers, mullahs, would-be suicide bombers, victims of self-immolation and others. Heartbreaking and spellbinding dispatches from a country descending into madness.--Kirkus

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Those Angry Days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America's Fight Over World War II, 1939-1941

Lynne Olson. A fully fleshed-out portrait of the battle between the interventionists and isolationists in the 18 months leading up to Pearl Harbor. Former Baltimore Sun White House correspondent Olson looks closely at both sides of the U.S. debate about whether to support Britain against the onslaught of Nazi Germany or remain aloof from the European conflict, epitomized by the two prominent personalities of the respective camps, President Franklin Roosevelt and Charles Lindbergh.Throughout, Olson adroitly sifts through the many conflicting currents. A vivid, colorful evocation of a charged era.--Kirkus

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