The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassination

Strauss, Barry (Get this book)
Master historian Strauss zeroes in on the few years surrounding Julius Caesar's assassination and delves into the strengths of the characters involved.The author traces five of the best sources: Nicolaus of Damascus, Plutarch, Suetonius, Cassius Dio and Appian. Everyone knows what happened on the ides of March, but Strauss goes deeper in his investigation of how Caesar had ill omens and decided not to attend the senate meeting he had called. It was Decimus, longtime supporter, friend and fellow diner the night before, who literally led Caesar by the hand into the senate. The author explains how Caesar's funeral was even more dramatic than Shakespeare's version—especially Mark Antony's eulogy. Once again, Strauss takes us deep into the psyche of ancient history in an exciting, twisted tale that is sure to please.--Kirkus

The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East

Eugene Rogan (Get this book)
Rogan corrects Western assumptions about the "sick man of Europe."In this well-researched, evenhanded treatment of the Ottomans' role in World War I, especially in its assessment of the Armenian genocide of 1918, the author delineates the urgent internal and external causes spurring the crumbling Turkish empire to seek a defensive alliance with Germany and counter Britain, France and Russia when war broke out in 1914. An illuminating work that offers new understanding to the troubled history of this key geopolitical region. --Kirkus

Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad

Foner, Eric (Get this book)
Drawing on previously untapped sources in an archive at Columbia University, Foner offers meticulous accounts of how abolitionists helped escaped slaves travel between the South to safety in upstate New York and Canada. A key figure Foner reveals is Sydney Howard Gay, an abolitionist newspaperman who recorded details of escapees, their movements in what later became known as the Underground Railroad, and efforts by abolitionists to raise funds to continue financing their campaign. Foner offers harrowing details of escape and powerful stories of those who risked their lives for freedom. He also details the growing frictions in a city that became embroiled in the secessionist debate as the Fugitive Slave Law and economic interests clashed with ideals about democracy and freedom. A sweeping, detailed look at an important enterprise in the history of U.S. resistance to slavery.--Booklist

American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity

Christian G. Appy (Get this book)
Analyzing public, political and cultural responses to the Vietnam War, Appy argues that the protracted conflict "shattered the central tenet of American national identity—the broad faith that the United States is a unique force for good in the world."Although he does not prove that belief in "American exceptionalism" was shattered, the author makes a strong case that the war continues to affect national identity. For generations who know the Vietnam War largely through movies and fiction, this well-informed and impassioned book is an antidote to forgetting and an appe a l to reassess America's place in the world.--Kirkus

Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War

Jordan, Brian Matthew (Get this book)
This Civil War history begins where most end, showing what happened to the men who fought to preserve the Union. Jordan's book is about the postwar tribulations of Billy Yank. While the civilian population had had enough of war, those who fought for the North were unwilling to forgive and forget, and they marched in Washington a few weeks after Robert E. Lee surrendered and Abraham Lincoln was murdered. Assiduously researched—half the volume is occupied by a bibliography and copious notes—his book is entirely founded on the words of those who fought, extracted from letters, recollections and reflections. The boys in blue who rallied around the flag are gone, but in Jordan's history, their words survive. A useful history of how "the terror of this unprecedented war long outlived the stacking of arms a t Appomattox."--Kirkus

Vivid Faces: The Revolutionary Generation in Ireland, 1890-1923

R.F. Foster (Get this book)
A bracing study of the rebels who secured Ireland's freedom from Britain nearly a century ago.When it comes to people who once lived and breathed, Foster, perhaps the pre-eminent student of Irish history working today, is no hagiographer. Moreover, he does not subscribe to the great man theory of history. As he writes here, by way of prelude, one of his interests is to show "how a revolutionary generation comes to be made, rather than born." Although Irish politics has been definitively sectarian, especially in its nationalist (or unionist) dimensions, the author observes that many of the first-generation rebels against British rule were Protestant; one, Alice Milligan, described herself as an "internal prisoner" of her family. Readable and provocative. Students of contemporary Irish history have few better guides than the sometimes-dyspeptic but refreshingly agenda-less Foster.--Kirkus

Chasing Gold: The Incredible Story of How the Nazis Stole Europe's Bullion

George M. Taber (Get this book)
The story of the Nazis' international bank robberies.After World War I, Germany was subject to huge reparations to the Allied victors. High unemployment, inflation and fierce anger over the nation's defeat generated political and social strife that fueled Hitler's rise to power. As former Time editor and reporter Taber shows in this crisp, well-documented history, lust for gold was integral to Hitler's military ambitions. Taber emphasizes that "the German war machine would have ground to a halt long before May 1945" without cooperation from Romania, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and Sweden for materiel, and especially from Swiss bankers, who eagerly sold the Nazis Swiss francs with which to pay for vital war products. A chilling tale vividly told.--Kirkus

Japan and the Shackles of the Past

R. Taggart Murphy (Get this book)
In this accessible, all-encompassing portrait, Murphy demystifies the nation that ended the 20th century with "some of the most dazzling business successes of all time." In part one, Murphy harks back to the establishment of the third-century imperial institution, then moves up to illustrate how the Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo period created a culture that "provided cover for the incubation of the modern Japanese state." In part two, Murphy explores the cultural mores that led to unsustainable career tracks for "permanent employees" and that barred educated women from the labor force. While the review of recent Japanese scandals such as the TEPCO coverup at Fukushima and of the scars of WWII is painfully familiar, Murphy sheds much light on Japan's current dependence upon the U.S. for maintenance of its political system and its future prospects, closing with an in-depth analysis of the current administration.

Waterloo Wellington, Napoleon, and the Battle That Saved Europe

Gordon Corrigan (Get this book)
Two centuries have not diminished the avalanche of books on this subject, but even history buffs familiar with the two generals and their epic 1815 encounter will not regret choosing this one. Corrigan delivers a gripping, nuts-and-bolts account of a clash whose first step does not occur until nearly 150 pages in. Until then, readers will encounter equally gripping biographies of three generals (Blucher, the Prussian commander, gets deserved equal billing) and a nation-by-nation review of early-19th-century European military recruitment, weapons, training, tactics and leadership. Corrigan dismisses the History Channel view of Waterloo as a stunning British victory against great odds. A superb addition to an overstuffed genre.--Kirkus