Award Winner: 2018 Best Book Awards History: Military
This unprecedented compilation of eyewitness accounts records the thoughts and emotions of American soldiers spanning nearly 250 years of national history, from the American Revolution to the Afghanistan War.
Offers invaluable access to the war experiences of U.S. forces throughout history through more than 300 eyewitness accounts
Provides a balanced portrait of eyewitness accounts from both officers and enlisted men
Allows the reader to place the eyewitness accounts in their proper context via contextual essays and timelines
Describes in detail the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor via ten captivating accounts from December 7, 1941
Spans nearly 250 years of national history, from the American Revolution to the Afghanistan War
Award Winner: 2018 Best Book Awards History: General
Symphony of a Great City - The rip-roaring metropolis of the 1920s
It was the age of drag balls, Metropolis, and Josephine Baker. Of scientific breakthroughs, literary verve, and the political chaos of the Weimar Republic. After the best-selling Hollywood in the 30s and Jazz: New York in the Roaring Twenties, illustrator Robert Nippoldt teams up with author Boris Pofalla to evoke the fast-moving, freewheeling metropolis that was Berlin in the 1920s.
Like a cinematographic city tour through time, Berlin of the Roaring Twenties takes in the urban scale and the intricate details of this transformative decade, from sweeping street panoramas, bejeweled with new electric lights, to the foxtrot and tango steps tapped out on dance floors across the town. With characteristic graphic mastery of light, shadow, and expression, as well as a silver-printing sheen, Nippoldt intersperses portraits with cityscapes, revealing the changing scenery and dynamic hubs of this burgeoning and rapidly industrializing capital, as well as the extraordinary protagonists that made up its hotbed scene of art, science, and ideas.
Award Winner: 2018 Best Book Awards History: United States
A celebrity for his heroics in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, Commodore Stephen Decatur built his home in 1818 within sight of the President's House with prize money awarded to him by Congress for his military victories. He commissioned Benjamin Henry Latrobe, America's first professional architect, to create a home "fit for fine entertaining" and the resulting three-story square townhouse constructed with red brick in the Federal fashion is known as Decatur House today. Stephen Decatur's time in the fine house was cut short in 1820 when he was mortally wounded in a famous duel in nearby Bladensburg. After his death, his widow Susan Decatur rented the house to such prominent figures as Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren, and Edward Livingston, and ultimately sold it to John Gadsby. In 1872, General Edward Beale purchased the house and created a fashionable Victorian home. In 1956, Marie Beale, the last owner, bequeathed the house to the National Trust for Historic Preservation; and in 2011 the White House Historical Association became a co-steward of the historic site. This volume chronicles the history of the house and its occupants in four parts-a biography of Stephen Decatur and his naval accomplishments by James Tertius de Kay; an architectural history by Michael Fazio; a study of the fine and decorative arts collection by Osborne Mackie; and an essay on the evolution of the house from private home to historic site by Katherine Malone-France. An essay by Jessie Kratz, Historian at the National Archives and Records administration introduces a collection of documents that tell the story of enslaved persons who lived and worked in the house during the time after Decatur's death and before Beale's purchase.
Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards History: United States
FORTY GAVELS is the ground-breaking story of Illinois AFL-CIO President Reuben Soderstrom (1930-1970) and the American Labor Movement he helped build. For over four decades, Soderstrom led one of the nation's largest labor organizations through the most challenging, exciting, and impactful events of the twentieth century. From the depths of depression and war to the boom of postwar prosperity, through the birth of both the AFL-CIO and the Civil Rights Movement, Soderstrom was there, forging a legacy as one of organized labor's most prolific voices. Adopting a year-by-year study of these years, this three-volume biography follows Reuben to the front line of violent strikes, rowdy union meetings in Chicago, and policy summits at the White House, making Forty Gavels one of the most in-depth studies of the American Movement ever made.
Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards History: General
Completed in 1800 in the new City of Washington, the White House, like its European predecessors, would be a home and office for the president of the United States, and the setting for state functions and ceremonies. With this book, Official Residences Around the World, the White House can be seen in a global context. This survey of official residences and offices of some fifty nations, is a unique look at their histories, architecture, and uses. Many of these official residences are designated for heads of state-elected presidents and hereditary royal families with ceremonial roles. Others are designated for heads of government-prime ministers and chancellors with executive power. These national landmarks represent nearly one thousand years of building and renovating beginning with Prague Castle in the twelfth century. The thirteenth century marked the beginnings of Austria's Hofburg, Monaco's Prince's Palace, Morocco's Royal Palace, and the Moscow Kremlin's stone walls. In the fourteenth century work began on Latvia's Riga Castle while the fifteenth century brought the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. Bute House in Edinburgh and 10 Downing Street in London, date to the seventeenth century while Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace) was built in the eighteenth century. Many more residences date to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and building continues in the twenty-first century with an entirely new Presidential Palace in Estonia and another in Japan. Over the centuries, many of these edifices have endured the ravages of fire, war, and mother nature; some like the White House have been rebuilt, expanded, and renovated. From the Arg in Afghanistan to the Presidential Palace in Vietnam, each chapter reveals the rich history and the ongoing aspirations of a nation.
Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards History: General
Robert (Bobby) Charles grew up among “eagles and evergreens” in rural Maine. His enchanting, sometimes arresting, tales convey inspiration from place and people, love of a small town, influence of aging veterans. His stories take readers to unexpected places, often swirl to unexpected endings.
Over four seasons, he describes Maine half a century ago – smelting and rescuing ice houses, moose encounters and indoor ermine, raising mischievous rabbits and conversing with pigs, hunting a legendary “football-sized emerald” and learning from legendary World War II vets.
He takes readers down through thin ice, and up spires of one-match fires. He lollygags Dead River and confronts hair-raising disorientation out on the open sea. He rolls from distance running to downhill skiing, comedy to calamity, whimsy to courage with a fluid pen.
Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards History: General
Adonvdo Yona (Bear Spirit) Mountain: An Ancestral Awakening is the memoir of a man who received a spiritual promise when he was younger and goes on to discover his American Indian roots as the path to turn this promise into a reality. The author shares the details of his life with his rediscovered indigenous culture, as he acquires an ancient Pleistocene period American Indian site where he experiences a mystical awakening. It is an adventure story which captivates the reader and leads them to look forward to the next phase. Readers will enjoy learning about the authors spiritual life and how he was able to reconnect his ancestral past to his present and future as he studies, preserves and protects this archaeological treasure.
Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards History: General
Flying SO High epitomizes Amelia Earhart's cutting-edge courage as she bursts into the 20th century with style, humility and accomplishment.
Circling the Earth from a higher window, uniting colleagues intensify the momentum. Earhart, Lindbergh, Admirals Byrd and Peary, Presidents Teddy and Franklin Delano Roosevelt open brand-new realms--from the top of the world to the deepest oceans. Reaching the farthest destinations, Alexander Graham Bell unites us once again through the invention of the telephone.
The explosion of technology catapults humanity toward the space age. Most importantly, we are invited!
Raising the bar, they pave the way for us to believe in ourselves, grow and develop individually and collectively, while understanding the sky is no limit. These incredibly talented individuals whisper, "When I Fly SO High, please follow me!" Imagine yourself in the pilot's seat!
Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards History: Military
WILLIAMSBURG - The College of William and Mary has been associated with the military since its earliest years. This new book by historian and William and Mary alumnus Wilford Kale takes a look at the military from pre-French and Indian Wars military activity to the present day Reserve Officers' Training Corps on campus. For nearly three hundred and twenty five years William and Mary has fostered civil service along with high academic standards. One of the clearest indications of this commitment is the long-standing military tradition. Through countless military activities, including a World War II Chaplains' School to modern-day military volunteers, college students and faculty have prepared to defend their country and beliefs. Well known for its alumni who rose to political and judicial prominence, the college can also take pride in the number of graduates who have become high-ranking and influential military officers. These included generals, admirals and a secretary of defense-all dedicated to the service of their country. In this illustrated volume, Wilford Kale melds the strands of administrative challenges, military strategy, and educational theory into a cohesive account that keeps individuals at the forefront. Throughout the book, insightful vignettes explore the stories of men and women who bravely served. Kale deftly traces the development of the citizen-soldier-from military to active duty to reservist-and analyzes the college's response to war-related challenges it has faced over the centuries. Although most colleges and universities experienced declining enrollment during the conflicts of the twentieth century, no other suffered similar 18th- and 19th-century destruction. No other school was successively occupied by both armies during both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Ultimately, From Soldier to Warrior is a uniquely American story of the blending of education and public service.
Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards History: Military
Billy McDonald of Birmingham, Alabama, had an adventurous and dangerous career as a pilot in the Golden Age of Flight, and into World War II.
He jumped from military cadet to wingman in Chennault’s famed aerobatic flying group Three Men on a Flying Trapeze. In China, he moved from instructor for the Chinese Air Force to combat pilot flying Chennault’s legendary Hawk 75 Special against the Japanese over Nanking in 1937.
He began by ferrying world-famous passengers like Hemingway and high-value cargo like gold for the China National Aviation Corporation and then flew gasoline and gunpowder over The Hump (Himalayas) for Chennault’s Flying Tigers and the Chinese Army. Through it all, controversial and legendary aviator Claire Lee Chennault remained his mentor, often his boss and always his friend, indelibly shaping his life. This is the story of a remarkable career, and a man who bore witness to some of the twentieth century’s historic events and pivotal characters. Mac tells us the tale in his own words through newly-discovered photos, correspondence and manuscripts.
Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards History: Military
The World Turns to War weaves stories of combat veterans into an event-by-event history of the war. Includes the words of veterans of all forces — in all theaters of operation. Illustrated by high-quality photographs, full-color images and detailed maps.
War Stories: World War II Firsthand™ is the only multi-volume history of the war to include hundreds of first-person interviews and oral history recollections of the soldiers on the ground, the sailors on the high seas and the airmen in the sky. Their words, augmented by quotes from military and political leaders and modern historical thought, give a complete picture of the war from those who fought it. This volume features firsthand recollections and perspectives from those who witnessed the Rise of Fascism in Europe, the invasion of Poland, and the 1940 German Blitzkrieg across Europe.
Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards History: United States
Rufus, A Boy's Extraordinary Experiences in the Civil War Based on the incredible Civil War letters of Rufus Harnden, this book follows a perceptive and well-spoken seventeen-year-old from New York State through three exciting years in the Union Army. He fights at Antietam and then Chancellorsville before being wounded and sent to the hospital and on to more adventures behind the front lines. The book includes historical details about the Battle of Chancellorsville that have never been published before. It also includes extensive footnotes that provide the reader context for Rufus's very personal war story. "These letters are a window into our country's defining struggle." American Singer/Songwriter James Taylor
Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards History: United States
Through the stories of their ancestors Bush and Kemp take us on a compelling journey through African American history into the hearts of individual lives. In tracing their ancestral roots, these family historians discover their connections to some of the South’s most powerful men, both famous and forgotten. The community at the heart of this historical study is Edgefield, South Carolina, yet the stories in this book form a microcosm of events experienced by black communities throughout the South. An enslaved maternal line is traced to 1799; hopes are raised, then dashed, when a family of freedmen acquire land after the Civil War, only to later lose it; the “Dark Corner” of Edgefield is exposed. Shining a bright, sometimes uncomfortable light, deep truths are unearthed through DNA results and new family is found. Follow the authors through years of meticulous genealogical research, historical settings, and DNA testing as they reclaim their family stories and inspire others to embark on their own journeys of discovery. By leaving no stone unturned, these family historians show how they overcame the brick walls of slavery.
Award Finalist: 2018 Best Book Awards History: United States
At one time, more than one million sheep roamed the grassy areas of Arizona. Herding sheep was a critical component of the economy, building Arizona from its early territorial days into statehood. Fortunes were made, and, during economic downturns and other disasters, some lost everything. By the 1890s, sheepherding was a major enterprise in Arizona. Today, just over 180,000 sheep live in the state.
Where Have All the Sheep Gone? details the untold story of the sheep industry in Arizona starting in the 1500s when the Spanish conquistadors began their push northward from Mexico and brought the first sheep as a food source. Arizona's sheep industry is a rich history that has never been comprehensively told -- until now. Author Dr. Barbara G. Jaquay presents a lively, informative story through historical documents and personal interviews with the remaining sheep ranchers and family members.
Depicting the lives of the early shepherds in Arizona and changes that have occurred over the last thirty years, Where Have All the Sheep Gone? casts a light on this disappearing way of life. It tells the compelling story of the families who worked diligently and proudly through successes and failures -- including droughts, range wars, and economic hard times due to government regulations and a shrinking workforce. Despite many challenges, the sheep industry managed to grow and make huge strides. Some families are still making their living from sheep today, trying to preserve a way of life that may soon be lost. Where Have All the Sheep Gone? tells the story of a vital industry to Arizona and, more importantly, of its people.
The Billy Gogan story is a fictional memoir told by an old Army general of his adventures as a young man. Billy Gogan, American, opens with recently orphaned Billy Gogan fleeing Ireland on the eve of the Great Hunger — either because he is the son of a dangerous revolutionary, or because his cousin doesn't trust him around his daughter. Billy befriends a destitute Irish peasant named Máire and her young daughter Fíona, and together they endure a harsh passage to New York, America's greatest city. They get separated as they debark, and Billy searches tirelessly for them in the dangerous Five Points, ground zero in the collision of Americans, ex-slaves, and Irish refugees.
Here, Billy completes his education. Already able to declaim Cicero and construe Aristotle, he learns voting fraud from Bill Tweed, the future head of Tammany Hall, and the numbers game from Charlie Backwell, Tammany's top bookie. Finally, Brannagh O’Marran, the beautiful mulatta daughter of the Irish madam of Gotham’s finest brothel, teaches him about love.
Billy eventually finds Máire and Fíona, and the three of them plan their future together. But that future is taken in a cruel stroke, and nothing will ever be the same.
Donald Cifarelli was born to be a soldier: he came into the world on March 4th, 1924-and in one way or another, marching forth is what he's always done. At the age of four, he arrived at Ellis Island, and a year later, watched the American Dream tatter and fade with the onset of The Great Depression. But The Reluctant Warrior is the memoir of a man who saw what he wanted in the great United States and embraced life in America with a full and open heart. This is the story of his journey from a colorful childhood as an immigrant in Brooklyn to assimilation into American culture, and the fateful day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when he heard President Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech and knew that he would fight to preserve the freedom that was America's promise. Along with the horrors of war in North Africa and in Italy during the final campaign that ended WWII, Donald unexpectedly found love, which had to survive long months of separation and uncertainty. After being reunited at the end of the war, the Cifarellis faced the task of rejoining everyday society, and struggling to find work and realize their dream of a home and family. Candid, detailed, deeply personal yet broadly relatable, The Reluctant Warrior is a vivid picture of the historical arc of the 20th century in America.
Pidge and Jamie grew up in the peaceful last days of the Victorian Age. Each thought their ordered lives would follow a predictable future. But with the onset of World War I their lives were drastically changed. Intensely patriotic, both were determined to join the war effort. Pidge went first, to the war zone of north-eastern France. Living eight miles behind the firing line, through a bitter winter, she experienced conditions of heartbreak and destruction she never could have imagined. Interwoven with her relief work is the story of her involvement in the capture of two German spies. Shortly after Pidge's return, Jamie was sent to the same war-torn north-eastern part of France, where some of the heaviest fighting was taking place. He too, was overwhelmed by the total destruction the Germans had left behind. Home again Jamie and Pidge picked up their lives together and put into practice much of what the war had taught them, principally the value of devoting one's life to the public service of others.
