Engaging China edited by Anne F. Thurston

Engaging China | Fifty Years of Sino-American Relations by Anne F. Thurston explores the importance of the relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China which has only grown since Richard Nixon’s epochal visit in 1972. By the early twenty-first century, when the rise of China had become an inescapable fact, most American policy makers and experts saw bilateral ties with China as the most consequential foreign-relations priority for the United States.

My Time Will Come by Ian Manuel

My Time Will Come | A Memoir of Crime, Punishment, Hope and Redemption by Ian Manuel is a harrowing recount of the author’s incarceration after being sentenced as a young teenager.  It is the story of how he endured the savagery of the United States prison system, and how his victim, an extraordinary woman, forgave him and bravely advocated for his freedom, which was achieved by an Equal Justice Initiative push to address the barbarism of our judicial system and bring about “just mercy.”

To Repair a Broken World by Dvora Hacohen

To Repair a Broken World | The Life of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah, introduces a new generation to a remarkable leader who fought for women’s rights and the poor. Author Dvora Hacohen is an Israeli historian and professor in the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at the Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

The Ever-Changing Past by James M. Banner, Jr.

The Ever-Changing Past | Why All History is Revisionist History by James M. Banner, Jr. is an example of an experienced, multi-faceted historian showing how revisionist history is at the heart of creating historical knowledge. Banner shows why historical knowledge is unlikely ever to be unchanging, why history as a branch of knowledge is always a search for meaning and a constant source of argument.

The Kennedys in the World by Lawrence J. Haas

The Kennedys in the World | How Jack, Bobby, and Ted Remade America’s Empire by Lawrence J. Haas tells a rich, fascinating, and consequential story about Jack, Bobby, and Ted Kennedy. From an early age, the brothers developed a deep understanding of the different peoples, cultures, and ideologies around the world; a keen appreciation for the challenges that such differences created for the United States; and a strong desire to reshape America’s response to them.

A Raid on the Red Sea by Amos Gilboa

A Raid on the Red Sea | The Israeli Capture of the Karine A by Amos Gilboa is the thrilling, real-life tale of illegal gun-running in the Middle East. In this firsthand account, Amos Gilboa gives the harrowing details of the secret close-working relations between Israeli and American intelligence in the seizure of the Karine A ship, the most successful Israeli intelligence operation since the legendary Entebbe hostage rescue.

What’s Luck Got to Do With It? by Edward Kleinbard

What’s Luck Got to Do With It? | How Smarter Government Can Rescue The American Dream by Edward Kleinbard examines the impact of brute luck in life.  Like it or not, our lives and opportunities are determined largely by luck. Kleinbard shows that while we can’t undo every instance of misfortune, we can offer a path to not just a fairer America, but greater economic growth, more broadly shared.

George Washington’s Final Battle by Robert P. Watson

George Washington’s Final Battle | The Epic Struggle to Build a Capital City and Nation by Robert P. Watson looks into Washington’s impact on creating his new country’s capital city.  Washington had a direct role in planning many aspects of the city that would house the young republic, creating a landmark that gave the fledgling democracy credibility, united a fractious country, and created a sense of American identity.

The World Turned Upside Down by Yang Jisheng

The World Turned Upside Down | A History of the Chinese Cultural Revolution by Yang Jisheng gives an unparalleled account of the Cultural Revolution in China. The book puts every political incident of those ten years under extraordinary scrutiny, and arrives at a moment when Chinese governance is leaning once more toward a highly centralized power structure and Mao-style cult of personality.

The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902 by Scott D. Seligman

The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902 | Immigrant Housewives and the Riots That Shook New York City by Scott D. Seligman explores the collective action Jewish housewives took to end the price gouging of kosher meat. Convinced by the latest jump in the price of kosher meat, they assembled with intent on shutting down every kosher butcher shop in New York’s Jewish quarter.