3/5: Zeitoun tells the compelling true story of a man who stays behind during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath in New Orleans. It is both a tale of survival and one about the love families can hold...

4/5: George F. Kennan: An American Life pieces together an excellent portrait of one of the twentieth century's premier U.S. statesman. Historian John Lewis Gaddis goes heavy on the public/policy si...

4/5: The King's Peace: 1637-1641 is the brilliant first book in a trilogy by British historian C.V. Wedgwood. She attempts to tell the story of the English Civil War in these three parts, beginning w...

4/5: The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China provides an interesting take on the Middle Kingdom's development. Author Philip Ball is more of a journalist than historian, and this allows him to ta...

4/5: Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets will not be a book embraced by individuals with too high and mighty a view of themselves. Its take on the impact of rand...

4/5: Summer of Fire and Blood: The German Peasants' War provides a timely look at a war laden with social and religious contexts. Released during the 500th anniversary (1524-1525) of this conflict, Ro...

5/5: Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War is a monumental work on the four decades leading up to the First World War. Historian Robert K. Massie expertly welded together a st...

3/5: The sparse prose employed by author Kent Haruf will immediately remind most readers of the writings of Cormac McCarthy. The first book in his Colorado-based (set in the fictional town of Holt, wh...

4/5: The English and their History is a deep analysis of England’s storied past, providing a sweeping picture that begins in the Bronze Age and concludes in the mid-2010s. Historian Robert Tombs is no...

3/5: The Midcoast is a decent Maine-based novel that is mildly entertaining but does not break any new ground. The characters are a lot like the plot: serviceable but pretty thin. Its New England set...

4/5: The World As It Is: Inside the Obama White House is a solid memoir written by one of the chief foreign policy aides and speechwriters during President Obama's eight years in the White House. Rho...

4/5: The Making of Asian America: A History by professor Erika Lee tells the story of the immigration of various peoples and cultures from Asian countries to the shores of North America with a particu...

3/5: The Rhine: Following Europe's Greatest River from Amsterdam to the Alps is a so-so piece of travelogue writing. The book's sections give readers an idea of the cultural flavors of France, Germany...

4/5: Freedom's Cap: The United States Capitol and the Coming of the Civil War is an excellent work of historical storytelling. The book was purchased in the U.S. Capitol building's gift shop by this reviewer, thereby it was held to high standards when reviewed for its level of literary craftsmanship. It tells the tale of the redesign and expansion of the U.S. Capitol Building, a project which included the building of a large Dome for its top. This became necessary with the addition of numerous new states following the Mexican-American War and the subsequent need to house more Senators and congr...

4/5: Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China is a very solid biography on a deeply impactful late twentieth century leader. Ezra F. Vogel was an expert on Asian studies at Harvard University, an...

4/5: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is an entertaining and, as might also be expected from a Michael Chabon novel, offbeat story. The plot focuses on two cousins, Samuel Clay and Joseph...