Nonfiction
By H.W. Crocker III
In this updated edition, Mr. Crocker covers 400 years of American warfare, from the battles between early settlers and Indians to today’s war on terrorism. Blending the causes and consequences of these conflicts with strategy, tactics, anecdotes, and eyewitness accounts, he creates narrative history at its best, a chronicle with appeal both to older students and adults. He concludes with a brief critique of our present-day culture, and urges readers to take hope from the heroism of the past.
Travel
By Rinker Buck
In his early 60s, journalist Rinker Buck became obsessed with traveling the Oregon Trail in a covered wagon, recreating the journey made by 19th-century pioneers. Unable to resist, one spring day he set off for Oregon from Missouri in a wagon pulled by a three-mule team, joined by his brother and a dog. This book captures that 2,000-mile journey. Part travelogue, part history lesson, and part personal saga, it is a modern adventure. Captivating and entertaining, it captures the American spirit.
Thriller
By David L. Robbins
It is 1986. As a result of the Chernobyl disaster, Lara, a U.S. nuclear expert; Anton, a Russian nuclear engineer; Timur, a Chechen and Muslim guerrilla; and Gang, a Chinese assassin, have boarded the Trans-Mongolian Express from Beijing to Moscow. All have their own reasons for boarding, related to the meltdown. All have reasons to remain inconspicuous. When a passenger aboard their second-class car is murdered in the Gobi, Mongolian Chief Sheriff Bat boards to investigate. All plans are suddenly imperiled.
Biography
By Elizabeth Varon
When the Confederacy was defeated in the Civil War, the animosity between the North and South for the most part remained intact. One of the Confederacy’s most prominent generals, James Longstreet, accepted the defeat as the final word on national reconciliation and worked toward reestablishing that “more perfect union.” Ms. Varon takes the reader through Longstreet’s war experiences and then into his political and literary career. The author presents a subject worthy of study and replication.
Classics
By M.I. Finley, editor
Part of the Viking Portable Library, this volume contains essential passages from the works of four outstanding Greek historians. Here Herodotus holds forth on the Trojan and Persian Wars, Thucydides drops readers into the thick of the Peloponnesian War, Xenophon gives us a firsthand account of Greek mercenaries fighting against desperate odds for survival, and Polybius recounts the rise of Rome. M.I. Finley’s excellent “Introduction” sets the stage for readers new to these histories.
For Kids
By Ruth Stiles Gannett and Ruth Chrisman Gannett
An engaging choice for a family read aloud, “My Father’s Dragon” follows the heroic adventure of Elmer who, after a brief chat with a cat, sets off to rescue a baby dragon. Facing treacherous creatures and various obstacles, he relies on wit and kindness and musters the courage and resourcefulness he needs. This fun adventure is sure to delight.
