Epoch Booklist: Recommended Reading for Sept. 5–11

Epoch Booklist: Recommended Reading for Sept. 5–11
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This week, we feature an analysis of Comanche cultural dominance during the settling of America and a collection of wit and wisdom from U.S. presidents.

American History

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History

By S. C. Gwynne

The American West is a unique story in the annals of history. Gunslingers, pioneers, lawmen, and Native Americans—all eventually collide violently. This book brings together all that made this story romantic and dramatic. Gwynne presents the rise and fall of the Comanches, arguably history’s most feared Native American tribe. Then there is Cynthia Ann Parker, the kidnapped Texan girl who became the mother of the Comanches’ greatest chief. Drama, violence, and history—beautifully told.

Scribner, 2011, 384 pages

Nonfiction

The Hospitality of Need: How Depending on One Another Helps Us Heal and Grow Together

By Kevan Chandler & Tommy Shelton

Chandler is in his late 30s and weighs 65 pounds soaking wet. Stricken with a rare neuromuscular disease, he has spent his life confined to a wheelchair. Into this touching story, told with his friend and pastor, Tommy Shelton, Chandler brings the many friends old and new who have rallied round him, cared for him in countless ways, and accompanied him on trips as far away as China. Weakness and need, goes the thesis of his faith-filled life and book, are the yeast from which communities can grow.

During World War II, Nazi-occupied Denmark protected its Jewish population from the Nazis. Over a six-week period in 1943, Danes smuggled most Jews in Denmark to neutral Sweden. This book tells the story of Denmark’s evacuation of its Jewish population. It also recounts the subsequent Danish resistance to German occupation that erupted after this evacuation as Danes rallied against the Nazis. An inspiring tale, it highlights when tyranny was successfully defied by a determined group of people.

Citadel,‎ 2025,‎ 272 pages

Fiction

The Windows of Heaven: A Novel of Galveston’s Great Storm of 1900

By Ron Rozelle

For the centennial of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, which killed 8,000 people, Rozelle commemorated the tragedy in novel form. It tells the story through the eyes of those who experienced it: Sal, a little girl living in Galveston with her father; Sister Zilphia of the St. Mary’s Orphanage; and many others. Rozelle weaves a sensitive and haunting tale. The 25th Anniversary Edition is the novel’s first hardcover release.

The University Press of SHSU, 2025, 275 pages

Classics

Wit and Wisdom of the American Presidents: A Book of Quotations

 Edited by Joslyn Pine

This collection of over 400 presidential quotes should delight students in need of essay ideas, teachers looking for material to liven up classroom discussion, and the general public. From George Washington to Barack Obama, the citations fulfill the title’s promise, offering both humor and sound advice to readers. Jefferson’s “We never repent of having eaten too little,” and Grant’s “I know only two tunes. One of them is ‘Yankee Doodle’ and one of them isn’t,” are representative of the quotes.

Dover Publications, 2000, 80 pages

For Kids

A Library Book for Bear

By Bonny Becker and Kady MacDonald Denton

Book four of six in the Bear and Mouse series, “A Library Book for Bear” lives up to the high standards of its delightful cohorts as its superb wit and endearing message will both tickle and melt the hearts of readers. Will Bear, ever the curmudgeon and so sure he has enough books, agree to go to the library with the cheerfully persistent Mouse?

Candlewick Press, 2015, 40 pages 
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Dustin Bass is the creator and host of the “American Tales” podcast and cofounder of “The Sons of History.” He writes two weekly series for The Epoch Times: Profiles in History and This Week in History. He is also an author.