8 Riveting New History Books for Fall 2022

From religious tomes to wells of learning, books have incredible significance across all cultures. They got their start as hand-copied reeds in the ancient world—treasures that emperors and pharaohs would search to the ends of the earth for. This text dives into the remarkable history of books in a time before they were mass-produced factory products, taking readers through a journey beginning in oral tradition through scrolls and codices, and laying the foundation of Western culture.

This book tells the remarkable story of Rudolf Vrba, the first Jew to escape Auschwitz. Vrba was one of just four people who ever managed this nearly impossible task, and he used this miraculous opportunity to spread the truth of what was happening in the death camp. He brought the sickening news to an ignorant world, and he warned the last Jews of Europe what was waiting for them at the other end of the railway line.

However, after scaling mountains, crossing rivers, and dodging bullets, the vivid report that Vrba and his fellow escapee delivered to the likes of Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and the Pope was believed by far too few. Some felt this heinous story was best kept quiet, but in the end Vrba helped save 200,000 Jewish lives. He always felt he could have saved more.

Thomas Jefferson himself decreed Samuel Adams the leader of the American Revolution. This Founding Father was equipped with noble ideals and a pull-no-punches attitude. Many consider him to have led the greatest campaign of civil resistance in American history. In this riveting biography, author Stacy Schiff takes readers through the life of the backbone of the Revolution. As Adams grew from a purposeless son of wealth into a steadfast radical, he shaped the fate of our nation, becoming the most wanted man in America in the process.

Author H.W. Brands unravels the tale of the "Indian Wars" through the the lives of General William Tecumseh Sherman and Apache war leader Geronimo. Both Sherman and Geronimo were brilliant strategists and ruthless soldiers. The 1870s and 1880s were filled with confrontations between the two over land ownership of the American West.

While Sherman was a child of Ohio who'd come up through West Point and gained notoriety in the Civil War, Geronimo grew up with the Apache people hunting wild game across the free land—until his wife, children, and mother were brutally murdered by Mexican soldiers, turning him into a vicious avenger. Sherman was given the task of bringing Geronimo and his followers to a reservation. But Geronimo had other ideas.

Adrian Hong was a reserved Yale graduate in the early 2000s, looking, like many others, for where he belonged in the grander scheme of the world. After reading a shocking account of what life was like in North Korea, he knew he'd found his purpose. The Ivy Leaguer started out as an activist, but soon his devotion took him down the path of a self-taught operative.

Hong evaded Chinese security services to help North Koreans escape across the border. His secret organization, Free Joseon, kept track of Kim Jong-un and the activities of his government. They sought out North Korean diplomats likely to defect. And Hong initiated an armed raid at Madrid's North Korean embassy, turning him into a fugitive.

The rule of King Tut's parents—Akhenaten and Nefertiti—is as controversial as it is intriguing. Akhenaten's biographies vary wildly, and while some view him as the first monotheist, others see him merely as a tyrant who nearly brought his kingdom to ruin. As for Nefertiti, her painted bust is one of the most notable artifacts from ancient Egypt. But who were they really?

During the Long Sixties—a period lasting from 1960 to 1973—environmental activism was on the rise. Nuclear weapons and an economic boom wreaked havoc on oceans, forests, and the very air we breathe. But under the guidance of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, and activist Rachel Carson, the natural world was rescued from the precipice of disaster. This book follows the journey of this 20th-century ecological revolution.

Author Sarah Gristwood weaves a history of the Tudor dynasty—as it was affected by the rules of courtship and the influence love had over politics and dipomacy. This period was full of drama, from Henry VIII's six marriages to the execution of Anne Boleyn. Now this factual, historical accounts brings to life the lavish—and often tragic—romance many reduce only to books and songs.