History Recommendations
from Wendy Wolf

You know him as the biographer of U.S. Grant and Alexander Hamilton, but this much earlier book is one of my all-time favorite dynastic sagas, stretching across the entire 20th century and several continents, from the family’s earliest days as German bankers. They amassed vast fortunes, explored politics and philanthropy, built mansions and libraries, and became scholars, merchants, and socialites, until they found themselves in the crosshairs of Nazi anti-Semitism and fled to Great Britain and the United States.

This, by contrast, is history at its most economical—an intense, short book about a 19th century Nantucket whaling ship sunk by one of its prey, and the terrifying ordeal of survival that ensued. Plot sound familiar? These true events inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick, and the two books make a great pairing. If you’re wary of an 800 page novel, then start with Philbrick’s book-length essay, Why Read Moby-Dick? I promise it will have you reaching for Melville.

All these books grapple with the origins and identity of this country in ways that will really surprise you, but Glaude’s Begin Again is the absolute best book for this moment. Glaude takes us on a highly original, occasionally disturbing journey into the worldview of one of our most important writers; the result is a telling deconstruction of both his time, and ours. There is no book I could recommend more as we try to come to terms with the hardest questions of all about America. Then it’s on to Baldwin himself.

Finally, I was able to get a jump on a book coming in September that gave me a few hours of pure pleasure away from everything gloomy, The Thursday Murder Club. Octogenarians in a senior community solving mysteries and murders, all with their perfect English manners and mannerisms in a perfect leafy English setting. If like me you watch endless reruns of Midsomer Murders and gobble up mysteries by Anthony Horwitz, this is a great excursion away from care and – even better- first in a series. More to come!