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2011 Best of Nonfiction: History

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Cover art for SMOKING TYPEWRITERS
NONFICTION
Released: Feb. 16, 2011
Kirkus Star SMOKING TYPEWRITERS: THE SIXTIES UNDERGROUND PRESS AND THE RISE OF ALTERNATIVE MEDIA IN AMERICA
by John McMillian
"A welcome book on the '60s--a nostalgia trip for those who were there and a vivid work of history for anyone curious about the journalism that jolted a decade."
An unusually thoughtful account of the in-your-face underground press of the 1960s and its role in fomenting a decade of youth revolt. Read full book review >
Cover art for JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM
NONFICTION
Released: March 9, 2011
Kirkus Star JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM: HOW THE ANCIENT CITY IGNITED OUR MODERN WORLD
by James Carroll
"Another winner from a skillful writer and thinker of the first rank."
A sound, deeply felt study of Jerusalem as the "cockpit of violence" for the three Abrahamic religions. Read full book review >
Cover art for FOUNDING GARDENERS
NONFICTION
Released: April 1, 2011
Kirkus Star FOUNDING GARDENERS: THE REVOLUTIONARY GENERATION, NATURE, AND THE SHAPING OF THE AMERICAN NATION
by Andrea Wulf
"A fresh look at the Founders that charms even as it irresistibly convinces."
Design historian Wulf (The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession, 2009, etc.) explains how the Founders brought a new nation and their own gardens simultaneously to fruition. Read full book review >
Cover art for HEARTS TOUCHED BY FIRE
NONFICTION
Released: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Star HEARTS TOUCHED BY FIRE: THE BEST OF <I>BATTLES AND LEADERS OF THE CIVIL WAR</I>
edited by Harold Holzer
"There are few more essential books for Civil War buffs and professional historians alike. A welcome, valuable addition to the vast library devoted to the conflict."
Firsthand accounts of the bloodletting whose 150th anniversary we are about to commemorate, some of which might have saved later historians embarrassment. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE BRILLIANT DISASTER
NONFICTION
Released: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Star THE BRILLIANT DISASTER: JFK, CASTRO, AND AMERICA'S DOOMED INVASION OF CUBA'S BAY OF PIGS
by Jim Rasenberger
"Graceful, dramatic writing makes this well-worn story new again."
A balanced, engrossing account of the U.S.-backed invasion of Fidel Castro's Cuba. Read full book review >
Cover art for 1861
NONFICTION
Released: April 10, 2011
Kirkus Star 1861: THE CIVIL WAR AWAKENING
by Adam Goodheart
"Beautifully written and thoroughly original--quite unlike any other Civil War book out there."
A penetrating look at the crowded moment when the antebellum world began to turn. Read full book review >