Best History Books of 2016

by Sean Wilentz

A master scholar delivers a delightfully stimulating historical polemic. Full review >

by Alan Taylor

Beautifully organized and accessibly presented history for all readers. Full review >

by Pamela Rotner Sakamoto

A beautifully rendered work wrought with enormous care and sense of compassionate dignity. Full review >

by David J. Barron

A first-rate history filled with revealing incidents and informed analysis. Full review >

by Neal Bascomb

Featuring excellent characterization and exquisite detail concerning a theater of the war (Norway) not well-mined, this will... Full review >

by Fergus M. Bordewich

Far less edifying than the Constitutional Convention but equally crucial, the colorful machinations of our first Congress... Full review >

by Rosa Brooks

Legal theorists and policymakers will approve the scholarship and close analysis; general readers will appreciate the... Full review >

by Sally Denton

Filled with stories of cronyism and influence peddling, Denton’s riveting and revealing book will undoubtedly displease the... Full review >

by Lara Feigel

A deep, significant exploration of artistic atonement in postwar Germany. Full review >

by Robert J. Gordon

A masterful study to be read and reread by anyone interested in today's political economy. Full review >

by Max Hastings

A masterful account of wartime skulduggery that has relevance still today. Full review >

by Nancy Isenberg

A riveting thesis supported by staggering research. Full review >

by Ibram X. Kendi

Racism is the enduring scar on the American consciousness. In this ambitious, magisterial book, Kendi reveals just how deep... Full review >

by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Essentially a critical study, Nguyen’s work is a powerful reflection on how we choose to remember and forget. Full review >

by Nathaniel Philbrick

A lively account of our Revolution’s most reviled figure. Full review >

by Andrés Reséndez

This eye-opening exposure of the abuse of the indigenous peoples of America is staggering; that the mistreatment continued... Full review >

by Andrew J. Bacevich

An immensely readable, nondidactic study of how “perpetuating the War for the Greater Middle East is not enhancing American... Full review >

by Tyler Anbinder

An endlessly fascinating kaleidoscope of American history. A fantastic historical resource. Full review >

by Svetlana Alexievich translated by Bela Shayevich

Profoundly significant literature as history. Full review >