Inspired in part by long-ago stories from her own family's history, this masterful story follows the Cassars over seven decades (from 1940-2010), starting with patriarch Gaston and his wife Lucienne, whose myth of perfect love sustains them, and ending with Chloe, who believes telling her family's buried stories will bring them all peace.

"In this remarkable and enlivening study, Stefanos Geroulanos traces the development of our modern fascination with humanity's deep past, and lays out that fascination's deadly costs." --Amia Srinivasan, author of The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century An eminent historian tells the story of how we came to obsess over the origins of humanity--and how, for three centuries, ideas of prehistory have been used to justify devastating violence...

"This is a story about a dangerous idea--one which ignited revolutions in America, France, and Haiti; burst across Europe in the revolutions of 1848; and returned to inflame a new generation of intellectuals to lead the abolition movement--the idea that all men are created equal. In their struggle against the slaveholding oligarchy of their time, America's antislavery leaders found their way back to the rationalist, secularist, and essentially atheist...

In this landmark work of natural history, a journalist tells the epic story of the Mississippi River and the centuries of efforts to control it, which have damaged its once-vibrant ecosystems, carrying readers along the river's last remaining backchannels and exploring how scientists hope to restore what has been lost.

The true story of five castaways abandoned on the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812--a tale of treachery, shipwreck, isolation, and the desperate struggle for survival. Fraught with misunderstandings and mistrust, the incident left three British sailors and two Americans, including the captain of the sealer, Charles H. Barnard, abandoned in the barren, windswept, and inhospitable Falklands for a year and a half. With deft narrative skill and...

In 1970, Lithuanian sailor Simas Kudirka defected by jumping off a Soviet vessel aboard a US Coast Guard Cutter and asking for asylum. His leap for freedom led to one of the biggest political muddles of the Cold War, before a stunning twist of fate.

"A wide-ranging new history of NATO, from its origins to the present day--published for the alliance's seventy-fifth anniversary. For seven decades, NATO's stated aim has been the achievement of world peace--but playing great power politics always involves conflict. Russia's war on Ukraine and on Europe's security order puts the alliance under threat, but also demonstrates why transatlantic cooperation is so necessary. But how did NATO get to where...

"Award-winning journalist Mike Hixenbaugh delivers the immersive and eye-opening story of Southlake, Texas, a district that seemed to offer everything parents would want for their children--small classes, dedicated teachers, financial resources, a track record of academic success, and school spirit in abundance. But after a series of racist incidents became public, a plan to promote inclusiveness was proposed in response--and a coordinated, well-funded...

The life and career of the great 19th-century industrialist and philanthropist. The son of a poor Scottish immigrant, Carnegie built an empire in steel manufacturing before being bought out by US Steel.

The giant stone heads of Easter Island have inspired theories for centuries. Now, new research reveals intriguing evidence of the origins and inspirations of the ancient Rapanui people who created the iconic monoliths.