US History

Last Updated: March 11, 2025

The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon

In The Small and the Mighty, Sharon McMahon proves that the most remarkable Americans are often ordinary people who didn’t make it into the textbooks. Not the presidents, but the telephone operators. Not the aristocrats, but the schoolteachers. Through meticulous research, she discovers history’s unsung characters and brings their rich, riveting stories to light for the first time.

When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How American Cracked Up in the Early 1990s by John Ganz

A history of the right-wing political figures who defined the early 1990s.

The Bookshop by Evan Friss

An affectionate and engaging history of the American bookstore and its central place in American cultural life, from department stores to indies, from highbrow dealers trading in first editions to sidewalk vendors, and from chains to special-interest community destinations.

Why We Love Football by Joe Posnanski

A moving celebration of the history of American football told in 100 moments.

Disney High by Ashley Spencer

The first unauthorized look at the inner workings-and ultimate breakdown-of the Disney Channel machine. For many kids growing up in the 2000s, there was no cultural touchstone more powerful than Disney Channel, the most-watched cable channel in primetime at its peak. Culture journalist Ashley Spencer offers the inside story of the heyday of TV’s House of Mouse, featuring hundreds of exclusive new interviews with former Disney executives, creatives, and celebrities to explore the highs, lows, and everything in between.

Cue the Sun: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum

Cue the Sun is a rollicking, deeply reported story about how the early reality TV business metastasized into an industry that now dominates entertainment in the United States.