The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream by H.W. Brands

When James Marshall discovered gold in California in 1848, "the most astonishing mass movement of people since the Crusades" began. This is just one of the reasons Brands chose to study this particular moment in history. The gold rush, he argues, also launched the U.S. into economic modernity and changed the way Americans thought of themselves and their place in the world. A noted and very engaging biographer (his subjects have included Benjamin Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt), Brands peoples his historical account with singular, colorful characters, from the early missionary Junipero Serra to the self-made millionaire George Hearst.

An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 by Rick Atkinson

In the first volume of a planned trilogy on the liberation of Europe, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Atkinson goes back to 1942-43 and the war in North Africa to investigate the moment when, he argues, the United States first began to act like a world power. In his meticulous, lucidly narrated reconstruction of Operation Torch—an analysis that offers both a comprehensive, strategic view and an intimate look at the fight on the ground—Atkinson makes it clear that an Allied victory in the African theater was anything but certain.

Leadership by Rudolph W. Giuliani

In public life, there are individuals who respond to pressure with such a combination of grace and integrity that, at least for a while, they come to symbolize what an often frustrated citizenry desires from its public servants. On September 11, 2001, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's behavior held a city—and some might say a country—together. Of all the qualities that made people trust Giuliani, it was perhaps the most unaffected, his honesty, that was the most effective. Most American leaders, whether in politics or business, will never be put to the test that Giuliani faced. But, in Leadership, he makes a good case that there exist fundamental principles that apply in any context.

What Went Wrong?: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response by Bernard Lewis

Lewis, one of the world's most esteemed scholars of Islam and the Middle East, presents a penetrating analysis of what ails Middle Eastern societies. The central question is this: How did a once flourishing and tolerant Islamic culture—which led the world in the humanities, arts, and sciences 600 years ago—get left so far behind Europe and the West? Lewis doesn't offer simple answers, but he does suggest that Islamic reform can only come from within Islam.

Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich by Kevin Phillips

Phillips excels at making a clear argument in lucid prose backed by rigorous research. His major thrust is that, today, the United States is in a situation in which the imbalance of wealth has serious, negative consequences for the functioning of democracy. The rich have too much political power, he asserts, and the situation is so unsustainable that it will lead to a political cataclysm if allowed to persist. This is a scintillating blend of history, economics, and social criticism.

Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam 1862 - The Battle That Changed the Course of the Civil War by James M. McPherson

The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest single day in American history. In Crossroads of Freedom, America's most eminent Civil War historian paints a masterful account of the battle, the events that led up to this pivotal moment in U.S. history, and its reverberating effects. McPherson won a Pulitzer Prize for Battle Cry of Freedom, a work widely accepted as the best single-volume history of the entire Civil War.

A Mind at a Time: America's Top Learning Expert Shows How Every Child Can Succeed by Mel Levine

Levine, a professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School and the director of its Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning, bases this wonderful book on the deceptively simple premise that different children have different ways of learning. Levine identifies eight distinct areas of learning (e.g., the memory system, the language system, etc.) and describes how each type occurs. The book is a model of compassion and sensitivity backed by hard science and meticulous research that's explained in such a way as to be useful for parents and teachers.

A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead by Dennis McNally

While they have always had a distinctive sound, the Grateful Dead are most known for the vast community of dedicated followers they have inspired over the years. A Long Strange Trip is the must-have band bio for every Deadhead, and it's a fascinating story for anyone interested in pop culture or American music. McNally, the band's publicist and official historian, takes readers on an insider's tour in this kaleidoscopic narrative. He brings the Dead's early days in San Francisco vividly to life, and he follows the members' musical and metaphysical journeys right up to the present.

The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston

Smallpox, once the scourge of the world, was eradicated in 1977. Or was it? While the virus has been officially contained to only two storage depots, Preston delves into the possibility that several nations, including Iraq and Russia, are currently working with smallpox as a biological weapon. With coherent and compelling reportage and deft portraits of the scientists, doctors, and politicians involved in the fight against bioterrorism, The Demon in the Freezer is a chillingly informative read.

Let's Roll!: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage by Lisa Beamer

The author's husband, Todd Beamer, was one of the heroes on United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into a field in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. He and other passengers rushed the cockpit of the hijacked airliner and, by their actions, ensured that it was not used to take many more innocent lives in Washington, D.C., as the terrorists had planned. Beamer provides a poignant look at Todd and the other passengers who helped him in an extraordinary act of courage. In the process, she also describes how her Christian faith is helping her weather the loss of her husband.