The History Reader

01/14/2025

Author of BLOOD AND THE BADGE (on sale now) Michael Cannell shares the true story of New York cops who killed for the Mafia. Read on for the full Q&A at USA TODAY.

"Blood and the Badge" by Michael Cannell is the tale of two NYPD officers who were paid to provide information and even kill for the Mob.

01/14/2025

Check out this featured excerpt from "The JFK Conspiracy," Meltzer's newly released book co-authored with Josh Mensch. This page-turner details the true, little-known story about the -first- assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy, right before his inauguration.

From the authors of The N**i Conspiracy and The Lincoln Conspiracy comes a true story about the first assassination attempt on JFK.

01/14/2025

Charles Person, one of the original 13 Freedom Riders who fought to desegregate southern bus stations in 1961, passed away last week at the age of 82. Person's memoir, Buses Are a Comin', shares his personal cost of boarding the bus of change to move America forward to help defeat segregation’s violent grip on African American lives. A lovely piece written by the NYT to honor Person's legacy:

In 1961, he and 12 other civil rights activists were nearly killed for trying to integrate interstate bus terminals across the South.

01/10/2025

Author Paul French of HER LOTUS YEAR, a biography of Wallis Simpson, shares some of the fascinating details of her life in China, disproving the scandalous rumors about her promiscuousness that circled around her once she became the Duchess of Windsor.

In conversation with Sinologist Frances Wood, Paul French discusses "Her Lotus Year: China, the Roaring 20's and the Making of Wallis Simpson". His new book...

12/19/2024

From the New York Times bestselling authors of The N**i Conspiracy and The Lincoln Conspiracy comes a true, little-known story about the first assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy, right before his inauguration. Read on for an excerpt! https://www.thehistoryreader.com/us-history/featured-excerpt-the-jfk-conspiracy-by-brad-meltzer-and-josh-mensch/

12/17/2024

Paul Revere is one of the most recognizable names in U.S. history, made famous for his infamous ride in which he shouted, "The British are coming! The British are coming!"

However, did you know that Paul Revere also participated in the Boston Tea Party? In fact, today marks the 251st anniversary of that event, which took place Dec. 16th, 1773.

If you'd like to learn more about America's founding, particularly Paul Revere's role in it, preorder your copy of Kostya Kennedy's THE RIDE, on sale 3/25/25.

 Timed for the 250th anniversary of one of America’s most famous founding events: Paul Revere’s legendary ride, newly told with fresh research into ...

12/12/2024

Looking for a new read this weekend? Check out this introductory excerpt to Eliot Stein's new book, Custodian of Wonders, which looks at 10 astonishing people maintaining some of the world's oldest and rarest cultural traditions.

12/11/2024

Nearly 500 years after the collapse of the largest empire in the Americas, a single bridge remains from the Inca's extraordinary road system – and it's rewoven every year from grass.

Check out this fascinating excerpt from Eliot Stein's new book, Custodians of Wonder, which focuses on 10 astonishing people who are maintaining some of the world's oldest and rarest cultural traditions.

Nearly 500 years after the collapse of the largest empire in the Americas, a single bridge remains from the Inca's extraordinary road system – and it's rewoven every year from grass.

12/04/2024

Suspense author Sharon Short shares the rich history behind Middle Island, the real-life location that inspired her new novel, TROUBLE ISLAND.

https://www.thehistoryreader.com/us-history/the-island-behind-the-island-real-life-inspiration-for-trouble-island/

12/02/2024

Author Paul French of HER LOTUS YEAR shares a gorgeous look at the China Wallis Simpson, later the Duchess of Windsor, experienced in the 1920s.

Before the American heiress married Edward VIII, she lived in China. Paul French, author of a new book on Simpson’s time in Asia, suggests a Wallis-inspired itinerary

12/02/2024

The legendary nineteenth-century woman doctor and suffragist Harriot Hunt was literally wedded to her career. Lydia Reeder—author of THE CURE FOR WOMEN—delves into her life. Read on for more! https://www.thehistoryreader.com/cultural-history/silver-wedding/

11/26/2024

Out today, FOUR AGAINST THE WEST by Joe Pappalardo is a thrilling true saga about legendary Texas figure Judge Roy Bean, his brothers, and their violent adventures in Wild West America. Check out this chapter excerpt over on the blog:

11/26/2024

Shopping for any history-loving friends? Below is our holiday gift guide with our favorite books of 2024!

https://www.thehistoryreader.com/world-history/the-history-reader-2024-holiday-gift-guide/

11/23/2024

In "Her Lotus Year: China, the Roaring Twenties, and the Making of Wallis Simpson", New York Times bestselling author Paul French examines a controversial and revealing period in the early life of the legendary Wallis, Duchess of Windsor–her one year in China. Read on for a featured excerpt or listen to the audiobook sample below.

In Her Lotus Year: China, the Roaring Twenties, and the Making of Wallis Simpson, New York Times bestselling author Paul French examines a controversial and revealing period in the early life of the legendary Wallis, Duchess of Windsor–her one year in China. Read on for a featured excerpt or liste...

11/21/2024

In Resist, award-winning journalist Rita Omokha charts the last century of civil rights activism, from the early years of renowned activist Ella Baker all the way to the current generation of young Black revolutionaries who walked American cities in the wake of the murders of countless Black people. Start reading this chapter excerpt now, which focuses on the Jena Six.

Rita Omokha's Resist is a gripping narrative of resilience and unity, and how young Black activists redefined American history.

11/20/2024

Day 7: Fact or Fiction?

While fighting against other European powers, Napolean Bonaparte asked Charles Barbier to invent a way for his troops to read messages without the use of light. Barbier came up with a grid of letters that soldiers could read by touch, but soldiers said the system was hard to memorize.

After the Napoleonic wars ended, Barbier introduced his system to a classroom of kids who struggled with reading. A young boy offered feedback on how to make Barbier’s system better, but Barbier scoffed. The boy made the changes himself and taught the system to his classmates. The boy was named Louise Braille.

11/19/2024

Day 6:

In 1894, Will Purvis was found guilty of murdering Will Buckley and sentenced to death by hanging by a unanimous jury. Purvis swore he was innocent and shouted, “I’ll live longer than the lot of you!”

On a February day when Purvis was escorted to the gallows, it seemed like his shouted words would ring true when the rope broke and he fell below the gallows. Sadly, he rejoiced too soon, because the second hanging attempt proved to be successful.

Fact or fiction?
Answer in comments below!

11/19/2024

Author Sandra Jackson-Opoku shares what it was like growing up in Black Chicago in the mid-1950s as well as the indelible impression writer Frank London Brown made on her, inspiring her to start writing as a child.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/nextvoices/2024/11/15/next-voices-sandra-jackson-opoku-frank-london-brown-trumbull-park-homes-south-deering-black-history

Jackson-Opoku is the author of upcoming mystery, Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes (7/29/25, Minotaur Books).

Sandra Jackson-Opoku's family moved into the Trumbull Park Homes in the '50s, where they encountered hatred from white neighbors and where Frank London Brown chronicled the struggles of Black lives and desegregation.