History Reads

Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets

by William G. Hyland Jr. (Local Author) Poring over documents culled from unpublished memoirs, the Library of Congress, the Virginia Historical Society and other special collections, biographer William G. Hyland Jr. has spent countless hours meticulously researching the life of Thomas Jefferson. “Thomas Jefferson, the public man, is a well documented and familiar figure,” Hyland said. In his latest biography, “Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets” Hyland takes a deep dive into a less chronicled period of Jefferson’s life and provides a biography of two overlooked figures within Jefferson’s inner sanctum, his adult grandchildren, Thomas Jefferson Randolph and Ellen Coolidge. “This book offers an entirely novel and provocative look at an intimate period of Jefferson’s life through the eyes of his most trusted family confidants,” Hyland said. Seeking to explore new territory within the context of Jefferson’s golden years, Hyland portrays Jefferson as a flawed but benevolent man and a conflicted patriarch to an emotionally distressed family.

Hidden History of Florida

by James C. Clark Florida has a history as diverse as its residents. And much of that is still hidden. Since the arrival of the Spanish in 1513, the state has played host to strange stories. A heartbroken senator entered a mental institution over unrequited love for an heiress. Thousands of British pilots trained in flight schools across the state. And the true, and darker, story of Pocahontas is linked with the “first barbecue.” Author and historian James C. Clark unearths a history hidden beneath swamps and sand for years.

Finding Florida: The True History of the Sunshine State

by T. D. Allman, James Patrick Cronin Over its long history, Florida has been many things: a native realm protected by geography; a wilderness that ruined Spanish conquistadors; a place to start over; “god’s waiting room”. Today it’s our fourth most populous state, with 19 million. The site of vicious racial violence, including massacres, slavery, and the roll-back of Reconstruction, Florida is now one of our most diverse states, a dynamic multicultural place with an essential role in 21st century America. In Finding Florida: The True History of the Sunshine State, journalist T. D. Allman reclaims this remarkable history from the mythologizers, apologists, and boosters. Allman traces the discovery, exploration, and settlement of Florida, its transformation from a swamp to a paradise.

Florida Lore: The Barefoot Mailman, Cowboy Bone Mizell, the Tallahassee Witch and Other Tales (American Legends)

by Caren Schnur Neile Florida boasts mysterious tales that stretch back more than twelve thousand years. Dive into the lives of the proud Wakulla Pocahontas and the Ghost of Bellamy Bridge. Meet local lawbreakers like John Ashley, as well as transplants like Ma Barker and Al Capone. Stalk stumpy gators or Hogzilla as they prowl Florida’s swamps and suburbs. Discover the quintessential Cracker cowboy and the Barefoot Mailman, plus the origin of names like Boca Raton and Orlando.

A History of Florida: Through Black Eyes

by Marvin Dunn I know Florida. I was born in Florida during the reign of Jim Crow and have lived to see black astronauts blasted into the heavens from Cape Canaveral. For three quarters of a century I have lived mostly in Florida. I have seen her flowers and her warts. This book is about both. People of African descent have been in Florida from the arrival of Ponce de Leon in 1513, yet our presence in the state is virtually hidden. A casual glance at most Florida history books depict African Americans primarily as laborers who are shown as backdrops to white history. The history of blacks in Florida has been deliberately distorted, omitted and marginalized. We have been denied our heroes and heroines. Our stories have mainly been left untold. This book lifts the veil from some of these stories and places African Americans in the very marrow of Florida history.

American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America

by Colin Woodard According to award-winning journalist and historian Colin Woodard, North America is made up of eleven distinct nations, each with its own unique historical roots. In American Nations he takes readers on a journey through the history of our fractured continent, offering a revolutionary and revelatory take on American identity, and how the conflicts between them have shaped our past and continue to mold our future. From the Deep South to the Far West, to Yankeedom to El Norte, Woodard (author of American Character: A History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the Common Good) reveals how each region continues to uphold its distinguishing ideals and identities today, with results that can be seen in the composition of the U.S. Congress or on the county-by-county election maps of any hotly contested election in our history.

America on Fire: The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion Since the 1960s

by Elizabeth Hinton In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson launched the “War on Crime,” sending militarized police forces into impoverished Black neighborhoods. Facing increasing surveillance and brutality, residents threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at officers, plundered local businesses, and vandalized exploitative institutions. Hinton draws on exclusive sources to uncover a previously hidden geography of violence in smaller American cities, from York, Pennsylvania, to Cairo, Illinois, to Stockton, California. The central lesson from these eruptions - that police violence invariably leads to community violence - continues to escape policymakers, who respond by further criminalizing entire groups instead of addressing underlying socioeconomic causes.

American History, Combined Edition: 1492 - Present

by Thomas S. Kidd In this combined edition, the full content of volumes 1 and 2 of Thomas Kidd’s American History are brought together in a single, accessible textbook. This sweeping narrative spans the full scope of American history from the first Native American societies to the political and cultural struggles of contemporary times. In clear, readable prose, and with attention to well-known and more obscure figures from American history, Kidd gives a robust account of the events, people, and ideas that gave shape to our nation.