I love books like this, where the author takes something seemingly small or insignificant and weaves a vast tapestry around it. In this case, we have a single map, but it’s an important one. The Waldseemuller map, made by a couple of German scholars, was the first map to designate the “New World” as something separate from Asia. Not important? Well, the Library of Congress thought otherwise. It bought the map in 2003 for an unprecedented 10 million dollars.
—Seana Graham

You may (or may not) recognize this author’s name, but David Plouffe is the man behind President Obama’s
historic campaign. This is a detailed account of how two determined men managed this campaign as a
grassroots, startup, call-to-duty endeavor and turned the old campaign model upside down. We have witnessed a momentous historical event with the election of the first ever African American president, and Plouffe roadmaps the decisions and sweat that made it a reality.
—Adrienne Mages

When Everything Changed begins in 1960, when American women
actually had to get their husbands’ permission to apply for a credit
card. It ends in 2008 with Hillary Clinton’s historic presidential
campaign. This book has enough facts to be a textbook, but its very
amusing and down-to-earth style makes it a compelling read. Allow
yourself to be reminded, outraged, and inspired. —Clytia Fuller