McNamara at War: A New History (Philip and William Taubman)

In McNamara at War: A New History, authors Philip and William Taubman offer a detailed and critical examination of Robert S. McNamara's role in shaping American military strategy during the Vietnam War. The authors bring a balanced perspective into McNamara's complex legacy, highlighting both his intellectual brilliance and his anguish over the decisions made during his tenure as Secretary of Defense. The book provides a fascinating look at the decision-making processes behind the escalation of the war and offers insight into McNamara’s personal struggles with the consequences of his actions.

Through interviews, documents, and historical analysis, the Taubmans portray McNamara as a figure driven by a belief in technological and rational solutions to warfare. However, they also show how these very ideals led to miscalculations and a tragic escalation of conflict in Vietnam. The authors explore his shifting perspectives over time, particularly as McNamara moved from staunchly defending his choices to openly questioning them later in life. 

The paradox of McNamara’s defense of combat despite his increasing personal opposition to war is detailed and expressed brilliantly in the Taubmans’ coverage of Vietnam. A strength of this book is the ability to weave McNamara's personal story with the broader political and military context of the era. McNamara was a complex person, at times cold, calculating, and aloof while at other moments very warm and caring. 

The book is a compelling narrative that questions the limits of intelligence and strategy in warfare, loyalty and duty, while also examining the human costs of high-stakes decision-making. Overall, McNamara at War is an engrossing and thought-provoking read for anyone interested in the Vietnam War, American history, or the moral complexities of leadership during times of crisis.

MY RATING: 5

The Romans: A 2,000-Year History (Edward J. Watts)

Edward J. Watts has delivered an ambitious and sweeping history of the Roman state with The Romans: A 2,000‑Year History. Watts offers a panorama of the Roman state from its earliest roots to its transformation into a republic, an empire, the gradual evolution of its power center moving to Constantinople, and then the eventual sacking of the city by Norman Crusaders in 1204. Watts challenges the standard snapshot view of the Romans as simply the pre‑imperial republic or the early empire by including the centuries of Eastern European rule as part of Rome instead of how we commonly have considered it to be Byzantine.

Watts argues that the resilience of Rome lay in its openness to new peoples, new faiths and shifting political geographies. Shifting geographies challenges the so‑called “decline and fall” theory and shapes Rome more as a story of transformation rather than abrupt collapse. His writing is clear and engaging; he moves the reader through centuries of politics, war, religion, and culture at a brisk but not overwhelming pace.

The sheer scope of 2 000 years of history means that the level of detail for each era is necessarily modest and brief. Readers seeking deep dives into particular emperors, military campaigns, or the evolution of Roman social status over time may find the coverage too broad for their tastes. However, the book serves brilliantly as a unifying overview and a call to reconsider how we define “Roman” identity across time.

The Romans is an excellent introduction for history enthusiasts and students who wish to view the Roman world centered not merely on the city of Rome but as a dynamic civilization spanning centuries. Watts has produced a compelling and richly readable account that will stand as a major single‑volume history of the Roman state.

MY RATING: 4.5

Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire (Barry Strauss)

In Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World’s Mightiest Empire, author Barry Strauss offers a powerful account of the long struggle between the Jewish people and the Roman Empire. Covering two hundred years of history, from roughly 63 BC to 136 CE, the book focuses on three major Jewish revolts: the Great Revolt in the first century, the Diaspora Revolt in the second century, and the Bar Kokhba Revolt that followed. Strauss weaves military history, political intrigue, and religious fervor into a compelling narrative.

Strauss expertly balances scholarly rigor with clear storytelling. He explains the causes of each revolt while also exploring the broader context of Roman rule and its management of the Middle East. He does not shy away from the complexity within Jewish society itself, highlighting the divisions between moderates and radicals, and religious leaders and political rebels. The Jewish diaspora in this time stretched from modern day Iran to North Africa and Europe, which brought additional complexity given the presence of an empire that was based in modern day Iran and in occasional conflict with Rome. This internal tension and geopolitics are portrayed as central to both the courage and tragedy of the revolts.

Strauss also draws subtle connections to modern questions of identity, nationalism, and empire. While the book remains grounded in ancient sources and archaeology, it never feels detached from the concerns of today.

Jews vs. Rome is a powerful and thought-provoking read for anyone interested in ancient history or the enduring conflict between power and resistance. 

MY RATING: 5

Born Equal: Remaking America's Consitution, 1840-1920 (Akhil Reed Amar)

In Born Equal: Remaking America's Constitution, 1840-1920, constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar delivers his analysis of how the United States Constitution has evolved toward greater equality. In the second of his planned three part series on the Constitution, Amar focuses on the march towards greater representative government through a number of amendments related to equal rights and voting rights.

Born Equal starts with the lurches towards Civil War, with sectional conflict around slavery and territorial expansion towards the west driving increased hostility between northerners and southerners. After the Civil War, Amar goes in depth into the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments and talks about their impact on American life, albeit briefly in the 19th Century due to state and judicial reversals in various cases. His other major focus was on the march towards women’s suffrage, starting in the 1840’s and continuing through the 19th Amendment's adoption in 1920.

Focusing on several key political characters, Amar offers his strong views on their contributions to American history.  He pulls no punches in this book, speaking very highly of Abraham Lincoln and panning many others for not living up to the ideals of the Constitution as he believes the American founders would have wanted it.

His first book, The Words That Made Us, was a more balanced view of constitutional history and our nation’s beginning. Amar’s passion and opinions in Born Equal are more pronounced by comparison. He also breezily glides through the adoption of amendments that bring about federal income tax (16th Amendment), direct representation of senators (17th), and prohibition (18th) without offering substantial commentary on the history of how those amendments came about and impacts on the country. Despite these weak spots, Born Equal is still a good book; however, it felt editorially brief in some areas that have had significant impact on American life to this day.

MY RATING: 4

In Covid's Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us (Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee)

In Covid’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us by Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee offers a relatively strong rebuke of the political handling of the COVID-19 outbreak. The authors challenge prevailing narratives of crisis leadership and call into account the many costs borne by society when political expediency outpaced evidence. Drawing on both prior pandemic plans versus the reality of what leaders executed during the initial year of the pandemic, they ask sharp questions: Were dissenting voices heard fairly? Were the harms of shutdowns and school closures balanced against benefits? Did basic rights of citizens receive due attention? 

The authors used a balanced approach to systemically pick apart narratives and talking points from health experts and political leaders throughout much of the political spectrum. What emerges is a picture of expert advice becoming politicized, of public policies that privileged those who could work from home while leaving essential workers vulnerable, and of commitments to civil liberty that were too often sidelined. The sharpest critiques were focused on schools and early childhood education, pointing out the disparate impact towards lower income families and the impacts of masking on childhood social and educational development. 

While the book could be considered an exercise of armchair quarterbacking, the authors do offer a strong case that many policies were adopted without sufficient scrutiny of tradeoffs or long-term consequences. At times, the tone leans toward indictment rather than exploration, and some readers might feel the analysis does not give enough credit to those who were acting without full information or under severe uncertainty. However, this book offers a strong incitement of our hyperpartisan and siloed country that increasingly lacks unity and can trend far too heavily towards dogmatic and too far from nuanced balance in decision making. Politics quickly drove decision-making around how COVID originated, how quickly businesses reopened, or how long schools required masking, and the authors offer a pretty clear case that “following the science” was arguably as political as it was scientific.

In Covid’s Wake is an essential book for anyone wanting to understand not just what was done during the pandemic but how we might do better next time.

MY RATING: 4.5

There's Got to Be a Better Way (Nelson P. Repenning and Donald C. Kieffer)

In There’s Got to Be a Better Way: How to Deliver Results and Get Rid of the Stuff That Gets in the Way of Real Work, authors Nelson P. Repenning and Donald C. Kieffer provide business leaders with a practical guide to improve how work gets done within organizations. The authors introduce a concept that they refer to as Dynamic Work Design, which aims to help individuals and teams escape the frustrating cycle of constant problem solving and reactive behavior. Instead of chasing one crisis after another, this approach creates a system that supports sustainable improvement.

Repenning, a professor at MIT, and Kieffer, a former operations executive, bring together critical thinking and real world application. The book outlines a number of key principles of Dynamic Work Design, including designing work so that problems become visible, and creating routines that support daily accountability and long term improvement.

Rather than promoting a one size fits all solution, the authors emphasize designing work intentionally to fit the specific context of an organization. They explain why many popular improvement methods often fail; not because the tools are ineffective, but because the structure of the work itself prevents lasting change.

The writing is clear and approachable, supported by relevant examples from various industries that the authors have either consulted or worked for. This book is ideal for leaders, managers, and professionals who feel stuck in a cycle of busy but unproductive work. There’s Got to Be a Better Way delivers on its title, showing that meaningful and lasting change is not only possible, but achievable with the right approach.

MY RATING: 4

Lineage: Genealogy and the Power of Connection in Early America (Karin Wulf)

In Lineage: Genealogy and the Power of Connection in Early America, author Karin Wulf studies how genealogy shaped power, identity, and community in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Moving beyond the assumption that genealogy is only about family pride or personal heritage, Wulf reveals that lineage served as a critical social, religious, and political tool in early America. Her work explores how people used ancestry to claim rights, secure property, assert authority, and reinforce boundaries of race, gender, and class.

Wulf includes substantial discussion of how colonial and early American laws tied identity to family lines. This was especially evident in the institution of slavery, where descent through the mother legally determined enslavement. Wulf shows that this practice turned genealogy into a mechanism of control, making it central to the development of racial hierarchies, especially in the South.

The author balances her analysis of early American leaders such as George Washington, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin with a focus on the more ordinary practices of family record keeping. She draws from diaries, legal documents, and many family Bibles to show how people recorded and preserved their connections, often in ways that shaped their futures and those of their descendants. Wulf closes her book with the development of the Mormon faith and its extensive use of genealogy and the eventual development of apps and websites that help us track long lost family members.

While the book is dense in places and the visual reproductions of documents can be hard to read, Lineage is a valuable contribution to the history of early America and of the subject of genealogy. 

MY RATING: 4