India: 5,000 Years of History on the Subcontinent (Audrey Truschke)

In India: 5,000 Years of History on the Subcontinent, author Audrey Truschke offers a brisk, yet comprehensive journey through South Asian history, providing an accessible and intelligent account of the region's vast and diverse past. The book’s timeline spans from the Indus Valley civilization through the modern era.

Throughout the book, Truschke refers to India in the context of the Indian subcontinent, which includes modern Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, parts of Afghanistan and Burma, as well as nearby Sri Lanka. She emphasizes the region's pluralism, noting India was and is a multiethnic region that has spent more of history in smaller regional states than larger nation-states. She integrates both textual and material evidence, drawing from a range of sources to present a multifaceted view of the subcontinent’s rich history. 

From a general history perspective, Truschke shares India’s history with relative fairness and balance, albeit with some frank commentary woven in at times. On the whole, Truschke's India serves as a solid resource for those seeking an introduction to South Asian history from a scholarly perspective.

MY RATING: 4

Mark Twain (Ron Chernow)

Ron Chernow’s Mark Twain is an exhaustive and nuanced portrait of one of America’s most iconic figures, Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Chernow traces Twain’s evolution from a mischievous child in Missouri to a global literary celebrity and cultural critic. This biography is meticulously researched, drawing from a wealth of personal letters, unpublished manuscripts, and historical records, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of Twain's multifaceted life.

Chernow explores Twain's early career as a riverboat pilot, his rise as a humorist and author, and his later years marked by personal tragedies and financial mishaps. The biography also critically examines Twain's complex views on race, his evolving political consciousness, and his relationships with family and friends. 

Excluding the index, the book checks in at over 1,030 pages. At times, the granular detail of all things Twain borders on overkill. As someone who has read Hamilton and Washington cover to cover, I felt Chernow at times was stretching and adding too much author analysis where none was necessary. Despite this, the depth and breadth of Chernow's research makes the book a valuable resource for readers interested in a very, very thorough exploration of Twain's legacy. 

MY RATING: 4

Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery (Richard Kreitner)

In Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery, author Richard Kreitner explores the wide range of perspectives within the 19th-century Jewish community in regard to faith, slavery, and the Civil War.  The book profiles six Jewish individuals who had varied and prominent roles in mid 19th Century America: Judah Benjamin, a lawyer and Confederate leader; Morris Raphall, a rabbi who defended slavery; Isaac Mayer Wise, who advocated for neutrality; David Einhorn, an abolitionist rabbi; August Bondi, a revolutionary and Union soldier; and Ernestine Rose, a feminist and atheist abolitionist. These case studies illustrate the complexities between faith, identity, and political ideology.

Kreitner delves into the broader context of Jewish life in America, highlighting the challenges of assimilation and the pressures to conform to prevailing societal norms. He effectively demonstrates that, much like their non-Jewish counterparts, Jews were not monolithic in their views on slavery, with some supporting it, others opposing it, and many grappling with the ethical implications of their positions. Kreitner also devotes significant time to discussing how Jewish Americans were perceived in American society and the varying ebbs and flows of antisemitic behavior by Americans throughout the country in the middle of the 19th Century.

Fear No Pharaoh is a significant contribution to books on Jewish history and its relationship and views on American slavery.

MY RATING: 4

Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America (Will Bardenwerper)

Will Bardenwerper’s Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America explores how the decline of minor league baseball in rural America mirrors broader societal shifts. Through the lens of the Batavia Muckdogs, a team from upstate New York, Bardenwerper delves into themes of community, identity, and the impact of corporate decisions on local life.​

The Muckdogs were among 42 minor league teams contracted by Major League Baseball in 2021. Despite losing official affiliation as a minor league team, they found new life by joining a collegiate summer league under local ownership. Bardenwerper immerses himself in the community, attending games and engaging with fans, to capture the essence of small-town baseball and its significance beyond the sport itself.​ The author’s time in Batavia in 2022 coincides with the Muckdogs’ run to the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League title series, and the book captures a number of moments in both the town and the team over a few months.

Homestand serves as both a tribute to the enduring power of community through the author’s personal storytelling, as well as a critique of the forces that threaten to erode it. Bardenwerper’s work is a timely reminder of the importance of preserving local institutions and the connections they foster in an increasingly corporate world.

MY RATING: 4.5