6 Authors Of Riveting Books About History

James Baldwin once said that people are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them. Understanding the human condition is impossible without grasping what has occurred before our current moment. Fortunately, there are people who strive to elucidate who and what has come before us. In no particular order, here are some writers exploring the events of the past so that we may better comprehend the present and the future.

#1 on our overview is Annie Boochever, a former teacher, librarian, and co-founder of a children's theater. Boochever made her debut with Bristol Bay Summer, a fictionalized telling of her experiences as a single mom taking a Cessna 185 with her boyfriend and two children to a remote fish camp in Alaska.

The former resident of Juneau continued her inquiry into the region with a picture biography called Fighter in Velvet Gloves: Alaska Civil Rights Hero Elizabeth Peratrovich, which is geared toward middle grade and young adult readers. Boochever co-wrote this story of how Peratrovich, an Alaskan Native woman, came to give a speech that helped bring about statewide anti-discrimination legislation.

Coming up at #2 is Shuja Nawaz, Distinguished Fellow and former director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council. Nawaz specializes in understanding Pakistan, including its culture, political economy, and military, along with the surrounding areas of South and Central Asia. The analyst's work focuses on topics such as nuclear proliferation, terrorism, and counter insurgency warfare.

Nawaz's books include Crossed Swords, an examination of the Pakistan Army, and The Battle for Pakistan, which investigates the country's relationship with the United States. The analyst has also written a report about the nation's Federally Administered Tribal Areas, as well as a travelogue called Journeys.

In the #3 spot is Chris Dier. This high school teacher is the author of The 1868 St. Bernard Parish Massacre: Blood in the Cane Fields, which tells the tale of a racially driven rampage that occurred in Dier's own hometown. The writer describes how armed groups intent on voter suppression set off a wave of murder and destruction in the days before the presidential election of 1868.

The writer, who was also the 2020 Louisiana Teacher of the Year, describes those who committed the massacre as being motivated by the possibility of regaining a way of life turned upside down by the Civil War and Reconstruction. Dier discusses how this tragedy reverberated throughout the South, and how it has lingered for generations.

Arriving at #4 on the list is Megan Kate Nelson. An expert in the history of the American Civil War, the West, popular culture, and the 19th century more generally, she has written numerous articles and books about these topics. Nelson's published works include Ruin Nation, Trembling Earth, and The Three-Cornered War.

In The Three-Cornered War, Nelson tells the story of the Western theater of the Civil War through the eyes of a variety of individuals. These include John R. Baylor, who established the Confederate Territory of Arizona; Louisa Hawkins Canby, a Union wife who nursed Confederate soldiers back to health; Kit Carson, a famous frontiersman and military leader; and Alonzo Ickis, an Iowa-born gold miner who fought on the side of the Union.

Our #5 is Harry Moskoff, a reporter with an interest in biblical archaeology. Moskoff's The A.R.K. Report is an exploration of Jerusalem’s ancient tunnels, and an attempt to theorize the location of the lost Ark of the Covenant. The writer says he is sometimes referred to as a Jewish Indiana Jones, and believes the mythical artifact may still be inside the Temple Mount in a hidden chamber that was built by King Solomon.

Moskoff also follows politics and pens opinion pieces, such as The Election Impasse and the Age of the Messiah, The Next Israeli Prime Minister MK Ayelet Shaked, and Why Trump Will Win the 2020 Elections, all published in Israel365. The author also worked on the team for US presidential candidate Governor Mike Huckabee.

Rounding out the overview at #6 is Matthew Delmont. He's a history professor who focuses on the African-American experience and the fight for racial justice in the United States. Delmont's books include Why Busing Failed: Race, Media, and the National Resistance to School Desegregation, and The Nicest Kids in Town: American Bandstand, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and the Struggle for Civil Rights in 1950s Philadelphia.

Delmont is also the writer of Making Roots: A Nation Captivated, about the famous Alex Haley miniseries, and a digital book titled Black Quotidian, which examines the role of the Black press in popularizing African-American history. The professor has also appeared in such publications as The Atlantic, the New York Times, NPR, and Southern Spaces.