While most books about Napoleon Bonaparte seem to cover bits and pieces of the Frenchman’s life, Schom has written an all-encompassing work documenting Napoleon’s entire life. Schom writes of his military and political endeavors, as well as the parts that make him more human to the reader: his character, family, life outside of his conquests, and his values. Loved by the French, hated by other European countries with a history of enduring his ruthlessness, Napoleon’s successes and failures have shaped the history and lives of many.

Words of pain, suffering, loss, remembrance, and honesty flood the pages of J. Cruickshank Muir’s collection of poetry. His book is a response to the combat and the realities of war and his time serving as a Marine during the Vietnam War. Cruickshank Muir’s work is open and painfully honest, shedding light on the dark corners in his soul that as a veteran he could not previously share with those close to him.

This collection of photographs and accounts of the history of the Mexican frontier and stories of the settlers along the Rio Grande and Texas and Mexico border depicts the rich and shared history between the United States and Mexico. Gusky’s photographs and Johnson’s descriptions of the Spanish influence on both American and Mexican pioneers encapsulate the constant struggle and feeling of confusion about being Mexican or being American in a town so divided by race and war.

Power, Trade, and Feasting Among Complex Hunter-Gatherers - Lynn H. Gamble, ’84 University of California Press

Gamble’s extensive research of Southern California’s Chumash tribe and the encounters with the Spanish explorers and missionaries during 1769 gives insight to a society rich in culture, organization and economy, warfare and politics. Drawing from archeology, ethnography, ecology and historical documents of the area known as the Santa Barbara Channel Region, Gamble describes the Spanish in awe at the abundance of food, the size and construction of the dwellings and villages, the use of currency, form of government and rankings, and so on in the Chumash village. The picture Gamble paints of this part of U.S. history creates a better appreciation of this culture.

You Did That on Purpose - Understanding and Changing Children’s Aggression - Cynthia Hudley, ’68 Yale University Press

As children, it is not uncommon to squabble over hair clips, who gets the bigger piece, and who should have the pink ball or the red ball. Cynthia Hudley delves deeper to investigate the degrees of aggressiveness that children exhibit and the effect it may have on youth violence. Hudley looks at the level of aggressiveness towards peers, the long-term effects that the aggressive behavior will have on the child, and offers suggestions and tools for both parents and educators to understand and reduce peer-directed aggression. Hudley’s book is both reader-friendly and informative, gathering information from research literature and findings, and everyday tools to be used at school or at home.