The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story will be published by One World Books on 11/16/19, offering a profoundly revealing vision of the American past and present and a dramatic expansion of a groundbreaking work of journalism.

In late August 1619, a ship arrived in the British colony of Virginia bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty enslaved people from Africa. Their arrival led to the barbaric and unprecedented system of American chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. This is sometimes referred to as the country’s original sin, but it is more than that: It is the source of so much that still defines the United States.

On November 9, 2021, the Penguin Press will publish AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BOOKS: A Literary Journey. 

Inspired by Jules Verne’s hero Phileas Fogg, author David Damrosch, chair of Harvard University’s department of comparative literature and founder of Harvard’s Institute for World Literature, set out to counter a pandemic’s restrictions on travel by exploring eighty exceptional books from around the globe. Following a literary itinerary from London to Venice, Tehran and points beyond, and via authors from Woolf and Dante to Nobel Prize–winners Orhan Pamuk, Wole Soyinka, Mo Yan, and Olga Tokarczuk, he explores how these works have shaped our idea of the world, and the ways in which the world bleeds into literature.

November is Native American Heritage Month. The month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. Heritage Month is also an opportune time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges. (NCAI.org)

Over the past two decades, Americans have experienced a significant evolution in their understanding and cultural acceptance of transgender people.

Consequently, media coverage of trans issues has moved beyond simplistic political dichotomies and toward more fully realized representations, not only of the diversity of the trans community, but also of trans people’s lives, their families, and their fundamental inclusion in the fabric of American society. Today, transgender people’s stories are more likely to be told in the same way as others — with fairness, integrity, and respect. (glaad.org)

Between 9/15 and 10/15, we celebrate the history and countless contributions that Latinos have made to the US over the years. This month we also honor the cultural richness of Hispanics from Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

This year Americans will commemorate the life-changing events of September 11, 2001, twenty years ago. In addition to tributes to those who lost their lives, including the traditional reading of names, and honoring the heroes of that day, many will ruminate about the ongoing war on terror that’s since taken place. The expected complete withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan by 9/11 of this year as ordered by President Biden will have readers refocused on all that has transpired over the past 20 years. 

Donald H. Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense for Presidents Gerald R. Ford and George W. Bush, who presided over America’s Cold War strategies in the 1970s and, in the new world of terrorism decades later, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, died on Tuesday at his home in Taos, N.M. He was 88. (The New York Times).

His memoir, KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, is published by Sentinel.

Bestselling author, naval historian, and literary agent James D. Hornfischer passed away on Wednesday, June 2, surrounded by his family at his home in Austin, TX.  He was 55 years old. Hornfischer was the author of four critically acclaimed, bestselling books of World War II naval history, the culmination of a lifelong interest in World War II in the Pacific, all published by Bantam Books.

The intense fighting now raging between Israelis and Palestinians – in an area not much larger than New Jersey – may be the worst since 2014, but it’s part of a complex, bitter conflict that reaches back to the first World War. (USA Today)

In April, President Joe Biden said the war in Afghanistan was never meant to be multi-generational, as he officially announced the drawdown of all 2,500 U.S. troops in that country beginning May 1 and concluding by Sepember 11, the 20th anniversary of the war. (www.defense.gov)

The Taliban insurgency remains resilient nearly two decades after U.S.-led forces toppled its regime in what led to the United States’ longest war. (Council on Foreign Relations).

As consumers grapple with a potential fourth wave of COVID-19 and vaccinations ramp up *just* faster than variants are overtaking certain parts of the country, it’s also time for market to begin to see books on the subject. Larry Wright’s A PLAGUE YEAR goes on sale in early June, and Nina Burleigh’s VIRUS hits shelves even sooner. Other books about epidemics, pandemics, and diseases may see sales increases as they did early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a time when all Americans are looking for a better America, it’s useful to look to the past to remind ourselves of what earlier Americans thought about, fought for, and were motivated to accomplish. Several title lists can help booksellers curate thoughtful and enlightening title collections for promotions.