Some of 2021’s Best History Books, according to Smithsonian Magazine
Smithsonian magazine’s list of the top 10 history books of 2021 encompasses topics ranging from ancient Rome and World War II to the current opioid crisis. The titles include Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age, by Annalee Newitz, a journalistic exploration of how civilizations collapse.
The book covers Pompeii, the Roman city destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., and the ancient city of Çatalhöyük in southern Anatolia, as well as the medieval Cambodian capital Angkor. Additionally, the author looks at Cahokia, a pre-Hispanic metropolis in modern-day Illinois.
While they appear dramatically different on the surface, all four societies developed sophisticated infrastructures and engineering principles. In Angkor, a complex network of canals and reservoirs helped the settlement become an economic force, while Cahokia featured impressive pyramids. Despite their advancements, the four societies ultimately fell due to chronic political instability, poor leadership, and environmental collapse.
In Into the Forest: A Holocaust Story of Survival, Triumph, and Love, author Rebecca Frankel tells the story of Philip Lazowski, who was 11 years old when separated from his family in April 1942 in Poland. He joined a woman named Miriam Rabinowitz and her two daughters, then later reunited with his family and spent several years hiding in the forest. He joined approximately 25,000 Jews who spent World War II hiding in the woods of Eastern Europe, joining makeshift family camps and moving constantly to avoid detection by the Nazis. The story illuminates a seldom highlighted aspect of the Holocaust.
Another notable history book of 2021, The Eagles of Heart Mountain, deals with World War II in the United States, where Japanese Americans were forced to live in internment camps. Author Bradford Pearson describes the experience of some of the 14,000 individuals incarcerated at Wyoming’s Heart Mountain Relocation Center between August 1942 and November 1945. A year after the camp opened, prisoners formed a football team that went undefeated in the 1943 season. Pearson creates a stark contrast between the players’ success and the harsh and often racist conditions at the camp.
The book Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, by Patrick Radden Keefe, explores the opioid epidemic in the United States and the role of the Sackler family, the owners of OxyContin producer Purdue Pharma. A journalist with the New York Times, Keefe drew on court documents and conducted more than 200 interviews, in addition to recounting his personal interactions with the Sacklers. The 560-page book represents more than a decade of research.
In America on Fire: The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion since the 1960s, Elizabeth Hinton describes the history of Black rebellions instigated by police violence from 1964 to 2001. Published roughly a year after the killing of George Floyd, the book draws parallels between violence during the Civil Rights era and the 2020 protests.
Smithsonian magazine also recognized About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks, by David Rooney, as one of 2021’s top history books. The son of clockmakers, Rooney traces the creation of 12 clocks, including an ancient Roman sundial and a plutonium clock buried in Osaka, Japan. In addition to outlining their increasing accuracy, he considers how the standardization of time facilitated social functions such as financial markets and the purchase of alcohol.
