To-Read List

This authoritative history traces Afghanistan from its earliest state formation in 1260 to the present, detailing the rise of the Durrani monarchy, internal power struggles, foreign relations, and impacts of interventions like the War on Terror. Drawing on Persian histories, Afghan memoirs, British archives, CIA reports, and Wikileaks, Jonathan L. Lee challenges Western misconceptions and contextualizes modern conflicts within centuries of tribal, ethnic, and regional dynamics.

Abbas Amanat's comprehensive history spans five centuries of Iran from the Safavid era to the 2009 Green Movement. It examines dynastic shifts, revolutions, civil wars, foreign occupations, and the rise of the Islamic Republic, blending chronological and thematic approaches. The narrative emphasizes political history while exploring culture, religion, economy, society, and identity, drawing on extensive scholarship with a focus on the twentieth century.

A comprehensive reassessment of Joseph Stalin's role as a wartime leader and political strategist from 1939 to 1953. Geoffrey Roberts draws on extensive Soviet archival sources to challenge conventional views of Stalin, examining his military leadership during World War II, his diplomatic negotiations with Allied leaders Churchill and Roosevelt, and his pivotal role in shaping the postwar order and the origins of the Cold War. The book offers a nuanced portrait of Stalin as a complex and effective, though brutal, war leader.

Freedom at Midnight is a sweeping narrative of India's independence from British rule in 1947. The book chronicles the dramatic events surrounding the transfer of power, including Lord Mountbatten's role as the last Viceroy, the negotiations with Gandhi, Nehru, and Jinnah, the tragic partition of India and Pakistan, and the communal violence that followed. Drawing on extensive interviews and research, the authors vividly portray the political intrigue, human suffering, and triumph that accompanied the birth of the world's largest democracy.

The first volume of a two-volume biography covering Gandhi's life from birth through his 21-year period as a lawyer and civil-rights activist in South Africa, where he developed Satyagraha and transformed from a Western-trained Indian lawyer into a global leader of non-violent resistance.

The book examines the untold story of Bangladesh, from the 1971 Liberation War to contemporary politics of identity and Islamism. It reveals how linguistic nationalism evolved into a deception, critiquing the 'Joy Bangla' narrative through empirical social science lens by economist Prof. Kausik Gangopadhyay.

Chronicles the competitive race between British, French, German, and American explorers and scholars to uncover Egypt's ancient treasures from 1822 to 1922. Wilkinson details the lives of prominent figures like Champollion, Carter, and Carnarvon, exploring how their discoveries transformed understanding of ancient Egyptian civilization while examining the political rivalries and imperialist motivations underlying European Egyptology.

Congo Stories chronicles five centuries of exploitation and greed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, from King Leopold's brutal rubber and ivory plunder to modern conflicts over minerals fueling electronics. It highlights the human cost, with millions of lives lost, and showcases Congolese resilience and resistance against international looting and oppression, featuring stories of survivors and activists like Dr. Denis Mukwege.

The autobiography and memoirs of Zahir al-Din Muhammad Babur (1483-1530), founder of the Mughal Empire. Originally written in Chagatai Turkish, this work presents vivid accounts of life in Central Asia and India, covering Babur's military campaigns, observations on nature and society, and the establishment of Mughal rule in northern India.

A revelatory narrative history of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, chronicling the Shah's oblivious dictatorship, U.S. policy blunders, and the rise of revolutionary forces led by Khomeini. Scott Anderson portrays key figures with dramatic flair, likening the upheaval to the French and Russian revolutions, and examines its enduring global repercussions from the Middle East to the West.