What we’re about
We share perspectives on books and topics in History and Foreign Affairs in a friendly, small group roundtable discussion format. Our focus is on interesting eras, significant events, transformative figures, and trends across cultures and time. By discussing how Geography, Economics and Trade, Technology, Politics, and Culture have shaped History, we can better understand modern world events and current geopolitical conflicts.
If you have a passion for discussing topics in History and Foreign Affairs, you will enjoy being a part of our community.
Upcoming events (4)
See all- History Discussion: The End of WW II in EuropeLink visible for attendees
We'll discuss the Normandy Campaign, the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of Berlin and their significance in WW II,
We'll cover:- Challenges within Allied military leadership regarding Operation Overlord and D Day
- Germany's failures in their last offensive at the Battle of the Bulge
- Collapse of the Nazi regime at the Battle of Berlin
- Impact of events on the post-war political balance in Europe.
We'll discuss these two articles:
The British Army in Normandy: Winning the War the Wrong Way
The Halt on the ElbeThese two articles are suggested if you need background:
The Battle of the Bulge: A Comprehensive Examination of a Pivotal Moment in World War II History
Battle of Berlin - Book Discussion: We Are Your Soldiers: How Gamal Nasser Remade the Arab WorldLink visible for attendees
A searing exploration of authoritarianism in the Middle East through the legacy of Gamal Abdel Nasser’s years in power in Cold War–era Egypt. We Are Your Soldiers examines seven countries—Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, and Libya—and Nasser’s impact on each of them.
The larger-than-life Egyptian president ruled for eighteen years between the coup d’état he led in 1952 and his death in 1970, during which he wrested control of the Suez Canal from the British and French empires.
We Are Your Soldiers: How Gamal Abdel Nasser Remade the Arab World by Alex Rowell is available in all formats at public libraries and bookstores. 370 pp
- Book Discussion: Klan War: Ulysses S Grant and the Battle to Save ReconstructionLink visible for attendees
A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A stunning history of the first national anti-terrorist campaign waged on American soil—when Ulysses S. Grant wielded the power of the federal government to dismantle the KKK, while testing the extent of states' rights.
The Ku Klux Klan was at its peak in the early 1870s and their mission was to obliterate the political power of newly emancipated Black Americans and their white allies. To repel the virulent tidal wave of violence, President Grant waged a two-term battle against the Klan.
Klan War is a bold and bracing record of America’s past that reveals the bloody, Reconstruction-era roots of present-day battles to protect the ballot box and stamp out resurgent white supremacist ideologies.
Klan War: Ulysses S Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction by Fergus M. Bordewich is available in all formats at public libraries and bookstores.385pp - Book Discussion: Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism & Modern America- Clay RisenLink visible for attendees
Award-winning history writer and journalist Clay Risen tells the story of McCarthyism and the Red Scare—the anti-Communist witch hunt that gripped America in political hysteria during the decade following WW II. McCarthyism arose amid the conflict between social conservatives and New Deal progressives, and the onset of the Cold War.
An urgent, accessible, and important history, Red Scare reveals an all-too-familiar pattern of illiberal conspiracy-mongering and political and cultural backlash that speaks directly to the antagonism and divisiveness of our contemporary moment.
Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America by Clay Risen is available in all formats at public libraries and bookstores. (379 pp)
