Best history books of June 2024, as chosen by the Amazon Editors
June is a time to reflect (it’s the 80th anniversary of D-Day, one of the largest, and most successful, allied military invasions of all time), celebrate (Pride month), sing (hip-hop is about to turn 51), and sashay (see: a glamorous look back at the dawn of American fashion). The Amazon Editors’ favorite history books hit all those themes—and then some. Read our reviews below, as well as checking out the full list of the Best History Books of June 2024, and our Editors’ Picks across all genres.
Glitz and glamour. Power and pleasure. Striving and success. Journalist Julie Satow’s last book was about NYC’s iconic Plaza hotel, and her second is broader in scope: the evolution of the department store. But this story is about so much more than ladies shopping and lunching. It’s about the stores’ stature as one of the few spaces where women could exist, and be catered to, in a world that was too quick to write us off. And the possibility for boundary-breaking was thrilling too—take Dorothy Shaver, who rose up the ranks at Lord & Taylor, becoming the first woman to earn the equivalent of a $1 million salary. Satow’s breezy narrative also examines privilege, class, and race: who had access to a plum role at a department store, who had the leisure time and extra money to shop there. This fascinating history is packed with style, panache, and drama, a perfect June read. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
Hip-hop’s staggering impact on culture since it burst on the music scene 51 years ago is hard to put into words, but legendary producer/performer/musician Questlove valiantly attempts to do just that. And while there have been other incredible hip-hop books (Editors’ Pick The Come Up springs to mind), Questlove brings his unique birds’ eye view into the evolution of the genre, giving the reader an intimate look. (And plenty of juicy gossip: the intro details how The Roots founder was tasked with creating the 2023 Grammys hip-hop tribute, and all the drama that went into negotiating with a wide group of big personalities and musical legends…. Including one who felt dissed at the show and refused to perform moments before the curtain rose.) Questlove’s conversationally-written book pulsates with the beats of The Bronx (and Harlem, and Brooklyn, and California, and Chicago, and…), and the wisdom and life experience he’s picked up along the course of his incredible career. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
Timed to the eightieth anniversary of D-Day, When the Sea Came Alive is the definitive oral history of the brave (and treacherous) battle that changed the course of history, marking the turning point of WWII. Pulitzer Prize-finalist author and historian Garrett M. Graff (The Only Plane in the Sky, Watergate) pulls together an action-packed account of the epic invasion in the south of France. Your heart will pound as you read of the courageous soldiers, from the moment their boats launched a surprise attack on the beaches of Normandy. Graff also takes readers into the secret rooms where military and government officials plotted the largest seaborne attack in history. Riveting and absorbing, you’ll be totally engrossed in this sweeping tale of Greatest Generation heroes. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
As June Thomas explains, queer gathering places are so much more than just brick and mortar buildings. They are places to discover yourself, and to thrive. They are soft spots to land, and to find kindred spirits. “The journey from isolation to community—from the well of loneliness to the gayborhood—required the construction of numerous way stations,” Thomas writes, adding that these opportunities to gather and find acceptance are the “greatest achievement of the gay civil rights movement.” And while much of the coverage of these “third places” has been forlorn about how they’ve changed or disappeared, Thomas’ book is a joyful celebration of the “dream palaces queer women have built,” sometimes against tall odds. Each story will resonate for both queer and straight readers, as at heart they’re about the “triumphs and failures of activism, and the ongoing struggle for a more just and loving world.” A message we can certainly get behind. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
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