World Affairs

I want to understand the world my kids are growing up in, and this shelf is built for that. It covers geography and power, China and Russia, the Middle East and Northern Ireland, spies, dictators and the history behind today's headlines. It also holds some of the most human stories on the site, like a diary from hiding in Amsterdam and a Canadian town that took in stranded travelers after September 11. Some of these books take a clear side on contested questions, and I say so in the reviews. Reading more than one perspective on a place is usually worth it. These are good books for anyone who wants the background behind the news.