1. The Inevitability of Tragedy: Henry Kissinger and His World by Barry Gewen (W.W. Norton)

War criminal to some and keen realist to others, Henry Kissinger has been out of government for 40 years, but Gewen argues in his lucid, insightful, and engaging book that this “philosopher of international relations” has much to teach us about how the world works and the philosophy of realpolitik. Informed by his experience as a refugee from Nazi Germany and influenced by philosophers Leo Strauss and Hannah Arendt, Kissinger became a leading proponent of foreign policy realism, viewing the world cool-headedly, with an emphasis on the national interest and the balance of power. Gewen’s intelligent book eschews the cradle-to-grave chronological biography format and instead illuminates Kissinger’s evolving philosophy through such turning points in American foreign policy as the overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile, the tilt to Pakistan in 1971, and the bombing of Hanoi.

2. Pelosi by Molly Ball (Henry Holt)

An Italian American grandmother, born into the Baltimore political machine, became the first female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, then fought insurgents to keep her post. “The story of Nancy Pelosi,” Ball writes in her deft, fast-paced biography, “is the story of an extraordinary person who shattered the ‘marble ceiling’ and blazed a new trail for women.” With insight into the interplay between politics, policy, and perception, Ball details Pelosi’s skillful management of complex and controversial issues such as health care and gays in the military, while her red-coated figure became a meme – and an advertisement for Max Mara.

3. The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States by Walter Johnson (Basic)

The road from Lewis and Clark to Michael Brown is a story of injustice twisting over two centuries set in the contradictory urban knot of St. Louis — where North, South, East, and West converge — which Johnson powerfully argues is the “crucible of American history.” While much journalism about St. Louis has focused on recent police brutality and racism in Ferguson, historian Johnson looks back to the fur trade; the massacre of Native Americans; Dred Scott; slavery; and how segregation was embedded in urban planning, isolating some neighborhoods from opportunity. In his compelling and enlightening book, Johnson connects past and present, calling for a reexamination of urban life and the fundamental problems of this most American of cities.

4. The Betrayal of the Duchess: The Scandal that Unmade the Bourbon Monarchy and Made France Modern by Maurice Samuels (Basic)

In his marvelous history, Samuels tells the story of the pint-sized duchesse de Berry’s determined but failed attempt to overthrow the French government and restore herself to power until her 11-year-old son could assume the throne. This included disguising herself as a peasant boy and sneaking into France from her drafty castle in Scotland to lead the rebellion. The plot ended when she was double-crossed by her confidant Simon Deutz, son of the chief rabbi of France, who was paid to disclose her location to government authorities. In a twist of history, the duchess became a hero for those who believed modernity had failed them, and the villainous Deutz sparked a xenophobic anti-Semitism in France that continued through the Dreyfus affair to today.

5. The Book of V. by Anna Solomon (Henry Holt)

In her richly satisfying and intriguing novel, Solomon traverses cross centuries in a reimagination of the Esther story, following three women in iterations across time: in Ancient Persia, where a 17-year-old may be the virgin for whom the king is searching; in Watergate-era Washington, D.C., where a perfect political wife is an art form; and in contemporary Brooklyn, where a wife grapples with motherhood. In Solomon’s deft triptych, these women contend with enduring questions about self-fulfillment, responsibility, and passion, and reflect the evolution, rewards, and sustaining power of feminism.