New hardcover books make history -- of various kinds

The Associated Press

History books describe what happened. Historical fiction tells sort of what happened. And alternative history speculates about what might have happened, but didn't.

For readers who enjoy any or all of these genres, there are three new books ready to sweep them into the past -- or some version thereof.

* "The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany" by Stephen E. Ambrose

This military history profiles the men who held one of the most perilous jobs of World War II -- attacking Nazi Germany's war machine from the air. The book tells how they were recruited, trained and chosen for their missions. The focus is on one airplane and its crew -- the Dakota Queen, piloted by George McGovern, who later became a U.S. senator and presidential candidate.

* "Turn the Stars Upside Down" by Terry C. Johnston

The life of Chief Crazy Horse is the subject of this 17th novel in "The Plainsman" series by Johnston, who died earlier this year. Crazy Horse, who had surrendered to the U.S. Army after their final clash at Battle Butte in 1877, is placed on a reservation with his fellow Oglalas. But the former war chief is still battling, against deceptive Army officers, and against tribal leaders and former friends who have turned against him and are conspiring to cause his downfall.

* "American Empire: Blood and Iron" by Harry Turtledove

This first in a planned series of alternative histories begins in 1917, after the brutal and bloody Great War. The United States has colonized Canada, while to the south, the defeated Confederate States are in the throes of economic disaster. Teddy Roosevelt is president and Socialists are rising in power, led by presidential hopeful Upton Sinclair. A fanatic in the Confederate States is preaching hatred and racism, while a Canadian farmer plans to assassinate America's greatest war hero -- Gen. George Armstrong Custer.

* "The Woman Next Door" by Barbara Delinsky Tongues wag in a Connecticut suburb when a young, attractive and aloof widow becomes pregnant. The event is of particular interest to three women friends who begin to take a closer look at their marriages: Amanda, whose husband had done landscaping work for the woman several months earlier; Georgia, whose husband works at home while she travels for her job: and Karen, whose husband has a history of philandering.

* "The Money-Whipped Steer-Job Three-Jack Give-Up Artist" by Dan Jenkins

This latest comic novel by the author of "Semi-Tough" tells the tale of Bobby Joe Grooves, a 16-year veteran of the PGA Tour seeking a spot on the Ryder Cup team. Complicating his life are two ex-wives and a girlfriend who keep better track of his money than a CPA; a Swedish sensation whose fellow golfers suspect him of cheating; and a fear of reptiles.

* "How Precious Was That While" by Piers Anthony

Anthony, author of dozens of fantasy and science fiction novels, continues where his 1988 memoir, "Bio of an Ogre," left off. Now in his 60s, Anthony focuses on the latest 15 years, while including some episodes from his early life. He describes living with his expatriate parents in pre-World War II Spain; his lonely childhood in New England; and marriage and fatherhood. He comments about fellow writers, editors and fans, and about the publishing industry.

* "Great Waters: An Atlantic Passage" by Deborah Cramer

Cramer takes a research voyage, from Woods Hole, Mass., to Barbados, to report on the Atlantic Ocean -- its currents, its creatures, and the marks man has left on its waters. She dives into the ocean's history and science, tracking its evolution and describing man's many-faceted reliance on it, the changing landscape of the ocean floor, and the threats to its inhabitants.