A story about the virology community reacting to a strange new illness emerging from China and trying to convince those in positions of authority to take the threat seriously.
Wade Davis - Into the Silence
The story of George Mallory's attempt to summit Mt. Everest in 1923. Did he make it? How did WWI shape the views of the legendary climbers who first tried to scale the world's tallest mountain?
Martin Middlebrook - The First Day on the Somme
July 1st, 1916 was the bloodiest day in British military history. Middlebrook's history examines that first day of the Battle of the Somme from the perspective of the ordinary soldiers who faced the daunting "race to the parapet" against their German counterparts.
Lastly I'd add Cornelius Ryan's classic WWII trilogy: The Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far and The Last Battle. All absolutely brilliant narrative histories.
Oh man, so many good suggestions here.
My recommendations:
Adam Higginbotham - Midnight in Chernobyl
Michael Lewis - The Premonition
Wade Davis - Into the Silence
Martin Middlebrook - The First Day on the Somme
Lastly I'd add Cornelius Ryan's classic WWII trilogy: The Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far and The Last Battle. All absolutely brilliant narrative histories.