Books like Casanova by Ian Kelly

A Catholic priest, scarred by his past, navigates early 1930s Mexico while the church faces persecution, providing aid to impoverished peasants under the threat of ruthless police and betrayal.

American journalist in Paris and Venice uncovers a Communist spy network in this thrilling espionage tale that blends historical detail with high stakes intrigue.

A compelling tale of one Muslim's journey from fundamentalism to returning to his roots, exploring the appeal of Islamic extremism to young Muslims in the West.

"Witty, courageous and unconventional, Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the most controversial figures of her day. She published 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman'; travelled to revolutionary France and lived through the Terror and the destruction of the incipient French feminist movement; produced an illegitimate daughter; and married William Godwin before dying in childbed at the age of thirty-eight. Often embattled and bitterly disappointed, she never gave up her radical ideas or her belief that courage and honesty would triumph over convention."--Back cover.

A biographical portrait of Jewish author Kurban Said (Nussimbaum), tracing his rise from Baku to Berlin and his fascination with the Arab world, revealing how his life shaped and was shaped by twentieth‑century ideas of race and faith.

An autobiography of Edward Said, exploring his identity as an American citizen, Christian, and Palestinian through his memories of the Arab world during his childhood and the changes that have occurred since.

Samuel Pepys, a naval administrator and diarist, kept a private diary that captures the turbulent world of Restoration London and explores his inner life of relations with women, fears and ambitions, and political shifts.

"This epic piece of storytelling brings the world of fifteenth-century Italy to life as it traces Machiavelli's rise from young boy to controversial political thinker. The often-vilified Renaissance politico and author of The Prince comes to life as a diabolically clever, yet mild mannered and conscientious civil servant. Author Joseph Markulin presents Machiavelli's life as a true adventure story, replete with violence, treachery, heroism, betrayal, sex, bad popes, noble outlaws, deformed kings, menacing Turks, even more menacing Lutherans, unscrupulous astrologers, untrustworthy dentists--and, of course, forbidden love. While sharing the stage with Florence's Medici family, the nefarious and perhaps incestuous Borgias, the artists Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and the doomed prophet Savonarola, Machiavelli is imprisoned, tortured, and ultimately abandoned. Nevertheless, he remains the sworn enemy of tyranny and a tireless champion of freedom and the republican form of government. Out of the cesspool that was Florentine Renaissance politics, only one name is still uttered today--that of Niccolo Machiavelli. This mesmerizing, vividly told story will show you why his fame endures"--