Baylor grad authors Amazon’s top history book for 2016

One of America’s top authors of popular history is a Baylor graduate. Candice Millard, MA ’92, has written three bestselling books about little-known (but meaningful) moments in the lives of American presidents and world leaders — including a title Amazon named its best history book of 2016.

Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill tells how Churchill strived to make a name for himself as a war hero long before becoming Prime Minister. The New York Times described the book as “thrilling” and “a nail biter” while listing it among their critics’ top books of 2016.

Such recognition is the latest in a long line of honors for Millard, who earned her master’s degree in literature from Baylor in 1992. Her previous two books — River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey and Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President (on the assassination of James Garfield) — were each bestsellers. River of Doubt was also named a best book of the year by The New York Times, and Destiny of the Republic won the Edgar Award for Best Crime Fact Book in 2012. Combined, her books have sold more than a million copies in the last 10 years.

Sic ’em, Candice Millard!