David von Drehle Books in Order

David von Drehle investigates the workings of capital punishment through the people who administer, challenge, and await it. His reporting examines how political pressures, legal decisions, and human fallibility shape the experience and outcomes of death row.

David von Drehle reconstructs the 1911 Triangle shirtwaist factory fire and the lives of the immigrant workers caught inside. The account connects the disaster to labor organizing, political alliances, and reforms that reshaped American workplace protections.

David von Drehle examines why Americans continue disputing the causes of the Civil War long after historians reached agreement. He follows the ways its meaning has been forgotten, denied and rediscovered across a century and a half.

Focusing on 1862, David von Drehle follows Abraham Lincoln through a year that threatened the Union’s survival. Military setbacks, financial crisis, and political uncertainty test the president as his leadership develops amid the Civil War.

After moving to Kansas, David von Drehle befriends a neighbor who has lived for more than a century. Charlie White’s experiences illuminate resilience, adaptability, and the practical wisdom needed to find meaning through upheaval and change.