Recommendations based on Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empireby Akala

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism

    by Robin DiAngelo
    A critical analysis of the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially. It explores the dynamics of white fragility and how it perpetuates racial inequality.

    Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt and by behaviors including argumentation ... (Goodreads)

  2. Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

    by David W. Blight
    A comprehensive biography of Frederick Douglass, the former slave who became a leading abolitionist and one of America's greatest orators.

    As a young man, Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was fortunate to have been taught to read by his slave owner mistress, and he would go on to become one ... (Goodreads)

  3. No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference

    by Greta Thunberg
    A collection of speeches by Greta Thunberg, inspiring readers to take action against climate change and protect the planet.

    The groundbreaking speeches of Greta Thunberg, the young climate activist who has become the voice of a generation, including her historic address to the United Nations In August 2018 a ... (Goodreads)

  4. Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention

    by Manning Marable
    A biography exploring the life of Malcolm X, civil rights activist and leader.

    Selected by, The New York Times Book Review, as a Notable Book of the Year Years in the making-the definitive biography of the legendary black activist. Of the great figure in twentieth-century ... (Goodreads)

  5. The Witches Are Coming

    by Lindy West
    A collection of essays that explores the current cultural and political climate, particularly in relation to feminism and the #MeToo movement.

    In this wickedly funny cultural critique, the author of the critically acclaimed memoir and Hulu series Shrill exposes misogyny in the #MeToo era.THIS IS A WITCH HUNT.WE’RE WITCHES,AND WE’RE HUNTING ... (Goodreads)

  6. Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems

    by Abhijit V. Banerjee
    Two Nobel Prize-winning economists offer practical solutions to the world's most pressing economic problems.

    Figuring out how to deal with today's critical economic problems is perhaps the great challenge of our time. Much greater than space travel or perhaps even the next revolutionary medical ... (Goodreads)

  7. Shortest Way Home: One Mayor's Challenge and a Model for America's Future

    by Pete Buttigieg
    A memoir of Pete Buttigieg's journey from serving in Afghanistan to becoming the youngest mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and his vision for America's future.

    Once described by the Washington Post as “the most interesting mayor you’ve never heard of,” Pete Buttigieg, the thirty-seven-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has now emerged as one of the ... (Goodreads)

  8. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America

    by Richard Rothstein
    Examination of the US government's role in creating and enforcing racial segregation in housing.

    In this groundbreaking history of the modern American metropolis, Richard Rothstein, a leading authority on housing policy, explodes the myth that America’s cities came to be racially divided through ... (Goodreads)

  9. Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch

    by Sally Bedell Smith
    A comprehensive biography of Queen Elizabeth II, from her childhood to her reign as the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Perfect for fans of The Crown , this magisterial biography of Queen Elizabeth II is a close-up view of the woman we’ve known only from a distance—and a captivating window ... (Goodreads)

  10. Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for American Independence

    by Bill O'Reilly
    An in-depth look at the Revolutionary War, examining its pivotal battles and figures.

    Told through the eyes of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Great Britain’s King George III, Killing England chronicles the path to independence in gripping detail, taking ... (Goodreads)

  11. When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir

    by Patrisse Khan-Cullors
    A memoir of a Black Lives Matter co-founder, detailing her experiences with racism, police brutality, and the fight for justice.

    A poetic and powerful memoir about what it means to be a Black woman in America—and the co-founding of a movement that demands justice for all in the land of the free. Raised by a single mother in an ... (Goodreads)

  12. True Compass: A Memoir

    by Edward M. Kennedy
    An intimate reflection on the life of a senator, exploring the triumphs and tragedies of his personal and political journey.

    In this landmark autobiography, five years in the making, Senator Edward M. Kennedy tells his extraordinary personal story–of his legendary family, politics, and fifty years at the center of national ... (Goodreads)

  13. A Fighting Chance

    by Elizabeth Warren
    Autobiographical account of the Senator's rise from a middle-class family to the halls of power.

    An unlikely political star tells the inspiring story of the two-decade journey that taught her how Washington really works—and really doesn't—in A Fighting Chance As a child in small-town Oklahoma, ... (Goodreads)

  14. American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic

    by Joseph J. Ellis
    Historical recount of America's founding, highlighting the successes and struggles of the period.

    An ironic examination of the founding years of the United States of America. Historian Ellis guides readers thru the decisive issues of the nation's founding, and illuminates the emerging ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Devil's Highway: A True Story

    by Luis Alberto Urrea
    A harrowing account of a group of Mexican migrants crossing the US-Mexico border, and their struggle for survival.

    "The single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical contemporary account of the absurdity of U.S. border policy." (The Atlantic), The author of Across the Wire offers brilliant investigative reporting of ... (Goodreads)

  16. Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History

    by Katy Tur
    A journalist's firsthand account of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, from the campaign trail to the White House.

    A New York Times Bestseller “Compelling… this book couldn’t be more timely.” – Jill Abramson,, New York Times Book Review, Called "disgraceful," "third-rate," and "not nice" by Donald Trump, NBC News ... (Barnes & Noble)

  17. Chasing Lincoln's Killer

    by James L. Swanson
    A gripping account of the hunt for John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's assassin, and the events that followed his death.

    NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author James Swanson delivers a riveting account of the chase for Abraham Lincoln's assassin.,Based on rare archival material, obscure trial manuscripts, and interviews ... (Barnes & Noble)

  18. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

    by Sarah Vowell
    A humorous and insightful look at the role of the Frenchman Lafayette in the American Revolution and his complicated relationships with the Founding Fathers.

    From the bestselling author of, Assassination Vacation, and, Unfamiliar Fishes, a humorous and insightful account of the Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette–the one Frenchman we could all ... (Goodreads)

  19. An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States

    by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
    A comprehensive look into the forgotten histories of the Indigenous peoples of the United States.

    The first history of the United States told from the perspective of indigenous peoples. Today in the United States, there are more than five hundred federally recognized Indigenous nations comprising ... (Goodreads)

  20. Obama: An Intimate Portrait: The Historic Presidency in Photographs

    by Pete Souza
    A photographic tribute to the 8-year presidency of Barack Obama.

    This is the definitive visual biography of Barack Obama's presidency, captured in intimate, unprecedented detail by his official White House photographer. Pete Souza began photographing President ... (Goodreads)

  21. Colonel Roosevelt

    by Edmund Morris
    Biography of Theodore Roosevelt's life, from his rise to power to his death.

    Of all our great presidents, Theodore Roosevelt is the only one whose greatness increased out of office. When he toured Europe in 1910 as plain “Colonel Roosevelt,” he was hailed as the most famous ... (Goodreads)

  22. Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

    by Jessica Bruder
    A chronicle of a new American subculture of nomadic older adults, coping with economic precarity.

    An alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780393356311 can be found, here., The inspiration for Chloé Zhao's 2020 Golden Lion award-winning film starring Frances McDormand. From the beet fields of North ... (Goodreads)

  23. Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez

    by Philip Carlo
    A chilling account of the life and crimes of notorious serial killer Richard Ramirez, known as the Night Stalker.

    The shocking true story behind the serial killer case that inspired the hit Netflix series! Painstakingly researched over three years, based on nearly one hundred hours of exclusive interviews with ... (Goodreads)

  24. Grant

    by Jean Edward Smith
    A comprehensive biography of Ulysses S. Grant, from his early life to his presidency and beyond.

    Finalist, Pulitzer Prize in Biography Ulysses S. Grant was the first four-star general in the history of the United States Army and the only president between Andrew Jackson and Woodrow Wilson to ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More

    by Janet Mock
    A memoir of a transgender woman's journey of self-discovery and her experiences of the world.

    In 2011, Marie Claire magazine published a profile of Janet Mock in which she stepped forward for the first time as a trans woman. Those 2300 words were life-altering for the People.com editor, ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Lost Painting

    by Jonathan Harr
    The search for a lost masterpiece by Caravaggio, and the fascinating history behind its disappearance and rediscovery.

    An Italian village on a hilltop near the Adriatic coast, a decaying palazzo facing the sea, and in the basement, cobwebbed and dusty, lit by a single bulb, an archive unknown to scholars. Here, a ... (Goodreads)

  27. Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire

    by Amanda Foreman
    A captivating biography of the 18th century aristocratic society, highlighting the life of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.

    The winner of Britain's prestigious Whitbread Prize and a bestseller there for months, this wonderfully readable biography offers a rich, rollicking picture of late-eighteenth-century British ... (Goodreads)

  28. March: Book Two

    by John Lewis
    An inspiring narrative of the civil rights movement, highlighting the courage and resilience of its participants.

    Congressman John Lewis, an American icon and one of the key figures of the civil rights movement, continues his award-winning graphic novel trilogy with co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  29. My Bondage and My Freedom

    by Frederick Douglass
    Autobiography of an escaped slave, detailing his journey to freedom and civil rights activism

    Ex-slave Frederick Douglass's second autobiography-written after ten years of reflection following his legal emancipation in 1846 and his break with his mentor William Lloyd Garrison-catapulted ... (Goodreads)

  30. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

    by Martin Luther King Jr.
    A vivid account of MLK Jr.'s life, detailing his experiences in the civil rights movement.

    This definitive box set includes all the landmark speeches of the great orator and American leader Martin Luther King, Jr., from his inspirational "I Have a Dream" to his firey "Give Us the Ballot." ... (Goodreads)