Recommendations based on A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and The Creation of the Modern Middle Eastby David Fromkin

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

  1. From Beirut to Jerusalem

    by Thomas L. Friedman
    A journalist's account of the Middle East, from the civil war in Lebanon to the first Palestinian intifada.

    This extraordinary bestseller is still the most incisive, thought-provoking book ever written about the Middle East. Thomas L. Friedman, twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize for international ... (Goodreads)

  2. His Excellency: George Washington

    by Joseph J. Ellis
    Biography of the first President of the United States and the key role he played in the founding of the nation.

    To this landmark biography of our first president, Joseph J. Ellis brings the exacting scholarship, shrewd analysis, and lyric prose that have made him one of the premier historians of the ... (Goodreads)

  3. The Prince

    by Niccolò Machiavelli
    A timeless political treatise on the art of acquiring and maintaining power.

    Machiavelli needs to be looked at as he really was. Hence: Can Machiavelli, who makes the following observations, be Machiavellian as we understand the disparaging term? 1. So it is that to know the ... (Goodreads)

  4. American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson

    by Joseph J. Ellis
    Comprehensive biography of the third president, exploring his character and legacy.

    Following his subject from the drafting of the Declaration of Independence to his retirement in Monticello, Joseph Ellis unravels the contradictions of the Jeffersonian character. A marvel of ... (Goodreads)

  5. A People's History of the United States

    by Howard Zinn
    An examination of American history from a perspective of marginalized people.

    In the book, Zinn presented a different side of history from the more traditional "fundamental nationalist glorification of country". Zinn portrays a side of American history that can largely be seen ... (Goodreads)

  6. A Brief History of Time

    by Stephen Hawking
    Exploring the depths of time and space and the emergence of the universe.

    In the ten years since its publication in 1988, Stephen Hawking's classic work has become a landmark volume in scientific writing, with more than nine million copies in forty languages sold ... (Goodreads)

  7. Long Walk to Freedom

    by Nelson Mandela
    A remarkable story of courage, perseverance and hope in the face of oppression.

    Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel ... (Goodreads)

  8. The Wright Brothers

    by David McCullough
    The story of the Wright brothers and their pioneering invention of the airplane.

    Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found, here, Two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize David McCullough tells the dramatic story-behind-the-story about the courageous brothers who ... (Goodreads)

  9. King Leopold's Ghost

    by Adam Hochschild
    A harrowing account of the colonization of the Congo and the exploitation of its people.

    In the 1880s, as the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium seized for himself the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. Carrying out a ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

    by Edmund Morris
    A biography of Theodore Roosevelt, chronicling his early life, political career, and rise to the presidency.

    Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time Described by the Chicago Tribune as "a classic," The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt stands as one of the greatest ... (Goodreads)

  11. Paris, 1919: Six Months that Changed the World

    by Margaret MacMillan
    An account of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and its lasting effects on the modern world.

    'Without question, Margaret MacMillan's Paris 1919 is the most honest and engaging history ever written about those fateful months after World War I when the maps of Europe were redrawn. Brimming ... (Goodreads)

  12. Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly, and the Making of the Modern Middle East

    by Scott Anderson
    A biography of T.E. Lawrence, a British intelligence officer who played a key role in shaping the Middle East during World War I.

    A thrilling and revelatory narrative of one of the most epic and consequential periods in 20th century history – the Arab Revolt and the secret “great game” to control the Middle East The Arab Revolt ... (Goodreads)

  13. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families

    by Philip Gourevitch
    True story of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and its aftermath, told through the eyes of survivors.

    In April of 1994, the government of Rwanda called on everyone in the Hutu majority to kill everyone in the Tutsi minority. Over the next three months, 800,000 Tutsis were murdered in the most ... (Goodreads)

  14. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation

    by Joseph J. Ellis
    Examines the lives of key figures of the American Revolution and their political disputes.

    Informs our understanding of American politics–then and now--and gives us a new perspective on the unpredictable forces that shape history. An illuminating study of the intertwined lives of the ... (Goodreads)

  15. Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets

    by Svetlana Alexievich
    A compilation of personal accounts from the last years of the Soviet Union.

    From the 2015 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Svetlana Alexievich, comes the first English translation of her latest work, an oral history of the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the ... (Goodreads)

  16. 1776

    by David McCullough
    A riveting account of the events leading up to and during the American Revolution.

    In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence - when the whole American ... (Goodreads)

  17. The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

    by Lawrence Wright
    A comprehensive study of the rise of Al-Qaeda and its role in the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001.

    A sweeping narrative history of the events leading to 9/11, a groundbreaking look at the people and ideas, the terrorist plans and the Western intelligence failures that culminated in the assault on ... (Goodreads)

  18. The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

    by Thomas L. Friedman
    An exploration of the rapid globalization of the world, and the implications of this shift.

    When scholars write the history of the world twenty years from now, and they come to the chapter Y2K to March 2004 , what will they say was the most crucial development? The attacks on the World ... (Goodreads)

  19. Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty

    by Daron Acemoğlu
    Examination of the economic and political forces that shape the success and failure of nations.

    Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail, answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health ... (Goodreads)

  20. First Things First

    by Stephen R. Covey
    A practical guide to finding balance and making time for what matters in life.

    From the author that brought you the New York Times bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People comes a guide to prioritizing your personal and professional goals. I'm getting more done in ... (Goodreads)

  21. The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus

    by Richard Preston
    An exploration of the discovery and containment of one of world's deadliest viruses.

    A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. There is no cure. In a few days 90 percent of its victims are dead. A secret ... (Goodreads)

  22. The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire

    by William Dalrymple
    A historical account of the East India Company's rise to power and its devastating impact on India.

    The story of how the East India Company took over large swaths of Asia, and the devastating results of the corporation running a country. In August 1765, the East India Company defeated the young ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Art of War

    by Sun Tzu
    Ancient Chinese military treatise outlining strategies for success in battle.

    Twenty-Five Hundred years ago, Sun Tzu wrote this classic book of military strategy based on Chinese warfare and military thought. Since that time, all levels of military have used the teaching on ... (Goodreads)

  24. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

    by Jared Diamond
    Tracing the origins of human civilizations through the lens of geography, technology, and biology.

    "Diamond has written a book of remarkable scope ... one of the most important and readable works on the human past published in recent years." Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a national bestseller: ... (Goodreads)

  25. The Guns of August

    by Barbara W. Tuchman
    A riveting account of the events leading up to World War I and its devastating consequences.

    Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time The Proud Tower, the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Guns of August, and The Zimmerman Telegram comprise Barbara W. ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Autobiography of Malcolm X

    by Malcolm X
    A gripping account of one man's transformation from criminal to civil rights leader.

    Alternate cover for ISBN 9780345350688 Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his ... (Goodreads)

  27. Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources

    by Martin Lings
    Comprehensive biography of the Prophet Muhammad, based on the earliest sources.

    Martin Lings’ biography of Muhammad is an internationally acclaimed, comprehensive, and authoritative account of the life of the prophet. Based on the sira, the eighth- and ninth-century Arabic ... (Goodreads)

  28. Battle Cry of Freedom

    by James M. McPherson
    A comprehensive history of the American Civil War, focusing on the political and military aspects.

    Filled with fresh interpretations and information, puncturing old myths and challenging new ones, Battle Cry of Freedom will unquestionably become the standard one-volume history of the Civil War. ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

    by William L. Shirer
    The definitive story of Nazi Germany, its rise and fall, and its lasting impacts.

    Hitler boasted that The Third Reich would last a thousand years. It lasted only 12. But those 12 years contained some of the most catastrophic events Western civilization has ever known. No other ... (Goodreads)

  30. Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier

    by Stephen E. Ambrose
    Epic tale of exploration and adventure as Lewis and Clark traverse the American wilderness.

    'This was much more than a bunch of guys out on an exploring and collecting expedition. This was a military expedition into hostile territory'. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected his ... (Goodreads)