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Recommendations based on Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945by Tony Judt
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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)
The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century
by Alex Ross
A journey through the music of the 20th century, exploring its cultural and historical context, and its impact on society and politics.
The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century is a voyage into the labyrinth of modern music, which remains an obscure world for most people. While paintings of Picasso and Jackson Pollock ... (Goodreads)
Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin
by Timothy Snyder
History of the mass extermination of civilians in Central and Eastern Europe during WWII.
Americans call the Second World War “The Good War.” But before it even began, America’s wartime ally Josef Stalin had killed millions of his own citizens—and kept killing them during and after the ... (Goodreads)
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
by Timothy Snyder
A study of history and a call to action against the rise of authoritarianism.
#1, New York Times, Bestseller •, A historian of fascism offers a guide for surviving and resisting America's turn towards authoritarianism., The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat ... (Barnes & Noble)
Philosophical Investigations
by Ludwig Wittgenstein
Wittgenstein's exploration of language and meaning, challenging traditional philosophical concepts and proposing new ways of understanding language games.
Philosophical Investigations, ( German : Philosophische Untersuchungen ) is a work by the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein . The book was published posthumously in 1953. Wittgenstein discusses ... (Wikipedia)
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)
Homage to Catalonia
by George Orwell
A first-hand account of the Spanish Civil War, and the political conflicts in the 1930s.
In 1936 George Orwell travelled to Spain to report on the Civil War and instead joined the fight against the Fascists. This famous account describes the war and Orwell’s own experiences. Introduction ... (Goodreads)
Master of the Senate
by Robert A. Caro
Detailed account of Lyndon Johnson's tenure as the leader of the US Senate, and his rise to power.
The most riveting political biography of our time, Robert A. Caro’s life of Lyndon B. Johnson, continues. Master of the Senate takes Johnson’s story through one of its most remarkable periods: his ... (Goodreads)
SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
by Mary Beard
An exploration into the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, tracing its impact on the modern world.
New York Times Bestseller A New York Times Notable Book Named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Wall Street Journal , the Economist, Foreign Affairs , and Kirkus Reviews Finalist for the ... (Barnes & Noble)
Consider the Lobster and Other Essays
by David Foster Wallace
Collection of essays exploring the human experience in a humorous, thoughtful and often absurd way.
Do lobsters feel pain? Did Franz Kafka have a funny bone? What is John Updike's deal, anyway? And what happens when adult video starlets meet their fans in person? David Foster Wallace answers these ... (Goodreads)
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)
Survival in Auschwitz
by Primo Levi
True story of a man's struggle to survive in a Nazi concentration camp.
The true and harrowing account of Primo Levi’s experience at the German concentration camp of Auschwitz and his miraculous survival; hailed by The Times Literary Supplement as a “true work of art, ... (Goodreads)
Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege, 1942–1943
by Antony Beevor
The epic story of the Battle of Stalingrad and its devastating impact on WWII.
The Battle of Stalingrad was not only the psychological turning point of World War II: it also changed the face of modern warfare. From Antony Beevor, the internationally bestselling author of, ... (Barnes & Noble)
History of the Peloponnesian War
by Thucydides
Detailed account of the protracted war between Athens and Sparta in ancient Greece.
Written four hundred years before the birth of Christ, this detailed contemporary account of the long life-and-death struggle between Athens and Sparta stands an excellent chance of fulfilling its ... (Goodreads)
The Fall of Berlin 1945
by Antony Beevor
A detailed account of the final days of World War II in Berlin, from the perspectives of both the German and Soviet sides.
The Red Army had much to avenge when it finally reached the frontiers of the Reich in January 1945. Political instructors rammed home the message of Wehrmacht and SS brutality. The result was the ... (Goodreads)
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
by Robert A. Caro
Biography of Robert Moses, city planner and power broker who reshaped New York City.
One of the most acclaimed books of our time, winner of both the Pulitzer and the Francis Parkman prizes, The Power Broker tells the hidden story behind the shaping (and mis-shaping) of ... (Goodreads)
The Path to Power
by Robert A. Caro
The first volume of a biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, tracing his early life and political career in Texas.
The Years of Lyndon Johnson is the political biography of our time. No president—no era of American politics—has been so intensively and sharply examined at a time when so many prime witnesses to ... (Goodreads)
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
by Thomas Piketty
An economic analysis of wealth and inequality in the modern era.
What are the grand dynamics that drive the accumulation and distribution of capital? Questions about the long-term evolution of inequality, the concentration of wealth, and the prospects for economic ... (Goodreads)
Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery
by Henry Marsh
A neurosurgeon's gripping account of the life and death decisions made in the operating room.
What is it like to be a brain surgeon? How does it feel to hold someone's life in your hands, to cut into the stuff that creates thought, feeling, and reason? How do you live with the consequences of ... (Goodreads)
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
by Kai Bird
Biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, exploring his life and legacy.
American Prometheus is the first full-scale biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, "father of the atomic bomb," the brilliant, charismatic physicist who led the effort to capture the awesome fire of the ... (Goodreads)
Gulag: A History
by Anne Applebaum
A comprehensive account of the Soviet Union's notorious prison system, the history of its inhumane treatment of inmates.
The Gulag–a vast array of Soviet concentration camps that held millions of political and criminal prisoners--was a system of repression and punishment that terrorized the entire society, embodying ... (Goodreads)
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
by Peter Frankopan
An epic narrative of the discover of the world's trade routes, spanning more than 3,000 years.
The New Silk Roads takes a fresh look at the relationships being formed along the length and breadth of the ancient trade routes today. The world is changing dramatically and in an age of Brexit and ... (Goodreads)
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)
On Liberty
by John Stuart Mill
Exploration of freedom of thought and expression, and the importance of individual rights.
Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780140432077 Published in 1859, John Stuart Mill's On Liberty presented one of the most eloquent defenses of individual freedom in nineteenth-century social and ... (Goodreads)
A Little History of the World
by E.H. Gombrich
A concise and engaging history of the world, from prehistoric times to the present day, written for young readers but enjoyable for all ages.
In 1935, with a doctorate in art history and no prospect of a job, the 26-year-old Ernst Gombrich was invited by a publishing acquaintance to attempt a history of the world for younger readers. ... (Goodreads)
Debt: The First 5,000 Years
by David Graeber
A history of money and debt, exploring the roots of our current financial system.
Before there was money, there was debt Every economics textbook says the same thing: Money was invented to replace onerous and complicated barter systems—to relieve ancient people from having to haul ... (Goodreads)
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)
The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
by Steven Pinker
A fascinating exploration of how language reflects and shapes our thoughts, emotions, and experiences.
New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker possesses that rare combination of scientific aptitude and verbal eloquence that enables him to provide lucid explanations of deep and powerful ideas. ... (Goodreads)
The Origins of Totalitarianism
by Hannah Arendt
Analysis of the rise of totalitarian regimes in Europe, and their consequences for the modern world.
Hannah Arendt's definitive work on totalitarianism and an essential component of any study of twentieth-century political history The Origins of Totalitarianism begins with the rise of anti-Semitism ... (Goodreads)
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)
