We have a vast range of interviews on both South America and North America. On Latin America we have interviews dedicated to a number of countries, including Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Mexico. We also have interviews looking at the rise of Latin America, on Latin American novels, Latin American history and Latin American politics.
There are a range of interviews focused on political and cultural issues across the continent. William LeoGrande chooses his best books on US relations with Latin America, Bernard Bailyn looks at Atlantic history and Johann Hari chooses his best books on the war on drugs. Ruth Gomberg-Munoz looks at America’s undocumented workers.
Our coverage of North America spans from individual cities to its role in the world. We have experts choosing their best books on Quebec, Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Texas, the American West, the American desert, New Orleans and Hollywood. There are interviews on American poetry, American food and American English. There are books on the history of American women and Communism in America.
On the international role of the United States, we have interviews on US Foreign policy, American imperialism, US interventionism, drone warfare, US militarism, the US intelligence services, Egypt and America, understanding the war in Afghanistan and many more. Among our interviews related to United States domestic politics are ones on lobbying, the US constitution, how Americans vote, Supreme Court of the United Sates (SCOTUS) justices, the politics of policymaking, race and American policing and many more.
There are equally varied interviews on the American economy, including interviews on American economic history, the financial crisis and lessons of the Great Depression, to name a few.
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1
Stayin Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class
by Jefferson Cowie -
2
Panic at the Pump: The Energy Crisis and the Transformation of American Politics in the 1970s
by Meg Jacobs -
3
Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President
by Jimmy Carter -
4
His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life
by Jonathan Alter -
5
Thirteen Days in September: The Dramatic Story of the Struggle for Peace
by Lawrence Wright
The Best Jimmy Carter Books, recommended by Robert Lieberman
The Best Jimmy Carter Books, recommended by Robert Lieberman
For good books to understand Jimmy Carter and his presidency, it’s important to understand the context in which he was elected and served as president, argues political scientist Robert Lieberman. Here, he recommends five books on Jimmy Carter, winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize: “Carter was who he seemed to be, which is not something you often say about successful politicians.”
The Best Colombian Novels, recommended by Pilar Quintana
Colombian novels shot to international prominence after the publication of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, which told the story of his small, Colombian hometown by mixing in fantastical elements. The novel spoke to readers around the globe and García Márquez would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Here, contemporary Colombian novelist Pilar Quintana introduces us to the works of this ‘genius’ as well as some of the other great novels of Colombian literature.
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1
The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America
by Russell Shorto -
2
New York Burning: Liberty, Slavery, and Conspiracy in Eighteenth-Century Manhattan
by Jill Lepore -
3
Slavery in New York
by Ira Berlin & Leslie Harris (editors) -
4
Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940
by George Chauncey -
5
New York and Los Angeles
by David Halle (editor)
The best books on New York History, recommended by Louise Mirrer
The best books on New York History, recommended by Louise Mirrer
Like several of the great cities of the world, New York’s openness to people born elsewhere and relative tolerance lay at the foundation of its success, though darker episodes in the city’s 400-year history also need attention. Historian Louise Mirrer, President of the New-York Historical Society, recommends books that are essential to understanding the essence of the Big Apple.
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1
The Skeleton at the Feast
by Elizabeth Carmichael and Chloë Sayer -
2
The Days of the Dead
by John Greenleigh and Rosalind Beimler -
3
Día de los Muertos: A Cultural Legacy, Past, Present & Future
Curated by Linda Vallejo and Betty Brown -
4
On the Path of Marigolds: Living Traditions of Mexico's Day of the Dead
by Ann Murdy -
5
El Corazon de la Muerte
by Oakland Museum of California
The best books on The Day of The Dead, recommended by Regina Marchi
The best books on The Day of The Dead, recommended by Regina Marchi
As long as they live in our memories, family members and loved ones who have died remain with us. That’s what is celebrated on the Day of the Dead, an indigenous Latin American tradition that survived both Catholic missionaries and the modernizing state to flourish in recent years, featuring in more than one Hollywood blockbuster. Regina Marchi, a professor at Rutgers University and author of Day of the Dead in the USA, talks us through the origins, evolution and contemporary celebrations of the Day of the Dead.
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1
Recollections of Things to Come
by Elena Garro, translated by Ruth L.C. Simms, illustrated by Alberto Beltrán -
2
Cartucho
by Nellie Campobello, translated by Doris Meyer -
3
Balún Canán
by Castellanos Rosario -
4
Pedro Páramo
by Juan Rulfo, translated by Margaret Sayers Peden -
5
Aura
by Carlos Fuentes, translated by Lysander Kemp
Five of the Best Classic Mexican Novels, recommended by Ave Barrera
Five of the Best Classic Mexican Novels, recommended by Ave Barrera
We asked the award-winning Mexican novelist Ave Barrera—whose latest book, The Forgery, has recently been translated into English—to recommend five classic Mexican novels. Here she discusses her choices, which include books by Juan Rulfo, Elena Garro and Nellie Campobello.
The best books on Mississippi, recommended by Ralph Eubanks
Outsiders see Mississippi as a site of slavery and indigenous removal; but to write about Mississippi is to write about the United States as a whole—and its original sins, says Prof Ralph Eubanks, as he recommends five of the best books on Mississippi, the birthplace of the blues.
The best books on The US Cabinet, recommended by Lindsay Chervinsky
In contrast to many other countries, the secretaries who serve in the United States cabinet aren’t chosen from among the country’s elected officials but entirely reflect the president’s personal choices. Here, presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky, author of The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution, talks us through the role of the cabinet and recommends which books to read to understand more about it.
The best books on The Harlem Renaissance, recommended by William J. Maxwell
It was a golden age for American culture, a flourishing of Black literature, music and the arts that exploded in the 1910s and lasted through to the Great Depression. It was focused on Harlem, the area of New York City above Central Park, but its origins and its impact were much, much broader. William J. Maxwell, Professor of English and African American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, recommends some of the best books on the Harlem Renaissance.
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1
The Expressiveness of the Body and the Divergence of Greek and Chinese Medicine
by Shigehisa Kuriyama -
2
The Gospel of Germs
by Nancy Tomes -
3
The Cholera Years: The United States in 1832, 1849, and 1866
by Charles Rosenberg -
4
Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology
by Deirdre Cooper Owens -
5
The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall, and Deadly Persistence of the Product That Defined America
by Allan Brandt
Best History of Medicine Books, recommended by Keith Wailoo
Best History of Medicine Books, recommended by Keith Wailoo
The history of medicine is not just the story of life-saving discoveries, it’s also about how medical advances interact with the society from which they emerge. Here Professor Keith Wailoo, a historian of medicine and public health at Princeton University, recommends books that shed light on the social history of medicine, especially in the United States.
The Best Books for an Introduction to Octavia Butler, selected by Nisi Shawl
In 1995, Octavia Butler became the first science fiction and fantasy author to be awarded a Macarthur ‘genius’ grant. Her writing often dealt with the moral complexities of survival, and foregrounded African American characters at a time where Black protagonists were few. Nisi Shawl, a personal friend and editor of Butler’s collected works, selects five of the best books to read for an introduction to Octavia Butler’s writing.
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1
Travelling While Black: Essays Inspired by a Life on the Move
by Nanjala Nyabola -
2
The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move
by Sonia Shah -
3
Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America
by Mae M. Ngai -
4
Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism
by Harsha Walia -
5
Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda
by Jean Guerrero
The best books on Immigration and Race, recommended by Reece Jones
The best books on Immigration and Race, recommended by Reece Jones
In a series of books, Reece Jones, Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Hawaii, has explored the impact of borders on our lives. In his latest book, White Borders, he delves into the history of immigration and race in the United States, and explains the connection between the two. Here, he recommends the best books he’s read on the topic and explains why he’s not optimistic about the future.
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1
Dreaming of Gold, Dreaming of Home
by Madeline Hsu -
2
American Sutra
by Duncan Williams -
3
Empire of Care: Nursing and Migration in Filipino American History
by Catherine Ceniza Choy -
4
Bengali Harlem and the Lost Histories of South Asian America
by Vivek Bald -
5
The Color of Success: Asian Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority
by Ellen Wu
The best books on Asian American History, recommended by Melissa Borja
The best books on Asian American History, recommended by Melissa Borja
Anti-Asian incidents in America are bringing overdue attention to the history of Asian Americans. University of Michigan Professor Melissa Borja recommends five books that illuminate the understudied history of Asian Americans, explain the connection to empire and shine a spotlight on this “coalitional identity.”
The best books on American Film, recommended by Mark Harris
Five fantastic books on American film, selected by Mark Harris, bestselling author of Mike Nichols: A Life, who explains how “movies can reflect what’s going on in American society—sometimes anticipate it, sometimes fall behind it, sometimes lead it, and sometimes change it.”
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1
The Stamp Act Crisis: Prologue to Revolution
by Edmund Morgan & Helen Morgan -
2
The Marketplace of Revolution: How Consumer Politics Shaped American Independence
by T.H. Breen -
3
The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution
by Bernard Bailyn -
4
The Radicalism of the American Revolution
by Gordon S. Wood -
5
The Will of the People: The Revolutionary Birth of America
by T.H. Breen
The Best Books on the American Revolution, recommended by T.H. Breen
The Best Books on the American Revolution, recommended by T.H. Breen
The American Revolution began as a war for independence but, by its end, the war had transformed the thirteen colonies into a republic. Historian T.H. Breen recommends the best books which relay the revolutionary impact of the American War of Independence.
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1
Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington
by Ted Widmer -
2
Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words
by Douglas L Wilson -
3
Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America
by Garry Wills -
4
Emancipating Lincoln: The Proclamation in Text, Context, and Memory
by Harold Holzer -
5
They Knew Lincoln
by John E Washington
The best books on Abraham Lincoln, recommended by Ted Widmer
The best books on Abraham Lincoln, recommended by Ted Widmer
He came from humble beginnings and never went to high school. Going into the presidency, he had limited political experience and lacked business, legislative and military achievements. The one thing he did not lack was a moral compass, says historian and author Ted Widmer. He picks the best books on the ups and downs and Shakespearean-style plot twists that were the life of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States.
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1
No Man's Land: Jamaican Guestworkers in America and the Global History of Deportable Labor
by Cindy Hahamovitch -
2
Defiant Braceros: How Migrant Workers Fought for Racial, Sexual, and Political Freedom
by Mireya Loza -
3
Managed Migrations: Growers, Farmworkers, and Border Enforcement in the Twentieth Century
by Cristina Salinas -
4
Migrant Citizenship: Race, Rights, and Reform in the U.S. Farm Labor Camp Program
by Verónica Martínez-Matsuda -
5
The Nature of California: Race, Citizenship, and Farming since the Dust Bowl
by Sarah Wald
The best books on Migrant Workers, recommended by Mireya Loza
The best books on Migrant Workers, recommended by Mireya Loza
American society and American history marginalized migrant workers for too long. New scholarship shows that migrant workers were central to America’s cultural and economic development. Mireya Loza, a historian at Georgetown University and author of Defiant Braceros, talks us through the best books about migrant workers—and why their stories are integral to understanding the past and present of United States.
The best books on Veterans, recommended by Phil Klay
While many of us in the West commemorate the contribution of war veterans and the soldiers who lost their lives on our behalf, there’s also a tendency to see war as something distant and unconnected with our daily lives. Here Phil Klay, veteran of the US Marine Corps and award-winning novelist, recommends books that help bridge that gap—and capture the complicated relationship between soldiers and the societies on whose behalf they fight.
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1
My Own Words
by Mary Hartnett, Ruth Bader Ginsburg & Wendy W. Williams -
2
Conversations with RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law
by Jeffrey Rosen -
3
I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark
by Debbie Levy & Elizabeth Baddeley (illustrator) -
4
The RBG Workout: How She Stays Strong . . . and You Can Too!
by Bryant Johnson -
5
Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue
by Amanda Tyler & Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The best books on Ruth Bader Ginsburg, recommended by Amanda Tyler
The best books on Ruth Bader Ginsburg, recommended by Amanda Tyler
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933—2020) spent her life working tirelessly for a more just society, says Amanda Tyler, Shannon C. Turner Professor of Law at Berkeley and former law clerk to the Supreme Court Justice. She recommends the best books to read about RBG: her life, her work, and even her personal training regime.
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1
The American Supreme Court
by Robert G. McCloskey -
2
John Marshall and the Heroic Age of the Supreme Court
by R. Kent Newmyer -
3
Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story: Statesman of the Old Republic
by R. Kent Newmyer -
4
The Dred Scott Case
by Don Fehrenbacher -
5
Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality
by Richard Kluger -
6
Justice Lewis F. Powell: A Biography
by John Jeffries
The best books on The Supreme Court of the United States, recommended by Michael Klarman
The best books on The Supreme Court of the United States, recommended by Michael Klarman
It may be nice to think of America’s Supreme Court justices as neutral interpreters of the law, but the reality is that they are a reflection of the cultural and historical moment in which they operate. Legal scholar and author Michael Klarman, Kirkland & Ellis Professor at Harvard Law School, recommends the best books to learn more about the Supreme Court of the United States and its history.
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1
The Soul of the First Amendment
by Floyd Abrams -
2
The Free Speech Century
by Geoffrey R. Stone (Editor) & Lee C. Bollinger (Editor) -
3
Words That Wound: Critical Race Theory, Assaultive Speech, And The First Amendment
by Charles R. Lawrence III, Kimberlè Williams Crenshaw, Mari J. Matsuda & Richard Delgado -
4
Speech Police: The Global Struggle to Govern the Internet
by David Kaye -
5
Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All
by Suzanne Nossel
The best books on The First Amendment, recommended by Suzanne Nossel
The best books on The First Amendment, recommended by Suzanne Nossel
Frequently appealed to, less frequently understood, and by no means a free pass to say or write whatever you feel like: Suzanne Nossel, chief executive of PEN America, the nonprofit dedicated to free expression, talks us through the best books to better understand America's venerated First Amendment.
The Best Movies about Race, recommended by Greg Garrett
Movies are a big part of American cultural life and also one of the country’s biggest cultural exports. As a result, movies play an important role in how Americans see themselves, including in attitudes to race. Here Professor Greg Garrett of Baylor University—film historian, cultural theologian and author of A Long, Long Way: Hollywood’s Unfinished Journey from Racism to Reconciliation—talks us through five movies that best illustrate how Hollywood has evolved in terms of race over the past century, from Gone with the Wind to Get Out.
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1
A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam
by Neil Sheehan -
2
Into Thin Air
by Jon Krakauer -
3
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital
by Sheri Fink -
4
The Hot Zone: The Chilling True Story of an Ebola Outbreak
by Richard Preston -
5
The Submission
by Amy Waldman
The best books on National Security, recommended by Juliette Kayyem
The best books on National Security, recommended by Juliette Kayyem
National security isn’t just about foreign policy and counterterrorism, but has a broad set of concerns—including climate change, national disasters and pandemics. Juliette Kayyem, Senior Lecturer in International Security at Harvard and author of Security Mom, recommends books to get us all thinking about national security and the challenges we face.
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1
Festivals of Freedom: Memory and Meaning in African American Emancipation Celebrations, 1808-1915
by Mitch Kachun -
2
Envisioning Emancipation: Black Americans and the End of Slavery
by Barbara Krauthamer & Deborah Willis -
3
Closer to Freedom: Enslaved Women and Everyday Resistance in the Plantation South
by Stephanie Camp -
4
To 'Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women's Lives and Labors after the Civil War
by Tera Hunter -
5
A Black Women's History of the United States
by Daina Berry & Kali Gross
The Best Books for Juneteenth, recommended by Barbara Krauthamer
The Best Books for Juneteenth, recommended by Barbara Krauthamer
June 19th, or ‘Juneteenth,’ is a holiday commemorating the final end of slavery in the United States. Professor Barbara Krauthamer, a leading historian of African American slavery and emancipation, talks us through its significance down the decades and which books to read to get a better understanding of what it’s all about.
The best books on New England, recommended by Mark Peterson
New England: it’s the northeastern-most region of the United States, encompasses six states, is slightly larger than England itself, and half of it is rural, remote Maine. Yale Professor Mark Peterson introduces us to the rich history of New England, going back to its Puritan roots and the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
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1
The Myth of Seneca Falls
by Lisa Tetrault -
2
The Concise History of Woman Suffrage
by Mari Jo Buhle & Paul Buhle -
3
All Bound Up Together: The Woman Question in African American Public Culture, 1830-1900
by Martha S. Jones -
4
The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote
by Elaine Weiss -
5
The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States
by Alexander Keyssar
The best books on Women’s Suffrage, recommended by Susan Ware
The best books on Women’s Suffrage, recommended by Susan Ware
How many suffragists can you name? Feminist historian Susan Ware, author of a new history of the American women’s suffrage movement, urges us to remember how important suffrage was in the fight for women’s rights, on the cusp of its US centennial—and reveals the story of women getting the right to vote didn’t just begin at Seneca Falls.
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1
Black Reconstruction in America
by W E B Du Bois -
2
Exodus: Religion, Race and Nation in Early Nineteenth-Century Black America
by Eddie S Glaude Jr -
3
Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists During the Great Depression
by Robin D G Kelley -
4
Hands on the Freedom of the Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC
Faith S. Holsaert, Martha Prescod, and others (eds.) -
5
Creating Black Americans: African-American History and Its Meanings, 1619 to the Present
by Nell Irvin Painter
African American History Books, recommended by Imani Perry
African American History Books, recommended by Imani Perry
Princeton Professor Imani Perry—a prolific scholar of African American Studies whose biography of Lorraine Hansberry, Looking For Lorraine, won the 2019 PEN Biography Prize—recommends five books she considers essential to an understanding of the history of black life in America.
The Best Quebec Books, recommended by Miléna Santoro
“I’ve been reading Quebec literature since the 1980s. I can tell when I’ve found a voice that I resonate with, when something is really beautiful or when it’s just trash.” Georgetown University Professor Miléna Santoro picks her favourite Quebec writers and showcases some of the region’s best contemporary fiction and poetry translated from the original French.
The Best African American Literature, recommended by Farah Jasmine Griffin
An ever-growing body of authors are writing about the reality of what it means to be black in America, says Farah Jasmine Griffin, director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies at Columbia University. Here she recommends five works of African American literature, from greats like Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison to lesser-known gems by Ann Petry.
The Best Caribbean Fiction, recommended by Alexia Arthurs
From the humorous and dark stories of a young V. S. Naipaul to recent coming-of-age novels, set in a cut-throat Jamaican holiday resort or American’s urban battlefields, Alexia Arthurs explores the myriad expressions of Caribbean identity in fiction
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1
The Journal of John Winthrop
by John Winthrop -
2
Black Bostonians: Family Life and Community Struggle in the Antebellum North
by James Oliver Horton and Lois E. Horton -
3
Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families
by J. Anthony Lukas -
4
Interpreter of Maladies
by Jhumpa Lahiri -
5
Mapping Boston
by Alex Krieger and David Cobb (editors)
The best books on Boston, recommended by Jane Kamensky
The best books on Boston, recommended by Jane Kamensky
The idea of Boston as “a place of revolutionary fervour because liberty is somehow baked into its bones” is loaded with a “very heavy dose of self-mythologizing,” says American historian Jane Kamensky. Here, the Harvard professor lifts the veil on this quintessential New England city and recommends five books for understanding its history
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1
Is the American Century Over?
by Joseph Nye -
2
The Chessboard and the Web: Strategies of Connection in a Networked World
by Anne-Marie Slaughter -
3
The Sovereignty Wars: Reconciling America with the World
by Stewart Patrick -
4
Psychology of a Superpower: Security and Dominance in U.S. Foreign Policy
by Christopher Fettweis -
5
Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America
by Deborah Fallows & James Fallows
The best books on America’s Increasingly Challenged Position in World Affairs, recommended by Ali Wyne
The best books on America’s Increasingly Challenged Position in World Affairs, recommended by Ali Wyne
Reports of the death of the world’s only superpower may have been exaggerated, but America’s inward turn is threatening the world order it created after World War II. Foreign policy analyst Ali Wyne talks us through books to better understand America’s current role in the world.
Hermione Hoby on New York Novels
The writer and journalist Hermione Hoby’s highly acclaimed first novel is set during a New York heatwave. Here she picks five books inspired by this capacious, overstated, indomitable city and discusses how it shaped her as a writer.
The best books on US Foreign Policy, recommended by Gideon Rose
Should America have intervened in Libya? Done more? Done less? Done it differently? The editor of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Rose, explains the tension that lies at the heart of every American foreign policy decision.
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1
Expansionists of 1898: The Acquisition of Hawaiʻi and the Spanish Islands
by Julius William Pratt -
2
Denial of Empire: The United States and Its Dependencies
by Whitney T Perkins -
3
The Tragedy of American Diplomacy
by William Appleman Williams -
4
The New Empire: An Interpretation of American Expansion 1860-1898
by Walter LaFeber -
5
Cuba in the American Imagination: Metaphor and the Imperial Ethos
by Louis A Pérez
The best books on American Imperialism, recommended by A G Hopkins
The best books on American Imperialism, recommended by A G Hopkins
When George W Bush declared that America “has never been an empire,” he elided a half century of colonial rule over its overseas dependencies. But American expansionism has manifested in other forms too, says A G Hopkins, imperial historian and author of a panoramic new work of American history.
The best books on US Intervention, recommended by Lawrence Kaplan
The foreign affairs commentator explains why US presidents have less room to manoeuvre on foreign policy than they think, and why President Obama had to set aside his “minimalist” inclinations.
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1
Whiteness of a Different Color: European Immigrants and the Alchemy of Race
by Matthew Frye Jacobson -
2
Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America
by Mae M. Ngai -
3
Between Two Empires: Race, History, and Transnationalism in Japanese America
by Eiichiro Azuma -
4
Walls and Mirrors: Mexican Americans, Mexican Immigrants, and the Politics of Ethnicity
by David G. Gutiérrez -
5
Havana USA: Cuban Exiles and Cuban Americans in South Florida, 1959-1994
by María Cristina García
The best books on Immigration, recommended by Ana Minian
The best books on Immigration, recommended by Ana Minian
How did the concept of United States immigration being a ‘melting pot’ of diverse nationalities come to be? In this interview, Stanford historian Ana Raquel Minian explores America’s complex, highly racialized history of immigration and recommends five of the books on the subject that have most influenced her.
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1
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement
by Carole Boston Weatherford & Euka Holmes -
2
Josephine: A Dazzling Life
by Christian Robinson & Patricia Hruby Powell -
3
The Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
by Vashti Harrison -
4
Firebird
by Misty Copeland -
5
Life Doesn't Frighten Me
by Jean-Michel Basquiat & Maya Angelou
Books on Black Icons for Children, recommended by Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins
Books on Black Icons for Children, recommended by Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins
Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins discuss books that that tell the stories of some of the greatest black icons in history – and explain why reading books that celebrate these extraordinary lives can be transformational for all children.
Stephanie Burt on Contemporary American Poetry
As distinctions between traditional and avant-garde, central and marginal dissolve, poet and critic Stephanie Burt discusses some of America’s most exciting contemporary poets, who are speaking to and from diverse experiences and backgrounds – sometimes with a disco beat
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1
Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making
by Deborah Stone -
2
Regulating the Poor: The Public Functions of Welfare
by Frances Fox Piven and Richard Cloward -
3
The Submerged State: How Invisible Government Policies Undermine American Democracy
by Suzanne Mettler -
4
Remaking America: Democracy and Public Policy in an Age of Inequality
by (ed.) Jacob Hacker, Joe Soss & Suzanne Mettler -
5
Arresting Citizenship: The Democratic Consequences Of American Crime Control
by Amy E Lerman and Vesla M Weaver
The best books on The Politics of Policymaking, recommended by Jamila Michener
The best books on The Politics of Policymaking, recommended by Jamila Michener
Inequality is coming not just from the economy; it is coming from politics and policy, says Jamila Michener, assistant professor of government at Cornell University. Here she chooses five books that showcase some of the best, most thought-provoking writing on the politics and consequences of policy.
The Best Transnational Literature, recommended by Mohsin Hamid
Beleaguered ‘citizens of nowhere’ will be pleased to know they have their own literary genre. For anyone who has ever wondered where they belong, or why, when you leave your home country, it’s never the same when you return, here are the best five books to read—including some by the greatest authors of the 20th century.
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1
This Time Is Different
by Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff -
2
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
by Michael Lewis -
3
Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten The World Economy
by Raghuram G Rajan -
4
13 Bankers
by Simon Johnson & Simon Johnson and James Kwak -
5
The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Report
by FCIC
Francis Fukuyama recommends the best books on the The Financial Crisis
Francis Fukuyama recommends the best books on the The Financial Crisis
The author of “The End of History” says the financial crisis revealed a great deal about the nature of America’s political and economic system. The shame, he says, is that opportunities to change it are now being ignored.
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1
The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
by David McCullough -
2
Wilderness At Dawn: The Settling of the North American Continent
by Ted Morgan -
3
The Story of American Freedom
by Eric Foner -
4
This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War
by Drew Gilpin Faust -
5
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette
by Hampton Sides
The best books on American History, recommended by Brent Glass
The best books on American History, recommended by Brent Glass
Which are the best books on American history? Brent Glass, Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the world’s largest museum devoted to telling the story of America, chooses five standout books in a crowded field.
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1
Why The West Rules - For Now: The Patterns of History and what they reveal about the Future
by Ian Morris -
2
Why Nations Fail
by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson -
3
China 2030: Building a Modern, Harmonious, and Creative Society
by Development Research Center of the State Council & World Bank -
4
The Rise and Fall of Nations: Forces of Change in the Post-Crisis World
by Ruchir Sharma -
5
Uprising: Will Emerging Markets Shape or Shake the World Economy?
by George Magnus
The best books on Emerging Markets, recommended by George Magnus
The best books on Emerging Markets, recommended by George Magnus
What determines whether a country goes backwards or forwards? Why have so few developing countries joined the ranks of rich nations? George Magnus, former chief economist of UBS, chooses books to help us reflect on what it is that societies need in order to be successful.
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1
A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960
by Anna Schwartz & Milton Friedman -
2
Macroeconomic Effects from Government Purchases and Taxes
by Robert Barro -
3
Identifying Government Spending Shocks
by Valerie Ramey -
4
Essays on the Great Depression
by Ben Bernanke -
5
The Great Depression in the United States from a Neoclassical Perspective
by Harold Cole and Lee Ohanian
The best books on The Lessons of the Great Depression, recommended by Robert Barro
The best books on The Lessons of the Great Depression, recommended by Robert Barro
Harvard macroeconomist Robert Barro takes issue with some common assumptions about the Great Depression, and how America got out of it.
The best books on Drone Warfare, recommended by Hugh Gusterson
The introduction of drones “makes possible perpetual war without costs”, warns the anthropology professor and security expert Hugh Gusterson. Here he selects the best books that examine their ethical, psychological and political impact upon 21st century warfare.
The best books on Race and American Policing, recommended by Joe Domanick
The author and journalist describes how racism, violence, and corruption became entrenched in police departments across America. He picks five books describing a stark reality, and suggests a blueprint for change
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1
City of Refuge
by Tom Piazza -
2
The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
by Douglas Brinkley -
3
Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City
by Jed Horne -
4
Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security
by Christopher Cooper and Robert Block -
5
New Orleans: The Making of an Urban Landscape
by Peirce F. Lewis
The best books on Hurricane Katrina, recommended by Gary Rivlin
The best books on Hurricane Katrina, recommended by Gary Rivlin
Katrina was not a natural disaster but an engineering one, says the journalist and author. He chooses the best books on Hurricane Katrina, ranging from a novel to a geographical biography of New Orleans.
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1
Drug Addicts are Human Beings
by Henry Smith Williams -
2
The Murderers: The Shocking Story of the Narcotic Gangs
by Henry Anslinger and Will Oursler -
3
Murder City
by Charles Bowden -
4
The Globalization of Addiction: A Study in Poverty of the Spirit
by Bruce Alexander -
5
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction
by Gabor Maté
The best books on The War on Drugs, recommended by Johann Hari
The best books on The War on Drugs, recommended by Johann Hari
Everything we have been told about drugs and drug addiction and how society should deal with them is wrong, says the British author and journalist Johann Hari. He chooses the best books on ‘the war on drugs.’
The best books on The Reagan Era, recommended by Doug Rossinow
Americans remember Reagan fondly, but what did the Gipper really stand for? The historian chooses the best books on Ronald Reagan and his time.
The best books on US Militarism, recommended by Stephen Glain
American presidents may not want to send troops into battle or militarise foreign policy but, in the end, most of them do. The author and journalist explains how this happens, and why it’s not even the military that’s to blame. He picks the best books on American militarism.