United States Books
recommended by scholars, novelists and journalists
Last updated: April 17, 2025
The best books on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, recommended by Dan Choi
The graduate of West Point Military Academy, fluent Arabic speaker and Iraq war veteran, talks about the books that inspired him to take a stand against the US military’s regressive Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy
The best books on The FBI and Crime, recommended by Keith Slotter
Keith Slotter has been an FBI Agent for the past 23 years. He chooses five books about crime and says that legalising abortion cuts crime – because the criminals remain unborn
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1
The Diario of Christopher Columbus's First Voyage to America
by Bartolomé de las Casas -
2
Shipwrecks and Commentaries
by Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca -
3
A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies (1552)
by Bartolomé de las Casas -
4
Royal Commentaries of the Incas (1609)
by Garcilaso de la Vega, El Inca -
5
Red Earth, White Lies
by Vine Deloria Jr
The best books on Rewriting America, recommended by Robert Goodwin
The best books on Rewriting America, recommended by Robert Goodwin
Expert in Spanish Colonial History describes Christopher Columbus as a character from science fiction. Huge political irony that the first exploration of North America was led by a black man
The best books on US-Israel Relations, recommended by Stephen Walt
The international relations professor tells us about the special relationship between America and Israel – how it came about, what it means, and how it should change
The best books on Hollywood, recommended by Marina Hyde
The best books on Hollywood. ‘Smart people went to the ballet and opera, and what the poor and lower middle classes did with their time didn’t matter. But these men in Hollywood had a vision and were creating this product that was loved by everybody of all different backgrounds.’
The best books on George W Bush, recommended by Jacob Weisberg
The editor-in-chief of Slate Group says what is charming about Bush is his wit and physicality, but he needs to cut people down and does it in a very effective and cruel way. He called Karl Rove “Turdblossom”
The best books on Political Spin, recommended by David Greenberg
It’s as old as Plato’s Gorgias, but it was Richard Nixon who really got it down to a fine art. Rutgers professor David Greenberg recommends the best books to read to better understand political ‘spin.’
The best books on 9/11, recommended by Yosri Fouda
Who was Osama bin Laden? How critical was he to the 9/11 attacks on the United States? What happened in the first 100 days at Guantanamo Bay? Who was in charge of the United States when George W Bush went into hiding? What should we make of all the conspiracy theories that have sprung up around the events of that day? Yosri Fouda, the veteran Egyptian investigative reporter, author and TV host talks us through his choice of the best books on 9/11.
The best books on The Asian American Experience, recommended by Sung J. Woo
The novelist reveals amongst his book selection that Minnesota has the highest number of Korean adoptees in the US (14,000), and that one in every 250 Korean births is adopted by an American family