United States Books
recommended by scholars, novelists and journalists
Last updated: April 06, 2025
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.
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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The American Supreme Court
by Robert G. McCloskey -
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John Marshall and the Heroic Age of the Supreme Court
by R. Kent Newmyer -
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Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story: Statesman of the Old Republic
by R. Kent Newmyer -
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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 -
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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.
The Best 19th-Century American Novels, recommended by Nathan Wolff
In the novels of the 19th century, the United States comes alive with all its contradictions and complications. Nathan Wolff, a professor of English at Tufts and author of Not Quite Hope and Other Political Emotions in the Gilded Age, introduces us to his picks of the best 19th-century American novels, including two works of historical fiction and a memoir that influenced the novel form.
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Travelling While Black: Essays Inspired by a Life on the Move
by Nanjala Nyabola -
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The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move
by Sonia Shah -
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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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Dreaming of Gold, Dreaming of Home
by Madeline Hsu -
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American Sutra
by Duncan Williams -
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Empire of Care: Nursing and Migration in Filipino American History
by Catherine Ceniza Choy -
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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.”
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Stayin Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class
by Jefferson Cowie -
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Panic at the Pump: The Energy Crisis and the Transformation of American Politics in the 1970s
by Meg Jacobs -
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Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President
by Jimmy Carter -
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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.”
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The Stamp Act Crisis: Prologue to Revolution
by Edmund Morgan & Helen Morgan -
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The Marketplace of Revolution: How Consumer Politics Shaped American Independence
by T.H. Breen -
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The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution
by Bernard Bailyn -
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The Radicalism of the American Revolution
by Gordon S. Wood -
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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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Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington
by Ted Widmer -
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Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words
by Douglas L Wilson -
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Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America
by Garry Wills -
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Emancipating Lincoln: The Proclamation in Text, Context, and Memory
by Harold Holzer -
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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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No Man's Land: Jamaican Guestworkers in America and the Global History of Deportable Labor
by Cindy Hahamovitch -
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Defiant Braceros: How Migrant Workers Fought for Racial, Sexual, and Political Freedom
by Mireya Loza -
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Managed Migrations: Growers, Farmworkers, and Border Enforcement in the Twentieth Century
by Cristina Salinas -
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Migrant Citizenship: Race, Rights, and Reform in the U.S. Farm Labor Camp Program
by Verónica Martínez-Matsuda -
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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.