Tag: History
These Truths: A History of the United States by
Jill Lepore I finished this one on audio — 39 hours of it — and I’m still thinking about it weeks later. Jill Lepore is a Harvard historian and a staff writer for The New Yorker, and she set out to do something that sounds impossible: write a single-volume history of the United States, from…
The English and Their History by Robert Tombs
I am a bit over halfway into the 29 hour read/audio of Jill Lepore’s These Truths, and this evening while listening to , Conversations with Tyler, he mentioned The English and Their History by Robert Tombs as being his top nonfiction read and considers it top of the decade, a must read. Having lived…
Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948 by Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright doesn’t just write as a former Secretary of State analyzing the geopolitical shifts of WWII; she writes as a daughter discovering her own family’s hidden secrets. It is a profound exploration of moral choices—how ordinary people and world leaders alike decided what was right in a world gone mad. If you want to…
The Soul of America, The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham
I have not started The Soul of America, but I may put others aside so that I can. You should read The Soul of America if you find yourself overwhelmed by the “partisan fury” of modern news and want a dose of evidence-based hope. Jon Meacham uses his expertise as a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer to…
HARVEY WASSERMAN’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES Introduction by Howard Zinn
I was in my early twenties when I first read Harvey Wasserman’s History of the United States. I was not an attentive student throughout my primary and secondary education, especially before the 10th grade. I missed much that I regret, but I also think I missed a large amount of propaganda teachings, which I do…
These Truths – A History of the United States by Jill Lepore
Reason to Read You should read These Truths if you want a history that feels alive and unvarnished. Unlike the textbooks you may remember from school, Lepore writes with a novelist’s flair and a journalist’s eye for irony. She doesn’t just list dates; she asks a central, gripping question: Has the American experiment actually worked?…
