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Yes, you could still opt to read another biography of a Founding Father.
1. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn![]()
Let's start with the classic. Zinn wrote this to "tell America's story from the point of view of - and in the words of - America's women, factory workers, African Americans, Native Americans, working poor, and immigrant laborers." It's now widely read in high schools and colleges. (Bonus:
it is available for free on the author's website.)
2. Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen![]()
Its fitting subtitle is: "Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong." Another classic, this is both a critique of mainstream American education and an informed retelling of our history.
3. The Studs Terkel Reader by Studs Terkel![]()
Studs Terkel re-popularized oral history, writing twelve books that collected interviews with thousands of Americans about their jobs, their lives, the wars they fought in, and their experiences of race ... just to name a few of his themes. This is a collection of some of his best interviews.
4. Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown![]()
Specifically written to tell the Native American story from the perspective of Native Americans, this book has been a classic for more than 30 years. It is sometimes credited with inspiring a new generation of nonfiction about the "victims" rather than the "victors" of American history. It's even been the basis of an award-winning film.
5. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou![]()
One of the most widely read (and banned!) American autobiographies, this book reflects more than just one woman's life. This is the story of someone who grew up marginalized by our society in almost every way and became its of the most well-loved storytellers. As she wrote in the titular poem, "The caged bird sings of freedom."
6. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich![]()
In the late 90s, journalist Ehrenreich went undercover to discover the true conditions of the American working class. Her book was termed an 'expose' at the time because it revealed how, for example, how minimum-wage workers employed at Walmart were treated. It became a timeless account of the frustrations and sublimated dreams of whole generations of poor Americans.
7. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson![]()
Wilkerson is another author who makes use of the oral histories of everyday Americans: in this books, she tells the story of the 20th century migration of African Americans from the south to the north. Poetic, at times personal, and incredibly detailed -- this book will leave you with a greater appreciation for the cultural shifts that occurred because of this migration. Above all, what that meant for millions of ordinary people.
8. The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan![]()
A feminist classic for more than 50 years, this book documented the specific experiences of American, mostly white, middle-class housewives who were relegated to the "domestic sphere." It's both a window into those women's lives and a powerful statement about how gender is still portrayed in American culture.
9. And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts![]()
First published in the late 80s, this is the revised edition of the most widely read, influential nonfiction book about AIDS in America. As the title indicates, it is highly critical of the way the health crisis/pandemic was politicized at the time. It is compelling, frustrating and necessary.
10. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates![]()
Already a modern classic, this award-winning narrative is both a personal history and a screen on race in modern America. As Toni Morrison's blurb on the cover summarizes: "This is required reading."
author pic source
1,
2. summaries are my own.
book post! what books would you add to my list?
