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Favorite non-fiction subjects and recommendations
Non-fictions lovers, what are your favorite subjects to read about, and what are your recommended readings for them? My personal areas of interest are:
American Civil War
- Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson - Perhaps the definitive overview of the Civil War
- The Confederate War by Gary Gallagher - A look at the war from the perspective of the Confederacy
- A Short History of Reconstruction by Eric Foner - A relatively brief but complete analysis of the years following the war
Custer
- Cavalier in Buckskin by Robert Utley - A very balanced, comprehensive study of Custer’s life (there is a large hardcover version available that also contains a lot of interesting pictures)
- A Terrible Glory by James Donovan - Well researched and covers more of the aftermath of Custer’s Last Stand than the typical Custer book
- Custer Victorious by Gregory J.W. Urwin - An extensive examination of Custer’s distinguished Civil War career
OJ Simpson
- Without a Doubt by Marcia Clark - A fascinating, detailed read written by the lead prosecutor herself
- The Run of His Life by Jeffrey Toobin - The best book written about the case by someone not directly involved in it
- Murder in Brentwood by Mark Fuhrman - Despite what reservations people may have about Mark Fuhrman, his account of the trial is thorough and eye-opening
The Atomic Bomb
- The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes - A long-winded history of the creation of the bomb, including the physics behind it
- Hiroshima in History and Memory by Michael J. Hogan - A collection of essays detailing the decision to drop the bomb, and the effects it had on Japan and American afterward
- In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Richard Polenberg - Contains the transcripts of the J. Robert Oppenheimer trial, “father of the atomic bomb,” who was put on trial several years after the end of World War II for being a suspected Soviet spy
Stay: A History of Suicide & the Philosophies Against It, by Jennifer Michael Hecht. I first read it back in 2013, and ended up reading and listening to the audiobook over and over again. Truly a great piece of work.
A Higher Loyalty by James Comey. Regardless of the political angles that people will likely give this, it is an interesting perspective on several parts of history and leadership as a whole.
Methland: The Death & Life of an American Small Town by Nick Reding, is an interesting piece of reporting on meth in small-town America. I saw many similarities to small towns that I've worked in as far as community drug-awareness work.
Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir - a look at how the brain deals with poverty. Super interesting read on how decision making is affected when experiencing poverty, among other things.
Bossypants - Tina Fey's autobiography. I can't help it, it's just fun.
Stay sounds fascinating, I had not heard of it before. I'm going to look into it.
I haven't A Higher Loyalty yet, but I've heard great things. Definitely on my to-read list!
My mind’s always in a hundred places, but these are the main non-fiction reading subjects that I’ve been most motivated to pursue in book form during the past two years or so.
Psychology, Society & Humanism
General introduction to computer science and programming concepts for an absolute beginner
Philosophy of things
Design at different levels
Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years is essential reading for any serious Beatles fan.
I'm quite interested in computational neuroscience.
Sounds like an interesting subject! On Intelligence in particular sounds like something that would definitely grip me. Thanks for the recommendations.
Physics
The road to reality-Roger Penrose.