I've noticed there has been a number of posts asking for suggested readings. Therefore, I have decided to do a little post of some of the books that I have read that have substantially influenced my thinking. A bit of a vanity post, I know. But I hope it can be a means of starting discussion. I look forward to seeing what others suggest, what books have influenced other Kossites. My expertise is in American history, so obviously there will be a lot of room for others to expound - as most of my books are about American history.
On American history:
Donald Meinig - "The Making of America," all three volumes - an exhaustive and indispensable study of America's historical human and social geography. Much overlooked, but enjoyable, and to my mind, essential.
David Roediger - "The Wages of Whiteness" - an analysis of the meaning of slavery, race, and freedom in a 19th century democracy
William Cronon - "Nature's Metropolis" - maybe the best book written on American urban and environmental history ever - studies Chicago in the late 19th century and its relationship to its hinterland.
Jackson Lears - "No Place of Grace" - a difficult book to read, but I think Lears is perhaps the smartest American historian alive. Basically, a study of the cultural reaction of American elites to industrialization.
James MacPhearson - "The Battle Cry of Freedom" - THE best single volume history of the Civil War era.
John Dower - "War Without Mercy" - maybe the best book about military history I have ever read. Studies the Pacific War between Japan and the US with focus on its brutality.
Lizabeth Cohen - "A Consumers' Republic" - study of the rise of consumerism since World War II and how consumerism has redefined notions of citizenship and public engagement.
Godfrey Hodgson - "The World Turned Right Side Up" - focuses on the rise of the New Right, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Makes the point that there is nothing "conservative" about the New Right.
Thomas Sugrue - "Origins of the Urban Crisis" - a study of Detroit from the 1940s to 1960s. Great analysis of the origins of deindustrialization and racism in the north.
Other sundry works I love:
Edmund Burke - "Reflections on the Revolution in France"
John Stuart Mill - "On Liberty" - my political bible.
Feel free to add your own choices below.
Ben P