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[mid83]

I have really enjoyed the variety of viewpoints and ideas expressed here recently. Reading the thread regarding various political YouTube channels to watch, and seeing recommendations from both sides o the aisle has me thinking about book recommendations.

For me personally, I've been attempting to increase the amount of non fiction books I read, and I typically find books on politics/history/economics/philosophy among other topics very interesting. Besides being fun to read, I also think it's important to educate yourself on a variety of viewpoints. Between the majority of people sticking their specific echo chambers (on either side) and the growing movement to silence opposing ideas and speech, we need to keep ourselves educated more than ever.

So I'm curious what non fiction books on the topics I listed, or other topics, that you recommend.

I'll throw in some books that I've either read or am currently reading that I recommend:

"The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William Shirer (likely the most read single volume history of Nazi Germany told through the eyes of an American journalist who worked in Germany in the 1930s)
"The Gulag Archipelago" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (story told through both the author's own story and other personal accounts about the horrors of Stalin's gulags...important in pointing out the horrors of Communism which aren't discussed enough in the mainstream in my opinion)ddd
"The Retreat of Western Liberalism" by Edward Luce (short book by Financial Times columnist about worldwide crisis of liberal democracy)
"Sapians: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yubal Noah Harari (interesting take on the history of the world to present day)
"Trump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambition, Ego, Money, and Power" by Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher (I think this is a pretty fair Trump biography)
"How America Lost Its Secrets: Edward Snowden, the Man and the Theft" by Edward Jay Epstein (interesting take on Snowden as he discusses some of the holes in Snowden's story)
"Basic Economics" by Thomas Sowell (excellent and very readable overview of Economics...do keep in mind Thomas Sowell does have a pro free-market view on economics)
"Washington: A Life" by Ron Chernow (a dense but very readable and engaging biography of George Washington...Pulizer winner)

Some books I've looking to read in the coming months:

"Why Liberalism Failed" by Patrick J. Deneen
"How Democracies Die" by Steven Levitsky
"Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress" by Steven Pinker
The Incerto series by Nassim Nicholas Taleb ("Fooled by Randomness", "The Black Swan", "Antifragile", "The Bed of Procrustes" and "Skin in the Game")

I look forward to any recommendations!

 

[RokkanStoned]

"The Myth of Sisyphus", by Albert Camus. It's one of my most favorite works and I'm considering to learn french just to be able to read it in its native language. I think it's readable without necessarily knowing anything about Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche.
"Thus Spoke Zarathustra", by Friedrich Nietzsche. A book that keeps on giving in my opinion and the language of Nietzsche in it is so vibrant and its biblical structure makes it interesting. Not an easy read though and it's more of an investment and might need a guide to the book for the second read-through.
"The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II", by Fernand Braudel. Beautifully written.
"The Chronicle of the Abbey of St. Edmunds", by Jocelin of Brakelond. It's not really a chronicle as we see it, but it's such an interesting source for testing your ability to do text and historical analysis. It's also an interesting read in its narrative as well, telling of the state of the monastery, the interactions with the outside world and of the new abbot.
"Thinking, Fast and Slow", by Daniel Kahneman. Read it last summer and it was an interesting read into a field I'm not as familiar with.

Not sure in terms of covering multiple viewpoints though, as that depends on various factors. When it comes to a subject though, it's easy to just look at literature for courses in various university programs and check the footnotes and sources to expand further. Checking different universities, domestic and abroad, is also more likely to bring different literature. Journals/periodicals are always a good way to stay updated as well.

Generally I'd recommend reading up on statistics and methodology in various disciplines, but especially more in general about qualitative and quantitative research.

 

[Journeywalker]

"Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond. If Jared Taylor thinks it's trash, it must be good.

 

[appaws]

Good thread idea, and a lot of good recommendations.

I just finished Chernow's newest one about U.S. Grant. It was outstanding.

The Sleepwalkers by Christopher Clark. The best book I've read about the origins of World War One, and how senseless it all was.

Rivethead by Ben Hamper. A memoir of working in the auto industry in the 70s and 80s. Drugs, alcoholism, and workplace abuses. It's an absolutely hilarious take on the work world....a super-dark, blue collar Office Space.

A Consumers Republic by Lizabeth Cohen. A history of the rise of consumerism in Post-WW2 America.

Teenagers: An American History by Grace Palladino. The title says it all.

Robert Massie on Russian History. I had a Russian history phase when planning a trip to St. Petersburg. All of Massie's books were amazing, especially the Peter and Katherine biographies. (The Dreadnought one about the naval rivalry between the Brits and the Kaiser's Germany was very dry, but if you are a navy buff you might like it.)

 

[CoolNameGuy91]

This is going to seem out there, but..

NXT: The Future is Now.. A really cool look into the business/acting sides of pro wrestling, as well was the personalities and histories of its contributors. I also feel a lot of passion emanate from both the book and many of the quotes contained within. It's also a fascinating behind the scenes for fans

 

[Snoopycat]

I'm reading The Outfit by Gus Russo. During Capone's reign the mob bosses formed a secret council and went on to take over unions before branching into Vegas and Hollywood. There's a lot of interesting stuff in there, like the mob bosses rejecting Capone's flash style because they realised that to be succesful they had to stay as hidden as possible. The first time the Fifth Amendment was used as a defence in court came about when a mob boss was on trial and he realised it could be used to get him off. He kidnapped the main eyewitness's wife and told him if he didn't plead the Fifth to every question he was asked in court, his wife would be mailed to him in pieces. So when he was asked if he recognised the boss he pleaded the Fifth on the grounds it could incriminate him and so on. It worked and that's how using the Fifth as a defence took off. The funny thing was the mob boss's lawyers got themselves in hot water when they tried to take credit for his stroke of genius.

 

[Makariel]

Regarding real and fake news, these two books cover a lot of the basics:

Flat Earth News by Nick Davies and
Trust me, I'm lying by Ryan Holiday

show the pressures media is under from a couple of different angles.