It would likely be Dan Todman's The Great War: Myth and Memory (2005). This entertaining, accessible, and nevertheless rigorous book examines the contours of the war's popular memory and how it came to exist, taking a great deal of care along the way to puncture certain myths and smooth over certain inconsistencies. It is less combative and militarily-oriented than Gordon Corrigan's Mud, Blood and Poppycock or Gary Sheffield's Forgotten Victory, both of which have similar debunking missions in mind, and so far more likely to win over skeptical readers to its central thesis.

Fred Cooper's Africa Since 1940 - Africa as a continent is perhaps the most ignored in general or academic history, and because of both its sheer size and unbelievable complexity there are very few books which can be justified as successfully talking about the continent as a whole. Fred Cooper is perhaps one of the very few historians who can successfully do just that and this book is not only relatively short but also rather important for anybody looking to understand contemporary Africa. The themes he introduces, the topics he raises, and the questions he posits (especially to do with nationalism and decolonization) have come to define, even if only in passing, the works of many Africanists since. Highly recommended read.

For an introduction to late antiquity as a whole, Peter Brown's The World of Late Antiquity (1971) is the book to read, as it is very readable and has a lot of illustrations to show how vibrant the late-antique world was. It really is a great way to overturn all the misconceptions about the 'Dark Ages', especially as it was Brown who basically create late antiquity as a field in the first place. For Byzantine history, I really like Judith Herrin's Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire (2008), which is another book aimed at a popular audience and presents a very readable introduction to the complex world of Byzantine studies. I'm also fascinated by the Arab Conquests, so Robert Hoyland's In God's Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire (2014) is another of my recommendations. There are so many misconceptions and outdated ideas out there about this period of history, so a readable and up-to-date narrative history of this topic is absolutely essential; I think Hoyland did a very admirable job with his book and it is definitely worth taking a look at.

Have you looked at our book list? Many of the items on that list come from our flaired users.

Post-Roman Britain? Guy Halsall, Worlds of Arthur (2013). He explains really well how late antique / early medieval historians read and use their sources in a very accessible (but not simplified) presentation. bit of I could recommend three, I'd also include Robin Fleming, Britain after Rome, and Gerrard, The ruin of Roman Britain, as both provide different and important readings of the archaeological material tlacking in Halsall. All three also tell a good story, and are (as far as history books go) engaging reads.

Definitely The Soil by Takashi Nagatsuka. It paints a moving and poignant portrait of rural Japan during the Meiji period, based on experiences from the author's life. Probably one of the best books for insight into the "people's" Japan, far removed from the imperial-intellectual narrative that normally dominates discussion. More than just educational, the book can also be enjoyed for purely artistic reasons, brimming with ethereal descriptions of nature and heart wrenching accounts of human struggle and survival.

As an interdisciplinary historian specialising in Tudor literature, I recommend Greenblatt's 'Shakespeare's Freedom' to everyone. It's an awesome book fresh from the heart of the New Historicism movement, and made me question my entire approach to historical analysis. Greenblatt combines a literary examination of Shakespeare's works with a thorough investigation into broader socio-historical themes in early modern England, with the end result being a very lively read perfect for a summery foray into unexpected fields :)

The book that I cite most often here and that I can't recommend enough is Eugene Rogan's The Arabs: A History. Fantastic overview of the past 500 years of Arab history.

Not a big, but an essay in a book of historical essays. Mickey Mouse History and Other Essays on American Memory has an essay called "Mickey Mouse: Portraying the Past at Disney World".

It studies the history presented at Magic Kingdom (Main Street USA, Hall of Presidents, etc) and how it is shined up with all the flaws taken out. It then does a great job juxtaposing that against Epcot's view of history which has a point of view about humans overcoming all hardships. It is a great analysis of how Disney chooses to remember history.

Another is Myth, Memory and the Making of the American Landscape. My favorite essay is "Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace Cabin: The Making of an American Icon", which tracks the development of what we know at Lincoln's birthplace cabin, which is actually a fake, from its inception until it final placement at Kentucky. It travels through its evolution as it travels and how Lincoln's memory is used at different times.

I've quoted it so many times on here that I feel that I'd have to say Bart D. Ehrman's Jesus: The Apocalyptic Prophet for the New Millennia. It's such an easy read and it was the first easily accessible book that actually published the well-accepted theory amongst Christian scholars that Jesus of Nazareth was most likely an apocalyptic Rabbi. This is of course what probably 85% of early Christian historians have believed for over 100 years, but Ehrman makes the case in a brilliant fashion. He also educates people on the history of the bible, how it was assembled, the men who wrote it, and why these pieces of information are important. I feel like for both Christians and non-Christians (like myself), it's an incredibly useful entry level book.

The Secret Museum will do more to inform you about the history of sexuality pornography and museum studies than any other book.

Rodric Braithwaite's Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan, 1979-89 (2011). Not exactly a short read, but a very well written, and thoroughly entertaining (as I'm sure everyone knows how dry some literature with history can be). But it deals with exactly what the title states. It gives a very good view of the war from many angles, including the Afghan government, Afghan military, Soviet government, military, and populace, as well as the views of western observers and politicians, while still remaining quite neutral. It does a very good job giving a basic history of Afghanistan, and goes in adequate depth of Russian/Soviet-Afghan relations prior to and leading up to the intervention in to Afghanistan. The big thing I really appreciated with his writing was how he disproves many common myths surrounding the conflict (especially those goddamn stinger missiles), while still making it very relevant to what he is discussing. One thing I found very interesting, mainly being a reenactor also, was that he gave a lot of information to what the experience of the Soviet soldier who participated in the conflict.

Another good one, if you're more interested in first hand account of the conflict, rather than the politics of it would be Artyom Borovik's The Hidden War: A Russian Journalist's Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan (1990). It is a combination of two books he wrote, the first one is about his first time there in 1987, and the second follows the withdrawal in 1988/89. He does an excellent job of interviewing many soldiers who served in Afghanistan from officers to privates, and Pilots to deserters. A shorter read, but a very good one. The only thing that one has to remember when reading is that it is a translated work, so some things have been lost in translation, but I don't believe it takes away from his work at all.

Benny Morris' Righteous Victims.

It would just be nice to have people read any book on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict though, any at all, that was minimally biased. Morris has his bias (as does everyone), but at least he's thorough and willing to criticize.

On just war theory, Walzer's Just and Unjust Wars, for sure. It's a great introduction and very influential. Just a great book all around, I felt.

John Erickson's Stalin's War with Germany, a two-part acccount of the Eastern Front, split into The Road to Stalingrad and The Road to Berlin.

The German-Soviet War is an absolutely foundational conflict of the modern world; despite this we are still left with an Enemy at the Gates-esque view of lemming-like Soviet soldiers being herded into Teutonic guns by hatchet-faced Commissars. Erickson was one of the first Western historians to really challenge that view, and provides a very strong treatment that shows a much more balanced picture of a Red Army that was theoretically, if not practically prepared, and the challenges they overcame in bringing together equipment, training, strategy, and tactics into a fighting machine the Wehrmacht had no chance of stopping.

I highly recommend A Problem from Hell: America in the Age of Genocide by Samantha Power. It's a fantastic book that talks about international and particularly American responses (or lack thereof) to genocides since Armenia as well as the development of genocide's current legal standing. She's very thorough, and the range that she covers does a good job illustrating her point as well as providing context for these conflicts.

On a different topic (and a much more recent event), I also recommend Murder in Amsterdam by Ian Buruma. It's about the death of Theo van Gogh in 2004, and more specifically about the historical and social settings in the Netherlands that made his death happen. It's a fantastic look at how integration and pillarisation developed in the Netherlands since the 1960s, and the consequences of those policies.

Finally, I also recommend I didn't do it for you by Michela Wrong. It's about the history of Eritrea since the mid-1800s, and it's a fantastic look at the consequences of colonialism both from Europeans and from Ethiopians. It's fantastic.

I'd recommend Athur Eckstein's Senate and General: Individual Decision-Making and Roman Foreign Relations, 264-194 B.C. (1987). It looks at the initial Roman expansion overseas and what role individuals have had in it. He argues that Roman expansion wasn't primarily driven by the 'state' or the Senate, but was an outcome of the way Rome allowed its commanders to make wide-ranging decisions regarding war and peace.

'Does Not Care': Lawrence, Herodotus, and Nietzsche on History by Charles Stang

This is from the essay collection on T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia), The Waking Dream of T.E. Lawrence: Essays on his Life, Literature, and Legacy

It's my favorite essay from the collection. Although I read this as part of my study on Herodotus, this article awakened a nigh-obsession of the life of the man behind Lawrence of Arabia. You really get a lot about him after the war, and many insights into his character. And the parallels he makes across fields of history really opens up some great analysis.

Because you are a Marine, I suggest "Goodbye Darkness" By William Manchester(Marine Vet). In my honest opinion the greatest book ever written about WWII, and of Marines in the Pacific Theater. Also "The Last Stand of Fox Company" by Tom Clavin. The story of a company of Marines who held of 10,000 Chinese in the Chosin Resrevoir.

Iris Chang's book The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust. One of the books I used for my Modern China paper before I got into college I knew very little about East Asian history. To me all I knew was that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and America came in and kicked ass. I had no idea what the Rape of Nanking was and what really happened. When I read this I had a true hatred for the people I was reading about. From the killing game, to raping and torturer that the people had to endure was mind blowing. This book is easily not safe for life by any means but worth a read and after this one can see why the Chinese hate the Japanese. It was a book that brought me to tears but one that really amazed me how far people can endure such punishment and I sincerely do have the utmost respect for anyone who was involved in the atrocities.