Thursday Reading and Recommendations is intended as bookish free-for-all, for the discussion and recommendation of all books historical, or tangentially so. Suggested topics include, but are by no means limited to:
Asking for book recommendations on specific topics or periods of history
Newly published books and articles you're dying to read
Recent book releases, old book reviews, reading recommendations, or just talking about what you're reading now
Historiographical discussions, debates, and disputes
...And so on!
Regular participants in the Thursday threads should just keep doing what they've been doing; newcomers should take notice that this thread is meant for open discussion of history and books, not just anything you like -- we'll have a thread on Friday for that, as usual.
Are there any books on Berlin during 1920s?
Does anyone have good recommendations for post-Deng Xiaoping Chinese history? I'm looking more specifically for Jiang Zemin era politics and local reactions, information on the results of reform and opening moving too fast (or not?) and the like.
I'm aware that much of this information is very recent, but any sources are good.
Does anyone know of any good books about the Congo Crisis as a whole? I see it heavily referenced everywhere, but all the Congo-related resources I find seem to skip over 1960-65 and jump straight from independence to Mobutu.
Any recs for books on Russian history focused on early `Rus up through ~Peter the Great-ish? I'm finding it difficult to find anything in English that's not primarily focused on the run-up to the Revolution and after, but my interests are much more medieval.
I'm aware of Massie's several biographies and Montefiore's The Romanovs (I tried the audiobook but have found it a bit over-the-top, not sure if that's Montefiore's fault or just Simon Callow's reading), but would welcome alternative suggestions, or insight on how those works/authors are viewed. Thanks!
Any recommendations for civil rights movment in europe in the 20th century?
Hello, I am trying to learn about the United States, along with other countries, effects on the middle east since World War One, continuing on to present day.
Specifically, I am looking to learn about the aftermath of World War One and how the United States affected the Middle East; I brought up the "Iran Contra" affair with my father, and how the United States supported Iran with weapons and etc and how we might have had something to do with our own conflicts.
He proceeded to tell me that to really know about our interactions with the Middle East I need to go back farther to the end of World War One at least.
Any reading recomendations to help get an actual grasp on subject would be appreciated! Thank you!
I'd like recommendations on Christian denominations in Great Britain, especially Methodists and Baptists. I'd also like biographies of the Wesleys. In spite of the established church, Britain seems to have been a fertile ground for new expressions of Protestantism, and I'd like to understand how and why. Overview level appreciated.
Can anyone recommend me any good books about the Chinese in Southeast Asia, preferrably Indonesia?
Hi everyone! Working on my senior thesis: "Music and the American Dream in the 20th Century." If anyone has any good books that relate more to the music side, I'd be appreciative!