The pressure seems to be that authors have to assume some judgement about the figures, and I am not particularly fond of that.

So you want journalism then, not history. For historians, the mere selection of a topic is a value judgement. See Novick, That Noble Dream.

Moreover, I feel that there is value to reading a book written during the period in concern.

There certainly can be value to work done during the time. But you'll nearly never get a complete picture, because, well, the picture wasn't complete yet. I suggest that you look at newspaper editorials and op-eds. NY Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and many others have excellent archives. You may need to go to a library to avoid paywalls.