I've lived all my life in the shadow of the Appalachians. Now, I'm moving to Arizona. What are some books that I should read, or music that I should hear, to help me get the feel of the Southwest?
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posted by WidgetAlley
on May 23, 2013 -
29 answers
I'm looking for the US equivalent of Dominic Sandbrook's
State of Emergency: Britain 1970–1974—books that explore not just the politics, movements and 'big events' of the decade, but aspects such as pop culture and the changes in daily life and habits.
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posted by kaisemic
on Apr 10, 2013 -
3 answers
Can you recommend a good book on papal history that is solid on facts and theology, honest about blemishes, but doesn't revel in scandal? Oh, and I hope I can find it in a Kindle version.
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posted by OrangeDisk
on Feb 26, 2013 -
6 answers
I've been listening to 'Escape from Camp 14' on audiobook for the past few days, and I was struck by a brief overview of & reference to the story of Charles Robert Jenkins, an American defector to North Korea. I found the concept as mystifying as it was intriguing, so I would like to know if any of you have heard of any non-fiction books about other defection stories that involve citizens of democratic nations obtaining residency in nations that would be deemed objectively totalitarian and renouncing their countries of origin. I'm on the lookout for his book, 'The Reluctant Communist,' but I'd like to hear about other stories of this type as well.
posted by Selena777
on Feb 3, 2013 -
13 answers
I only really have time to read a single book on the origins of photography. What do you recommend? Think Daguerre and Talbot, no need for hundreds of pages devoted to the camera obscura. I'd also prefer something heavier on text than actual photographs.
posted by Lorin
on Jan 25, 2013 -
5 answers
I'm finishing up The Guns of August, by Barbara Tuchman, and while it's a really good read, it does what it says, and covers the beginning of the war. I'm interested in other books on WW1. What do you recommend? I'd like to read both a good, solid overview of the whole war, then maybe later read more in-depth books on certain parts or phases of the war.
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posted by Ghidorah
on Jan 12, 2013 -
23 answers
Why does Mircea Eliade get short shrift in Robert N. Bellah's
Religion in Human Evolution?
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posted by ibmcginty
on Dec 18, 2012 -
3 answers
I'm looking for your favorite books on early modern European history (~1550-1750 ish) to inform my reading of the Baroque cycle by Neal Stephenson. I usually rely on Amazon ratings to pick good books, but they are coming up short. History buffs of AskMeFi, please help!
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posted by permiechickie
on Dec 11, 2012 -
12 answers
Looking for good, critical books and resources on martial arts and fighting. I prefer them to be academic enough to have survived peer review, but will take what I can get. Anything martial arts related would do, I'm interested in understanding martial arts and fighting in a more general sense.
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posted by Stagger Lee
on Dec 8, 2012 -
10 answers
Is there a good book for an older kid about the history of China? Or, related questions, other great world history books for kids?
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posted by latkes
on Nov 2, 2012 -
3 answers
Speculative fiction about historical gradualism: I'm looking for SF stories which begin in the real historical world (past or present) and then gradually diverge from it,
without any single decisive turning point.
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posted by RogerB
on Sep 19, 2012 -
11 answers
I need help with a book suggestion! All my particulars found within, within, within..
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posted by kbanas
on Sep 3, 2012 -
3 answers
Can you recommend a popular history of Scotland--book, documentary, TV series, whatever--that I can consume before our trip there next summer?
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posted by WorkingMyWayHome
on Sep 3, 2012 -
12 answers
I'm doing some research on the nineteenth century in the U.S. and I've realized I need to understand the Civil War better. Can you help me?
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posted by colfax
on Jun 26, 2012 -
15 answers
Great non-fiction books for a smart 9 year old search: my kindle owning niece is embarking on summer vacation. I'd like to gift her some good books to fill up her summer days... she reads a huge amount, and I'd really like to encourage this. She's nine but has a roughly 9th grade reading level, so she's definitely capable of handling somewhat advanced books, and she's curious about a wide range of things. Really I'm looking for pretty much anything non-fiction & interesting.
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posted by lyra4
on Jun 24, 2012 -
27 answers
I just got back from Brazil and want to read about its history. What are the best books in English? I'm particularly interested in the period from the arrival of the monarchy in 1808 to the founding of the republic in 1889.
posted by ocherdraco
on Jun 1, 2012 -
4 answers
I want to mainline wonder! Recommend me nonfiction books or films (science, nature, history, culture, the human mind) that will make me fall in love with the world we live in.
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posted by stuck on an island
on Apr 15, 2012 -
35 answers
Research-filter: Looking for reading recommendations on two topics: 1) syphilis in the 19th (and very early 20th) century, particularly
tabes dorsalis, and 2) prostitution in Vienna during the same time period. (More broadly: the experience of serious and/or terminal illness during the same period; bonus points for information about women, particularly the emotional trauma of chronic pain, losing one’s beauty/youth/sexuality, etc.)
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posted by scody
on Apr 9, 2012 -
17 answers
I saw
Cave Of Forgotten Dreams and loved it. Now I want to read more about early human history. Please recommend some good books on the beginnings of human art in particular and the emergence of human society and the beginnings of conciousness in general. I'm not a scientist and I'm not looking for a textbook, but I'm not afraid of a challenging read, either.
posted by vibrotronica
on Mar 26, 2012 -
16 answers
DC-area-history-filter! I'm about to move back to the US, where I will be either in DC or North Virginia (working in Ashburn, specifically). I like having a sense of the history that contributed to the physical environment around me. Why is this town here, who built what building, why, and what does the allegory in the decoration mean. Things like that. What books, articles, or whatever should I read to understand these qualities about my upcoming home?
posted by Schismatic
on Mar 1, 2012 -
16 answers
Know of any books that look at the effects of technology on the delivery of education?
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posted by drzz
on Mar 1, 2012 -
2 answers
Reading about the Great Awakening (first or second) and history of American religion?
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posted by j1950
on Feb 3, 2012 -
11 answers
I'm looking for a good book about the Scandinavia to Midwest America immigrant experience (non-fiction).
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posted by Lutoslawski
on Jan 9, 2012 -
14 answers
I recently got into boxing. But I want to read a good book about the art of boxing. Any suggestions?
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posted by Napierzaza
on Jan 5, 2012 -
6 answers
If I was to read one book about the Wars of the Roses, what book should it be?
posted by shothotbot
on Aug 1, 2011 -
7 answers
Are there any comic book versions of History that you know of which could give High School students a good background in the subject? In particular, my colleague is interested in American History 1840-1968 but any period of American History would be most welcome.
posted by Tarn
on Aug 1, 2011 -
13 answers
What politically neutral book(s) should I read on multiculturalism and Islam, immigration/integration politics and/or ethnic/religious tensions in Europe?
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posted by goodnewsfortheinsane
on Jul 25, 2011 -
11 answers
Book suggestion filter! I need to catch up on all the 20th century history I missed because of childhood.....
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posted by motsque
on Jun 28, 2011 -
14 answers
It is a sad thing to realize that your primary history source of late is trashy romance novels. Help me fix this.
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posted by elizardbits
on Jun 18, 2011 -
22 answers
Please recommend me a book on the history of clothing.
I'm looking for more of a social history than I am something about changes in the clothes themselves, as I'm mostly interested in the relationship of clothing to society, class, etc., over time. Thanks.
posted by Richard Holden
on May 7, 2011 -
11 answers
Looking for good dispassionate history of the Christian church. I love to read history, and would like to go on a tangent.
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posted by Devils Rancher
on Mar 4, 2011 -
25 answers
