Janice in NJ Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 I just finished Team of Rivals by Goodwin. Loved it. My kids are just finishing up the Civil War; the book offered me a ton of insight into the topic. The Metaphysical Club is next. I started the book a couple of moths ago, but I want to start over and work through the whole thing in a chunk. Can you offered up some well-written non-fiction that has really helped you connect the dots for the late 19th and the complete 20th century? So far, I'm looking at: Modern Times - Paul Johnson Freedom from Fear - David Kennedy No Ordinary Time - Goodwin Truman - McCullough I have a few more, but that gives you an idea. What have been your favorites for this era of history? THANKS! Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooooom Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 A Short History of the 20th Century by Geffrey Blaine. He's Australian and I find it very interesting to get an "outsider's" perspective. It's very well written, you should be able to read a few pages on Amazon to see if it is your style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 (edited) Here are a few of my favorites from Grad school that cover the late 19th-mid-20th centuries. "Crabgrass Frontier" is a fascinating read on the post-war development of suburbia. By Kenneth Jackson "The Culture of Time and Space" by Stephen Kern looks at the incredible technological changes that occur during the fin de siecle period that have a huge impact on modern philosophy and art. A general search for Fin De Siecle Europe will bring up books that will cover a lot of the history of "Modernity" as a philosophy which will really define the 20th century. "The Banquet Years" is a biographical history, Roger Shattuck follows the lives and work of four artists in France before the first World War. "The Good War" by Studs Terkel on WWII "Bury Me Standing" by Isabel Fonseca is a fascinating read on European gypsies I'm sure there are more, but that's all I've got for now. I'm away from my bookshelves. :-) I think this was the textbook I had for a class on 20th century Intellectual history http://www.amazon.com/American-Intellectual-Tradition-1865-Present/dp/0195183401/ref=pd_sim_b_4 "Pragmatism" by William James is probably the critical American philosophic work of the 20th century. Edited March 8, 2010 by Jami Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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