Moving to the US - any good books on US history?

[echie]

Hello all,
In a month or so I'm moving to the US (more specifically San Francisco), with wife, child and cats. Lots of packing going on
I'm looking for recommendations of books about US history, both older (say, civil war-era) and recent history (20th century). Not only do I find history interesting in general, but I expect it'll give me more insight on the culture and current state of affairs. Also, my curiosity was picked by having recently read Stephen King's 11/22/63 (by recommendation of this forum); it is of course not a history book, but it's packed with references to the 50s and 60s in the US, which I found very interesting.
Thanks, and looking forward to meeting some of you at pipe shows

 

[papipeguy]

Here's a short list of 100 books to consider. Welcome to the USA. You're moving to an interesting and beautiful city. The USA is almost 5,000km from east to west coast so there's a lot of country to see.
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/290.Best_American_History_Books

 

[reniaeats]

Well, you're moving to the best city in the country for easing yourself into the crazy American culture! A few of my favorite books about U.S. culture and history:
Black White and Jewish by Rebecca Walker (Alice Walker's daughter with Mel Leventhal - Get a glimpse of what it's like to be torn between East and West Coast cultures and the Civil Rights movement in America from the daughter of one of its icons.
The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw - A somewhat idealized account of the World War II generation. It's certainly romanticized, but many of the stories are incredible and gives you a glimpse into the mindset and legacy the parents of America's current power broker generation - The Baby Boomers - handed down to them.
The Ultimate Field Guide to the U.S. Economy: A Compact and Irreverent Guide to Economic Life in America - This little book full of pictures is the funniest and most succinct way of understanding what makes the U.S. economy tick that I've ever seen. It's a bit dated now, but I first read it in Econ 101 in college and recently read it again with my 11-year old son when he started asking questions about the economy. It remains a useful guide.
A Peace to End All Peace by David Fromkin - Although not technically about U.S. history, the book traces the roots of U.S. involvement in the Middle East and provides a context for the current state of U.S. foreign policy that most Americans are severely lacking. If you want to understand how we ended up where we are, this is a good beginning to understanding modern U.S. involvement in foreign affairs.
America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction by Jon Stewart (and others) - The easiest reading U.S. history book you'll ever come across. It's hilarious, insightful and on-point.
The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck - A fascinating retracing of the great migration West.
John Adams by David G. McCullough - My favorite of the works by this noted historian, but really you can't go wrong with any of his work.
Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation by John Ehle - A not-so-pretty look at the U.S. handling of Native American tribes. For me, as an American, it was a difficult read, but necessary and insightful.
The Fifties by David Halberstam - Most of America's current leaders were born in this decade and you can trace the roots of their beliefs systems, politics, and ideas about the world from the history in this book. Fascinating stuff.
Yup, I'm a history and politics nerd. Sorry the list got so long! Start with the funny ones, they are good for planes and waiting rooms.
And welcome to the USA!

 

[loneredtree]

Try John Gunther's "Inside the USA". Written in 1947 but it is interesting background. I think it still is insightful.
San Francisco is not what I knew as a young adult. Still an interesting place.

 

[mso489]

So many good ones, as hinted at by posts so far. It depends on your taste. Carl Sandberg wrote a good series on Abraham Lincoln, though it is somewhat popular history and not the most rigorous Lincoln scholarship. To the other extreme, if you are scholarly and a real book worm (not that I am especially) I'd suggest American Intellectual History by Vernon Parrington. It's both a general history and a history of ideas and is somewhat unsurpassed in its field. You'll have to dig for that one from Amazon or at a used bookstore of considerable size. Now must quit here and do taxes. Groan.

 

[deathmetal]

If you don't read de Tocqueville and Huntington, it'll all be gibberish.

 

[michaelmirza]

Howard Zinn - A People's History of the United States.
This will give you some crucial backstory on some of the darker parts of our history. It does so by exploring stories of people marginalized and hurt by the white majority during expansion and conquest. This is essential for a balanced understanding because most other history books will have been written by the "victors," AKA the oppressors. Americans need to own their full history, not just the seemingly valiant parts.

 

[pipefish]

First echie, welcome to the United States! You'll love the tobacco prices; that said, load up on Condor if you can--you can use it like jailhouse cigarettes on this forum!
For the Civil War, I recommend anything by James McPherson--specifically "Battle Cry for Freedom"--to me it's the gold standard of Civil War books.
The other books that have been mentioned are all good as well. However, rather than recommend books, might I suggest some videos on youtube that you might enjoy?
For the Civil War, Ken Burns' The Civil War is another "gold standard"--unfortunately they've all been deleted off Youtube, but if you have the means to find them, watch them--brilliant
For the 20th Century, watch The Century: America's Time--takes you through the entire 20th Century and details how the US started out as a regional power to end as a superpower. A great overview of the last 100 years--here's a link to the first episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dssfiPirT2U&list=PLvGgZ5v2o_N8dDogxreL2-NbnfKHgHxqY
I'm a history teacher and spent many years teaching US History in the States. In my opinion, no real understanding of the US can really be cultivated until one understands the history of race relations in this country. One of the best ways to learn about this is watch "Eyes on the Prize." Again, in my opinion it's another "gold standard." When this came out back in 1985 I was 15 years old living in the midwest and had no idea of this period of history. Believe it or not, it was this series that began my love of history, simply because I had to know WHY citizens of my country were treated this way. Here's a link to the first episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuH_VnCxspI
Reniaeats mentioned Halberstam's "The Fifties." Great book! A number of years ago the History Channel produced a documentary series based on the book. For a long time it was unavailable for purchase but FINALLY someone put it up on Youtube. Again, a great series profiling a very important decade in US History. Here's a link to the first episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ooU8B2MBF8&list=PL4THY4Tgso-4SBDBJsdSCxwzjBzNmVbL5
Last, but certainly not least, another important topic is the Vietnam War. Some of our forum members served there. Difficult topic for many to discuss and there are not a lot of easy answers or explanations. That said, I do like "Vietnam: A Television History." Here is a link to the first episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqKi-SyRA7I
Again, welcome to the US! I hope you enjoy your time here!

 

[sablebrush52]

So many great reads! For the Civil War, my favorite by far is Shelby Foote's trilogy. His command of language and ability to create images is such that you feel like you're there, living the experience. For an interesting take on Jefferson, read American Sphinx by Joseph J Ellis. Read anything you can by Joseph Ellis. Great writer.

 

[brudnic1]

Shelby Foote's three volume narrative of the Civil War. Still an issue today .

 

[pappymac]

Why is it people say "American's should own their history" but don't require it of other nations?
Read all the history books you can find but remember that books are written by people who usually color the events they are writing about to their own beliefs. So as previously stated, yes, history is written by the victors. I would also caution you that revisionist history books are written by those who are trying to rewrite history and are not anymore accurate than the history they are revising.
For example, slavery was a dark and disturbing part of American History. But slavery was brought to this country not by Americans but by the English and the Spanish. People will have you also believe that everyone in the south owned slaves. This is not true, less than 10% of the richest landowners in the south owned slaves and, for the record, the first documented slave owner in the south was black. The other thing people want to not discuss is the fact that slavery still exists in other countries.
As bad as slavery was though, the treatment of the native indian tribes by the government was even worse. They native indians were not enslaved, they were just exterminated.

 

[jpmcwjr]

You might also enjoy some walking tours in The City for a more direct feel of the history of SF.

Barbary Coast Tours LINK are among the best.

 

[warren]

The American Civil War by Churchill, is a quick and concise read. If you have the time, any of Catton's and Foote's writings.
The Boys of Summer by Roger Khan will explain the American fascination with baseball. And, life in the '50s.
Three Years in Mississippi by James Meredith is a fascinating read about the integration of the University of Mississippi.
Lonesome Dove, A novel by Larry McMurtry is the great American novel, in my opinion. You'll learn a lot with regard to the West and how American's think. We can be very single minded in achieving our goals.
A visit to the local library will give you access to Life Magazine's pictorial annuals from the forties and fifties. Great for insight into styles, events and people.

 

[deathmetal]

This is not true, less than 10% of the richest landowners in the south owned slaves and, for the record, the first documented slave owner in the south was black.

Good point. I've found that history rarely breaks down into good guys versus bad guys like my first-grade teacher thought it did.
I would not read outright propagandists like Zinn.
Also, what exterminated the Amerinds was disease, much as once upon a time those diseases ravaged Europe. The lesson I take from that is whenever you contact a new population, be wary: it is possible that you, they or both of you have diseases the other does not that will wipe them out.
Might be a reason we see so few aliens in Roswell these days.

 

[prairiedruid]

“History is important. If you don't know history it is as if you were born yesterday. And if you were born yesterday, anybody up there in a position of power can tell you anything, and you have no way of checking up on it.”

― Howard Zinn
Propagandist? Sometimes but his books do offer a viewpoint that most of us overlook.

 

[deathmetal]

There are many viewpoints, and manipulative ones -- especially that are flexible with truth quotient -- are not the ones to turn to.
I wouldn't read Adolf Hitler's history of the United States either.

 

[prairiedruid]

Also, what exterminated the Amerinds was disease, much as once upon a time those diseases ravaged Europe.

Disease may have started it but the U.S. government did their best to marginalize and destroy what remained.

 

[deathmetal]

The same government that's currently taxing tobacco? Hold my beer, let's go get 'em

 

[prairiedruid]

Heck bring the beer along; it's thirsty work!

 

[michaelmirza]

How does Zinn highlighting ugly truths make him a propagandist? He's certainly not trying to speak for our government, nor for anyone else's.