In World mag, Marvin Olaskey mentioned history books he would recommend. However, the article is impossible to scan for the books, so here’s a nice list for ya.
- 1776 by David McCulough (Revolutionary War)
- Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose (19th Century America)
- Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville (19th Century America)
- The Civil War by Shelby Foote (Civil War)
- Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington (Post Civil-War)
- Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen (first half of 20th Century)
- Modern Times by Paul Johnson (20th Century)
- Witness by Whittaker Chambers (cold war)
- When Character Was King by Peggy Noonan (cold war, Reagan era)
- The Fall of the Berlin Wall by William F. Buckley (end of cold war)
- A Heart, A Cross, and a Flag by Peggy Noonan (beginning of age of terrorism)
- Boots on the Ground by Karl Zinsmeister (war on terrorism)
- Dawn Over Baghdad by Karl Zinsmeister (war on terrorism)
- War Without End by Robert Shogan (American culture wars since 1960’s)