Great Readings

This document consists of great books or articles on Modern History. Some are here because there is a course covering the same material; some are just great books that you should read at some point in your career.

Once you have made it through most of the curriculum, knowing whether a book is worth your time will become easier. Or, if you are struggling in one of the courses, perhaps reading a book on the subject will help.

General Modern History

Name Author(s)
Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 Tony Judt
The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914–1991 Eric Hobsbawm
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies Jared Diamond (influential on modern global history)

Thematic

Name Author(s)
Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin Timothy Snyder
Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World Niall Ferguson
The Wretched of the Earth Frantz Fanon

Regional

Name Author(s)
Mao: The Unknown Story Jung Chang and Jon Halliday
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West Dee Brown