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The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > The History Book Thread! looks like I need to set up space for a Nazi shelf
 
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Argali
Jun 24, 2004

I will be there to receive the new mind
Lots of great recommendations in this thread - thanks everyone!

To contribute, one of my favorites besides 1491 is King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa, which concerns the Belgian rape of the Congo in the late 19th century. Amazingly disturbing stuff and very well-written.

* # ¿ Jul 1, 2012 19:09
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# ¿ May 8, 2024 10:01
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Argali
Jun 24, 2004

I will be there to receive the new mind

Thesaurus posted:

Seconding this. This is another example of a history that could have been boring in the wrong hands, but it reads like a thriller instead.

If you're interested in learning more about the Congo and specifically why it is one of the worst countries in the world now (using the term "country" loosely), I can't recommend highly enough Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa by Jason Stearns. It's a vivid account of Africa's own "World War" that started in the 1990s and has killed over five million people in about a decade. Probably a more depressing read than "King Leopold's Ghost" because there isn't really a bad guy here, just complete societal collapse and anarchy in the midst of many competing groups. Stearns also explores why it is that the rest of the world doesn't give a poo poo about the Congo and hasn't attempted to understand it on its own terms. One of the smartest and most interesting history books I've read in a long time.

As a sort of followup to this book for those interested in learning more about Africa, check out The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence for a run down on all of the colonial fallout and other lovely stuff that happened after the Europeans packed their bags and left. Masterly, comprehensive, and gripping account of how basically all of Africa has slowly slipped into chaos.

These look great, thanks!

* # ¿ Jul 4, 2012 14:26
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Argali
Jun 24, 2004

I will be there to receive the new mind

dublish posted:

Nah, you're thinking 1434. 1421 is the one where China discovers California.

Yeah 1434 is horrendously bad.

* # ¿ Oct 10, 2015 19:43
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The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > The History Book Thread! looks like I need to set up space for a Nazi shelf