Stay Informed with Non-Fiction Books about The History of the United States
If you grew up in the United States, you probably assume you have a good understanding of the country's general history. Major events like the Boston Tea Party, the Civil War, and the Emancipation Proclamation may ring a bell, but what about the well-kept secrets and stories that this country was built on? If you're interested in expanding your knowledge of America's past, it's time to add these non-fiction history books to your TBR list.
Why Reading Non-Fiction History Books Matters
While there will always be a place in our hearts (and shelves) for wild romantasy releases and suspenseful thriller books, we can't recommend reading non-fiction history enough! Learning about real people, places, and events helps you expand your overall knowledge of the past, contextualize your present day, and develop critical thinking skills that are otherwise hard to build. From biographies and memories reliving real accounts of an individual's life to exposé-style titles that peel back the layers of something you previously thought to be fact, there's a book genre to interest every kind of reader in the non-fiction history section.
What Kinds of Topics Can Be Found in US Non-Fiction History Books?
- Social movements, riots, and protests
- Technological and scientific advancements
- Key conflicts between states and other countries
- Imperialism and Manifest Destiny
- Important events in US history
Our Favorite Non-Fiction American History Books You May Not Have Read Yet
The next time you swing by your favorite bookstore in Rochester, Michigan, or debate what to spend your precious credits on in your favorite audiobook service, make sure to check out these historical non-fiction books:
The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon
As a country, we tend to learn about the same names over and over again—but what about the game-changing decisions made by the people who never made it into the textbooks?
Through meticulous research, McMahon explores our history's unsung characters, bringing their riveting stories to the forefront for the first time in The Small and the Mighty. Between a young boy detained at a Japanese incarceration camp, a formerly enslaved woman, a teacher who learns to work with her enemies, and more, this cast of ordinary heroes showcases what really made America great!
The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss by Margalit Fox
In 1850, Fredericka Mandelbaum, an impoverished 25-year-old, moved to New York in steerage to work as a peddler in Lower Manhattan. By the 1870s, she had climbed the ranks of high society and become an admired philanthropist. But how?
In the well-researched The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum, you'll get an inside look at the intervening years when "Marm" Mandelbaum became one of the country's most notorious criminal masterminds. Over the years, she would puppeteer robberies of cash, gold, and diamonds, handpicking a crew of the finest bank robbers, shoplifters, and housebreakers in the country to do the grunt work for her as she pulled strings from behind the curtain. Soon enough, around $10,000,000 worth of stolen luxury goods had passed through her shop on the Lower East Side—turning theft into a certifiably successful business.
Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard
When it comes to President James Garfield, what comes to mind? For many, his assassination is the only notable event in his run—but Destiny of the Republic proves otherwise, with an inside look at his rise from poverty to presidency and the historically significant and medically fascinating legacy left behind post-death. As an advocate for freed slaves, a devoted father, a reformer with plenty of Republican power broker enemies, and a renowned speech giver, Garfield is more interesting than your typical history textbook gives him credit for!
Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed by Maureen Callahan
For generations, the Kennedy family has been praised, adored, and admired around the country. But in the carefully constructed exposé-style book, Ask Not, a dark pattern of Kennedy men physically and psychologically abusing the women and girls around them is finally brought to light. Through sexual assaults, reputation-ruining slander, suicides, and manslaughter, the family's defenders have managed to keep their brand intact. Written in tantalizing prose and drawing on years of damaging reports, this non-fiction history book finally gives a voice to all the women caught in the Kennedys' orbit, from Marilyn Monroe to Jacqueline Onassis and more.
The Containment: Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North by Michelle Adams
In the case of the 1974 Milliken v. Bradley case, the Supreme Court brought a halt to school desegregation across the North, fighting against the civil rights movement's struggle for an equal education for all. So how and, almost more importantly, why did this come about? In Adams' The Containment, the esteemed legal scholar recounts the difficult challenges that came with integrating Detroit schools. Complete with stories from devoted activists, the city's first Black Mayor, Nixon-appointed justices, and more, the story is woven together with care, looking towards the past to explain the inequalities that remain in place to this day.
The Witch of New York: The Trials of Polly Bodine and the Cursed Birth of Tabloid Justice by Alex Hortis
On Christmas night in 1843, citizens of a small village on Staten Island discovered the burnt and bludgeoned remains of 24-year-old mother Emeline Houseman and her infant daughter, Ann Eliza. When the ambitious district attorney charges Emeline's sister-in-law, the gin-drinking, abortion-having, known adulterer, Polly Bodine, with double homicide, the "penny press" explodes, and a media villain was born. For the next few years, the nation's public and famous names alike became obsessed with each of her three trials, debating her guilt and character. The Witch of New York is more than the tale of murder—it's an examination of how America became addicted to sensationalized reporting of criminal trials and how tabloid justice continues to thrive today.
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine
In August 1619, a ship carrying a cargo of 20 to 30 stolen people from Africa arrived in the British colony of Virginia. Their arrival began the unprecedented and barbaric system of American chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. Slavery may have been "abolished" in 1865, but this decision has continued to define the United States in countless ways ever since. The 1619 Project expands on the award-winning NYT issue, weaving together 18 essays and 36 poems and works of fiction, contextualizing key moments of oppression and resistance to show how slavery continues to influence every part of our society today, from politics, diet, and traffic to capitalism, religion, and more.
Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond
How does the United States, often considered the richest country on Earth, have more poverty than any other advanced democracy? Why does its government allow 1/8 of children to go without basic necessities, unhoused citizens to die on the streets, and corporations to pay pitiful wages? Get the answers to all these questions and more in Poverty, by America, as acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond examines all the ways Americans knowingly and unknowingly work hard to keep the poor, poor.
3 Ways to Make Reading Non-Fiction History Books Even Better:
- Start a book club and discuss what you learn with your best bookish friends!
- Pop in your earbuds and listen to the novel on audiobook to experience the story coming to life.
- Annotate important passages to make sure the information sticks in your brain.
It's time to further your education on the history of the United States of America with the non-fiction history books we love so much! Stop by Novel today to find the right title for you.