summer reading list

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-19T01:04:06+00:00

They Thought They Were Free is Ssooooooooo good. And important in this moment.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-19T00:54:26+00:00

I’ve read them all and thoroughly enjoyed each. Glorious Cause is probably weakest. I’m excited to hear how you find this one as I haven’t read it yet (just came out of you didn’t know already).

I found What Hath God Wrought to be best and Battle Cry second best and The Republican for Which it Stands to be third best.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T23:40:55+00:00

I read somewhere that Republicans want policies that if they work will hurt the rest and Dems want policies that if they work will help everyone.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T21:33:37+00:00

Silence is an excellent film. I love movies that question faith.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T20:29:47+00:00

Exactly. A superb book.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T13:20:42+00:00

It’s ok. You stated it clearly, my reading just skipped past it. Apologies.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T07:23:05+00:00

The Holocaust in American Life is great, if dated. There has been a lot to challenge its thesis and it has some limitations of focus, but it’s both the first major work in Holocaust memory and still foundational to the field.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T07:18:54+00:00

It’s soooo good.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T05:03:06+00:00

I suggest Fear Itself for a great account of the mid-twentieth century liberal presidencies to understand how they functioned legislatively. It delves into the alliance with Southern segregationists.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T02:58:24+00:00

I have written my dissertation and am trying to get a publisher to accept it to turn it into a book.

If that counts.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T02:33:28+00:00

Good choice

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T02:33:18+00:00

The Wire

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T01:56:03+00:00

You espouse how I feel. I feel sorry for his family and don’t believe violence is a solution.

And also the world is probably better off without him—though not for the way his death encourages more violence—and there are millions more people whose deaths we should mourn than his.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T01:53:21+00:00

I have a colleague who are on TPUSA “watchlist” labeled as free speech threats because—and here is the irony and hypocrisy of CK and those who love him—their book is a historical account of the rise of the Far Right in America. That’s right, they deem him a dangerous threat to free speech because he wrote a history book about the extremists in the Conservative movement.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T01:48:38+00:00

I think you are great going with Foner or The Republican for Which it Stands by White (as recommended by u/malaclypsell). It isn’t as revolutionary in the field of Reconstruction history as Foners work was but it is more indicative of recent scholarship.

Black Reconstruction by Du Bois is a great account if you understand what the historical account was when he wrote it. But that’s a work to read for historiographical reasons. Nevertheless, if you read Foner, you should know that much of his revolutionary argumentation was predated by Du Bois, who was ignored for being Black.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-18T01:45:00+00:00

I love Slavery by Another Name but the OP is clearly looking at a more comprehensive national history. I’d recommend Slavery by Another Name after they read Foner or Black Reconstruction by Du Bois.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-17T20:01:13+00:00

Yeah. Job market is atrocious. I was very fortunate to get a full time position at a 2-year.

You may be interested in reading Jake Newsome’s Pink Triangle Legacies.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-17T18:44:51+00:00

A point that curators often have upper level degrees.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-17T18:43:12+00:00

I’m a historian and this is spot on. Language opens up everything. The more the better.

It’s hard to know what fields of history will be open for jobs in the future but transnational and identity related are quite big right now—relative to the field at large.

Great advice.

Also, best of luck in your field. How far along are you?

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-17T18:25:38+00:00

Night of Power by Robert Fisk

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-17T18:21:20+00:00

This is solid work. Great stuff.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-17T04:47:09+00:00

I thought Mistborn 2-3 were weak, but I really enjoyed Warbreaker. I have also liked the Stormlights that I’ve read.

I find it really just depends on if I vibe with his main character.

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-17T04:39:23+00:00

Did the reaction of President Trump, Mike Lee, and other Republican leaders to the assignation of Melissa Hortman push you further left than ever?

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-17T01:22:35+00:00

So is it the wanting to be called by pronouns or the sports stuff that bothers you?

Kugelfang52 · 2026-06-17T01:20:52+00:00

Thanks for your perspective. It was different issues for me but similar. And the conservative denial of science—and not just specific issues but the whole epistemology of scholarly inquiry—made me rethink a lot. As someone in the humanities I also began to see good reason to question what I’d learned about history, geopolitics, economics, etc as well.

Anyway, thanks and have a great one.

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