Aleks Bhagvasur

Phenomenally written labor-centered history of the gilded age and progressive era that also works well as a general history of the US in this period.

Being written by a non-historian, it definitely suffers from some lack of fact-checking (e.g. there was no Ferris wheel in Vienna in 1870), but it’s nevertheless a very good look at a cross section of western society at the time of the first major financial crash.

I’m once again asking for better propaganda. Ask Ta-Nehisi Coates or James Baldwin, whose writing shines with humanity and grief. This is just angry and tedious.

One of those books that manages to beautifully tell the story of a major conflict by embedding it into a global context and a longer look at history. With much attention given to far theaters of war such as the Middle East, Iran, Georgia, China, India and Japan, North America, Latin America, Indonesia, it still maintains a very well written narrative of the European events. It shows how dependent the events on the continent were on the outcomes of the struggles over colonial possessions. It brings up tantalizing details of diplomacy. Explains how the Great War effected revolutions and nationalist movements around the world. Etc etc… It’s got everything.

No wonder conservatives are so obsessed with the Stoics.