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A Renegade History of the United States
by Thaddeus Russell • 2010
America's founders feared pleasure. Its drunkards, prostitutes, and gangsters made freedom real.
3.81
2k+
A Renegade History of the United States Summary
A Renegade History of the United States 92%
America's founders feared pleasure. Its drunkards, prostitutes, and gangsters made freedom real.
by Thaddeus Russell 2010
3.81
2k+ ratings
Why We Love Pirates
by Rebecca Simon • 2020
How the execution of one privateer turned pirate created the outlaw myth we still sail with.
3.67
340
Why We Love Pirates Summary
Why We Love Pirates 92%
How the execution of one privateer turned pirate created the outlaw myth we still sail with.
by Rebecca Simon 2020
3.67
340 ratings
The Dawn of Everything
by David Graeber • 2021
The story of human progress was built to bury indigenous challenges to European society.
4.19
27k+
The Dawn of Everything Summary
The Dawn of Everything 92%
The story of human progress was built to bury indigenous challenges to European society.
by David Graeber 2021
4.19
27k+ ratings
War and Peace and War
by Peter Turchin • 2005
Empires aren't conquered. They dissolve from within, on a schedule that mathematics can model.
4.17
928
War and Peace and War Summary
War and Peace and War 92%
Empires aren't conquered. They dissolve from within, on a schedule that mathematics can model.
by Peter Turchin 2005
4.17
928 ratings
Smuggler Nation
by Peter Andreas • 2013
Molasses, slaves, blueprints, cocaine: America's defining chapters all ran on smuggling.
3.96
214
Smuggler Nation Summary
Smuggler Nation 92%
Molasses, slaves, blueprints, cocaine: America's defining chapters all ran on smuggling.
by Peter Andreas 2013
3.96
214 ratings
Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies
by David Fisher • 2015
Before cinema cleaned them up, Wild West legends were killers, traitors, and pragmatists.
3.98
6k+
Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies Summary
Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies 92%
Before cinema cleaned them up, Wild West legends were killers, traitors, and pragmatists.
by David Fisher 2015
3.98
6k+ ratings
A People’s History of the United States
by Howard Zinn • 1980
The history you learned in school is a cover story for class war, genocide, and slave revolts.
4.09
268k+
A People’s History of the United States Summary
A People’s History of the United States 91%
The history you learned in school is a cover story for class war, genocide, and slave revolts.
by Howard Zinn 1980
4.09
268k+ ratings
The Origins of Political Order
by Francis Fukuyama • 2011
China built a modern state eighteen centuries before Europe. That gap reshapes political history.
4.18
10k+
The Origins of Political Order Summary
The Origins of Political Order 91%
China built a modern state eighteen centuries before Europe. That gap reshapes political history.
by Francis Fukuyama 2011
4.18
10k+ ratings
Against the Grain
by James C. Scott • 2017
Every early state ran on a cereal grain. The rest of the story is coercion, plague, and collapse.
4.13
5k+
Against the Grain Summary
Against the Grain 91%
Every early state ran on a cereal grain. The rest of the story is coercion, plague, and collapse.
by James C. Scott 2017
4.13
5k+ ratings
A Protest History of the United States
by Gloria J. Browne-Marshall • 2025
From Indigenous resistance to Black Lives Matter, American progress came when protest demanded it.
4.12
188
A Protest History of the United States Summary
A Protest History of the United States 91%
From Indigenous resistance to Black Lives Matter, American progress came when protest demanded it.
by Gloria J. Browne-Marshall 2025
4.12
188 ratings
The Infernal Machine
by Steven Johnson • 2024
Dynamite was meant to destroy governments. It built the most powerful one: the surveillance state.
4.03
2k+
The Infernal Machine Summary
The Infernal Machine 91%
Dynamite was meant to destroy governments. It built the most powerful one: the surveillance state.
by Steven Johnson 2024
4.03
2k+ ratings
Civilization
by Niall Ferguson • 2011
Five hundred years of Western rule rested on six innovations. The rest have now caught up.
3.86
10k+
Civilization Summary
Civilization 91%
Five hundred years of Western rule rested on six innovations. The rest have now caught up.
by Niall Ferguson 2011
3.86
10k+ ratings
The Great Divergence
by Kenneth Pomeranz • 2000
Europe's industrial breakthrough wasn't its own genius. It took colonial land and underground coal.
3.68
1k+
The Great Divergence Summary
The Great Divergence 91%
Europe's industrial breakthrough wasn't its own genius. It took colonial land and underground coal.
by Kenneth Pomeranz 2000
3.68
1k+ ratings
End Times
by Peter Turchin • 2023
Ten millennia of data point to two conditions for state collapse. America now meets both.
4.06
3k+
End Times Summary
End Times 91%
Ten millennia of data point to two conditions for state collapse. America now meets both.
by Peter Turchin 2023
4.06
3k+ ratings
Raiders and Rebels
by Frank Sherry • 1986
How brutalized sailors built a floating republic and waged a thirty-year war against global empire.
4.24
282
Raiders and Rebels Summary
Raiders and Rebels 91%
How brutalized sailors built a floating republic and waged a thirty-year war against global empire.
by Frank Sherry 1986
4.24
282 ratings
Goliath's Curse
by Luke Kemp • 2025
Hierarchy was a 12,000-year mistake. Its final collapse could take our species with it.
4.06
1k+
Goliath's Curse Summary
Goliath's Curse 91%
Hierarchy was a 12,000-year mistake. Its final collapse could take our species with it.
by Luke Kemp 2025
4.06
1k+ ratings
How to Change the World
by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 2011
The regimes that claimed Marx fell. After 2008, his analysis of capitalism became inescapable again.
3.88
988
How to Change the World Summary
How to Change the World 91%
The regimes that claimed Marx fell. After 2008, his analysis of capitalism became inescapable again.
by Eric J. Hobsbawm 2011
3.88
988 ratings
Two Cheers for Anarchism
by James C. Scott • 2012
The anarchist's case: local know-how, small defiance, and messy disorder beat grand plans.
3.96
2k+
Two Cheers for Anarchism Summary
Two Cheers for Anarchism 91%
The anarchist's case: local know-how, small defiance, and messy disorder beat grand plans.
by James C. Scott 2012
3.96
2k+ ratings
Seeing Like a State
by James C. Scott • 1998
Why grand state plans fail: the same simplifications that make society governable make it fragile.
4.21
7k+
Seeing Like a State Summary
Seeing Like a State 91%
Why grand state plans fail: the same simplifications that make society governable make it fragile.
by James C. Scott 1998
4.21
7k+ ratings
The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison
by Jeffrey H. Reiman • 1979
The justice system ignores corporate harm and targets the poor. That failure is its real job.
3.94
589
The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison Summary
The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison 91%
The justice system ignores corporate harm and targets the poor. That failure is its real job.
by Jeffrey H. Reiman 1979
3.94
589 ratings
How the South Won the Civil War
by Heather Cox Richardson • 2020
Southern oligarchy lost the war but won the West, rebranding as cowboy individualism.
4.31
5k+
How the South Won the Civil War Summary
How the South Won the Civil War 91%
Southern oligarchy lost the war but won the West, rebranding as cowboy individualism.
by Heather Cox Richardson 2020
4.31
5k+ ratings
Public Enemies
by Bryan Burrough • 2004
The FBI built its legend chasing petty killers, beating suspects, and inventing the Ma Barker myth.
3.98
6k+
Public Enemies Summary
Public Enemies 91%
The FBI built its legend chasing petty killers, beating suspects, and inventing the Ma Barker myth.
by Bryan Burrough 2004
3.98
6k+ ratings
Industry and Empire
by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 1968
Britain's industrial head start created an empire-dependent economy destined to fall behind.
3.92
574
Industry and Empire Summary
Industry and Empire 91%
Britain's industrial head start created an empire-dependent economy destined to fall behind.
by Eric J. Hobsbawm 1968
3.92
574 ratings
Nations and Nationalism since 1780
by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 1990
Nationalism invented nations, not the reverse, and the two-century project is already decaying.
3.91
2k+
Nations and Nationalism since 1780 Summary
Nations and Nationalism since 1780 91%
Nationalism invented nations, not the reverse, and the two-century project is already decaying.
by Eric J. Hobsbawm 1990
3.91
2k+ ratings
The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution
by Joseph Fishkin • 2022
A lost constitutional tradition: preventing oligarchy as the government's first duty.
4.10
40
The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution Summary
The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution 91%
A lost constitutional tradition: preventing oligarchy as the government's first duty.
by Joseph Fishkin 2022
4.10
40 ratings
To Hell on a Fast Horse
by Mark Lee Gardner • 2010
Two men, one violent frontier, and a bullet in the dark that made them both immortal.
3.79
2k+
To Hell on a Fast Horse Summary
To Hell on a Fast Horse 91%
Two men, one violent frontier, and a bullet in the dark that made them both immortal.
by Mark Lee Gardner 2010
3.79
2k+ ratings
Hegemony How-To
by Jonathan Smucker • 2017
Activist is a political dead end: it isolates movements, excuses sympathizers, cedes power.
4.24
442
Hegemony How-To Summary
Hegemony How-To 91%
Activist is a political dead end: it isolates movements, excuses sympathizers, cedes power.
by Jonathan Smucker 2017
4.24
442 ratings
Shot All to Hell
by Mark Lee Gardner • 2013
One cashier's refusal turned the James-Younger gang's last heist into a bloody rout.
4.03
1k+
Shot All to Hell Summary
Shot All to Hell 90%
One cashier's refusal turned the James-Younger gang's last heist into a bloody rout.
by Mark Lee Gardner 2013
4.03
1k+ ratings
The World Until Yesterday
by Jared Diamond • 2012
What hunter-gatherers knew about raising children, avoiding danger, and ending feuds we forgot.
3.78
11k+
The World Until Yesterday Summary
The World Until Yesterday 90%
What hunter-gatherers knew about raising children, avoiding danger, and ending feuds we forgot.
by Jared Diamond 2012
3.78
11k+ ratings
Bill O'Reilly's Legends & Lies
by David Fisher • 2016
The frontier heroes you know hid darker truths. Nine lives that collapse the legend.
4.05
4k+
Bill O'Reilly's Legends & Lies Summary
Bill O'Reilly's Legends & Lies 90%
The frontier heroes you know hid darker truths. Nine lives that collapse the legend.
by David Fisher 2016
4.05
4k+ ratings
Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches
by Marvin Harris • 1974
Cow worship, pork bans, witch hunts: each solved a practical problem no one admitted existed.
3.92
5k+
Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches Summary
Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches 90%
Cow worship, pork bans, witch hunts: each solved a practical problem no one admitted existed.
by Marvin Harris 1974
3.92
5k+ ratings
Age of Anger
by Pankaj Mishra • 2017
Today's global resentments echo the fury that tore through modernizing Europe.
3.64
3k+
Age of Anger Summary
Age of Anger 90%
Today's global resentments echo the fury that tore through modernizing Europe.
by Pankaj Mishra 2017
3.64
3k+ ratings
The Democracy Project
by David Graeber • 2013
Democracy only ever comes from below. Occupy Wall Street reminded America what that looks like.
4.08
2k+
The Democracy Project Summary
The Democracy Project 90%
Democracy only ever comes from below. Occupy Wall Street reminded America what that looks like.
by David Graeber 2013
4.08
2k+ ratings
Conquests and Cultures
by Thomas Sowell • 1998
Geography blocked Africa, conquests lifted Britain, and human capital explains the gap.
4.44
964
Conquests and Cultures Summary
Conquests and Cultures 90%
Geography blocked Africa, conquests lifted Britain, and human capital explains the gap.
by Thomas Sowell 1998
4.44
964 ratings
A Criminal History of Mankind
by Colin Wilson • 1985
Why tyrants, murderers, and petty thieves all share the same stunted psychology.
3.90
777
A Criminal History of Mankind Summary
A Criminal History of Mankind 90%
Why tyrants, murderers, and petty thieves all share the same stunted psychology.
by Colin Wilson 1985
3.90
777 ratings
The Square and the Tower
by Niall Ferguson • 2017
The real shapers of history were not kings but the networks connecting everyone else.
3.65
4k+
The Square and the Tower Summary
The Square and the Tower 90%
The real shapers of history were not kings but the networks connecting everyone else.
by Niall Ferguson 2017
3.65
4k+ ratings
Socialism Betrayed
by Roger Keeran • 2004
The Soviet collapse wasn't inevitable: a pro-market faction inside the Party dismantled it.
4.37
545
Socialism Betrayed Summary
Socialism Betrayed 90%
The Soviet collapse wasn't inevitable: a pro-market faction inside the Party dismantled it.
by Roger Keeran 2004
4.37
545 ratings
Main Currents Of Marxism
by Leszek Kołakowski • 2005
Marxism's own contradictions made authoritarianism inevitable, not an aberration.
4.25
455
Main Currents Of Marxism Summary
Main Currents Of Marxism 90%
Marxism's own contradictions made authoritarianism inevitable, not an aberration.
by Leszek Kołakowski 2005
4.25
455 ratings
Why David Sometimes Wins
by Marshall Ganz • 2008
No money, no power. The farm workers still beat the Teamsters. What they had was better.
3.99
177
Why David Sometimes Wins Summary
Why David Sometimes Wins 90%
No money, no power. The farm workers still beat the Teamsters. What they had was better.
by Marshall Ganz 2008
3.99
177 ratings
The Republic of Pirates
by Colin Woodard • 2007
Sailors broken by the navy built their own republic: democratic, armed, and flying the black flag.
3.89
12k+
The Republic of Pirates Summary
The Republic of Pirates 90%
Sailors broken by the navy built their own republic: democratic, armed, and flying the black flag.
by Colin Woodard 2007
3.89
12k+ ratings
A House in Gross Disorder
by Cynthia B. Herrup • 1999
An earl's trial for rape and sodomy in 1631 was a battle over patriarchy, not just sex.
3.54
119
A House in Gross Disorder Summary
A House in Gross Disorder 90%
An earl's trial for rape and sodomy in 1631 was a battle over patriarchy, not just sex.
by Cynthia B. Herrup 1999
3.54
119 ratings
This Is an Uprising
by Mark Engler • 2016
Nonviolence is not a virtue. It is a technology of conflict, and it brings down regimes.
4.20
1k+
This Is an Uprising Summary
This Is an Uprising 90%
Nonviolence is not a virtue. It is a technology of conflict, and it brings down regimes.
by Mark Engler 2016
4.20
1k+ ratings
Civilized to Death
by Christopher Ryan • 2018
Agriculture made us sicker, more unequal, and less free. The hunter-gatherer way holds the clues.
4.12
5k+
Civilized to Death Summary
Civilized to Death 90%
Agriculture made us sicker, more unequal, and less free. The hunter-gatherer way holds the clues.
by Christopher Ryan 2018
4.12
5k+ ratings
The Case for Colonialism
by Bruce Gilley • 2023
Start new colonies from scratch. The controversial solution to a century of post-colonial disaster.
4.32
191
The Case for Colonialism Summary
The Case for Colonialism 90%
Start new colonies from scratch. The controversial solution to a century of post-colonial disaster.
by Bruce Gilley 2023
4.32
191 ratings
Smoke Signals
by Martin A. Lee • 2012
Cannabis was banned by politics, not science. Then the body revealed its own cannabinoid system.
4.29
537
Smoke Signals Summary
Smoke Signals 90%
Cannabis was banned by politics, not science. Then the body revealed its own cannabinoid system.
by Martin A. Lee 2012
4.29
537 ratings
Music
by Ted Gioia • 2019
Why music's most forbidden elements are what actually make it change and survive.
4.00
817
Music Summary
Music 90%
Why music's most forbidden elements are what actually make it change and survive.
by Ted Gioia 2019
4.00
817 ratings
Work
by James Suzman • 2020
Work predates paychecks by billions of years. A history of how energy became employment.
3.83
3k+
Work Summary
Work 90%
Work predates paychecks by billions of years. A history of how energy became employment.
by James Suzman 2020
3.83
3k+ ratings
Unhumans
by Jack Posobiec • 2024
The playbook that toppled societies from Robespierre to Mao is now targeting the West.
3.99
1k+
Unhumans Summary
Unhumans 90%
The playbook that toppled societies from Robespierre to Mao is now targeting the West.
by Jack Posobiec 2024
3.99
1k+ ratings
Age of Revolutions
by Fareed Zakaria • 2024
Four centuries of revolutions reveal one pattern: gradual change sticks; radical breaks collapse.
4.17
5k+
Age of Revolutions Summary
Age of Revolutions 90%
Four centuries of revolutions reveal one pattern: gradual change sticks; radical breaks collapse.
by Fareed Zakaria 2024
4.17
5k+ ratings
The Age of Capital, 1848–1875
by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 1975
After 1848, capitalism conquered the globe. Railways, gold, and free trade were its weapons.
4.27
5k+
The Age of Capital, 1848–1875 Summary
The Age of Capital, 1848–1875 90%
After 1848, capitalism conquered the globe. Railways, gold, and free trade were its weapons.
by Eric J. Hobsbawm 1975
4.27
5k+ ratings
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