Reddit mentions of Give Me Liberty! An American History, Vol. 1

I love Eric Foner's take on US History. I had a US from 1865 survey course in the winter that used Give Me Liberty! Volume 2 as the class text. He focuses on groups that are often marginalized and under represented. He does tend to insert his own liberal biases. I did enjoy his style though.

**Edited to include link to Volume 1.

This looks great! I really like how the two volumes is combined into one. Would you say this text is any easier to digest than "Give me Liberty!"? This was another book that was recommended to me. http://www.amazon.com/Give-Liberty-American-History-Vol/dp/039391190X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1419971333&sr=8-3&keywords=foner+american+history

Read many, thanks. History is a hobby of mine. Here's one I recommend for you from a renowned professor/historical scholar of the reconstruction period. This is usually a college level text book though, but I'm sure you can manage.

https://www.amazon.com/Give-Liberty-American-History-Vol/dp/039391190X

And the companion book of influential speeches and book excerpts from the time periods covered. It's important to read the mood and arguments of our ancestors.

https://www.amazon.com/Voices-Freedom-Documentary-History-Fourth/dp/039392291X

Both are well worth the price. I still have my old, well-worn copies.

Subject?

In my opinion the above-mentioned Foner is unequivocally the best introduction survey-level piece on American History, and it sees much use in college classroom.

For a smattering of random subjects:

Mark Ravina's The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori is a fascinating character study of the titular man whose own life and career arc within the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the rise of the Meiji Empire in Japan. Dramatically better than the awful film of the same name and (very, very) loosely based on the same man.

Liang Heng's Son of the Revolution is an autobiography of the son of an intellectual growing up in Maoist China. Great book, also very useful to teach angry people that 1984 is a critique of the future of state socialism, not something to be applied to any nanny-state policy they disagree with (and really, Brave New World is significantly better at critiquing Western Society.).

Christopher R. Browning's Ordinary Men is an account of a group of Polish policeman who made the decision to participate in the extermination orders of the Holocaust despite having the option of recusing themselves. Disturbing story, interesting as a study of group psychology.

All of these books are filled with accurate information, but are narrative-driven and accessible to most.