Reddit mentions of Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud

Give this one a try: Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud by Peter Watson

uuugh - distant mirror was aaaaaawful. tuchman is so dry and boring. she drills down into more minutae than you can possibly handle. she did the same thing to ww1 in the guns of august. books like that make even a history buff like me cringe.

Leopolds ghost was good, but just watch the movie- I think seeing the severed hands and jungles visually makes a stronger impact.

Best book I have read lately is EASILY 1493.

http://www.amazon.com/1493-Uncovering-World-Columbus-Created/dp/0307278247

This 1 hour video by the author gives you a great start to what it is about. If you find the video interesting, the book is GREAT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bghLhJ-c8os

Its so good, I have PAID my relatives to read it because its not typically the type of book in their reading wheelhouse. They loved it. SUUUUPER interesting and very relevant to understanding our world to this very day.

THIS book is the best book oof any kind that I have ever read in my life. AMAZING, but quite long. It covers the whooooole of history from millions of years ago till 1900. That book changed my life. Watson has written some extrordinary books. Great, sophisticated writer.

http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-History-Thought-Invention-Freud/dp/0060935642

Both of these are more general history covering a longer period rather than more specifc as above

edit: guns germs and steel is good, but has a thesis that can be grasped easily with just a wiki article.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel

the story, backround and color and other info in 1493 kinda overlaps guns germs, and treats it in a bit more of an interesting fashion. They are both kind of "why things are the way they are" books, which IMO is a super interesting topic

All these are my opinion, so take them with a grain of salt

I went to one AA meeting when I first got clean and never went back. I understand people have found support and success in it but to me, personally, I felt it only increased the stigma of drug addicts as these broken hopeless people barely hanging on by a thread. It's an outdated system that relies on little science or attempting to progress the participants and relies more on holding people in place and focusing on the past. Instead I just worked towards becoming a normal person. Here are some of the resources I used:

r/Fitness - Getting Started: Exercise is probably the #1 thing that will aid you in recovering. It can help your brain learn to produce normal quantities of dopamine again as well as improve your heath, mood, well being and confidence.

Meetup: You can use this site to find people in your area with similar interests. I found a hiking group and a D&D group on here which I still regularly join.

Craigslist: Same as above - look for groups, activities, volunteer work, whatever.

Diet

This will be the other major player in your recovery. Understanding your diet will allow you to improve your health,mood, energy, and help recover whatever damage the drugs may have done to your body.

How Not To Die Cookbook

Life Changing Foods

The Plant Paradox

Power Foods For The Brain

Mental Health

Understand whats going on inside your head and how to deal with it is also an important step to not only recovery but enjoying life as a whole.

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy

The Emotional Life Of Your Brain

Furiously Happy

The Science of Enlightenment: How Meditation Works

Educational

If you are like me you probably felt like a dumbass when you first got clean. I think retraining your brain on learning, relearning things you may have forgot after long term drug use, and just learning new things in general will all help you in recovery. Knowledge is power and the more you learn the more confident in yourself and future learning tasks you become.

Illegal Drugs: A Complete Guide to their History, Chemistry, Use, and Abuse

Why Nations Fails

Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud

The Modern Mind: An Intellectual History of the 20th Century

Thinking, Fast and Slow

The Financial Peace Planner: A Step-by-Step Guide to Restoring Your Family's Financial Health

Continued Education / Skills Development

EdX: Take tons of free college courses.

Udemy: Tons of onine courses ranging from writing to marketing to design, all kinds of stuff.

Cybrary: Teach yourself everything from IT to Network Security skills

Khan Academy: Refresh on pretty much anything from highschool/early college.

There are many more resources available these are just ones I myself have used over the past couple years of fixing my life. Remember you don't have to let your past be a monkey on your back throughout the future. There are plenty of resources available now-a-days to take matters into your own hands.

*Disclaimer: I am not here to argue about anyone's personal feelings on AA**

try this: http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-History-Thought-Invention-Freud/dp/0060935642/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1

Ideas: A History from fire to Freud is really good. You'll get reading suggestions to last you 2 life times :)

Yes, I enjoyed the book. I hope this one is somewhat as informative and well-written: http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-History-Thought-Invention-Freud/dp/0060935642/

Ideas, by Peter Watson.