Book Recommendations

[Alvedansen]

...reviving this thread, hope someone will look in here...

anyways, i need book recommendations for a class that's called "cultural studies". (UK, USA, pretty much any english speaking country), it's pretty open and can be about how the language evolved, history, politics, culture, religion anything really about how people live (and lived) in these countries. i will have to write an essay about a topic and that topic can be pretty much anything

i want to read some books that give me a broader understanding, but i'm not too much into boring textbooks, so i'd be interested in fictional stories, for example a book that takes place during the American civil war, or when people from Europe emigrated to the USA...any book you think could be of interest
as for non-fictional books...i like documentary books, Bill Bryson i think could be interesting for me. maybe something about religion or politics? as long as it's written in a non-boring way i'd appreciate any recommendation

i'd be thankful for any help

 

[MissMagAddict]

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
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[saann]

An idea can be to read a classic that's been made into films several times and study how the adaptations differ from one another and how that can be seen as a testament to the time during which they were made. Like 'Pride and Prejudice', imdb tells me that the earliest film based on it is from 1938 and there's been several since. By comparing them you'll definitely see how, even though they're portraying the same decade and the same book, they'll still be very different in their tone, their dialogue, their gender presentation, what they choose to highlight/neglect. Like for instance the addition of the kiss in the Keira version is a definitely a sign of our culture.

 

[YoninahAliza]

^Thats a really cool idea Saann... if I had to do a project like this I would totally do that.

If you are interested in royalty you could always read We Two: Victoria & Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals by Gillian Gill. I'm currently reading this book at the moment and it's a really fascinating account of one of histories most well-known couples. Although, it might not be exactly what you are looking for, however it certainly has taught me a thing or two about how royal families operate and whatnot.

Also, Gail Collins (she's written for the New York Times too) is a really amazing author you could try some of her books. She's written two books about women in America. One called America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines and the other called When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present. I really like how she writes; it's easy to read, fun stories, and well researched.

 

[eostre]

Light Boxes by Shane Jones. It's absolutely spell-binding, it's like a surrealist fairy tale for grown-ups, and the language is beautiful. It's somewhere between poetry and prose but still maintains a strong narrative and story.

 

[Alvedansen]

thank you all so so much for your recommendations and ideas