U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Entertainment and Arts > Books
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 02-23-2008, 04:21 PM
 
71 posts, read 206,682 times
Reputation: 35

Advertisements

Which ones would you recommend to a non -American, person wanting to get the basics on the origin and dynamics of the U.S .
Some kind of comprehensive but thorough book covering a variety of topics such as politics, religion, ,immigration, and various industries etc... past and present.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-25-2008, 02:00 PM
 
4,740 posts, read 10,197,236 times
Reputation: 4185
Here's a link to the text of:

DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA
Alexis DeTocqueville

Democracy in America


Quote:
The primary focus of Democracy in America is an analysis of why republican representative democracy has succeeded in the United States while failing in so many other places. He seeks to apply the functional aspects of democracy in America to what he sees as the failings of democracy in his native France.

Tocqueville speculates on the future of democracy in the United States, discussing possible threats to democracy and possible dangers of democracy. These include his belief that democracy has a tendency to degenerate into "soft despotism" as well as the risk of developing a tyranny of the majority. He observed that the strong role religion played in the United States was due to its separation from the government, a separation all parties found agreeable. He contrasts this to France where there was what he perceived to be an unhealthy antagonism between democrats and the religious, which he relates to the connection between church and state.
Democracy in America - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quote:
I confess that in America I saw more than America; I sought the image of democracy itself, with its inclinations, its character, its prejudices, and its passions, in order to learn what we have to fear or hope from its progress.
In Search of Tocqueville's Democracy in America
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-25-2008, 02:05 PM
 
Location: Journey's End
10,203 posts, read 26,782,100 times
Reputation: 3945
I'm going to move your query thread over to the Book Forum where you may get some more answers.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-27-2008, 11:43 AM
 
71 posts, read 206,682 times
Reputation: 35
Thanks ,sorry about the violation above!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-27-2008, 12:05 PM
 
Location: Journey's End
10,203 posts, read 26,782,100 times
Reputation: 3945
No problem, Kumud. I wish more folks had some suggestions to offer.

Here is an excellent looking site with a great deal of information on American History. It appears to have a wide range of subjects that can get you started:

U.S. History Topics Teaching and Learning Resources
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-27-2008, 12:35 PM
 
71 posts, read 206,682 times
Reputation: 35
Helpful indeed, thanks!

Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-03-2008, 09:16 AM
 
Location: Piedmont NC
4,596 posts, read 11,299,665 times
Reputation: 9169
After you have read some of the good books on US History, I'd ask you to entertain Richard Armour's parodies. I have never laughed so hard. He wrote a parody on Shakespeare and his works, and I seem to recall another I read, It All Started with Eve. Once you have an understanding of things, like US History, you would probably understand, and laugh at, his fun versions.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-03-2008, 01:35 PM
 
Location: Utah
1,459 posts, read 4,062,569 times
Reputation: 1547
I've kept this question in the back of my mind...I really couldn't think of what fits. I can't think of anything (readable) that is "comprehensive". But I have thought of a few that are good reads that tell about how we got here.

1776 by David McCullough -I haven't read this, but have heard really great things about it.

Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-03-2008, 08:53 PM
 
Location: Nebraska
4,531 posts, read 8,643,798 times
Reputation: 7583
Reading everything by Mark Twain would be a good place to start.

GL2
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-03-2008, 10:11 PM
 
3,724 posts, read 9,146,547 times
Reputation: 1427
Quote:
Originally Posted by lolagranola View Post
I've kept this question in the back of my mind...I really couldn't think of what fits. I can't think of anything (readable) that is "comprehensive". But I have thought of a few that are good reads that tell about how we got here.

1776 by David McCullough -I haven't read this, but have heard really great things about it.

Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
I've been thinking about it, too, but the first year I actually studied American History, I made a bet with my teacher that I could ace her class without opening the textbook. I did, too, but I ended up reading about 300 historical novels and biographies, and it would have been sooo much easier just to read the text. She was a cool teacher, though, just laughed and told me to go ahead if I thought I could do it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Entertainment and Arts > Books

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2023, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top