I fell behind my reading mark a little this year, on track to reading 35-40 books by the end of the year. Now, it's time to look back on my favorite reads of the year. As it turns out, my favorites all reflect a unique way of looking at things. Here they are, in no particular order.
Americanon: An Unexpected U.S. History In Thirteen Bestselling Books by Jess McHugh examines 13 bestselling American nonfiction books and their history and legacy. The books include the Old Farmer's Almanac, Noah Webster's Dictionary and Spellers, Emily Post's Etiquette, How to Win Friends and Influence People, The McGuffey Readers, Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography, Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, and Everything You Always Wanted Know About Sex. They each had a major impact on American culture when they were first published, and many are still printed, updated, and selling copies today. Each one has sold more copies over the years than the best selling novels in American history. (And many of them pass through multiple hands, especially Webster's and McGuffey's schoolbooks, exponentially increasing their reach and readership.) McHugh calls them "how-to" books because they were all designed to solve a problem or problems that the authors saw in their America, and each one had a very definite agenda, to improve American society. She has created a list of books that are truly part of the American canon, books that reflected and molded an American identity, still impacting us today.
In Travels With George, author Nathaniel Philbrick and his wife follow in the footsteps of George Washington's travels through the original 13 states during his presidency. Washington wanted to visit each state in order to thank the people for their support and to personally see and hear the sights and sounds of the brand new country over which he presided. Philbrick includes a lot of history, and it's fun to read the stories of Washington's visits and to see how they are remembered and commemorated today. Along the way, Philbrick meets interesting historic interpreters, archivists, and local historians and reflects on the evolution of the legacy of Washington.
Since moving to Florida in 2020, I've made it a point to read books about Florida history and to experience the history of my new home. Journalist Craig Pittman, a rarity - a native Floridian, has made a career writing about Florida people and Florida issues. This year, he published a collection of his past stories and essays about "Florida Men, Florida Women, and Other Wildlife" in his book The State You're In. There are 51 stories of people (and animals) who have made Florida what it is. There are criminals, victims, writers, environmentalists, developers - people of all walks of life. Pittman's style is unique, insightful, and witty, always a pleasure to read, but always informative and educational.
Speaking of unique, The Course of History: Ten Meals That Changed the World is a totally new and unique way of looking at history, especially for someone like me who loves history and food. The authors look at 10 major events in history, including the Camp David Accords, Nixon's trip to China, the Tehran Conference of the Big Three, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and the Congress of Vienna, but they look at each event through the prism of a meal connected with each event. Each event is discussed in detail and put into the context of world history, but they also go into great detail about the big meal served during the event, describing its significance, even including the menu and the recipes. It's great fun, and I learned a lot of history too. And it reminds me of a culminating assignment I often assigned in American and European history; students were required to create a dinner party of historical figures, designing the venue, décor, and menu and explaining what happened and why they invited each guest. (Look for a future Histocrats classroom blog on that assignment.)
We Had a Little Real Estate Problem by Kliph Nesteroff may be my favorite read of the year. The cover calls it the "story of Native Americans & comedy," but it is so much more. It's a book about Native American History in general and about the common misconception that Native Americans are always humorless and solemn. That misconception comes from more than a century of perpetuated stereotypes and racism in pop culture. Nesteroff tells the story of contemporary Native American actors, stand up comedians, and sketch comedians as well as legendary past performers like Will Rogers who worked, and are working, to not only build a career in entertainment, but also to shatter those misconceptions and stereotypes. Nesteroff is a great historian of comedy, having previously written The Comedians, a thorough history of 20th century comedy. This is a must read book if you enjoy Native American history and/or the history of comedy/entertainment.
