HISTORY BOOKS WORTH READING
The writing of history for general interest readers has seen a renaissance in recent years, much to my delight…here are some of the ones on my shelf (hmmm…hardly any church history on my list):

COLLAPSE, by Jared Diamond. Chronicles the collapse of selected civilizations, and how that might relate to our own.

BARBARA JORDAN, American hero, by Mary Beth Rogers

BEYOND THE RIVER, by Ann Hagedorn. Chronicles the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad, especially as participated in by Presbyterian pastor John Rankin.

AMAZING GRACE, by Eric Metaxas. Chronicles the abolitionist movement in England.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN and THE ROAD TO EMANCIPATION, by William Klingaman.

LINCOLN, By David Herbert Donald.

LINCOLN’S OTHER WHITEHOUSE, by Elizabeth Smith Brownstein.

JOHN ADAMS, by David McCullough.

MAYFLOWER, by Nathaniel Philbrick

WILL IN THE WORLD, by Stephen Greenblatt. Biography of Shakespeare.

HOW THE SCOTS INVENTED THE MODERN WORLD, by Arthur Herman

THE WORST HARD TIME, by Timothy Egan. A story of the Dust Bowl, how we stuck our heads in the sand, how we finally responded, and how we have forgotten many of the lessons.

DUST BOWL, by Donald Worster.

LINCOLN’S GREATEST SPEECH, by Ronald C. White. An excellent analysis of the second inaugural, the times in which it was given, and a great description of the doctrine of providence.

THE PREACHER KING, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR AND THE WORD THAT MOVED AMERICA, by Richard Lischer. Analysis of King’s preaching and its role in the Civil Rights movement, by a leading homiletics professor.