50 Books like Surrender or Starve

The Ends of the Earth

by Robert D. Kaplan • 1996

Rivers and soil shape nations more than constitutions. A journey to the frontiers where states fail.

4.11

2k+

🗺️ Political Travelogue 🌍 Geopolitical Analysis 🌱 Environmental Determinism 🏚️ Fragile States 🏭 Modernization Critique

The Ends of the Earth 93%

Rivers and soil shape nations more than constitutions. A journey to the frontiers where states fail.

by Robert D. Kaplan 1996

4.11

2k+ ratings

🗺️ Political Travelogue 🌍 Geopolitical Analysis 🌱 Environmental Determinism 🏚️ Fragile States 🏭 Modernization Critique

There Was a Country

by Chinua Achebe • 2012

A literary witness to Biafra: starvation, secession, and the three-year war that consumed millions.

4.04

3k+

🌍 Postcolonial Africa ⛓️ Colonial Legacy 🪖 Nigerian Civil War 📖 African Memoirs 🚩 Ethnic Conflict

There Was a Country 93%

A literary witness to Biafra: starvation, secession, and the three-year war that consumed millions.

by Chinua Achebe 2012

4.04

3k+ ratings

🌍 Postcolonial Africa ⛓️ Colonial Legacy 🪖 Nigerian Civil War 📖 African Memoirs 🚩 Ethnic Conflict

The Pirates of Somalia

by Jay Bahadur • 2011

On a rattling Soviet plane, a journalist lands in Somalia to find the pirates everyone fears.

3.56

1k+

🏴‍☠️ Maritime Piracy 🏚️ Failed States 🎣 Illegal Fishing 🔍 Investigative Reporting 💊 Drug Economies

The Pirates of Somalia 93%

On a rattling Soviet plane, a journalist lands in Somalia to find the pirates everyone fears.

by Jay Bahadur 2011

3.56

1k+ ratings

🏴‍☠️ Maritime Piracy 🏚️ Failed States 🎣 Illegal Fishing 🔍 Investigative Reporting 💊 Drug Economies

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families

by Philip Gourevitch • 1998

Seven pastors warned they would die tomorrow. The world read their letter and did nothing.

4.22

37k+

🖋️ Rwandan Genocide 🌍 African Politics 📜 Colonial Legacy ⚔️ State Violence 🏛️ International Failure

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families Summary

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families 92%

Seven pastors warned they would die tomorrow. The world read their letter and did nothing.

by Philip Gourevitch 1998

4.22

37k+ ratings

🖋️ Rwandan Genocide 🌍 African Politics 📜 Colonial Legacy ⚔️ State Violence 🏛️ International Failure

Black Hawk Down

by Mark Bowden • 1999

Two helicopters shot down in Mogadishu turned an hour-long mission into an 18-hour street battle.

4.31

69k+

🏙️ Urban Warfare 🪖 Special Operations 📰 War Journalism 💥 Military Disaster 🏛️ Political Fallout

Black Hawk Down 92%

Two helicopters shot down in Mogadishu turned an hour-long mission into an 18-hour street battle.

by Mark Bowden 1999

4.31

69k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Warfare 🪖 Special Operations 📰 War Journalism 💥 Military Disaster 🏛️ Political Fallout

The Bottom Billion

by Paul Collier • 2007

Four traps keep a billion people poor, and the usual remedies only tighten them.

3.85

8k+

📈 Development Economics 🪤 Poverty Traps 🛢️ Resource Curse 🏚️ Fragile States 💣 Conflict Economics

The Bottom Billion 92%

Four traps keep a billion people poor, and the usual remedies only tighten them.

by Paul Collier 2007

3.85

8k+ ratings

📈 Development Economics 🪤 Poverty Traps 🛢️ Resource Curse 🏚️ Fragile States 💣 Conflict Economics

White Malice

by Susan Williams • 2021

Africa's Cold War was a lie. America's real mission: control the uranium, crush independent leaders.

4.17

1k+

🕵️ Cia Covert Operations 🌍 African Decolonization ✊ Pan-Africanism 🔗 Neocolonialism ⛏️ Resource Extraction

White Malice 92%

Africa's Cold War was a lie. America's real mission: control the uranium, crush independent leaders.

by Susan Williams 2021

4.17

1k+ ratings

🕵️ Cia Covert Operations 🌍 African Decolonization ✊ Pan-Africanism 🔗 Neocolonialism ⛏️ Resource Extraction

The Least of All Possible Evils

by Eyal Weizman • 2012

When humanitarian law calculates acceptable civilian deaths, it also makes them thinkable.

4.19

224

🩸 Aid And Complicity 🤷 Lesser Evil Logic 📊 Proportionality In War 🗺️ Spatial Politics 🌍 Critical Geography

The Least of All Possible Evils 92%

When humanitarian law calculates acceptable civilian deaths, it also makes them thinkable.

by Eyal Weizman 2012

4.19

224 ratings

🩸 Aid And Complicity 🤷 Lesser Evil Logic 📊 Proportionality In War 🗺️ Spatial Politics 🌍 Critical Geography

Africa Is Not a Country

by Dipo Faloyin • 2022

Fifty-four countries, 1.4 billion people: the West keeps mistaking a continent for a country.

4.38

11k+

🌍 African Studies 📜 Postcolonial Studies 🏛️ Colonial History 🎭 Cultural Stereotypes 🧬 African Diaspora

Africa Is Not a Country 92%

Fifty-four countries, 1.4 billion people: the West keeps mistaking a continent for a country.

by Dipo Faloyin 2022

4.38

11k+ ratings

🌍 African Studies 📜 Postcolonial Studies 🏛️ Colonial History 🎭 Cultural Stereotypes 🧬 African Diaspora

The Last Warlord

by Brian Glyn Williams • 2013

America's first 9/11 victory relied on laser bombs and a brutal Uzbek warlord fighting on horseback.

4.30

120

🇦🇫 Afghan History 🎖️ Military Biography ⚔️ Guerrilla Warfare 💥 War On Terror 🎯 Special Forces

The Last Warlord 91%

America's first 9/11 victory relied on laser bombs and a brutal Uzbek warlord fighting on horseback.

by Brian Glyn Williams 2013

4.30

120 ratings

🇦🇫 Afghan History 🎖️ Military Biography ⚔️ Guerrilla Warfare 💥 War On Terror 🎯 Special Forces

The Scramble for Africa

by Thomas Pakenham • 1991

Livingstone begged to save Africa. Within a generation, it was carved up for rubber and gold.

4.15

3k+

📜 African History 👑 European Imperialism 🛡️ Anti-Colonial Resistance 🌍 Partition Of Africa ⛏️ Resource Extraction

The Scramble for Africa 91%

Livingstone begged to save Africa. Within a generation, it was carved up for rubber and gold.

by Thomas Pakenham 1991

4.15

3k+ ratings

📜 African History 👑 European Imperialism 🛡️ Anti-Colonial Resistance 🌍 Partition Of Africa ⛏️ Resource Extraction

Bankrupting the Third World

by James Morcan • 2015

The global poverty industry: why aid, loans, and conflict minerals ensure poor nations stay poor.

4.40

🛢️ Resource Extraction 💰 Aid Critique ⛏️ Conflict Minerals 🌍 Economic Colonialism 💸 Debt And Dependency

Bankrupting the Third World 91%

The global poverty industry: why aid, loans, and conflict minerals ensure poor nations stay poor.

by James Morcan 2015

4.40

96 ratings

🛢️ Resource Extraction 💰 Aid Critique ⛏️ Conflict Minerals 🌍 Economic Colonialism 💸 Debt And Dependency

Nothing to Envy

by Barbara Demick • 2009

Smuggled DVDs, a hidden famine, and six North Koreans who discovered their entire country was a lie.

4.46

101k+

🎭 North Korean Society 🚫 Totalitarian Regimes 🏃 Defector Testimonies 📢 State Propaganda 🎙️ Immersion Journalism

Nothing to Envy 91%

Smuggled DVDs, a hidden famine, and six North Koreans who discovered their entire country was a lie.

by Barbara Demick 2009

4.46

101k+ ratings

🎭 North Korean Society 🚫 Totalitarian Regimes 🏃 Defector Testimonies 📢 State Propaganda 🎙️ Immersion Journalism

Chasing Chaos

by Jessica Alexander • 2013

Humanitarian aid isn't what the brochures promise. A decade inside the machine shows why.

4.09

3k+

🌍 Humanitarian Aid 📋 Aid Industry Critique 🚨 Disaster Response ⚔️ Conflict Zones 😔 Compassion Fatigue

Chasing Chaos 91%

Humanitarian aid isn't what the brochures promise. A decade inside the machine shows why.

by Jessica Alexander 2013

4.09

3k+ ratings

🌍 Humanitarian Aid 📋 Aid Industry Critique 🚨 Disaster Response ⚔️ Conflict Zones 😔 Compassion Fatigue

The Case for Colonialism

by Bruce Gilley • 2023

Start new colonies from scratch. The controversial solution to a century of post-colonial disaster.

4.32

191

📚 Revisionist History 🏗️ State Building 👑 Imperial History 🌍 Post-Colonial States ⏳ Modernization Theory

The Case for Colonialism 91%

Start new colonies from scratch. The controversial solution to a century of post-colonial disaster.

by Bruce Gilley 2023

4.32

191 ratings

📚 Revisionist History 🏗️ State Building 👑 Imperial History 🌍 Post-Colonial States ⏳ Modernization Theory

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu

by Joshua Hammer • 2016

377,000 ancient manuscripts, one occupied city, and the smuggling ring of librarians who saved them.

3.50

13k+

🏴‍☠️ Art And Book Heists 🕌 Islamic History 📦 Smuggling Operations 💥 Cultural Destruction ✊ Community Resistance

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu Summary

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu 91%

377,000 ancient manuscripts, one occupied city, and the smuggling ring of librarians who saved them.

by Joshua Hammer 2016

3.50

13k+ ratings

🏴‍☠️ Art And Book Heists 🕌 Islamic History 📦 Smuggling Operations 💥 Cultural Destruction ✊ Community Resistance

Tears of the Desert

by Halima Bashir • 2008

A Darfuri doctor escapes genocide and rape, only to land inside the UK's asylum machine.

4.24

4k+

🌍 African Memoir 🕯️ Darfur Genocide 🧳 Refugee Stories 🚫 Sexual Violence In War 💔 War Trauma

Tears of the Desert 91%

A Darfuri doctor escapes genocide and rape, only to land inside the UK's asylum machine.

by Halima Bashir 2008

4.24

4k+ ratings

🌍 African Memoir 🕯️ Darfur Genocide 🧳 Refugee Stories 🚫 Sexual Violence In War 💔 War Trauma

You Must Set Forth at Dawn

by Wole Soyinka • 2006

A stolen artifact, a dictator's table, a secret peace mission: a Nobel laureate's life off stage.

4.02

518

🇳🇬 Nigerian Politics 🌍 Postcolonial Africa 📚 African Literature ✊ Activist Memoirs 🏺 Cultural Reclamation

You Must Set Forth at Dawn 91%

A stolen artifact, a dictator's table, a secret peace mission: a Nobel laureate's life off stage.

by Wole Soyinka 2006

4.02

518 ratings

🇳🇬 Nigerian Politics 🌍 Postcolonial Africa 📚 African Literature ✊ Activist Memoirs 🏺 Cultural Reclamation

Christopher Columbus and the Afrikan Holocaust

by John Henrik Clarke • 1992

Columbus did not discover a new world. He launched a slave trade that built capitalism.

4.45

718

🏛️ African History ⛓️ Atlantic Slave Trade ✊🏿 Pan-Africanism 💰 Capitalism And Slavery 🏺 African Civilizations

Christopher Columbus and the Afrikan Holocaust Summary

Christopher Columbus and the Afrikan Holocaust 91%

Columbus did not discover a new world. He launched a slave trade that built capitalism.

by John Henrik Clarke 1992

4.45

718 ratings

🏛️ African History ⛓️ Atlantic Slave Trade ✊🏿 Pan-Africanism 💰 Capitalism And Slavery 🏺 African Civilizations

The White Man's Burden

by William Easterly • 2006

$2.3 trillion in aid left the poorest no better off. A World Bank insider explains why.

3.83

6k+

📈 Development Economics 🔍 Aid Skepticism 🌱 Bottom-Up Development 🔗 Colonial Legacies 🗳️ Public Choice Theory

The White Man's Burden 91%

$2.3 trillion in aid left the poorest no better off. A World Bank insider explains why.

by William Easterly 2006

3.83

6k+ ratings

📈 Development Economics 🔍 Aid Skepticism 🌱 Bottom-Up Development 🔗 Colonial Legacies 🗳️ Public Choice Theory

The Great War for Civilisation

by Robert Fisk • 2005

One reporter's fifty-year witness to the West's century-long war on the Middle East.

4.41

6k+

🌍 Modern Middle East 🎤 Conflict Reporting 🎯 Western Intervention 👀 War Witnessing 🏛️ Imperial Legacy

The Great War for Civilisation 91%

One reporter's fifty-year witness to the West's century-long war on the Middle East.

by Robert Fisk 2005

4.41

6k+ ratings

🌍 Modern Middle East 🎤 Conflict Reporting 🎯 Western Intervention 👀 War Witnessing 🏛️ Imperial Legacy

The Great Boer War

by Byron Farwell • 1976

To beat a handful of farmers, Britain burned 30,000 farms and invented the concentration camp.

4.15

578

🎖️ Boer War 🇿🇦 South African History 🌿 Guerrilla Warfare 💥 Military Blunders 🛡️ Counterinsurgency

The Great Boer War 91%

To beat a handful of farmers, Britain burned 30,000 farms and invented the concentration camp.

by Byron Farwell 1976

4.15

578 ratings

🎖️ Boer War 🇿🇦 South African History 🌿 Guerrilla Warfare 💥 Military Blunders 🛡️ Counterinsurgency

Monsoon

by Robert D. Kaplan • 2010

Half the world's oil passes through one ocean; two giants are racing to control it.

3.96

3k+

🏝️ Indian Ocean World 🚢 Maritime Geopolitics 📓 Geopolitical Travelogue ⛽ Energy Security ⚔️ China India Rivalry

Monsoon 91%

Half the world's oil passes through one ocean; two giants are racing to control it.

by Robert D. Kaplan 2010

3.96

3k+ ratings

🏝️ Indian Ocean World 🚢 Maritime Geopolitics 📓 Geopolitical Travelogue ⛽ Energy Security ⚔️ China India Rivalry

The Asian Aspiration

by Greg Mills • 2020

From land reform in Taiwan to high-speed rail in China: the Asian model Africa should follow.

3.70

📈 Development Economics 🌍 African Development 🏛️ Institutional Reform 🎓 Human Capital 💸 Corruption

The Asian Aspiration 91%

From land reform in Taiwan to high-speed rail in China: the Asian model Africa should follow.

by Greg Mills 2020

3.70

20 ratings

📈 Development Economics 🌍 African Development 🏛️ Institutional Reform 🎓 Human Capital 💸 Corruption

Wine to Water

by Doc Hendley • 2012

From pouring drinks to drilling wells in Darfur: a bartender's unlikely path into humanitarian work.

3.96

799

🎗️ Humanitarian Memoir 💧 Global Water Crisis ⚠️ Conflict Zone Aid 👐 Everyday Activism 💪 Local Empowerment

Wine to Water 91%

From pouring drinks to drilling wells in Darfur: a bartender's unlikely path into humanitarian work.

by Doc Hendley 2012

3.96

799 ratings

🎗️ Humanitarian Memoir 💧 Global Water Crisis ⚠️ Conflict Zone Aid 👐 Everyday Activism 💪 Local Empowerment

Sovietistan

by Erika Fatland • 2014

Why a country made gas and electricity free, and what happened when it all ran out.

4.27

9k+

🗺️ Post-Soviet States 🏛️ Central Asian History 🚫 Authoritarian Regimes 🎭 Cult Of Personality 🛢️ Resource Curse

Sovietistan 90%

Why a country made gas and electricity free, and what happened when it all ran out.

by Erika Fatland 2014

4.27

9k+ ratings

🗺️ Post-Soviet States 🏛️ Central Asian History 🚫 Authoritarian Regimes 🎭 Cult Of Personality 🛢️ Resource Curse

The Age of Capital, 1848–1875

by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 1975

After 1848, capitalism conquered the globe. Railways, gold, and free trade were its weapons.

4.27

5k+

🏭 Economic History 🔨 Marxist History 🏗️ Industrial Capitalism 🎩 Bourgeois Society 🌍 Uneven Development

The Age of Capital, 1848–1875 90%

After 1848, capitalism conquered the globe. Railways, gold, and free trade were its weapons.

by Eric J. Hobsbawm 1975

4.27

5k+ ratings

🏭 Economic History 🔨 Marxist History 🏗️ Industrial Capitalism 🎩 Bourgeois Society 🌍 Uneven Development

Becoming Kim Jong Un

by Jung H. Pak • 2020

Why Kim Jong Un won't denuclearize: a CIA officer on his ruthless survival strategy.

3.76

1k+

🔴 North Korean Politics 🏛️ Authoritarian Regimes ☢️ Nuclear Proliferation 💻 Cyber Warfare 👑 Personality Cults

Becoming Kim Jong Un 90%

Why Kim Jong Un won't denuclearize: a CIA officer on his ruthless survival strategy.

by Jung H. Pak 2020

3.76

1k+ ratings

🔴 North Korean Politics 🏛️ Authoritarian Regimes ☢️ Nuclear Proliferation 💻 Cyber Warfare 👑 Personality Cults

The Management of Savagery

by Max Blumenthal • 2019

Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Trump: three products of the same American national security machine.

4.29

807

🏛️ American Empire ↩️ Blowback 🔄 Regime Change 📢 War Propaganda ☪️ Political Islam

The Management of Savagery 90%

Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Trump: three products of the same American national security machine.

by Max Blumenthal 2019

4.29

807 ratings

🏛️ American Empire ↩️ Blowback 🔄 Regime Change 📢 War Propaganda ☪️ Political Islam

The Picnic

by Matthew Longo • 2024

August 1989: a picnic on the Hungarian border. The gate opened, and hundreds ran.

4.22

608

🔴 Cold War History 🏢 Eastern Bloc 🧱 Iron Curtain 🔍 Microhistory 🏃 Escape Stories

The Picnic 90%

August 1989: a picnic on the Hungarian border. The gate opened, and hundreds ran.

by Matthew Longo 2024

4.22

608 ratings

🔴 Cold War History 🏢 Eastern Bloc 🧱 Iron Curtain 🔍 Microhistory 🏃 Escape Stories

Yemen

by Victoria Clark • 2010

How tribal resistance, a cynical president, and Saudi's shadow made Yemen a jihadist stronghold.

3.71

276

🌍 Middle Eastern Politics 🏔️ Yemeni History 🗡️ Tribal Dynamics 💣 Jihadism Origins 🌐 Foreign Intervention

Yemen 90%

How tribal resistance, a cynical president, and Saudi's shadow made Yemen a jihadist stronghold.

by Victoria Clark 2010

3.71

276 ratings

🌍 Middle Eastern Politics 🏔️ Yemeni History 🗡️ Tribal Dynamics 💣 Jihadism Origins 🌐 Foreign Intervention

The Jakarta Method

by Vincent Bevins • 2020

Washington's greatest Cold War win killed a million Indonesians. Then the method went global.

4.61

18k+

📚 Cold War History 🇺🇸 Us Foreign Policy 🔴 Anticommunism ⚡ State Violence 🕵️ Covert Operations

The Jakarta Method 90%

Washington's greatest Cold War win killed a million Indonesians. Then the method went global.

by Vincent Bevins 2020

4.61

18k+ ratings

📚 Cold War History 🇺🇸 Us Foreign Policy 🔴 Anticommunism ⚡ State Violence 🕵️ Covert Operations

Pakistan

by Anatol Lieven • 2011

Why Pakistan outlasts every prediction of its collapse: kinship, not government, runs the country.

4.12

2k+

🗳️ South Asian Politics 👥 Kinship Politics 💬 Failed State Debate 🪖 Military And Politics 🔬 Political Anthropology

Pakistan 90%

Why Pakistan outlasts every prediction of its collapse: kinship, not government, runs the country.

by Anatol Lieven 2011

4.12

2k+ ratings

🗳️ South Asian Politics 👥 Kinship Politics 💬 Failed State Debate 🪖 Military And Politics 🔬 Political Anthropology

The ANC Billionaires

by Pieter Du Toit • 2022

South Africa's peace made ANC insiders rich. 30 years later, the economic revolution hasn't begun.

3.91

142

🏛️ Post-Apartheid Transition 🎯 Elite Capture 🤝 Black Economic Empowerment 🔒 State Capture 📰 Investigative Journalism

The ANC Billionaires 90%

South Africa's peace made ANC insiders rich. 30 years later, the economic revolution hasn't begun.

by Pieter Du Toit 2022

3.91

142 ratings

🏛️ Post-Apartheid Transition 🎯 Elite Capture 🤝 Black Economic Empowerment 🔒 State Capture 📰 Investigative Journalism

Unhumans

by Jack Posobiec • 2024

The playbook that toppled societies from Robespierre to Mao is now targeting the West.

3.99

1k+

📜 Communist History ⚔️ Political Warfare 🚫 Anti-Communism 🚮 Cancel Culture 🏛️ Institutional Capture

Unhumans 90%

The playbook that toppled societies from Robespierre to Mao is now targeting the West.

by Jack Posobiec 2024

3.99

1k+ ratings

📜 Communist History ⚔️ Political Warfare 🚫 Anti-Communism 🚮 Cancel Culture 🏛️ Institutional Capture

Gambling on Development

by Stefan Dercon • 2022

Elite bets on growth, not aid or policy, explain why some nations prosper and others stall.

4.02

275

🏗️ Development Economics ⚖️ Political Economy 🏛️ State Capacity 👥 Political Elites 💸 Foreign Aid

Gambling on Development 90%

Elite bets on growth, not aid or policy, explain why some nations prosper and others stall.

by Stefan Dercon 2022

4.02

275 ratings

🏗️ Development Economics ⚖️ Political Economy 🏛️ State Capacity 👥 Political Elites 💸 Foreign Aid

An Ordinary Man

by Paul Rusesabagina • 2006

Rwanda, 1994: a hotel manager faced militias with nothing but a telephone and saved 1,200.

4.19

7k+

🇷🇼 Rwandan Genocide 🌍 African Memoir 🕊️ Genocide Survival 🏛️ Colonial Legacy ⚔️ Ethnic Violence

An Ordinary Man 90%

Rwanda, 1994: a hotel manager faced militias with nothing but a telephone and saved 1,200.

by Paul Rusesabagina 2006

4.19

7k+ ratings

🇷🇼 Rwandan Genocide 🌍 African Memoir 🕊️ Genocide Survival 🏛️ Colonial Legacy ⚔️ Ethnic Violence

Nelson Mandela

by Martin Meredith • 1997

They put him on trial to silence him. His dock statement made apartheid the defendant instead.

4.17

347

🇿🇦 South African History ✊ Anti-Apartheid Movement 🔗 Political Imprisonment ⛓️ Colonial Resistance 🗽 Freedom Fighters

Nelson Mandela 90%

They put him on trial to silence him. His dock statement made apartheid the defendant instead.

by Martin Meredith 1997

4.17

347 ratings

🇿🇦 South African History ✊ Anti-Apartheid Movement 🔗 Political Imprisonment ⛓️ Colonial Resistance 🗽 Freedom Fighters

The Afrikaners

by Hermann Giliomee • 2003

Three centuries of one people's making: from diverse origins to apartheid and the reckoning after.

4.18

136

🏛️ South African History 🌍 Settler Colonialism 🏴 Nationalism Studies 💬 Language And Identity ⚫ Racial Segregation

The Afrikaners 90%

Three centuries of one people's making: from diverse origins to apartheid and the reckoning after.

by Hermann Giliomee 2003

4.18

136 ratings

🏛️ South African History 🌍 Settler Colonialism 🏴 Nationalism Studies 💬 Language And Identity ⚫ Racial Segregation

The Big Truck that Went By

by Jonathan M. Katz • 2013

When the world rushed to save Haiti, it brought a cholera epidemic with it.

4.12

2k+

🆘 Disaster Relief 💰 Foreign Aid Critique 🇭🇹 Haitian History 📚 Postcolonial Critique 🏚️ Post-Disaster Recovery

The Big Truck that Went By 90%

When the world rushed to save Haiti, it brought a cholera epidemic with it.

by Jonathan M. Katz 2013

4.12

2k+ ratings

🆘 Disaster Relief 💰 Foreign Aid Critique 🇭🇹 Haitian History 📚 Postcolonial Critique 🏚️ Post-Disaster Recovery

A Great Place To Have A War

by Joshua Kurlantzick • 2017

Laos was where the CIA learned to wage war without asking Congress. The lesson stuck.

3.90

788

🔍 Cia History 🕵️ Covert Operations 🧊 Cold War History 🎭 Proxy Warfare 🏛️ American Foreign Policy

A Great Place To Have A War 90%

Laos was where the CIA learned to wage war without asking Congress. The lesson stuck.

by Joshua Kurlantzick 2017

3.90

788 ratings

🔍 Cia History 🕵️ Covert Operations 🧊 Cold War History 🎭 Proxy Warfare 🏛️ American Foreign Policy

Empire

by Niall Ferguson • 2003

Piracy, sugar, and debt built the largest empire ever. The collapse outpaced the climb.

3.93

10k+

🏛️ Imperial History 📉 Imperial Decline 💰 Financial History ⚓ Naval Power ⛓️ Slavery And Empire

Empire 90%

Piracy, sugar, and debt built the largest empire ever. The collapse outpaced the climb.

by Niall Ferguson 2003

3.93

10k+ ratings

🏛️ Imperial History 📉 Imperial Decline 💰 Financial History ⚓ Naval Power ⛓️ Slavery And Empire

Killing Hope

by William Blum • 1995

For forty years, the CIA overthrew governments across the globe. The full ledger is in one book.

4.27

2k+

❄️ Cold War Politics 🕵️ Covert Operations 🌎 American Empire 🏛️ Regime Change 💰 Corporate Imperialism

Killing Hope 90%

For forty years, the CIA overthrew governments across the globe. The full ledger is in one book.

by William Blum 1995

4.27

2k+ ratings

❄️ Cold War Politics 🕵️ Covert Operations 🌎 American Empire 🏛️ Regime Change 💰 Corporate Imperialism

A Long Way Gone

by Ishmael Beah • 2007

The army gave him cocaine and an AK-47 at 13. UNICEF pulled him out at 16.

4.16

195k+

🪖 Child Soldiers 🌍 African Conflict 💔 War Trauma 🗣️ Survivor Testimony 🩹 Post-Conflict Healing

A Long Way Gone 90%

The army gave him cocaine and an AK-47 at 13. UNICEF pulled him out at 16.

by Ishmael Beah 2007

4.16

195k+ ratings

🪖 Child Soldiers 🌍 African Conflict 💔 War Trauma 🗣️ Survivor Testimony 🩹 Post-Conflict Healing

The Envoy

by Zalmay Khalilzad • 2016

An Afghan immigrant becomes America's envoy in the Muslim world, finding a crisis wars cannot solve.

3.64

163

🇺🇸 American Foreign Policy 🌍 Middle East Politics 📜 Diplomatic Memoir 🏗️ State Building 💥 Post-9/11 Wars

The Envoy 90%

An Afghan immigrant becomes America's envoy in the Muslim world, finding a crisis wars cannot solve.

by Zalmay Khalilzad 2016

3.64

163 ratings

🇺🇸 American Foreign Policy 🌍 Middle East Politics 📜 Diplomatic Memoir 🏗️ State Building 💥 Post-9/11 Wars

Escape from Saddam

by Lewis Alsamari • 2007

He escaped the army, the wolves, and Saddam's Iraq. Then his family was arrested for it.

4.05

270

🏴 Life Under Dictatorship 🧳 Refugee Memoirs 🛂 Illegal Immigration 🏜️ Survival Narratives 🌍 Cultural Displacement

Escape from Saddam 90%

He escaped the army, the wolves, and Saddam's Iraq. Then his family was arrested for it.

by Lewis Alsamari 2007

4.05

270 ratings

🏴 Life Under Dictatorship 🧳 Refugee Memoirs 🛂 Illegal Immigration 🏜️ Survival Narratives 🌍 Cultural Displacement

The Battle For Syria

by Christopher Phillips • 2016

Syria's uprising became a proxy war: six outside powers picking sides and arming their own factions.

4.16

291

🌍 Middle East Politics ⚔️ Syrian Civil War 🌸 Arab Spring ♟️ Proxy Warfare 🕌 Sectarian Conflict

The Battle For Syria 90%

Syria's uprising became a proxy war: six outside powers picking sides and arming their own factions.

by Christopher Phillips 2016

4.16

291 ratings

🌍 Middle East Politics ⚔️ Syrian Civil War 🌸 Arab Spring ♟️ Proxy Warfare 🕌 Sectarian Conflict

The Killing of Gaza

by Gideon Levy • 2024

October 7th was the price of a 75-year siege. The response: a nation's moral collapse.

4.21

178

🔥 Israeli Occupation 📰 War Journalism 🧱 Apartheid Critique 👁️ Dehumanization 🚨 Humanitarian Crisis

The Killing of Gaza 90%

October 7th was the price of a 75-year siege. The response: a nation's moral collapse.

by Gideon Levy 2024

4.21

178 ratings

🔥 Israeli Occupation 📰 War Journalism 🧱 Apartheid Critique 👁️ Dehumanization 🚨 Humanitarian Crisis

Central America's Forgotten History

by Aviva Chomsky • 2021

Central American migration isn't about poverty. It's the legacy of a century of US intervention.

4.06

518

🌎 Latin American History 🇺🇸 Us Foreign Policy 🕵️ Cold War Interventions 🏃 Forced Migration ✊ Revolutionary Movements

Central America's Forgotten History Summary

Central America's Forgotten History 90%

Central American migration isn't about poverty. It's the legacy of a century of US intervention.

by Aviva Chomsky 2021

4.06

518 ratings

🌎 Latin American History 🇺🇸 Us Foreign Policy 🕵️ Cold War Interventions 🏃 Forced Migration ✊ Revolutionary Movements

The Desert and the Sea

by Michael Scott Moore • 2018

For 977 days, he was a bargaining chip: a journalist’s survival inside the Somali pirate economy.

3.98

3k+

🏴‍☠️ Somali Piracy ⛓️ Long-Term Captivity 💰 Pirate Economy 🧠 Psychological Survival 🧊 Dehumanization

The Desert and the Sea 90%

For 977 days, he was a bargaining chip: a journalist’s survival inside the Somali pirate economy.

by Michael Scott Moore 2018

3.98

3k+ ratings

🏴‍☠️ Somali Piracy ⛓️ Long-Term Captivity 💰 Pirate Economy 🧠 Psychological Survival 🧊 Dehumanization

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