Interesting (not boring) American History Nonfiction 250-300 pages?

Question

I need to read a 250+ pg book for my college American History course. I enjoy reading but need to get through it quickly, so PLEASE nothing boring. Anything during the timeframe extending from the first settlements in American to about 1900. Topic can be anything. Please help...I have currently gone through several books already...but have either found they were immensely boring and in one case not wholly ture historically.

Answer 1

I know a lot you'd probably find heavy or tedious, so I'm trying to suggest some that will keep your interest.
(The page limit makes this TOUGH, esp. for biographies, since the best are usually 400+ pages. I THINK all those I've listed are in your page range, or close)

Colonial, Pre-Revolution
* The Devil in Massachusetts: A Modern Enquiry into the Salem Witch Trials - Marion L. Starkey (good telling of the story, sympathetic to the various parties)
* Judge Sewall's Apology : the Story of a Good Man and an Evil Event : the Salem Witch Trials & the Rorming of the American Conscience - Richard Francis

Revolution & Founding
* 1776 - David McCullough
* His Excellency: George Washington - Joseph Ellis
* Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation - Joseph Ellis (focuses on six key stories/events)

1790-1810 political wars, e.g., Hamilton, Adams, Burr, Jefferson
* Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800 - John Ferling
* "***** President" : Jefferson and the Slave Power - Garry Wills
* Jefferson's Vendetta : the Pursuit of Aaron Burr and the Judiciary - Joseph Wheelan

Barbary Pirates/Wars (a lot of recent, interesting ones)
* The Barbary wars : American independence in the Atlantic World - Frank Lambert
* The Pirate Coast : Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805 -Richard Zacks
* Jefferson'sWar : America's First War onTerror, 1801-1805 - Joseph Wheelan
* Victory in Tripoli : How America's War with the Barbary Pirates Established the U.S. Navy and Built a Nation - Joshua London

pre-Civil War
*1831, year of eclipse - Louis Masur
*The California Gold Rush and the Coming of the Civil War - Leonard L. Richards

Civil War, Lincoln
* Reelecting Lincoln:The Battle for the 1864 Presidency - John Waugh
* Lincoln at Cooper Union - Harold Holzer
* Lincoln's Greatest Speech : The Second Inaugural - Ronald C White (256 pp! also, it is NOT some dry analysis of the speech... much is telling the setting and story leading up to that point)

Reconstruction (esp its end)
*Redemption : the last battle of the Civil War - Nicholas Lemann

Answer 2

Non Fiction American History Books

Answer 3

Two non-fictions that read like novels (especially if you like true crime):

MANHUNT by James Swanson- it's about "the 12 day hunt for Lincoln's killers" and it's written in a CSI: WASHINGTON DC 1865 style. You know how it comes out, but you still wonder if they're going to catch him. Great psychological profiles of Booth and his fellow conspirators.

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson- it's about the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, and also about "Dr. Harry Holmes", the first mass murdering serial killer in American history (he built a castle in Chicago that included crematoriums for his victims). Here's the strange part about the book: you think that the fair is going to be boring and the serial killer interesting, but you'll find yourself skipping through the serial killer sections to get to more about the Fair, because it's a lot more interesting than it sounds.

Both books should be at almost any college or public library.

Answer 4

Two American History books that I read recently and enjoyed are:
The Supreme Court by Jeffrey Rosen-This is about the Supreme Court from it's inception and primarily focuses on the Chief Justice of each court and his affect on the court and history. Really really good and would probably get a good grade because not many people would cover the supreme court.

Summer of 1787 by David O Stewart-A really good account of the 4 months prior to the signing of the constitution. Really good as well. A very in depth analysis of what it took to get it done which many people don't realize all the politics that went into it.

Answer 5

1. "The Killer Angels", Michael Shaara- This is a very fast read but it may have too many fiction elements,

2. "Seedtime on The Cumberland", Harriette Arnow: A little more involved , dealing with post colonial settlements in the Cumberland valley. This will be a library book.

3. "Profiles in Courage" JFK and "Men to Match My Mountains ", Irving Stone. These are both collections of biographies that may lead to other interesting topics.

Answer 6

Nothing Like it in The World by Ambrose about the fist transcontinental railroad.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and The American West by Dee Brown.

Answer 7

'Eye of the Storm' written and illustrated by Private Robert Knox Snedden, and edited by Charles F. Bryant Jr. and Nelson D. Lankford. It is 298 pages long, with 15 additional pages of footnotes.

* That's strange, Dozer, my copies of Ulysses S. Grant's Personal Memoirs (Penguin Classics) has 640 pages. Did the copy you read have a few pages missing?!?

Answer 8

My absolute favorite non-fiction historical book is called "Devil in the White City". This book is about three stories that are going on from chapter to chapter--keeps you awake i find. One story is the account of the construction of the White City a/k/a the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Another, more eerie story is of a serial killer who killed fair goers and other people who came to visit at his hotel. A third is of a civil servant of Chicago. I had to read this in college and didn't care for it (you never do care for those books you are TOLD to read), but later purchased this book on my own and read the entire book in about 2-3 days. I find its pretty easy to read.

Answer 9

If you're into the Civil War, try tackling 250 pages of The Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. I know they have an online edition so check it out and see what you think.

Answer 10

I have been reading "The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin." I find it interesting and it is about 246 pages of reading, but it has 50 pages of notes, so this might qualify for what you need.