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How We Forgot the Cold War: A Historical Journey Across America
by Jon Wiener
The Nutshell:
UC Irvine historian Wiener traveled to Cold War monuments and exhibits around the country—from a “hippie contest” at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to a museum exhibit on North Dakota’s bomb shelters—to show how, despite conservative efforts to enshrine democracy’s victory over communism, America has forgotten the Cold War.
Literary Lovechild Of:
Mike Wallace’s Mickey Mouse History and Other Essays on American Memory and John Lewis Gaddis’ The Cold War: A New History.
You'll Find It On Your Bookshelf If:
You’ve watched Jack Abramoff’s movie Red Scorpion, starring Dolph Lundgren, more times than you can count and still cry at the end when the evil General Vortek gets his due.
Cocktail Party Fodder:
Wiener calls Elvis—who was sent to guard the border between East and West Germany in October 1958—America’s most famous Cold War veteran.
For Optimal Benefit:
Read before visiting the piece of the Berlin Wall that’s been laid to rest in your town.
Snap Judgment:
Who knew the Cold War was funny? Wiener’s adventures in American historical memory are surprisingly lively.
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The Longest Race: A Lifelong Runner, an Iconic Ultramarathon, and the Case for Human Endurance
by Ed Ayres
The Nutshell:
In November 2001, Running Times founding editor Ayres had recently turned 60 and wanted to find out what he had left in the tank—so he ran the JFK 50 Mile, one of America’s oldest ultramarathons. Ayres recounts the race mile for mile, ponders the secrets of human endurance, muses on climate change, and tells the story of his half-century love affair with long distance.
Literary Lovechild Of:
Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen and Bill McKibben’s The End of Nature.
You'll Find It On Your Bookshelf If:
You’re one of those people who tried (and may still be) running barefoot—and own 17 pairs of Smartwool Toe Socks to prove it.
Cocktail Party Fodder:
Early humans ran with lower energy efficiency than the animals they hunted—but prevailed in pursuits over long distances.
For Optimal Benefit:
Keep on your nightstand for extra encouragement on mornings when you can’t get out of bed to go for a jog.
Snap Judgment:
Ayres’ passions for running and the environment are admirable, even if their relevance to one another isn’t always clear.
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Killing the American Dream: How Anti-Immigration Extremists Are Destroying the Nation
by Pilar Marrero
The Nutshell:
La Opinión writer Marrero explains how illegal immigration has become a toxic issue in America—and why rising deportations, restrictive state laws, and hate crimes against immigrants are putting the nation’s future in jeopardy.
Literary Lovechild Of:
Daniel Kanstroom’s Deportation Nation: Outsiders in American History and Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism.
You'll Find It On Your Bookshelf If:
You attended a DREAM Act rally.
Cocktail Party Fodder:
In the 1980 Republican primary debate, Ronald Reagan opposed a border fence, and George H.W. Bush expressed support for educating the children of undocumented immigrants.
For Optimal Benefit:
Offer this primer on the immigration war to newcomers to the U.S.
Snap Judgment:
Marrero offers interesting anecdotes and some startling statistics, but much of her argument will be familiar to any reader who follows immigration closely.
