MONTREAL -- Looking for some history to make sense of this year's chaos? Historian Donald Cuccioletta, who holds a research chair at UQAM, spoke to CTV Montreal about his favourite history books, published recently and best able to explain 2020.
1. The Dead are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X
By Les Payne and Tamara Payne
This must-read delves into everything from Malcolm X's parents and his adolescence to his life as a young criminal and his prison education. It's an easily accessible, deeply researched look at how the radical leader of civil rights struggle became who he was, and what led up to his assassination.
2. Pelosi
By Molly Ball
What better time for a biography of Nancy Pelosi? From her childhood to her rise in the Democratic Party to becoming the first woman to lead the House of Representatives.
3. Prisoners of the American Dream: Politics and Economy of the History of the U.S. Working Class
By Mike Davis
Mike Davis, who taught at the University of Southern California, is one of the most important observers of the U.S. working class. In this book he offers an analysis of how Americans have subscribed to the American Dream, and in the process, traces back the roots of U.S. society's struggles today.
4. How Race Survived U.S. History: From Settlement and Slavery to the Eclipse of Post-Racialism
By David R. Roediger
This book explains the path that led to today's anti-racism movement and the bigger current context of race in America, from Black Lives Matter to fighting systemic racism.
5. We the People: A Progressive Reading of the (U.S.) Constitution for the 21st Century
By Erwin Hemerinsky
Don't be fooled: the U.S. Constitution isn't boring. This book gives us an excellent understanding of its importance while also demonstrating the need to reform and modernize it. A surprisingly accessible book that also qualifies as a must-read.
