Top Hacker News Book Recommendations in Politics & Social Sciences (all time)

All Time Past 6 Months

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

Jack Weatherford, Jonathan Davis, et al.

4.6 on Amazon

9 HN comments

The Black Book

Middleton A. Harris, Ernest Smith, et al.

4.8 on Amazon

9 HN comments

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Doris Kearns Goodwin, Suzanne Toren, et al.

4.8 on Amazon

9 HN comments

Permanent Record

Edward Snowden, Holter Graham, et al.

4.8 on Amazon

9 HN comments

The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy - What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny

William Strauss and Neil Howe

4.5 on Amazon

9 HN comments

Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga

Hunter S. Thompson, Scott Sowers, et al.

4.6 on Amazon

9 HN comments

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

Erik Larson, Scott Brick, et al.

4.4 on Amazon

8 HN comments

Black Rednecks and White Liberals

Thomas Sowell

4.8 on Amazon

7 HN comments

The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity

Douglas Murray

4.7 on Amazon

7 HN comments

The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War

Ben Macintyre

4.7 on Amazon

7 HN comments

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race

Margot Lee Shetterly, Robin Miles, et al.

4.6 on Amazon

6 HN comments

AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order

Kai-Fu Lee

4.5 on Amazon

6 HN comments

The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge

Carlos Castaneda

4.7 on Amazon

6 HN comments

The Feminine Mystique

Betty Friedan, Parker Posey, et al.

4.7 on Amazon

6 HN comments

The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love

bell hooks

4.8 on Amazon

6 HN comments

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Sorted by relevance

greenhatglackonJune 16, 2020

There's a lot of money to be made in "anti-racism" and "gender-science", especially in tax-heavy countries. No one ever dares to question it, and it's "good" causes that could use some of the workers income.

I'll be contrarian and recommend Thomas Sowell's "Black Rednecks and White Liberals" instead.

HelmetonOct 10, 2017

So you want an entire rundown US history post-1865? If you want a social critique of the modern liberal "Euro-Critical" conception of racism and slavery, I'll refer you to Thomas Sowell's excellent collection of essays in "Black Rednecks and White Liberals"

travmattonSep 10, 2016

Has anyone read Sowells "Black Rednecks and White Liberals"? It's on my reading list and the premise (that much of black culture is derived from Scottish highland culture) is very interesting.

travmattonOct 12, 2017

If you found that interesting, you’d probably also like “Black Rednecks and White Liberals” by Thomas Sowell.

A major theme is how major elements of ‘ghetto’ culture actually derive from the North-Britons and Scot’s these people lived near.

ghufran_syedonOct 24, 2020

I have no idea of this applies to all low-income people, but I certainly known people who would have trouble paying their rent during the year, but would later spend their tax refund on a trip to hawaii (from california) rather than save it for a rainy day. I went to university with a student who couldn't afford a $30 calculator for class, but would buy a $200 bottle of booze while on a night out for her friend's birthday.

Pretending that none of the poor have maladaptive behaviors is not helpful to them. There are also many other reasons for poverty, many of which are not under that person's control - but that makes it more important to control what you can

"Black rednecks and white liberals" by Thomas Sowell has a lot more details about cultural traits associated with persistent vs transient poverty

chrisfinneonAug 9, 2019

Thomas Sowell digs into this in his book "Black Rednecks and White Liberals"

quote from the book's Wikipedia page:

Sowell argues that the black ghetto culture, which is claimed to be "authentic black culture", is actually a highly dysfunctional white southern redneck culture which existed during the antebellum South. This culture came, in turn, from the "Cracker culture" of the North Britons and Scots-Irish who migrated from the generally lawless border regions of Britain.

m0lluskonMar 16, 2021

That is an interesting reading, but it is worth pointing out that Thomas Sowell consistently differentiates between race and culture. In particular in his book Black Rednecks and White Liberals he asserts that many black people living in the American South picked up a redneck culture that does not well serve either them or the white people they picked it up from. Culture trumps race. Anyone could embrace redneck values if they feel they should.

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