I've been starting to read nonfiction, and have been learning about geography, and now I'm really curious about conflicts across the world, what caused them and how they impact society. I never enjoyed learning about war in school because almost all of it was about weapons and soldiers, but the broader context is actually interesting and useful to know. Like the war in Afghanistan, America's activities in the Middle East (and how some of that influenced and was influenced by 9/11) and the various conflicts Russia has had with European and Asian countries (like the destruction of Central Asia's Aral Sea, as an example of societal impacts).
Any recommendations on good books on this topic? They can be really specific and niche or broad
by angelic_creation
2 Comments
*The capital order* by Clara Mattei
*The Jakarta method* by Vincent Bevins
*The hundred years’ war on Palestine* by Rashid Khalidi
*Washington bullets* by Vijay Prashad
There are a couple I can think of right now. I also second the Bevins and Khalidi books someone else mentioned.
Days of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War by Annia Ciezadlo is perhaps a little different than what you expected but I think it fits. The author was a journalist living in Iraq and then Lebanon during war and violence. She writes about how the culture and traditions of food and community are affected by war.
Shadows at Dawn: A Borderlands Massacre and the Violence of History by Karl Jacoby is about the Camp Grant massacre of Apaches in Arizona. The book is presented in a way that I wish was more common. Both the lead-up and effects of the massacre are presented from the viewpoints of the four different communities involved. It’s a revelation of how messy history is. The four groups are the Apache, Tohono O’odham, Mexicans, and Anglo-Americans.