Break Down the World’s Social History with These Insightful Books

Americans love to drink, and they always have, but do you know the history of drinking in America? In Drinking in America, Susan Cheever, a noted historian, investigates how alcohol has shaped America––for better or worse. Discover how Americans use alcohol to mark a variety of life events, both happy and sad, and how alcohol affects people, sometimes turning them into violent versions of themselves. The writing in this book is engaging, but also well-researched and reputable, making it the perfect pick for the person in your life wanting to more deeply investigate the social history of alcohol in America.

Eating utensils are one of the oldest human inventions, but did you know that tools have shaped not just how we eat, but what we eat? In Consider the Fork, food writer Bee Wilson lends her humor and grace to a detailed investigation of kitchen tools and their history. Wilson discusses well known tools, like knives and chopsticks, but she also dedicates space to some of the passing fads of the kitchen world, demonstrating that cultural trends exist in all walks of life, even the kitchen. Funny and educational, this book offers a close look at how we eat what we eat and why we eat it!

A rash of arrests in daycares across America in the 1980s opened our eyes to the abuses going on in the childcare industry. Childcare workers were accused of horrible acts of abuse, both sexual and physical, which had previously gone unnoticed by parents and social workers alike. Children confessed to being forced to kill animals, dig up dead bodies, and film videos for child pornography rings—yet none of those allegations could be proven, and ultimately, it's because these events never happened. In We Believe the Children, Richard Beck describes how hysteria is linked to specific cultural moments and how the social climate of the 1980s led to a hysteric event based on little to no evidence. If you’ve ever wondered why we inherently trust children, or find yourself fascinated with other events like the Salem Witch Trials, this might be the book for you. Delve into the human psyche through archival research, psychology, and social theory.

Ever wondered how the Industrial Revolution changed mealtimes? What we eat and how we eat reveals a great deal about who we are as a society. Some Americans yearn for the days of three hot meals, but food historian Abigail Carroll argues that Americans have never had such stable, consistent food habits in her book Three Squares. Carroll discusses how economic truths and social standards have forced Americans into thinking of food as a ritual that needs to follow a certain pattern. Tracing how we have eaten over time, this book ties history to food and shows how social context shapes our eating habits––from quick meals to snacks and everything in between.

The world is very concerned about sleep, and we spend a good deal of time, money, and scientific resources trying to determine how best to sleep. But have we always thought about sleep this way? In Wild Nights, Benjamin Reiss argues that society has changed its views on sleep, creating a problem where there once was none. Reiss describes an entire history of those who struggle with sleep, using stories from throughout history to demonstrate that sleep has always been an issue for some people. Our contemporary conception of sleep is very different from the shared bedrooms of our forefathers, but there have always been people who reported bad nights of sleep. Reiss describes sleepwalkers, midnight revolts, and more in this historical, social examination of how we sleep.