Books like

Books like A Civil Action

12 books with a reading profile close to A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr. Balanced in tone; a moderate read.

  1. 1 Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital

    Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital

    by Sheri Fink

    history, analytical

    Sheri Fink documents the medical crisis at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans during the five days following Hurricane Katrina.

  2. 2 The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story

    The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story

    by Nikole Hannah-Jones

    history, analytical

    The 1619 Project argues that the arrival of the White Lion privateer in the Virginia colony, carrying enslaved Africans, represents the foundational moment of the United States.

  3. 3 Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

    Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

    by Jon Krakauer

    history, analytical

    Jon Krakauer documents several sexual assault cases occurring between 2010 and 2012 in Missoula, Montana, focusing on the experiences of female students at the University of Montana.

  4. 4 Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties

    Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties

    by Tom O'Neill

    history, analytical

    Tom O’Neill spent twenty years investigating the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, uncovering discrepancies in the official prosecution narrative established by Vincent Bugliosi.

  5. 5 All the President’s Men

    All the President’s Men

    by Carl Bernstein

    history, analytical

    In 1972, a botched burglary at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex triggered an investigation by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

  6. 6 Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief

    Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief

    by Lawrence Wright

    history, analytical

    Lawrence Wright investigates the internal mechanics of the Church of Scientology, tracing its evolution from L.

  7. 7 The Right Stuff

    The Right Stuff

    by Tom Wolfe

    history, analytical

    In 1959, the United States selected seven military test pilots to become the first astronauts for Project Mercury.

  8. 8 Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation

    Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation

    by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

    history, analytical

    Kristin Kobes Du Mez traces the seventy-year evolution of American evangelicalism from a religious movement focused on internal piety into a political force defined by militant patriarchy.

  9. 9 Friday Night Lights

    Friday Night Lights

    by H.G. Bissinger

    history, analytical

    H.G.

  10. 10 King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa

    King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa

    by Adam Hochschild

    history, analytical

    Adam Hochschild details the private seizure of the Congo River basin by King Leopold II of Belgium and the subsequent industrial exploitation of the region.

  11. 11 The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World

    The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World

    by Michael Pollan

    history, analytical

    Michael Pollan argues that plants manipulate human cravings to ensure their own evolutionary success.

  12. 12 Columbine

    Columbine

    by Dave Cullen

    history, analytical

    Dave Cullen reconstructs the 1999 high school massacre by synthesizing police records, journals, and survivors' accounts.

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