18 books like Shaping History

What to read after Shaping History — books similar to it, matched on shared themes.

Autobiography and Black identity politics Kenneth Mostern · 1999 · 287p · ≈ 9h · Moderate "Why has autobiography been central to African-American political speech throughout the twentieth century? What is it about the racialization process that persistently places African-Americans in the position of speaking from personal experience? In Autobiography and Black Identity Politics: Racialization in Twentieth-Century America Kenneth Mostern illustrates the relationship between narrative… Shares: Political aspects, Biography & Memoir

The Library of American Biography Jared Sparks · 1846 · 402p · ≈ 13h · Challenging This book itself comprises and also is a collection of letters by varied political and social personalities in reference with the American Revolution. These letters are also concerned with the foreign relations of United States during the whole revolution. Also, it reflects the political framing in the United States. Shares: Biography & Memoir

A history of autobiography in antiquity Georg Misch · 1950 · 364p · ≈ 12h · Moderate This is Volume IV of 9 historical works from the International Library of Sociology. This is part one of two looking at the history of the autobiography. Appearing in isolation as they do, autobiographies demand for their description and appreciation, a comprehensive view of the development of the human mind. This volume covers the conception and the origin of autobiography, looking at ancient… Shares: Biography & Memoir

Mr. Nice Howard Marks · 1996 · 468p · ≈ 15h · Moderate This candid crime memoir by Britain's most famous drug baron is "frequently hilarious, occasionally sad, and often surreal" (GQ).   During the mid-1980s Howard Marks had 43 aliases, 89 phone lines, and owned 25 companies throughout the world. From local bars to recording studios to offshore banks—all of his "businesses" were in fact money laundering vehicles serving his one true business:… Shares: Biography & Memoir

Autobiography Anderson L Staff · 2001 · 166p · ≈ 5h · Moderate Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote ''Confessions'', the first Western autobiography ever written, around AD 400. Portrait by Philippe de Champaigne, 17th century.]] Shares: Biography & Memoir

Two Sisters Gore Vidal · 1970 · ★ 4.0 · 236p · ≈ 7h · Moderate Originally published in 1970 this fairly short novel (174 pages) contains, according to the blurb on the dust jacket of the first edition, “Gore Vidal’s singular speculations on love, sex, death, literature and politics.” Shares: Biography & Memoir

Missing Persons Mary Evans · 1998 · 176p · ≈ 5h · Moderate Auto/biography is currently one of the most popular literary genres, widely supposed to illuminate the study of the individual and his or her personal circumstances. Missing Persons suggests that auto/biography is, in fact, based on fictions, both about the person and about what it is possible to know about any one individual. Organised into chapters which consider particular kinds of… Shares: Biography & Memoir

Marse Henry : An Autobiography Henry Watterson · 1919 · 325p · ≈ 10h · Challenging "Marse Henry: An Autobiography" is a fascinating memoir by Henry Watterson, a prominent American journalist, and editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal. The book details Watterson's life from his birth in Kentucky in 1840 to his rise as a prominent political figure and newspaper editor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Watterson's memoir is full of vivid anecdotes and colorful… Shares: Biography & Memoir

Money to Burn William D. Cohan · 689p · ≈ 22h · Moderate INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom the bestselling author of House of Cards and Power Failure comes the sweeping tale of a powerful and controversial financial empire, set against the turbulent backdrop of a rapidly changing Wall Street.On March 22, 2021, Leon Black, the brilliant and fearsome billionaire founder of investment firm Apollo Global Management, resigned. For more than three… Shares: Biography & Memoir

No More Tears Gardiner Harris · 2025 · ★ 4.4 · 464p · ≈ 15h · Moderate NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An explosive, deeply reported exposé of Johnson & Johnson, one of America’s oldest and most trusted pharmaceutical companies—from an award-winning investigative journalist“A damning portrait.”—Associated Press“A page-turning drama that raises life-or-death questions about the world’s largest healthcare conglomerate.”—Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of King:… Shares: Biography & Memoir

A Colossal Failure of Common Sense Lawrence G. McDonald & Patrick Robinson A Colossal Failure of Common Sense: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Lehman Brothers is a 2009 non-fiction book written by Lawrence G. McDonald and Patrick Robinson which chronicles the events surrounding the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in the context of the 2008 financial crisis and the subprime mortgage crisis. The work is divided into a prologue, an epilogue, and twelve chapters. Shares: Biography & Memoir

The Infinity Machine Sebastian Mallaby · 2026 · ★ 4.8 An Instant New York Times Bestseller • One of NPR's Best Books of the Year • Nominated for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year From one of our leading chroniclers of the intersection of innovation and capitalism, a landmark reckoning—based on unprecedented access—with one of the world’s most brilliant and driven tech visionaries, and his game-changing companyEven by the standard of a… Shares: Biography & Memoir

For the Love of Restaurants Adam Weisblatt · 170p · ≈ 5h · Moderate A playful, soup-to-nuts guide to creating a restaurant, and a love letter to those who make the struggle palatable, the resilience possible, and the journey more fun—restaurant people.There is no secret ingredient to opening a successful restaurant—in this business everything matters.It’s one thing to work in an established restaurant and a whole other beautiful challenge to turn an empty room… Shares: Biography & Memoir

Raving Fans Ken Blanchard, Sheldon Bowles & Harvey Mackay Written in the parable style of The One Minute Manager, Raving Fans uses a brilliantly simple and charming story to teach how to define a vision, learn what a customer really wants, institute effective systems, and make Raving Fan Service a constant feature--not just another program of the month.America is in the midst of a service crisis that has left a wake of disillusioned customers… Shares: Biography & Memoir

Restaurant Prosperity Formula™ David Scott Peters Drawing on his decades of experience as a restaurateur, David Scott Peters offers this specific, hands-on guidebook for independent restaurant owners. Focusing on the operational and cultural aspects of running a restaurant, Peters offers a system―the Restaurant Prosperity Formula™―that allows these businesses to not only survive but thrive in one of the world’s most competitive industries. In… Shares: Biography & Memoir

Money. Wealth. Life Insurance. Jake Thompson · 2014 · ★ 5.0 America's elite have been using cash value life insurance to stockpile wealth for centuries. Used correctly, it is better described as a personal bank on steroids, and a financial bunker for tough times.To be clear, this book is not about the typical garbage peddled by most insurance agents. Rather, an alternative to the risky investment strategies taught by Wall Street.It… Shares: Biography & Memoir

California Burning Katherine Blunt · 2022 NATIONAL BESTSELLER2022 Winner of the Golden Poppy Award for Nonfiction (California Independent Booksellers Alliance)A revelatory, urgent narrative with national implications, exploring the decline of California’s largest utility company that led to countless wildfires — including the one that destroyed the town of Paradise — and the human cost of infrastructure failurePacific Gas and… Shares: Biography & Memoir

The New Map Daniel Yergin · 577p · ≈ 19h · Moderate A Wall Street Journal besteller and a USA Today Best Book of 2020 Named Energy Writer of the Year for The New Map by the American Energy Society “A master class on how the world works.” —NPR Pulitzer Prize-winning author and global energy expert, Daniel Yergin offers a revelatory new account of how energy revolutions, climate battles, and geopolitics are mapping our future The world is being… Shares: Biography & Memoir

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