Scott Freeman

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books of 2006, Part One–Nonfiction

I read voraciously. I figure that I have read somewhere in the neighborhood of 150+ books this past year. Over three entries I will attempt to give you my top picks for the year.
This entry will comprise nonfiction releases. In subsequent postings I will tackle my favorite fiction and Christian themed writings.

With a couple of notable exceptions these titles were written this year.

10. Rednecks and Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music by Chris Willman–Despite the overwhelming appearance, there is broad range of political beliefs in the Nashville country music scene. Although overwhelmingly conservative, there is still a faction of progressive country artists. Willman does a thorough job of describing the entire spectrum from Toby Keith to The Dixie Chicks.

9. The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World’s Most Powerful Company Really Works–and How It’s Transforming the American Economy by Charles Fishman–This is the most balanced assessment of the impact of the world’s biggest store that I have come across. If it an informative, critical look at the behemoth.

8. Fantasyland by Sam Walker–No matter what, I can rest assured that I don’t take fantasy sports anywhere near as seriously as the guys in this behind the scenes look at the most elite fantasy baseball league in the world.

7. Nonviolence: 25 Lessons From the History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky–Kurlansky takes the historical approach to nonviolence and weaves a powerful argument for the use of nonviolent means. The authors conclusions and arguments are uneven and somewhat polemical, but it is still a useful resource in my reading.

6. American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers and the Making of a Nation by Jon Meacham–This is a well-researched look at the history of our nation and our continual commitment to religious tolerance. Our founding fathers were religious, yes. But the argument he makes is the commitment to allow people of all beliefs and backgrounds to have equal access to their faith and protection to worship. A great argument for the continued success of the separation of church and state.

5. An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography by Paul Rusesabagina–The author, inspiration for the stirring film Hotel Rwanda, tells his story of nonviolent resistance to the Rwandan massacres amidst the backdrop of the historical and cultural missteps that led to such a dark chapter in the history of man.

4. Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town by Nate Blakeslee–The criminal justice system in America is deeply flawed. No greater testament to that exists than this harrowing depiction of a small town in Texas and the corrupt lawmakers who run roughshod over lower income blacks. That prominent members of the local Church of Christ figure into such abuses of justice is most unfortunate. This is a gripping read that will leave you shocked that this sort of thing can continue to happen in America.

3. Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism by James Loewen–The author’s thesis is that in post-Civil War America and leading up to the year of my birth there was the establishment of thousands of Sundown Towns across America, towns that did not permit blacks to reside or even linger after sundown. Loewen takes this preposterous notion and backs it up with copious research and exhaustive detail. This book should be an essential part of our civil rights education.

2. The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley–The lack of preparedness, the slow response and the overall negligent mismanagement of all things Katrina will go down as one of, if not the greatest, failure our nation has ever known. Brinkley gives a detailed, harrowing account of that week. This book is not to be missed.

1. Parting The Waters, Pillar of Fire, and At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Years, 1954-68 by Taylor Branch–As you can probably guess, I spent much of this year reading about civil rights and race relations. The intent was to further explore the deep recesses of my own heart and deal, ever so painfully, with my own prejudices and hatreds. Nothing was more informative and telling than Branch’s masterful trilogy that recaptures those tumultuous years of the Dr. King era. These books are voluminous and engrossing. I read each of them and emerged changed. I realized more of the legacy of hatred that runs rampant in our society. This work is one of the most important things I have ever read. Do yourself a favor and read this opus.

Any thoughts on these works? What were your favorite nonfiction reads of the year?