You could probably do Selected Essays of Gore Vidal to start but United States: Essays 1952-1992, The Last Empire: Essays 1992-2000, Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace: How We Got to Be So Hated… all bangers. You will learn a lot and be delighted, stunned, and awed as you read
Nov 26, 2024

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I love essays! I also collect the Best American Essays Anthology. It is a yearly release with a new guest editor every year. Amazing way to hear so many new voices you may never have heard. Also check out all of the other ā€œbest Americanā€ collections as well!
Feb 2, 2025
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there are some books out there that try to do a good job of giving an over of everything. Bill Bryson’s SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING comes to mind. I’ve heard lots of people enjoy SAPIENS by Yuval Noah Harari too. However, I’d be more inclined to go in a different direction and read essay collections by a few prominent writers. I’d start with Christopher Hitchen’s LOVE, POVERTY AND WAR. Which covers a wide range of topics from war and politics to social commentary and art. Whilst I don’t agree with all his opinions, he is a great writer and draws in allusions from a broad range of domains. if nothing else, it will at least spark curiosity and further research. I’m also very fond of the VERY SHORT INTRODUCTIONS series from the OUP which mostly do a good job of providing a broad overview a wide range of topics. I often see some in second hand book stores: https://global.oup.com/academic/content/series/v/very-short-introductions-vsi/?type=listing&lang=en&cc=us
Feb 1, 2025
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The 90s and what if we’re wrong are like easy reads general knowledge learn a bit about everything When we cease to understand the world touches on four major discoveries kind of you learn a lot about a couple of things The next American essay is a good collection / anthology of mostly non fiction I believe but I’m not positive Non fiction like essay memoir type stuff I like NB (nightmare brunette) by charlotte shane The Richard hell memoir
Jul 5, 2024

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ā€œLife shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.ā€ — AnaĆÆs Nin This is uncharacteristically raw and personal, even for me, and pretty heavy! I know many of you have seen me posting through it and I feel safe to talk about it openly now that I’ve safely landed at the start of my new life. It’s honestly even a little bit embarrassing but I think it’s important to share. I’ve never publicly mentioned it on here, but I have a husband; as of Friday, we’d have been together for 11 years, and we’ve been married for 3 years as of 2/22. I realize now that I wanted to explore what I looked like outside of my relationship with him because I had lost that. This is why PI.FYI has been so meaningful to me as a space to express myself and connect with people—to rediscover my voice. I had been living a lie this entire time, to others but worst of all to myself. He’s been verbally and emotionally abusive, physically but without touching me, to the point that every day I spent with him I was in danger. I’ve been shrinking myself and walking on eggshells to avoid making him insecure and provoking his casual put-downs and fits of rage, while hanging on for dear life to the threads of good I could see. I’ve wanted so badly to leave, more than anything, but I felt like there was no way out and that this was just something I would need to endure indefinitely—but someone who is so very dear to me helped me see that I have wings to fly, not by acting as my savior but by reminding me of my own power. The emotional safety they built and the gentle care they showed me made me feel like I could open up to them. With their encouragement I was brave enough to tell the truth to my friends, my family, my boss, and they have received me with warm, loving and open arms and rallied to support and protect me. The financial andĀ  logistical aspects were the most intimidating to me and it’s going to be tough for a while but I’m going to be better than okay! Now I’m opening up to you. This isn’t the only abuse I’ve suffered in my life, and my old therapist told me she believed it was my mission to share my strength and light with others to inspire them and show them that change is possible. I hope that by sharing this, I can reach even just one person who is going through something similar and show that they are not alone, and they are not weak. People with certain backgrounds may be more vulnerable to abuse, but it can happen to anyone. It thrives in darkness, shame, and isolation—and breaking that silence is the first step toward freedom. Leaving is the scariest thing I have ever done but I have so many angels around me, and I am endlessly grateful. Thank you for being here with me šŸ’Œ
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My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebody—be it a relative or one of my best friends—was to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too šŸ’Œ
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Schedule sent my resignation email for the morning, effective immediately āœ…šŸ’…
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