A popular saying is, “If you don’t know about your culture, you are like a tree without its root.” As human beings, we all have very rich and diverse cultures. There are so many wonderful cultural history books written to understand them better.
Moreover, books are the best way to explore; only by reading them can you build a connection and be empathetic toward all kinds of cultures.
Here, I recommend 10 history books to understand cultures and hope they will help broaden your horizon and create excitement toward history.
#1 The Wonder That Was India by A. L. Basham
About the book:
Title: The Wonder That Was India
Author: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
Publisher: Sidgwick & Jackson
Pages: 578
Goodreads rating: 4.11/5
The Wonder That was India is a good gateway to studying Indian history. Many popular cultural history books discuss the British or Mughal Eras. But this book examines the country’s history from the Harappan or Indus Valley Civilization time. The book also covers the Aryan invasion theory and provides good scientific evidence about the event. It talks about the evolution of the Hindu religion and the mutual influence of Aryans on Hinduism, and the offshoots Jainism and Buddhism had on each other. This book covers everything from religion, governance, social evolution, literary traditions, philosophy, languages, and science.
Why should you read this book?
This book will not only teach you about Indian history but also show us how events are interconnected. And how different influences from many are spread throughout the many stages of India’s cultural history.
To Buy The Wonder That Was India by A. L. Basham now:
#2 Lost History by Michael Hamilton Morgan
About the book:
Title: Lost History
Author: Michael Hamilton Morgan
Publisher: National Geographic
Pages: 320
Goodreads rating: 4.10/5
This book is essential for every history enthusiast, as it talks about the early days of the Muslim world and its influence on modern society. This book introduces you to the Muslim world’s golden age and discusses the important figure. It started in 570 a.d. from the birth of Muhammad to the point when this book was published in 2007. An award-winning author and former diplomat with extensive experience in the Muslim world writes this book. This book introduces scholars like Ibn Al-Haytham, Ibn Sina, Al-Tusi, Al-Khwarizmi, and Omar Khayyam. He compares them with figures who revolutionized their time’s mathematics, astronomy, and medicine and paved the way for Newton, Copernicus, and many others. He provides new insight into Islam’s historical achievements and the ancient resentments that fuel today’s bitter conflicts.
Why should you read this book?
I included this book because it provided me with information I never got in my school, and we need to understand that when we talk about history, it just doesn’t mean our history. For everyone who lives here and in the age we live in, it’s important to have knowledge and appreciation of other cultures.
To Buy Lost History by Michael Hamilton Morgan now:
#3 Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt
About the book:
Title: Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945
Author: Tony Judt
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 933
Goodreads rating: 4.37/5
War is always the worst and very hard for the citizens. In this book, the author argues that with the end of World War II and the Holocaust, periods of ideological, political, and social extremism ceased to be relevant in Europe. He is a European historian expert. This book examines the aftermath of World war II and observes six decades of European history from the end of World War II, 1945, up to 2005. No doubt, this book is both intellectually ambitious and compelling to read, and also it provides you with details of the entire scope of European history in that period.
Why should you read this book?
This book shows how Europe managed its ups and downs after World War II. There are success and loss in their pocket; reading all these things is very engrossing.
To Buy Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt now:
#4 Precolonial Black Africa by Cheikh Anta Diop
About the book:
Title: Precolonial Black Africa
Author: Cheikh Anta Diop
Publisher: Lawrence Hill Books
Pages: 240
Goodreads rating: 4.31/5
This book compares the political and social systems of Europe and black Africa from antiquity to the formation of modern states. It demonstrates the black contribution to the development of Western civilization. There is one of the most fascinating black cultural history books. Through this book, you can find a good gateway to black history. It introduces us to Great African kingdoms such as Songhai, Mali, and Zimbabwe, evidence of African genius and that Black history does not begin with the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. It has an introduction to African history by introducing us to pre-colonized Africa, which is beautiful.
Why should you read this book?
It would be best if you read this book to have a piece of knowledge about a culture that has a huge impact on our world. This book may be a slow read, but it is worth reading as it talks about critical historical events.
To Buy Precolonial Black Africa by Cheikh Anta Diop now:
#5 The Goa Inquisition by Anant Priolkar
About the book:
Title: The Goa Inquisition
Author: Anant Priolkar
Publisher: Rajhauns Vitaran
Pages: 304
Goodreads rating: 4.47/5
The Goa Inquisition took place in 1560 and was finally abolished in 1812. Although their headquarters was in Goa, they impacted a large part of the population. This book is a depressing but essential read. It shards light on Portuguese colonialists in Goa, India, in the 16th century and details the wholesale massacres of Hindus, Muslims, and Jews by the Portuguese inquisitors. It also witnesses the darkest past of Goa and India that our history books don’t discuss in schools.
Why should you read this book?
This book is worth reading for anyone interested in the history of Goa, Portuguese colonization, and the Inquisition. In Indian history, British colonization is the most talked about, but we tend to forget about Portuguese colonization, which as an Indian, should be read.
To Buy The Goa Inquisition by Anant Priolkar now:
#6 Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
About the book:
Title: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Author: Jared Diamond
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Pages: 498
Goodreads rating: 4.04/5
In this historical non-fiction, Jared Diamond talks about the differentiating factors affecting humanity around the world since the beginning of recorded history, telling the story of why some civilizations prosper and conquer, and somehow the commonality is the guns, germs, and steel. Guns, Germs, and Steel chronicles how the modern world came to be and stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history. The author is the Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, the Rhone-Poulenc Prize, and the Commonwealth Club of California’s Gold Medal.
Why should you read this book?
This book is fascinating because it presents an eye-opening and inventive analysis that will help me see our world differently. Unquestionably, it is quite relevant today when there are an increase in gun violence and crimes overall. This book is very thought-provoking.
To Buy Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond now:
#7 The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
About the book:
Title: The Lost City of the Monkey God
Author: Douglas Preston
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Pages: 326
Goodreads rating: 3.92/5
This book is a fascinating and terrifying read, and it is a non-fiction story about pre-history and history. It teaches us lessons about our potential mortality. It starts with the lost civilization in Honduras, and slowly it gets darker with stories of deadly flora and tells how scary nature can be. What you find out is not for the faint of heart – especially because it is all true! Author Doug Preston joined a team of scientists on a groundbreaking new quest to an undiscovered city but an enigmatic, lost civilization.
Why should you read this book?
This book is very different from the cultural history books I recommended in this list. Surely one of the most interesting books on this list and worth reading. Surely a stunning medical mystery and a pioneering journey into the unknown heart of the world’s densest jungle.
To Buy The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston now:
#8 Ikigai by Hector Garcia Puigcerver
About the book:
Title: Ikigai
Author: Hector Garcia Puigcerver
Publisher: Gildan Audio and Blackstone Publishing
Pages: 150
Goodreads rating: 3.73/5
This book is very popular, and I highly recommend it inspiring and comforting. This book will give you the life-changing tools to uncover your ikigai. In Japanese culture, the people of Japan believe that everyone has an ikigai – a reason to jump out of bed each morning. This book will help you to find your purpose, nurture friendships and throw yourself into your passions. I know this is not a historical fiction or non-fiction book, but it is essential for understanding Japanese culture and an easy way to swipe into it.
Why should you read this book?
I didn’t know anything about Japanese culture; still, it was easy to read and made me realize how fascinating the Japanese are. And there is so much we can learn from them. This book can be your first step to diving into the rich Japanese cultural history.
To Buy Ikigai by Hector Garcia Puigcerver now:
#9 Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent by Pranay Lal
About the book:
Title: Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent
Author: Pranay Lal
Publisher: Penguin Random House India
Pages: 468
Goodreads rating: 4.53/5
In this book, you will find many amazing facts and discoveries—from 70-million-year-old crocodile eggs in Mumbai to the nesting ground of dinosaurs near Ahmedabad—which are a part of Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent. This book has a beautiful and rare collection of images, illustrations, and maps, starting at the very beginning when a galactic swirl of dust merged to become our life-giving planet and ending with the arrival of our ancestors on the banks of the Indus. The author tells this story with verve, transparency, and infectious enthusiasm from his deep, abiding love of nature. It has very interesting science and facts.
Why should you read this book?
This book is not just one of the cultural history books. It is an excellent guidebook to the places in India and holds evidence of its geographical history. It is beautiful, and everyone should keep it as a possession.
To Buy Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent by Pranay Lal now:
#10 Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up by Tom Phillips
About the book:
Title: Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up
Author: Tom Phillips
Publisher: Wildfire
Pages: 272
Goodreads rating: 4/5
This book talks about the most spectacular failures of the present day. We’ve come a long way in the seventy thousand years that modern human beings have walked this earth. Art, science, culture, trade – we’re real winners on the evolutionary food chain. And certainly, when we read this book, we learn a lot about ourselves, i.e., humans, and the style of writing is eminently readable and flows smoothly from one point to the next without trouble. However, whether we learn from this book or not, its illustrations are very good. It also taught us that it’s pretty safe to say that, as a species, we haven’t exactly grown wiser with age, and our learning makes us different from other species.
Why should you read this book?
I highly recommend this book as this is original non-fiction, and it appears the author has done a lot of research regarding this topic and tells us unique stories that I have not encountered in any other books previous to this.
To Buy Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up by Tom Phillips now:
Conclusion:
To summarize, among the cultural history books I mentioned above, I hope you find something to learn about different cultures worldwide. Certainly, there will be some books you like more than others.
Keep reading and keep exploring!
| 1 | The Wonder That Was India by Arthur Llewellyn Basham | Buy Now |
| 2 | Lost History by Michael Hamilton Morgan | Buy Now |
| 3 | Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt | Buy Now |
| 4 | Precolonial Black Africa by Cheikh Anta Diop | Buy Now |
| 5 | The Goa Inquisition by Anant Priolkar | Buy Now |
| 6 | Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond | Buy Now |
| 7 | The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston | Buy Now |
| 8 | Ikigai by Hector Garcia Puigcerver | Buy Now |
| 9 | Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent by Pranay Lal | Buy Now |
| 10 | Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up by Tom Phillips | Buy Now |
Read every book on this list. I am sure it won’t disappoint you.
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