Out of Our Past: The Forces That Shaped Modern America

Out of Our Past is essentially a textbook history of modern America, but Carl Degler (1921-2014) structures it in an original way. Instead of following a standard chronological outline, Degler dives deep into particular subjects of modern relevance — e.g., the structure of the American family, the legacy of slavery, and the evolution of American capitalism. Degler doesn’t always draw as much insight out of his chapters as one would like (and his survey is now quite dated, both in its information and its outlook) but this is an interesting and idiosyncratic history of the United States.