Some recommendations:

1493 by Charles C. Mann - this sequel to the popular “1491” is about the Columbian Exchange and its impacts on the world. It focuses on things like mosquitos and malaria, potatoes, and Chinese pirates.

American Comics by Jeremy Dauber - a nice read about the history of comics in America. It looks at 20th century American history through the lens of comic books and talks about the themes that developed. Doesn’t focus on superheroes but includes them.

Hiroshima by John Hersey - this is a short read that premiered in the New Yorker right after the nuclear bombs were dropped. It follows the stories of three people right before, during, and after the bombs dropped.

The Broken Spears - this is a book of primary sources from the fall of the Aztec Empire written by its people. We rarely get to read this from their perspective and it gives a lot of extra details. It also goes into what their culture was like.

The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston - not exactly a history book, but the author and a team of scientists trace a historical legend into the jungles of Honduras.

The River of Doubt by Candace Millard - this traces Theodoore Roosevelt’s journey through an unexplored part of the Amazon. Probably the most interesting thing a president has ever done.

Anything by Tony Horwitz, but I’ll go with Blue Latitudes. He is a journalist with a series of books involving him following historical paths on his travels and seeing their legacy. He also gives history of the areas. This one follows Captain Cook’s journeys, so the author revisits his travel path as according to his diary, says what Cook experienced and what the area was like at the time, and compares it to now. The author has a similar book for the exploration of the New World and a couple based on the Civil War.

Does anyone have any recommendations for books that give a general overview of the 80s in America?