A Renegade History of the United States

Why it’s on the list: Thaddeus Russell argues that American freedoms were won less by reformers than by the people respectable society disapproved of — prostitutes, drunks, slaves who refused to work, immigrants who would not assimilate. A deliberately contrarian social history, useful mainly as a counterweight.

Where I heard about it

• Replies to @typesfast — named in the replies to his question “What’s the best history book you’ve read?”, June 2025, where the reply also credited the author by handle. The full list from that thread lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet).

Connections

• What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.