Books like The good old days--they were terrible! by Otto Bettmann

In post‑war New York, Newland Archer faces a dilemma when his fiancée’s cousin, the rebellious Ellen Olenska, challenges his elite society’s expectations and his own loyalty.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks follows the story of Henrietta Lacks, a poor black tobacco farmer whose cancer cells were taken in 1951 without her consent and later became the first immortal human cell line, HeLa, driving major scientific breakthroughs while raising questions of ethics, race, and medical exploitation.

Jared Diamond analyses why great civilizations collapse, linking environmental misuse, climate change, population pressures, and trade instability as common causes, and offering lessons from societies that survived.

A comprehensive history of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, detailing the rise of Adolf Hitler and the collapse of the Third Reich during World War II.

Genuine accounts of a Jewish Haggadah’s journey from its origins to a 1990s discovery in Sarajevo, blending history and the preservation of manuscripts, as told by Geraldine Brooks.

Pierre Van Paassen was in Palestine and provides a graphic account of the 1929 pogrom against the Jews of Hebron in his book Days of Our Years. Van Paasen shows that the Mufti of Jerusalem was behind the riots and slaughter and accuses the British administration of aiding and abetting the Mufti. - Amazon.com I found this perhaps, the most stimulating and challenging roving journalist's story since Vincent Sheean's. Not as easy reading, not as adventurous as some, but cutting deeper into the facts behind what he saw and felt and reported. A commentary on the world today, and what brought it about. Dutch, trained in a hard Calvinist school and destined for the ministry, journalism was more or less an accident, and a fortunate one for those who have followed him. His work -- and interests -- took him far from beaten tracks. He has had opportunities -- and made the most of them -- in interviewing the men who have moved the chessmen of Europe's board. His is not a conventional reporting. He veers sharply from accepted positions, and in this book, reveals some pretty sensational things. Controversial, undoubtedly -- the explanation of the women and children of the Alcazar will cause fur to fly; the inside picture of actual conditions in Ethiopia; the revelations from Italy, Germany, France, England show plenty of clay-footed idols. Read for yourselves. And be sure, the book will sell. - Kirkus Review.

"Bestselling author of A Treasury of Royal Scandals Michael Farquhar uncovers an instance of bad luck, epic misfortune, and unadulterated mayhem tied to every day of the year in this engrossing compendium of history's worst moments. From Caligula's blood-soaked end to hotelier Steve Wynn's unfortunate run-in with a priceless Picasso, Bad Days in History delves into the past to present 365 delightfully told tales of historically bad days. Michael Farquhar's cleverly written entries draw from the full sweep of history to take readers through a complete year of misery, including tales of lost fortunes (like the would-be Apple investor who pulled out in 1977 and missed out on a $30 billion-dollar windfall), romance gone wrong (like the 16th-century Shah who experimented with an early form of Viagra with empire-changing results), and truly bizarre moments (like the Great Molasses Flood of 1919). Catchy headlines draw readers into each entry and 100 photographs and illustrations illuminate particularly memorable bad days including the hopeful debut ads for the Ford Edsel, the special one-finger salute Korean POW's designated for their unwitting captors, and the campaign photo that literally tanked Michael Dukakis's presidential campaign. Bad Days in History delivers true tales of these days and many more in a fascinating volume that is perfect for history lovers, trivia buffs, and anyone who thinks they might be having a historically bad day. Trust us, it gets worse"--