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Books like The smart aleck's guide to American history
A cheeky, laugh-out-loud crash course in the messy truths of American history designed to arm you against boring lectures. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with The smart aleck's guide to American history.
- playful
- energetic
- rebellious
- 01
America (the book)
Jon Stewart and The Writers of The Daily Show · 2004
A laugh-out-loud, mock-educational romp through the hypocrisies and absurdities of the American political system.
- 02
I Am America (And So Can You!)
Stephen Colbert
A bombastic, laugh-out-loud masterclass in political satire delivered by cable news's favorite faux-conservative blowhard.
- 03
Mr. Macky is wacky!
Dan Gutman
A delightfully absurd romp through the elementary school experience where the adults are infinitely weirder than the kids.
- 04
All-American Girl
Meg Cabot
A hilarious, hyper-verbal romp through the awkward milestones of first love, set against the absurd backdrop of the First Family.
- 05
Declaration of Independence
Ashbrook Center
An accessible, visually supported encounter with the foundational rhetoric of American government.
- 06
Assassination vacation
Sarah Vowell
A delightfully morbid and deeply nerdy road trip through the weirdest, darkest corners of American history.
- 07
Chasing Lincoln's killer
James L. Swanson
A breathless, true-crime historical thriller that plunges you into the desperate, shadowy swamps of a twelve-day national manhunt.
- 08
An American Plague
Jim Murphy
A gripping, dread-soaked descent into a historical medical nightmare that reads with the urgency of a thriller.
- 09
How to talk to girls
Alec Greven · 2008
A charmingly earnest, bite-sized guide to romance through the unfiltered, pragmatic lens of a nine-year-old boy.
- 10
Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket
A delightfully frustrating scrapbook of clues, codes, and conspiracies that invites you into a gloomy, absurd mystery.
- 11
John Adams
David McCullough
An immersive, deeply human portrait of a prickly but passionate founding father and the extraordinary marriage that anchored him.
- 12
Horseradish
Lemony Snicket
A delightfully cynical antidote to toxic positivity, offering elegant commiseration for life's inevitable disappointments.
