Jon Ronson: my five best books about the culture wars
The culture wars form the subject of his new eight-part series
The journalist, author and filmmaker picks his five best books about the culture wars, which form the subject of his new eight-part series, Things Fell Apart, available now on BBC Sounds and Radio 4.
Crazy for God by Frank Schaeffer (2007)
One of the pleasures of making Things Fell Apart were long walks listening out for buried treasure in audiobook memoirs. This extraordinary life story gave me episode one. A boy in an alpine evangelical commune, dreaming of making avant-garde movies, inadvertently kickstarts a campaign of murders in the 1990s.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Da Capo Press £11.95
A War for the Soul of America by Andrew Hartman (2015)
In his exhaustive culture wars history, Hartman includes fascinating conflicts I couldn’t fit in – like Piss Christ, an artwork of a crucifix dipped in urine that caused wild ructions in the 1980s but is now largely forgotten, as many of the conflicts that overwhelm us today will surely soon be.
University of Chicago Press £17; The Week Bookshop £13.99
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Black, White and Jewish by Rebecca Walker (2000)
Walker’s father was a Jewish lawyer; her mother was Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple. Her beautiful memoir tells how, after their split, her childhood was spent moving “between universes that never overlap”. The experience inspired her to invent a new movement – third-wave feminism – in the 1990s.
Out of print
I Will Survive… and You Will Too! by Tammy Faye Messner (2003)
Tammy Faye Bakker was an ostentatious 1980s televangelist. While undeniably fraud-adjacent – her husband Jim was imprisoned for misusing viewer donations – Tammy was a wonderful oasis of curiosity among her deeply homophobic peers.
Tarcher £10.99
N***** by Dick Gregory (1964).
Dick Gregory was a hugely successful comedian before he quit it all for civil rights activism in the 1960s. His memoir does not asterisk the n-word. It’s spelt out. As a result, it was banned by Christian conservatives in the 1970s. And now it has been banned again – this time by progressives on college campuses. Illiberalism mutates.
Plume £13.99
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA Draft
Speed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 16, 2024
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - sleepyhead, little people, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 serene homes in Vermont
Features Featuring a four-level Shaker barn in Hartland and a Scandinavian-inspired home in Stowe
By The Week US Published
-
Amanda Montell's 6 favorite books that will expand your knowledge
Feature The linguist recommends works by Mary Roach, Alice Carrière, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Rowan Beaird recommends 6 compelling books from the 1950s
Feature The author recommends works by Patricia Highsmith, Shirley Jackson, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 spacious homes with great rec rooms
Feature Featuring a suspended fireplace in Arizona and a marine-themed home in Maine
By The Week Published
-
Recipe: gnocchi di spinaci (spinach gnocchi)
The Week Recommends Forget the potatoes for this gnocchi made of the 'classic combination' of spinach and ricotta
By The Week UK Published
-
Stephen Graham Jones' 6 scary books with deeper meanings
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Stephen King, Sara Gran, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 stylish homes on the top floor
Feature Featuring a 1925 art deco high-rise in San Francisco and a factory-turned-home in Los Angeles
By The Week US Published
-
The Anxious Generation: US psychologist Jonathan Haidt's 'urgent and essential' new book
The Week Recommends Haidt calls out 'the Great Rewiring of Childhood' phenomenon
By The Week UK Published