Here are 100 books that The Day Wall Street Exploded fans have personally recommended if you like The Day Wall Street Exploded. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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American Midnight

By Adam Hochschild ,

Book cover of American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis

Tracy Campbell Author Of The Year of Peril: America in 1942

From my list on the contested history of democracy.

By Tracy Campbell Author

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been interested in understanding the realities of American social and political life throughout my career as a historian. I have written about the aftermath of populism, a biography of a New Dealer who went to prison for stuffing ballot boxes, the hidden history behind the Gateway Arch, and the year after Pearl Harbor. More than ever, I find that candid assessments of who we have been are necessary to understand where we are today. 

Tracy's book list on the contested history of democracy

Book cover of How Democracies Die Book cover of Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government Book cover of Four Threats Book cover of The Populist Moment: A Short History of the Agrarian Revolt in America Book cover of American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis

Tracy Campbell Why Tracy loves this book

I found Hochschild’s narrative of the aftermath of World War I in America to be especially timely and provocative. Hochschild shows that while we remember the early 1920s as one of triumph and the beginning of the “Jazz Age,” in many areas, democracy was in short supply, and the nation was on the brink of a terrifying future.

At times, this book reads like a dystopian novel, but it is all too real.

American Midnight

By Adam Hochschild ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked American Midnight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

National Bestseller • One of the year's most acclaimed works of nonfiction • A Best Book of 2022: New York Times, Washington Post, New Yorker, Chicago Tribune, Kirkus

From legendary historian Adam Hochschild, a "masterly" (New York Times) reassessment of the overlooked but startlingly resonant period between World War I and the Roaring Twenties, when the foundations of American democracy were threatened by war, pandemic, and violence fueled by battles over race, immigration, and the rights of labor

The nation was on the brink. Mobs burned Black churches to the ground. Courts threw thousands of people into prison for opinions…

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Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

The Seattle General Strike

By Robert L. Friedheim ,

Book cover of The Seattle General Strike

Adam J. Hodges Author Of World War I and Urban Order: The Local Class Politics of National Mobilization

From my list on the U.S. Red Scare of the Russian Revolution and WWI era.

By Adam J. Hodges Author

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a professor of modern U.S. history and have spent my career researching this list's fascinating era. This moment began our modern political history. The first Red Scare in the United States, erupting in the wake of World War I and the Russian Revolution, was a conflict over the definition and limits of radicalism in a modern democracy and the limits of its repression. It was also tied to other seismic questions of the era that remain relevant, including how far the fights of women and Blacks for opportunities and rights that other Americans took for granted could succeed, whether to end mass immigration, the meaning of ‘Americanism,’ the extent of civil liberties, the limits of capitalism, and the role of social movements in the republic.

Adam's book list on the U.S. Red Scare of the Russian Revolution and WWI era

Book cover of 1919, The Year of Racial Violence: How African Americans Fought Back Book cover of Red War on the Family: Sex, Gender, and Americanism in the First Red Scare Book cover of The Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of America in Its First Age of Terror Book cover of The Seattle General Strike Book cover of American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis

Adam J. Hodges Why Adam loves this book

The Seattle General Strike was the local event that escalated a national Red Scare at the beginning of 1919 and caused a wave of panic that the Russian Revolution was coming home. Friedheim is great at explaining how this extraordinary event occurred, sketching the key factions in the city, and narrating the drama of the big moments. This classic account of strikers running a city until the troops were called in, first published in 1964, is back in print in a great new edition with photos.

The Seattle General Strike

By Robert L. Friedheim ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Seattle General Strike as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"We are undertaking the most tremendous move ever made by LABOR in this country, a move which will lead-NO ONE KNOWS WHERE!" With these words echoing throughout the city, on February 6, 1919, 65,000 Seattle workers began one of the most important general strikes in US history. For six tense yet nonviolent days, the Central Labor Council negotiated with federal and local authorities on behalf of the shipyard workers whose grievances initiated the citywide walkout. Meanwhile, strikers organized to provide essential services such as delivering supplies to hospitals and markets, as well as feeding thousands at union-run dining facilities.

Robert…

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Red War on the Family

By Erica J. Ryan ,

Book cover of Red War on the Family: Sex, Gender, and Americanism in the First Red Scare

Adam J. Hodges Author Of World War I and Urban Order: The Local Class Politics of National Mobilization

From my list on the U.S. Red Scare of the Russian Revolution and WWI era.

By Adam J. Hodges Author

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a professor of modern U.S. history and have spent my career researching this list's fascinating era. This moment began our modern political history. The first Red Scare in the United States, erupting in the wake of World War I and the Russian Revolution, was a conflict over the definition and limits of radicalism in a modern democracy and the limits of its repression. It was also tied to other seismic questions of the era that remain relevant, including how far the fights of women and Blacks for opportunities and rights that other Americans took for granted could succeed, whether to end mass immigration, the meaning of ‘Americanism,’ the extent of civil liberties, the limits of capitalism, and the role of social movements in the republic.

Adam's book list on the U.S. Red Scare of the Russian Revolution and WWI era

Book cover of 1919, The Year of Racial Violence: How African Americans Fought Back Book cover of Red War on the Family: Sex, Gender, and Americanism in the First Red Scare Book cover of The Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of America in Its First Age of Terror Book cover of The Seattle General Strike Book cover of American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis

Adam J. Hodges Why Adam loves this book

The Russian Revolution upended global politics just as women’s suffrage movements, including in the United States, were doing so as well. Modern culture and its impact on gender roles and sexuality come together with panic over revolution in Ryan’s book to link anti-feminism with anti-radicalism as core to the dynamics of the Red Scare and defining ‘Americanism’ for the 1920s. Her novel insights explain how the changing identity of the American home and family escalated a conservative politics tied to anti-communism.

Red War on the Family

By Erica J. Ryan ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Red War on the Family as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the 1920s, cultural and political reactions to the Red Scare in America contributed to a marked shift in the way Americans thought about sexuality, womanhood, manhood, and family life. The Russian Revolution prompted anxious Americans sensing a threat to social order to position heterosexuality, monogamy, and the family as a bulwark against radicalism.

In her probing and engaging book, Red War on the Family, Erica Ryan traces the roots of sexual modernism and the history of antiradicalism and antifeminism. She illuminates how Americans responded to foreign and domestic threats and expressed nationalism by strengthening traditional gender and family roles-especially…

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Book cover of Memento: A Novel in Dreams, Thoughts, and Images

Memento by Cordelia Schmidt-Hellerau,

Sine, a professor of creative writing, accompanies Sam, a neuroscientist, on a conference trip to a Hotel Castle. Sam wants to present a new device, the "monitor." Sine hopes to recover from tending to her mother who just passed away. 

When they arrive, Sine is in a dream-like state. Real…

1919, The Year of Racial Violence

By David F. Krugler ,

Book cover of 1919, The Year of Racial Violence: How African Americans Fought Back

Adam J. Hodges Author Of World War I and Urban Order: The Local Class Politics of National Mobilization

From my list on the U.S. Red Scare of the Russian Revolution and WWI era.

By Adam J. Hodges Author

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a professor of modern U.S. history and have spent my career researching this list's fascinating era. This moment began our modern political history. The first Red Scare in the United States, erupting in the wake of World War I and the Russian Revolution, was a conflict over the definition and limits of radicalism in a modern democracy and the limits of its repression. It was also tied to other seismic questions of the era that remain relevant, including how far the fights of women and Blacks for opportunities and rights that other Americans took for granted could succeed, whether to end mass immigration, the meaning of ‘Americanism,’ the extent of civil liberties, the limits of capitalism, and the role of social movements in the republic.

Adam's book list on the U.S. Red Scare of the Russian Revolution and WWI era

Book cover of 1919, The Year of Racial Violence: How African Americans Fought Back Book cover of Red War on the Family: Sex, Gender, and Americanism in the First Red Scare Book cover of The Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of America in Its First Age of Terror Book cover of The Seattle General Strike Book cover of American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis

Adam J. Hodges Why Adam loves this book

We must remember that 1919 also saw unprecedented widespread bloodshed in attacks on Black communities. This wave of violence is remembered as the Red Summer not because it coincided with the Red Scare, but because the worst of it occurred in and around that summer. Krugler gives us the national saga but helpfully zooms in to some of the major clashes to help us understand why and how they occurred – and most of all – how Blacks fought back through self-defense, the Black press, and the courts.

1919, The Year of Racial Violence

By David F. Krugler ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked 1919, The Year of Racial Violence as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

1919, The Year of Racial Violence recounts African Americans' brave stand against a cascade of mob attacks in the United States after World War I. The emerging New Negro identity, which prized unflinching resistance to second-class citizenship, further inspired veterans and their fellow black citizens. In city after city - Washington, DC; Chicago; Charleston; and elsewhere - black men and women took up arms to repel mobs that used lynching, assaults, and other forms of violence to protect white supremacy; yet, authorities blamed blacks for the violence, leading to mass arrests and misleading news coverage. Refusing to yield, African Americans…

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The Collected Stories

By Grace Paley ,

Book cover of The Collected Stories

Steven Sherrill Author Of The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break

From my list on short stories to send your mind into the sublime.

By Steven Sherrill Author

Why am I passionate about this?

Most of my public success has been as a novelist. My MFA, from the Iowa Writers Workshop, is in poetry. When I grow up, I want to be a short story writer. The dirty truth is, though, I’ve been making trouble with stories since I was a kid. During my first attempt in 10th grade, I wrote a story that got me suspended for two weeks. No explanation. No guidance. Just a conference between my parents, teachers, and principal (I wasn’t present), and they came out and banished me. I dropped out of school shortly after. I reckon that experience, both shameful and delicious, shaped my life and love of narrative.

Steven's book list on short stories to send your mind into the sublime

Book cover of Red Plaid Shirt Book cover of The Collected Stories Book cover of The Voice Imitator Book cover of Friday Black Book cover of The Lottery and Other Stories

Steven Sherrill Why Steven loves this book

The complexities of the human, the whole human. That’s what Paley explores. How we think, how we act and feel, how we play and fight, how we talk. And talk. Paley is a master of nuance, and often reveals her mastery through dialogue. There is always a convincing urgency in the way her characters speak, and a delicious talking-around a thing, an idea. Her worlds richly detailed and urban. I’d like to live in the apartment building of Grace Paley’s mind. 

The Collected Stories

By Grace Paley ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Collected Stories as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This reissue of Grace Paley's classic collection—a finalist for the National Book Award—demonstrates her rich use of language as well as her extraordinary insight into and compassion for her characters, moving from the hilarious to the tragic and back again.

Whether writing about the love (and conflict) between parents and children or between husband and wife, or about the struggles of aging single mothers or disheartened political organizers to make sense of the world, she brings the same unerring ear for the rhythm of life as it is actually lived.

The Collected Stories is a 1994 National Book Award Finalist…

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The Motion Of Light In Water

By Samuel R. Delany ,

Book cover of The Motion Of Light In Water: Sex And Science Fiction Writing In The East Village

Bob Ostertag Author Of Encounters with Men

From my list on the lives of gay men.

By Bob Ostertag Author

Why am I passionate about this?

I have written books on topics ranging from climate change, to migration, to labor unions, to pianos. I covered the civil war in El Salvador in the 1980s as a journalist. But I am mostly known as a musician. I have released over 20 CDs and toured internationally for decades. I am the son of a closeted priest and have a daughter whose lesbian mother is a former lover of mine so I am drawn to well-written books about the lives of gay men that don’t fit an easy “coming out’ narrative, that are not “closeted” in dealing with sex, and that address political concerns that go beyond gay males.

Bob's book list on the lives of gay men

Book cover of Banned from California Book cover of The Sins of Jack Saul Book cover of City of Night Book cover of Close to the Knives: A Memoir of Disintegration Book cover of The Motion Of Light In Water: Sex And Science Fiction Writing In The East Village

Bob Ostertag Why Bob loves this book

My favorite gay autobiography. Humorous, explicit, and thought-provoking. Like my story, his is far from a neatly packaged “coming out” story of self-acceptance. He describes some way-out-of-bounds-for-most-people sexual adventures in detail but with no intention to shock or titillate. He is just telling stories he finds interesting, and he is a great storyteller. Not surprising, since he is a celebrated science fiction author.

Always surprising in a quirky way. Example: in the 1950s, he is at an outdoor gay cruising area at night when there is a police raid. It is only as the men flee that he grasps how many were there: hundreds. It is his first sense of being in a large gay male community, and it is empowering.

The Motion Of Light In Water

By Samuel R. Delany ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Motion Of Light In Water as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of the Hugo Award for Non-fiction
The unexpurgated edition of the award-winning autobiography

Born in New York City's black ghetto Harlem at the start of World War II, Samuel R. Delany married white poet Marilyn Hacker right out of high school. The interracial couple moved into the city's new bohemian quarter, the Lower East Side, in summer 1961. Through the decade's opening years, new art, new sexual practices, new music, and new political awareness burgeoned among the crowded streets and cheap railroad apartments. Beautifully, vividly, insightfully, Delany calls up this era of exploration and adventure as he details his…

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Book cover of Salvation in the Sun

Salvation in the Sun by Lauren Lee Merewether,

In an age of splendor, a heretic king strips Egypt bare—forcing his queen to quell rebellion and plunging his children into a conspiracy against the crown.

Salvation in the Sun follows Nefertiti as she ascends the throne beside Pharaoh Amenhotep—soon to become Akhenaten—just as he declares war on Egypt’s ancient…

This Is New York

By Miroslav Sasek ,

Book cover of This Is New York

Tania de Regil Author Of A New Home

From my list on picture books about cities.

By Tania de Regil Author

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was a young girl, I was lucky to have friends from all over the world, so learning about a new country or a new city always fascinated me, and it still does. I’m always trying to learn new things, meet new people and whenever I can I like to travel the world. As a writer and illustrator, it’s always nice to experience new things, it helps to expand my imagination. I hope this list inspires you not only to read but to learn a few things here and there.  

Tania's book list on picture books about cities

Book cover of A World of Your Own Book cover of Last Stop on Market Street Book cover of The Everywhere Bear Book cover of A Lion in Paris Book cover of This Is New York

Tania de Regil Why Tania loves this book

Anyone who is curious about other cities and cultures will love the complete series of the This Is… books by Miroslav Sasek. They are filled with exciting facts and the colorful illustrations are truly delightful. From New York, to London, to Hong Kong, and many more, these books will inspire you to travel the world!

This Is New York

By Miroslav Sasek ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked This Is New York as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With the same wit and perception that distinguished his stylish books on Paris, London, and Rome, M. Sasek pictures fabulous, big-hearted New York City in This Is New York, first published in 1960 and now updated for the 21st century. The Dutchman who bought the island of Manhattan from the Native Americnas in 1626 for twenty-four dollars' worth of handy housewares little knew that his was the biggest bargain in American history. For everything about New York is big -- the buildings, the traffic jams, the cars, the stories, the Sunday papers. Here is the Staten Island Ferry, the Statute…

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Small Admissions

By Amy Poeppel ,

Book cover of Small Admissions

Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman Author Of Girls with Bright Futures

From my list on college admissions mania.

By Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman Author

Why are we passionate about this?

When each of our older boys were in the midst of the college admissions process, our husbands suffered life-threatening health crises. It was such a bizarre coincidence that we both experienced intense brushes with mortality during this time of high anxiety. The juxtaposition between health and college admissions gave us a unique perspective and led us to explore the impacts of college admissions anxiety on families, friendships, students, and school communities. We had entirely plotted Girls With Bright Futures and were nearly through the first draft when the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal broke in March 2019. We felt like the headlines had been ripped from our manuscript!

Tracy's book list on college admissions mania

Book cover of Admission Book cover of The Gifted School Book cover of Small Admissions Book cover of Guilty Admissions: The Bribes, Favors, and Phonies Behind the College Cheating Scandal Book cover of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life

Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman Why Tracy loves this book

We read several popular novels that explore competitive school environments. One of the best in this sub-genre is Small Admissions, by Amy Poeppel, which provides a fictional glimpse into the cut-throat world of Manhattan prep school admissions and ultra-competitive parents. Poeppel crafts a fun, wicked read with sharp dialogue. We could easily imagine what would happen when the children in Small Admissions apply to college…their parents would fit in well with the characters in our book.

Small Admissions

By Amy Poeppel ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Small Admissions as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

People's Book of the Week

"The Devil Wears Prada meets Primates of Park Avenue." -The New York Times

"Perfect for fans of Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep."-Booklist

Top 6 Books You Need to Read-BuzzFeed

Best Books to Give Every Book Lover on Your List-Town and Country

One admission can change your life...forever.

When ambitious grad student Kate Pearson's handsome French "almost fiance" ditches her, she definitely does not roll with the punches, despite the best efforts of family and friends. It seems that nothing will get Kate out of pajamas and back into the world.

Miraculously, one cringe-worthy job interview leads to…

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The Gem Thief

By Sian Ann Bessey ,

Book cover of The Gem Thief

Linda Shenton Matchett Author Of Spies & Sweethearts

From my list on historical female protagonists in unusual jobs.

By Linda Shenton Matchett Author

Why am I passionate about this?

As a former Human Resources executive I’m fascinated by the history of women in the workforce, especially in jobs that have traditionally been held by men. I was first drawn into the topic as a writer of WWII novels. Through memoirs, autobiographies, and oral history interviews I learned firsthand about women who entered the workforce to take the place of men who were serving in combat or the defense industry. In an effort to spotlight the women of this era as well as those who have gone before, many of my protagonists hold unusual jobs such as spy, war correspondent, pilot, doctor, restaurant owner, and gold miner. 

Linda's book list on historical female protagonists in unusual jobs

Book cover of The Gem Thief Book cover of Mary Bridgette Book cover of The Librarian's Journey: 4 Historical Romances Book cover of A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas Book cover of The Stage Driver's Daughter: A Sweet Historical Romance

Linda Shenton Matchett Why Linda loves this book

Having worked for a jewelry designer in the Washington, DC area, The Gem Thief caught my eye. The story took me back to my days in the shop (good memories!), and the author has obviously done her research, because her accuracy is impeccable. I liked all of the characters, but I bonded with one of the secondary characters so much that I felt we could be friends in “real life.” I’ve been to New York City often, so I also enjoyed revisiting the city. The book was both comfortable because of all the associations to “past lives,” and exciting as I turned pages wondering what would happen next.

The Gem Thief

By Sian Ann Bessey ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Gem Thief as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2018 HONORABLE Mention for Romance Forward INDIES Winners Gracie Miller is a small-town girl who has landed her dream job in New York City. As jewelry designer for one of the most prestigious jewelers in the world, she completed a particularly stunning piece, a custom setting for a large pink diamond. But when her billionaire client Mrs. Katsaros comes to repair a minor issue with the setting, Gracie is horrified to realize it is not the ring she created. Someone has forged her design, and the priceless diamond is gone.

Mrs. Katsaros has no desire to bring media attention to…

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Book cover of Foxfire in the Snow

Foxfire in the Snow by J.S. Fields,

It's a time of change, between magic and alchemy.

Born the heir of a master woodcutter in a queendom defined by guilds and matrilineal inheritance, nonbinary Sorin can’t quite seem to find their place. At seventeen, an opportunity to attend an alchemical guild fair and secure an apprenticeship with the…

Tough Jews

By Rich Cohen ,

Book cover of Tough Jews: Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams

Paul M. Levitt Author Of Come with Me to Babylon

From my list on arresting gangsters.

By Paul M. Levitt Author

Why am I passionate about this?

My father came from Ukraine, and every summer took the family to stay on a farm in an immigrant community in southern New Jersey, Carmel, a community begun by the Baron de Hirsch Foundation, which settled Jews from all over Europe. Italian immigrants also settled there. I lived in a family that spoke to their siblings in three languages, Yiddish, Russian, and Ukrainian. Hence, I was privy to the loves and losses of people who felt estranged from their language and often yearned to return to their country of origin.

Paul's book list on arresting gangsters

Book cover of Tough Jews: Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams Book cover of Legs Book cover of The Godfather Book cover of Billy Bathgate Book cover of The Great Gatsby

Paul M. Levitt Why Paul loves this book

Tough Jews is a short history of Jewish-American gangsters and their Italian colleagues with whom they made common cause. It is here for the first time that we understand why Arnold Rothstein was the most important gangster in America.  Having introduced "organized" into organized crime, he promised underworld figures the help of the famous attorney William Fallon if they landed in trouble and agreed to look after their families if they got sent up the Hudson (to Sing Sing). I am struck by the fact that Cohen makes his history personal, by means of his own contacts with the people who know the inside story of how the Jewish gangsters thrived—or didn't. He sits down with them; he eats with them; and he gets them to remember how it once was in the days of Dutch Schultz, Legs Diamond, and Arnold Rothstein.

Tough Jews

By Rich Cohen ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Tough Jews as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Award-winning writer Rich Cohen excavates the real stories behind the legend of infamous criminal enforcers Murder, Inc. and contemplates the question: Where did the tough Jews go?

In 1930s Brooklyn, there lived a breed of men who now exist only in legend and in the memories of a few old-timers: Jewish gangsters, fearless thugs with nicknames like Kid Twist Reles and Pittsburgh Phil Strauss. Growing up in Brownsville, they made their way from street fights to underworld power, becoming the execution squad for a national crime syndicate. Murder Inc. did for organized crime what Henry Ford did for the automobile,…

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Book cover of American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis
Book cover of The Seattle General Strike
Book cover of Red War on the Family: Sex, Gender, and Americanism in the First Red Scare

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