Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always been fascinated by the stories of outsiders. Iā€™m probably attracted to the topic because I come from a couple of misfits who reared me in a small town in the deeply conservative South. My mom is an irreverent, Socialist, Croatian immigrant with half a dozen kids, and my dad a curmudgeonly polyglot who loves books more than people. First as a journalist, then as a historian, Iā€™ve long studied the economies and cultures created by those systematically marginalized or merely with a healthy disdain for the mainstreamā€”enslaved people, queers, disenfranchised women, downtrodden artists, poor immigrants. The books here all capture things that make our society beautifully textured, diverse, and resilient. 


I wrote

From Goodwill to Grunge: A History of Secondhand Styles and Alternative Economies

By Jennifer Le Zotte,

Book cover of From Goodwill to Grunge: A History of Secondhand Styles and Alternative Economies

What is my book about?

Thrift stores, flea markets, and garage sales are subcultures of capitalism. They are nimble forms of commerce, filling in spacesā€¦

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake

Jennifer Le Zotte Why did I love this book?

This is a biography of familial resilience, both personal and national. I love this book because it remedies one of modern history's most deafening archival silences by giving enslaved Black women a voice.

Deftly, Tiya Miles paints a portrait of revolutionary generational love using a plain cotton bag. Ashleyā€™s mother, Rose, gave her this sack right before Ashley was sold away from her in 1850s South Carolina. An African-American legacy of strength and creativity is literally embroidered on this sack by subsequent generations, serving as an archive of Black womenā€™s experiences.

After reading this book, visit the artifact itself at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in D.C. to drive home all the feelings.

By Tiya Miles,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked All That She Carried as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * WINNER OF THE CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE

'A remarkable book' - Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times
'A brilliant exercise in historical excavation and recovery' - Annette Gordon-Reed, author of The Hemingses of Monticello
'A history told with brilliance and tenderness and fearlessness' - Jill Lepore, author of These Truths: A History of the United States

In 1850s South Carolina, Rose, an enslaved woman, faced a crisis: the imminent sale of her daughter Ashley. Thinking quickly, she packed a cotton bag with a few items. Soon after, the nine-year-old girl wasā€¦


Book cover of Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940

Jennifer Le Zotte Why did I love this book?

This book taught me that there are always sources for determined historians to find on any topic. Like most good stories about subcultures, It reveals the influence of the marginalized on the mainstream, even when itā€™s been hidden from history.

Chauncey explodes the false perception that gay men before the 1960s did not share a common culture but were closeted and isolated from each other. I love his humanizing use of unpublished personal sources like diaries. He also reveals how the pathologizing of homosexuality by medical professionals accidentally supported the creation of vibrant gay communities.

Rarely have I learned so much from such an engaging book. This is my favorite history book of all time.

By George Chauncey,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Gay New York as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The award-winning, field-defining history of gay life in New York City in the early to mid-20th century

Gay New York brilliantly shatters the myth that before the 1960s gay life existed only in the closet, where gay men were isolated, invisible, and self-hating. Drawing on a rich trove of diaries, legal records, and other unpublished documents, George Chauncey constructs a fascinating portrait of a vibrant, cohesive gay world that is not supposed to have existed. Called "monumental" (Washington Post), "unassailable" (Boston Globe), "brilliant" (The Nation), and "a first-rate book of history" (The New York Times), Gay New Yorkforever changed howā€¦


Ad

Book cover of She Who Comes Forth

She Who Comes Forth by Audrey Driscoll,

October 1962. Recently turned 21, France Leighton travels to Luxor, Egypt, taking with her two legaciesā€”an antique cello and an emerald ring. Instead of the archaeological adventure she expects, she gets a lecherous dig director, hidden agendas, and an enigmatic nuclear physicist.

After a risky balloon cruise ends in aā€¦

Book cover of Scars of Sweet Paradise: The Life and Times of Janis Joplin

Jennifer Le Zotte Why did I love this book?

Thanks to this book, I know that a great biography can also serve as a penetrating lens into an era. Yes, this is a book about Janis Joplin, but I do not value it because I care particularly much about the tragic specifics of her life, as much as I respect her music.

I love this book because it serves as a deep dive into the links between the often tritely-considered 1960s triumvirate: sex, drugs, and rock ā€˜nā€™ roll. Echols does not lightly throw around the word ā€œcountercultureā€ā€”thatā€™s a big pet peeve of mineā€”but takes the reader on a tour of the making of a clear and specific cultural divide thatā€™s still very much with us today.

No mistake, though; it is also an empathetic tale of a sensitive and era-defining musician.

By Alice Echoes,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Scars of Sweet Paradise as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The undisputed queen of sex, drugs and rock n' roll was also the voice of a generation who, when she overdosed on heroin at the age of twenty-seven in October 1970; became the posthumous icon of bad girl femininity for millions around the world.
Drawing on hundreds of interviews Echols renders Joplin in all her complexity, revealing how this sweet-voiced girl from Texas recreated herself, first as a gravely-voiced bluesy folksinger, and then as rock n' roll's first female superstar. Echols examines the roots of her musicianship and her efforts to probe the outer limits of life; declaring herself theā€¦


Book cover of Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style, and the Global Politics of Soul

Jennifer Le Zotte Why did I love this book?

This book shows how fashion can be a powerful political tool and how subcultures can effectively fight back against oppression. From the civil rights movement to anti-apartheid activism in the 1980s, Black women all over the world used elements of ā€œsoul styleā€ to physically defend themselves and advocate for equality. Along the way, they forged a universal identity that helped create solidarity and refute ideologies of racial inferiority.

I personally value how Fordā€™s insight into the expressive power of fashion has cleared a sartorial path for cultural historians working in all areas. I also deeply admire her clear and captivating storytelling chops, which make this book feel perpetually relevant.

By Tanisha C. Ford,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Liberated Threads as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the civil rights and Black Power era of the 1960s through antiapartheid activism in the 1980s and beyond, black women have used their clothing, hair, and style not simply as a fashion statement but as a powerful tool of resistance. Whether using stiletto heels as weapons to protect against police attacks or incorporating African-themed designs into everyday wear, these fashion-forward women celebrated their identities and pushed for equality.

In this thought-provoking book, Tanisha C. Ford explores how and why black women in places as far-flung as New York City, Atlanta, London, and Johannesburg incorporated style and beauty culture intoā€¦


Ad

Book cover of Native Nations: A Millennium in North America

Native Nations by Kathleen DuVal,

A magisterial history of Indigenous North America that places the power of Native nations at its center, telling their story from the rise of ancient cities more than a thousand years ago to fights for sovereignty that continue today

Book cover of Just Kids

Jennifer Le Zotte Why did I love this book?

I consumed this book like a favorite meal after a fast. Patti Smith writes about the creative and destructive demimonde of the 1960s and 1970s in New York City from an insiderā€™s perspective and with a unique poetic flair. This autographical account of the art and music (and drug) scene surrounding the iconic Chelsea Hotel is both keenly insightful and achingly personal.

Peppered with unavoidable historical depth about gender and sexuality, Just Kids reveals the glory and misery of creative pursuit in a changing urban context. Smith brings the same lyrical passion to the book that sheā€™s bestowed upon her impressive body of musical, visual, and poetic work. Let the words fall over you like a favorite record turned up to ten.

By Patti Smith,

Why should I read it?

16 authors picked Just Kids as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

ā€œReading rocker Smithā€™s account of her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, itā€™s hard not to believe in fate. How else to explain the chance encounter that threw them together, allowing both to blossom? Quirky and spellbinding.ā€ -- People

It was the summer Coltrane died, the summer of love and riots, and the summer when a chance encounter in Brooklyn led two young people on a path of art, devotion, and initiation.

Patti Smith would evolve as a poet and performer, and Robert Mapplethorpe would direct his highly provocative style toward photography. Bound in innocenceā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

From Goodwill to Grunge: A History of Secondhand Styles and Alternative Economies

By Jennifer Le Zotte,

Book cover of From Goodwill to Grunge: A History of Secondhand Styles and Alternative Economies

What is my book about?

Thrift stores, flea markets, and garage sales are subcultures of capitalism. They are nimble forms of commerce, filling in spaces left by changes in firsthand sales. Like most subcultures, theyā€™re not always popular with everyone. Once, getting clocked wearing secondhand meant social death in many circles. 

Early in the twentieth century, the germ theory, class anxiety, and antisemitism stigmatized used clothes. But by the 1990s, when Kurt Cobain reigned the airwaves, dressing in visibly used and outdated rags conveyed a kind of hip cultural cachet. Meet the surrealist artists, Broadway singers, feminists, queer performers, Beat poets, war protesters, rock stars, gay activists, and Christian missionaries who made high-end vintage and boho chic what it is today. 

Book cover of All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake
Book cover of Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940
Book cover of Scars of Sweet Paradise: The Life and Times of Janis Joplin

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

2,007

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

šŸ“š You might also likeā€¦

Book cover of Adultish: The Body Image Book for Life

Adultish by Charlotte Markey,

Discover the ultimate guide to taking on adulthood with body confidence. In a world where body satisfaction plummets during adolescence, and a global pandemic and social media frenzy have created extra pressure, Adultish: The Body Image Book for Life is a survival kit for young adults. This all-inclusive book providesā€¦

Book cover of Eclipse Chasers

Eclipse Chasers by Nick Lomb,

Forthcoming eclipses coming up in Australia include that of 22 July 2028, which will cross Australia from the Northern Territory to Sydney, home of the internationally famous sights of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Eclipse Chasers will act as a guidebook for both locals and international visitors, givingā€¦

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in gay men, rock music, and slaves?

Gay Men 140 books
Rock Music 249 books
Slaves 106 books