Winning Book Collector: Sarah K.

Book collection name:

America: How We Got Here, and How It’s Going

 

Brief book collection overview:

“My collection can be categorized into five main areas of interest:

• Incredibly broad discriminatory policies that have impacted how entire populations of people function (or don’t) within the United States 

• Specific voices and documents that have contributed to transformative times in the US, both functionally and atmospherically

• Infrastructure of the country; formal and informal policies that have contributed over time to how the built environment affects the lives of people living in the US

• The United States’ goals surrounding scientific and militaristic advancement, and how the achievement of those goals continue to impact the world it exists in

• Artistic interpretations and commentary of the United States, especially in the realms of federal government and politics”

 

“Quite possibly the most prized item in my entire library is A Quarter-Century of Un-Americana. What I appreciate most about this publication is two-fold. Firstly, that it is a snapshot of an incredibly interesting and disturbing period of United States history encapsulating the Red Scare, the Cold War, and the resulting House Un-American Activities Committee. And secondly, that it is a particularly unique publication illustrating the extremism of the period not in textbook-like information, but as collected and organized satire from the time.”

 

How did your collection start:

“I was born and raised in the United States of America. Barring a lucky seven months in between jobs, I’ve always lived here. I learned the elementary school version of our history, with a few more details added on every year, all the way through high school. Sometimes from those increasingly grizzlier details, but more often from learning about history outside of school – on trips with my family, through meeting people outside of the bubble I grew up in, and by seeking out media created from a variety of perspectives – I began to form a very different understanding of how the United States got to be where it is today, and how that impacts how we move into the future. I know I’m not alone in this coming-of-age realization, and furthermore, my privilege impacted the experiences that contributed to my starting point of understanding my country’s path thus far. But that’s why I started forming this category of books for my personal library.”

 

One book you’d like to add to your collection: Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880 by W.E.B. Du Bois