#AcademicRunPlaylist - 5/13/25

I had a good flight over to London (not pictured), and while traveling I listened to some books for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was "Force and Freedom" by Kellie Carter Jackson. The ideological schisms in the abolition movement are glossed over in most books - not so here. Carter Jackson dives into the genesis of the movement, the initially strong pacifist wing, and the ascendent advocation for the need for violent struggle to destroy slavery in the US. This shows in much more granularity the evolution of the thinking of some of the most central abolition individuals - the somewhat contrasting development of Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison's views was particularly insightful, and I also appreciated the examination of the different philosophical arguments around forms of resistance. Highly recommend https://www.pennpress.org/9780812224702/force-and-freedom/

Last was "The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity" by Timothy Winegard. The vast majority of this book is mostly a synthesis of other popular histories, and unfortunately goes to the well frequently with widely discredited books written by non-academics (e.g. Guns, Germs, and Steel). There is also a fairly concerning dismissal/sidelining of the genocide of indigenous people, and an anachronistic view of Western superiority is present throughout. However, the chapter dealing with "peak horse" - not reached until 1915 in the US - is not to be missed. This is such recent history and details about it are scattered across other sources, and I would highly recommend reading this chapter https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/688000/the-horse-by-timothy-c-winegard/