#AcademicRunPlaylist - 8/26/25

I somehow managed to mostly avoid jet lag, and while driving the family to an end of summer getaway I listened to some talks and books for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was a fantastic conversation with Howard French on Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Africa's place in global politics at the dawn of decolonization at the Kansas City Public Library. Can't wait to read French's new book on this! Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIVBHfhIMLc

Next was "A History of Judaism" by Martin Goodman. Goodman does impressive work here, running through more than 3000 years of Jewish history by combining readings from religious and historic texts, archaeological research, and more recent archives. I was surprised by the recency of some traditions and religious practices, as well as what Judaism has borrowed/adapted from Islam (head coverings outside synagogue) and Protestantism (sermons), but I would've liked more detail on the 1500-1900 period, as well as a bit more historical context for the different periods. Still, this is a great history of the Jewish religion and the Jewish people more broadly. Highly recommend https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691197104/a-history-of-judaism

Last was "A New History of India" by Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Shobita Punja, and Toby Sinclair. This book is a decent, standard history of India - no earth-shattering revelations but covers the basics. However for its length it's overly broad - the first chapter is about the geology of the subcontinent, literally spending pages on Pangea, as an example. Still, if you want an intro to Indian history and this book is at your local library it's worth picking up https://www.alephbookcompany.com/book/a-new-history-of-india-from-its-origins-to-the-twenty-first-century/