Saul Friedlander, Nazi Germany and the Jews (HarperCollins, 1997–2007)

Friedlander's book features individual stories of the victims so that their humanity does not disappear in the welter of big numbers. He successfully conveys the experience of the Holocaust in addition to its history.

Tom Segev, One Palestine, Complete (Henry Holt, 2001)

Segev tells the story of Mandatory Palestine from the viewpoints of Jews, Arabs, and the British, thus unsettling what is often a one- sided account. His contrarian arguments provide an effective springboard for class discussions of other points of view.

Benedict Spinoza, Theological-Political Treatise (Hackett, 2001 [1670])

Spinoza's radical, secular philosophy challenges students to think about the big questions and stretches their minds in unexpected ways. A perennial favorite!