From the pursuit of happiness to the economy – in the run-up to the election, here are some books that offer context, insight and perspectives on the US.

Steve McQueen's sprawling drama tries to shine new light on what happened, but has "many of the clichés of a traditional period piece".

How performance artist and style icon Bowery, and his fellow "outlaws and fashion renegades", birthed a bizarre creative movement – and blazed a trail of chaos.

In the 1970s, a small group of Greenpeace activists had a unique idea for how they could put an end to commercial whaling.

'It is extraordinary to be recognised as couples': In October 1989, Denmark became the first country to allow gay people to have "a kind of marriage".

Cagney Roberts, who grew up in London's Jamaican community, explores the powerful history of Patwa – and how this once-mocked language is becoming a source of pride.

"Some things persist across generations and media, and depictions of cats are one of those things. It's kind of reassuring," says Ben Weiss, a senior curator at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and co-curator of the museum's The Postcard Age exhibition.

When electricity was first rolled out in New York in the late 19th Century, sparks flew between competitors. Today, the city is attempting to complete its electric evolution.