Best books … chosen by William H. Macy

This month, the Oscar-nominated actor is appearing on Broadway in David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow. This week, The Deal, a romantic comedy that Macy co-wrote and stars in, will be released on DVD.

Electric Universe by David Bodanis (Random House, $14). I’ve been on a war and technology kick lately. My wife’s sister sent me his amazing book, which I have since given to many people. It traces the history of electricity—from primitive man wondering about those flashes in the sky to computers. Believe it or not, it’s a page-turner.

The Power Makers by Maury Klein (Bloomsbury, $30). A book that impressively chronicles the birth and development of steam and electricity and how they created modern America.

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The Last Lion by William Manchester (Delta, $23 per volume). This is a two-volume biography of Winston Churchill that my wife is reading. But she reads it to me at night, so I think it counts. Manchester is such an incredible writer that I’ve started reading it aloud to her also.

American Caesar by William Manchester (Back Bay, $18) Gen. Douglas MacArthur was an amazing man and one of the most controversial figures in American military history. Manchester fully captures this captivating character as well as a fascinating time in America.

The Willow Field by William Kittredge (Knopf, $26). I easily deem this 20th-century epic Western as one of my favorites. The book chronicles the life and times of Rossie Benasco, the son of a Reno, Nev., casino boss. Rossie’s decision to leave home to become a ranch hand leads him on many life adventures.

We Pointed Them North by E.C. “Teddy Blue” Abbott (Univ. of Oklahoma, $20). This is a brilliant cowboy memoir. Abbott grew up in Nebraska and eventually settled in Montana during the late 1800s. In the 1930s, he told his stories to Helena Huntington Smith, who captured his life in print before his generation had passed.