What are the books that you can suggest that really captured the most accurate of the Jews in general?

I recently came across a documentary on Youtube about the Hasidic Jews and I think I fell into a rabbit hole. I feel like I want to know everything about them. I remember being so confused when someone says “Jew” and thinking, Is this a race? Religion? How will you identify if someone is a Jew? Is Torah the same as the Bible? Why do some comments have “G-d” in them instead of God?

This past week, I’ve been watching a lot of videos about them and I fell in love with their beautiful teachings, culture, and way of life. I mean sure, there are some somewhat extreme traditions there but so are other groups of people or religions. The Jews were exiled in countries for centuries and managed to survive, they are a strong and resilient community.

I know there are a lot of Jewish sects and want to know a lot. With this, I’d like to get suggestions for starter books on their history, traditions, culture, and teachings. Thank you in advance!