A list of political books that I have been known to recommend to others. All books are listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name and are cited with ISBNs for easy linking and in CMS (Chicago Manual of Style) format. Because that’s how I roll.
Archer, Jeffrey. First Among Equals. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1984. ISBN 0-312-99712-4 (Fictional, but based on actual people and events and a good introduction to the parliamentary system, and also my personal favorite novel.)
Avlon, John. Independent Nation: How Centrism Can Change American Politics. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2004. ISBN 1-4000-5024-3
Avlon, John. Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe Is Hijacking America. New York: Beast Books, 2010. ISBN 978-0-9842951-1-1
Borovoy, A. Alan. Uncivil Obedience: The Tactics and Tales of a Democratic Agitator. Toronto: Lester Publishing, 1991. ISBN 1-895555-08-6
Brock, David. Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002. ISBN 1-4000-4728-5
Bruce, Tammy. The New Thought Police: Inside the Left’s Assault on Free Speech and Free Minds. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2003. ISBN 976-0-7615-6373-0
Coburn, Tom. The Debt Bomb: A Bold Plan to Stop Washington from Bankrupting America. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012. ISBN 978-1-59555-467-3
Conrad, Jessamyn. What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don’t: A Nonpartisan Guide to the Issues. New York: Arcade Publishing, 2008. ISBN 1-55970-883-2
Conroy, Scott, and Shushannah Walshe. Sarah from Alaska: The Sudden Rise and Brutal Education of a New Conservative Superstar. New York: PublicAffairs, 2009. ISBN 978-1-58648-788-1
D’Souza, Dinesh. Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus. New York: The Free Press, 1991. ISBN 978-0-68486-384-9
Fineman, Howard. The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country. New York: Random House, 2009. ISBN 978-0-8129-7635-9
Franken, Al. Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. New York: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-452-28521-6
Friedman, Thomas, and Michael Mandelbaum. That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. ISBN 978-0-374-28890-7
Frum, David. Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again. New York: Broadway Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-7679-2032-2
Gelb, Leslie. Power Rules: How Common Sense Can Rescue American Foreign Policy. New York: Harper Perennial, 2009. ISBN 978-0-06-171456-6
Goebel, Nicholas. Write That Down: Lessons on American Government and Politics One Quote at a Time (Volume 1). Self-published, 2011. ISBN 978-1-46-642817-1
Halperin, Mark. Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime. New York: Harper Perennial, 2010. ISBN 978-0-06-173364-2
Hoover, Margaret. American Individualism: How a New Generation of Conservatives Can Save the Republican Party. New York: Crown, 2011. ISBN 978-0-307-71815-0
Kay, Jonathan. Among the Truthers: A Journey Through America’s Growing Conspiracist Underground. New York: HarperCollins, 2011. ISBN 978-0-06-200481-9
Killian, Linda J. The Swing Vote: The Untapped Power of Independents. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0-312-58177-0
Larner, Jesse. Forgive Us Our Spins: Michael Moore and the Future of the Left. New Jersey: Wiley, 2006. ISBN 978-0-471-79306-9
May, Elizabeth. Losing Confidence: Power, Politics, and the Crisis in Canadian Democracy. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2009. ISBN 978-0-7710-5760-1
Morris, Dick. Power Plays: Win or Lose – How History’s Great Political Leaders Play the Game. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. ISBN 0-06-000443-6
Moyo, Dambisa. Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2009. ISBN 978-0-374-53212-3
O’Hanlon, Michael. The Wounded Giant: America’s Armed Forces in an Age of Austerity. New York: The Penguin Press, 2011. ISBN 978-1-101-156469-1
Parini, Jay. Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America. New York: Anchor Books, 2010. ISBN 978-0-307-38618-2
Pielke Jr., Roger. The Climate Fix: What Scientists and Politicians Won’t Tell You About Global Warming. New York: Basic Books, 2010. ISBN 978-0-465-02052-2
Ragone, Nick. Presidential Leadership: 15 Decisions That Changed the Nation. Amherst: Prometheus Books, 2011. ISBN 978-1-616-14237-7
Rotbart, Nelli. Out of the Fire: A Holocaust Memoir. Winnipeg: Self-published, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9784578-0-8 (This is my grandmother’s book, which is not widely available in stores. Message me for more information; my e-mail address is on the About Jess page.)
Rubenstein, Richard E. Reasons to Kill: Why Americans Choose War. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2010. ISBN 978-1-60-819026-3
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York: Harper Perennial, 2005. ISBN 0-06-093845-5 (Recommended here for being an excellent introduction to agriculture policy and small business advocacy.)
Sperling, Gene. The Pro-Growth Progressive: An Economic Strategy for Shared Prosperity. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005. ISBN 0-7432-3753-6
Thomas, Cal, and Bob Beckel. Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That Is Destroying America. New York: HarperCollins, 2007. ISBN 978-0-06-123635-8
van Creveld, Martin. The Land of Blood and Honey: The Rise of Modern Israel. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-312-59678-1
Williams, Juan. Muzzled: The Assault on Honest Debate. New York: Crown Publishers, 2011. ISBN 978-0-307-95201-1
Young, Cathy. Ceasefire! Why Women and Men Must Join Forces to Achieve True Equality. New York: The Free Press, 1999. ISBN 0-684-83442-1
