I'm looking for a political book to read

[davidpdx]

I usually read a mix of history/biographies, political and fiction (Meltzer, Koontz, Sheldon).

I need help picking one or two more books....

Next month I'm going shopping in Portland when I visit. I live overseas and can only take back so many books. So far on my list:

Book I'm going to buy
Brad Meltzer

The First Counsel
The Book of Fates
The Book of Lies

The Nine Jeffery Tobin

No Ordinary Time Doris Goodwin Kerns

List of books I may buy
The Conscience of a Liberal by Paul Krugman
The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder by Vincent Bugliosi

Books I have finished recently (in the last year)

Team of Rivals by Doris Goodwin Kerns
The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria
Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama

[CanonRay]

1. The Shock Doctrine

[dana_b]

16. finished it a month ago

and I'm still having nightmares. Great book!

[amyrose2712]

25. ++++2112 nt

[abluelady]

2. I'm Just Reading

"Renegade" by Richard Wolffe and ""Reckless by Byron Dorgan--enjoying both.

[Buzz Clik]

3. Could you increase your font size? I want to be able to read it from next door.

[hippywife]

7. Okay, I first responded to this

with a snarky message, but if I'm hoping yours isn't meant to be, then I take mine back, as well.

[Buzz Clik]

9. Nope. I was fully intending to be snarky.

[hippywife]

10. Sorry the choice of font size

hurt your sensibilities so much that you had to be nasty about it. Letting the little things go can lead to a more peaceful and peace-filled existence. :hi:

[Buzz Clik]

11. Ah, that's nice.

No problem.

[hippywife]

12. See, now...

THAT's the spirit. :rofl: ;)

[the other one]

4. People's History of the United States - Howard Zinn

[hippywife]

6. I always recommend this one.

It's one of my favorite books of all time. :hi:

[Doctor_Horrible]

19. oh yes... my favorite. but listening to matt damon read it to you is fun too. nt

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[saltpoint]

5. Consider Gore Vidal's LINCOLN, Joan Didion's DEMOCRACY,

Gabriel Garcia Marquez' ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE, and William Least Heat Moon's BLUE HIGHWAYS.

Much of America is in those books.

[Zen Democrat]

8. JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters

by Jim Douglass, hasn't left me one day since I read it a several months ago. It's like everything the American people should know and don't about the Kennedy Administration, from information the government has released that didn't get any media attention. It's heavily sourced and mind-blowing.

I think essential reading includes The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, and The Dark Side by Jane Mayer.

And as an alternative to Bugliosi's Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, I'd suggest Russ Baker's Family of Secrets for a comprehensive look at the Bush Empire crimes. There's flame-throwing in both books, but I learned a lot of incontrovertible information from the Baker book. The Bugliosi book doesn't have much we don't already know.

Since you like Doris Kearns Goodwin, as do I, I strongly recommend The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, which was a compelling read.

[Captain Hilts]

13. The Angler about Dick Cheney. And The Three Roosevelts, about the 3 R's. nt

[Bigmack]

14. Family of Secrets by Russ Baker

I've read most of the books you list above . Family of Secrets is ABSOLUTELY the BEST non-fiction book I've read in the last SEVERAL years. It's an incredibly well-researched, WELL written, REVEALING book about the ENTIRE Bush debacle - not just "W", but the whole Bush family. The REAL power structure it reveals, which has lurked for YEARS behind the facade power structure in this country, while in some ways, it will probably not totally surprise you, will in MANY ways confirm your WORST suspicions. Ms Bigmack

[Onceuponalife]

15. How about God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens

I waited two years for that book to be released to paperback.

[dana_b]

17. How about "The Family" by Jeff Sharlet??

Seems to be a hot topic right now.

I'm reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma". I had no idea there were so many uses for corn!

[waiting]

22. I second the rec for Jeff Sharlet's "The Family". Time well spent.

[rhett o rick]

18. Must read: The Authoritarians by Bob Altemeyer

Free on the internets or pay for printing at lulu.com.

[mullet fever]

20. "The People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn...

I see someone else has mentioned it. One of the things I look for in books is a telling of stories (which is what history really is) in a clear, down-to-earth, yet compelling manner. This fits the bill. And it has the sympathetic viewpoint of those impacted by European policies.

[Sequoia]

21. Nixonland

[BurtWorm]

28. I second that.

Great history! So is Before the Storm about Goldwater and the rise of wing-nuttery. Disturbing but important reading.

[Jade Fox]

23. The Chrysalis Effect: The Metamorphosis of Global Culture.....

by Philip Slater.

Slater is a truly brilliant man, and it is such a shame this book hasn't gotten more attention.

At the end of the sixties Slater wrote one of the defining books of the decade called "The Pursuit of Loneliness".
Now in his eighties, he has written an equally great book defining the larger forces behind the political era we are living through. Check it out.

[ffellini7080]

24. Anything by

William Blum or Chomsky.

[Dramarama]

27. A Michael Savage book

nuts. But reading books from both sides is a great idea imo