I don't know if this will be of use to anyone. But if you read books, or want to know more, or be able to defend your views with facts, or figure out yore life and how to make it better, here's a list of books, all of which have something to do with politics, policies and issues.
I include the name of the publisher (usually the hardback version but cheaper trade – softcover – versions are often available), but with the title and author(s) name alone you can get them through you local inter-library loan system, or buy them at your local bookstore or, if they're not new, on-line at Powells.com or other outlets.
I try to give you information of the useful sort:
Whether the book is a tough read, best left to people who read a lot of political books, or something accessible to those who rarely or only occasionally read a non-fiction book.
The topic (if not clear from the title), the approach the author(s) take, and if I think it's worth reading.
In a few places I mention how much I did or did not "highlight" while reading a book – I do this inconsistently so if the phrase is missing from the review don't give that much weight. This refers to my habit of drawing colored lines down the margins beside a sentence, paragraph, entire page or more. I do this when encountering particularly useful, insightful, or well-reasoned text, or important data.
The books are not in any order. Some were published in the last few months, and some were published, say, seven or eight years ago. Older books that aren't useful are not included. A handful of older books that are useful today are included.
I highlight (with a bolded title AND bolded sentence in the review) the handful that I think are essential reads for anyone who wants to be well-informed. These are the titles I would recommend to friends first if I could only suggest a few.
There are others that are essential (I bold a line in the review but not the title), but not in the, say, top twenty, though immediately after them.
Books without a bolded title or review line are also vary valuable. I wouldn't have bothered putting them in the list if that wasn't the case, and if you're a regular reader I suggest you at least pick those that sound interesting and get them, too. Better yet, read them all.
The list only contains books I’ve read, so you may be able to add to the list, or comment on one or more of the books in the list, in the comment section below the list.
Winner-Take-All Politics – How Washington made the rich richer – and turned its back on the middle class by Jacob S. Hacker & Paul Pierson. SimonandSchuster.com.
If I had to winnow this list down to five or six books, this would definitely be there. Lots of this information will be new to you, and even the hardcore political junkie will find plenty to think about. Clearly written, full of data and anecdotes and insights. Essential to an understanding of where we are today (and how we got here). Strongly recommended.
It's Even Worse Than It Looks – How the American constitutional system collided with the new politics of extremism by Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein. BasicBooks.com.
A New York Times bestseller that was blackballed by the media. Two Conservative researchers document that the Republicans have caused the current nastiness in politics and the anti-jobs gridlock in congress. The tone is mild, and not all the solutions offered are realistic, but it's still an excellent book that's well worth reading.
Ayn Rand Nation – The hidden struggle for America's soul by Gary Weiss. St. Martin's Press. What do Libertarians believe? The far-right idolizes Rand. This is the best book on understanding those beliefs (Objectivism). Not a biography (there are two good ones available if you must) but has biographical elements. Mostly, it explains the belief – and why it's really only for especially naive seventeen year olds who don't know how the world and the people in it work. Unfortunately, adults (physically) believe it in increasing numbers. The book gives Rand a fair shot, but also shows why her "philosophy" is not only silly but very dangerous.
Empire of Illusion – The end of literacy and the triumph of spectacle by Chris Hedges. nationbooks.org.
I like Hedges on TV. but am ambivalent about his books. This is a good example of why. The first 88 pages are weird pop sociology that supposedly sets the topic, but frankly you can and should skip them. After that he gets all intellectual and philosophical (the book won the Pulitzer). I did highlight a number of things as I read (and almost all of chapter five), and it's not as post grad targeted as some of his other books, but parts are slow going.
Blowback – The costs ad consequences of American empire by Chalmers Johnson. Owl Books.
The first book in a trilogy, each of which can be read without reading the others, but catch all three. Lots of stuff the U.S. government has been doing overseas for decades without the knowledge of the public, and the often accidental consequences of those acts. Lots of info new to you, all documented. A real eye-opener. Lots of highlighting.
Blinded By The Right – The conscience of an ex-conservative by David Brock. Crown Publishers.
Brock, who now runs the web site MediaMatters.com was in the very core of the Republican Movement, so the book is a bio to some extent. But its usefulness is as a truly insider's look at the Republicans during the impeachment, the Clarence Thomas affair, and more. It tells what these people – his "friends" at the time – are truly like when they think no one is listening. Very revealing, and an important book in understanding evil.
As Texas Goes…– How the lone star state hijacked the American agenda by Gail Collins. Liveright.
A great topic. A superficial book if you've read Molly Ivins, but an easy read for those not involved in politics. Light and amusing while dealing with horrible people and horrible actions. Delusional and ignorant powerful people are poked with a funny stick
Downsizing Democracy – How America sidelined its citizens and privatized its public. by Matthew A. Crenson & Benjamin Ginsberg.
How our government has changed, an unnoticed step here, another step there, over the last fifty or more years, until what we have today is the remaining facade but a totally different working mechanism.
The authors are professors and the format is a bit text-booky. I highlighted stuff in the first three chapters and a small amount after that. Worthwhile.
End This Depression Now by Paul Krugman. W.W.Norton and Company.
I thought this would be a rehash or maybe a compilation of his columns and didn't buy it at first. Leafing through it later at a bookstore I realized it was much, much more.
Columns in The New York Times are short, and so are his blog posts, whereas this book ranges wider, in more depth, and with more fleshed out arguments. A very, very valuable book that will have you understanding recent and current economics. His style is amazingly clear and simple, even when dealing with our (and the world's) economy.
Do not pass it up.
The True Believer by Eric Hoffer. Mentor Books (ppbk). This is the outlier in the list. Everything else is current or recent, but this was first published sixty years ago. It's the first and probably best book on the fanatic; what makes people fanatics, the conditions that allow them to flourish, what motivates them, how you can expect them to behave, and indirectly, how to deal with them.
Life, Inc. – How corporatism conquered the world, and how we can take it back by Douglas Rushkoff. A Random House Trade Paperback. Where did corporations come from and how did they start? Why “The Dark Ages” was a good time. How do banks and money work today? History isn’t what you were taught, and today’s economy (meaning your life) doesn’t work like you think it does.
Books like this often contain a "And what you can do about it" section at the end, and they are usually very weak. This one has a few good ideas but some are weak.
Rules For Radicals – A pragmatic primer for realistic radicals by Saul D. Alinsky. A Vintage Book (paperback). The famous organizer tells how to do it. Old, but a classic and very useful. Putting this into practice requires more work than you want to do, but for the outstanding people among us this is the best How-to guidebook ever written. Printed in 1971, but timeless and easily available. So useful that the bad guys read it. too.
The Sorrows of Empire – Militarism, secrecy, and the end of the republic by Chalmers Johnson. See Blowback, above. The second book in the trilogy and, again, it can be read without reading the other two, though you should get those, too, after you read this. Also an eye-opener, full of stuff that America has done and is doing that you didn't know about. The emphasis is on our worldwide military presence but touches all kinds of topics.
The Conscience of a Liberal by Paul Krugman. W.W. Norton. What the New Deal was, what it did, how it lasted, how it was undermined and eroded, and why we're in the economic trouble we are in today. Why the New Deal is superior to and more American than the Republican alternative. A very clear history of actual economics in the last hundred years as it relates to the daily life of Americans. The "And what we can do about it" section at the end is more useful than most.
The Shock Doctrine – Disaster capitalism by Naomi Klein. Metropolitan Books. A very important book that is not all it could be. But never mind the faults; this is something you should read in order to understand globalism, the so-called free market, what's going on in third-world countries (and now Europe). It's about money and power, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the purposeful destruction of hundreds of thousands, probably millions, of lives. Who is doing it and why. The book was a huge hit, and deserved to be.
Third World America – How our politicians are abandoning the middle class and betraying the American Dream by Arianna Huffington. Crown Books. The sub-title tells it all. An easy read but that doesn't mean it hasn't got a lot of information.
Death of the Liberal Class by Chris Hedges. It's the story of what was, and how it disappeared, in the news business and elsewhere. A good history of the topic, and as such it helps with an understanding of why we're in the fix we're in and, maybe, the general path we should take to make things good again. May make you feel frustrated. May make you want to kick some butt.
Worse Than Watergate – The secret presidency of George W. Bush by John W. Dean. Little, Brown. The former Nixon White House attorney has unique insights into Republicanism, and though the book is about the abuses of power of Bush/Cheney it is relevant today because Republicans are still Republicans. Dean is an especially insightful and clear writer, and this book greatly helps in understanding Republicans.
American Taliban – How war, sex, sin, and power bind jihadists and the radical right by Markos Moulitsas (daily Kos founder). PoliPointPress. It's tough for me to say much about this because the topic is one I've followed for a long time. Very little new to me, but I'll guess and say that much will be new to others. It gives precise and documented examples of things you suspected, and will probably show you that the religious right is even worse than you thought they were.
Blackwater – The rise of the world's most powerful mercenary army by Jeremy Scahill. Nation Books. American taxpayers have been and are being ripped off to an extent that is mind-boggling, and the money was shoveled into sacks held open by people so far on the political fringe that they were anti-American. Cheney privatized two wars just to give taxpayer money to some very weird and very dangerous people, all part of the multi-billion dollar corporate welfare giveaway that undermined America. Blackwater was/is high on the list. A best-seller, and it deserved to be.
The Great Derangement – A terrifying true story of war, politics and religion by Matt Taibbi. SpiegelandGrau. Taibbi doesn't pull punches and turns a neat phrase so his books are always enjoyable. But they're also packed with information, in this case about 2008, the religious right, and other silly people who hate. It's always appealing when someone can be funny when telling you about the most appalling things. A good book for understanding the Gullibles.
Fanatics & Fools – The game plan for winning back America by Arianna Huffington. I found the format – text interrupted with lots of gray boxes of quotes and related material – distracting. The "game plan" is nice, but the book skimps on how to get there. Still, there is a lot of good information and, aside from the format, it's relatively easy to read.
The Blue Pages – A directory of companies rated by their products and practices. I have the 2010 edition and need a newer one, though this is very useful in deciding where to shop and who to spend my money with and I use it often. The problem, and this is not the fault of the book in any way, is that decisions are not always easy. A company that gives 75% of their political contributions to Republicans I rate as Anti-American, but suppose they only give $75 and $25 to Dems? Most choices are clearer, however, and this is a good guidebook.
Way Out There In The Blue – Reagan, star wars and the end of the cold war by Frances Fitzgerald. A Touchstone Book. An award winner. The clearest picture of Reagan I've read. Lots of new info. Republicans idolize the guy and he changed things, mostly for the worse, and it's worth knowing more about this. The book doesn't get too deeply into the lunacy of his economic ideas, but does give a very full picture of the man, his associates and the times. Fascinating in the way a car accident can fascinate.
Had Enough? – A handbook for fighting back by James Carville. Simon & Schuster. Two things against the book, neither of which count: it was written in the Bush era and I'm not a big fan of Carville. They don't count because Bush Republicanism is still around and because this is a very good book. It's funny, sharp, very informative, entertaining, and filled with insightful or revealing anecdotes.
Blocking the Courthouse Door – How the republican party and its corporate allies are taking away your right to sue by Stephanie Mencimer. Free Press. When Obama took office 7 of the 9 US Supreme Court justices were Republican appointees, and 3/5ths of the Federal Court judges were Republicans. Repubs have worked hard and worked dirty to get their boys in control of your lives, an often overlooked issue. A good book, well done.
Being Right is Not Enough – What progressives must learn from conservative success by Paul Waldman. John Wiley & Sons. A "this is what's wrong and this is what to do about it" book that is among the best in its class. Good, practical solutions. An insightful understanding of the current situation (even though the book is about the 2006 election) and ways to change things around. Looking for solutions? Here they are. Highly recommended.
The Republican War On Science by Chris Mooney. Basic Books. A Bush era book but it applies to all Republicans. Goes into the history of Republican anti-science, as well as the current status. It's a world of scientific advancements, except in Republicanland. Attacks on science hurt our country and this book explains the who and why and how of what's going on. Very well done.
Over The Cliff – How obama's election drove the american right insane by John Amato and David Neiwert. PoliPointPress. Glenn Beck is under radar now but he's still milking the Gullibles (he made $11 mil more than Rush Limbought last year). He's in this book a lot, but it covers much more. Lots of examples and quotes direct from the horse's asses mouths. For page after page it's just hard to believe that so many people are so crazy.
C Street – The fundamentalist threat to american democracy by Jeff Sharlet. Little Brown. As scary as his book The Family, and a smart book of investigative reporting. Reveals a powerful movement hardly anyone knows exists, all seriously documented and deeply researched. including the on-going takeover of the American military by the political and religious whacko fringe. An important book, exceptionally well done.
On Bended Knee – The press and the reagan presidency by Mark Hertsgaard. Schocken Books. How the Reagan administration and movement Republicans changed the American press from a group of reporters to what Krugman calls the "willingly gullible media". The people who did this destructive manipulation are proud of it and Hertsgaard quotes them as they explain how they did it. And how the press learned that they were rewarded for not being subservient to Democratic administrations. The beginning of one of the most harmful changes to America to date.
Griftopia – Bubble machines, vampire squids, and the long con that is breaking America by Matt Taibbi. Spiegel & Grau. Always funny and entertaining, but also always spot on and insightful, Taibbi is a treasure. The subject here is the economy: the Republican meltdown and the Republican Depression. Taibbi names names, documents incidents, quotes monsters, and goes among them. You'll learn and laugh. Well worth your time.
Bloodthirsty Bitches and Pious Pimps of Power – The rise and risks of the new conservative hate culture by Gerry Spence. St. Martin's Press. Spence approaches the topic as a populist lawyer, which adds a perspective that has value. He isn't a writer who pulls punches, as the title shows, and has some insights and conclusions that others haven't reached. For my taste he tries too hard to be folksy, but there's a lot of good stuff in the book.
The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder by Vincent Bugliosi. Vanguard Press. Henry Kissinger can't travel to Spain without being arrested for war crimes (but Argentina's politicians love him). After reading this book (after being blocked for years it has recently been made into a movie) the same should be true of W. traveling to America from Texas. Bugliosi became famous for prosecuting Charles Manson. and in this book he sets his sights on a mass murderer of a vastly larger scale. Devastating. Bugliosi includes more than the facts of the persecution for murder in the book; issues that contributed to it, for example, which make it well-rounded and a good solid read. Highly recommended.
Right Is Wrong – How the lunatic fringe hijacked america, shredded the constitution, and made us all less safe (and what you need to know to end the madness) by Arianna Huffington. Alfred A. Knopf. A broad book, covering a lot of topics, but doing it well. The premise – that the political right is wrong on virtually everything – is well illustrated. Little new for the widely read reader but very well done for the person who simply keeps an eye on things and is generally aware of what's going on – and even for the person who hasn't a clue.
Lapdogs – How the press rolled over for bush by Eric Boehlert. Free Press. The press began acting like lapdogs under Reagan, but when Democratic presidents were elected it was clear they had really become Republican lap dogs: hostile to the president when he was a Democrat and all fuzzy and cuddly when the president was a Republican. Their most humiliating behavior was during the Clinton era, though it was cloaked by the concept of the press being hostile to people in power as a good thing. Under Bush their humiliation became very public and this book was the first to write about it.
Boehlert is always on top of this stuff and ahead of the curve. This is a thorough, well-documented, detailed look at the favoritism Bush and Republicans received during their tenure, as well as a record of how those who tried to act as journalists were punished, and how it harmed America. An important book and fascinating.
Perfectly Legal – The covert campaign to rig our tax system to benefit the super rich – and cheat everybody else by David Cay Johnston. Portfolio. If I see a new book by Johnston I buy it. He is amazingly well-informed and bright, and writes clearly. How the 1% screws American taxpayers, and the people who enable them (and how they get rewarded). Equally astonishing and disgusting, you'll want to start shouting as you read. A must read.
The Clinton Wars by Sidney Blumenthal. Farrar, Straus, Giroux. A long, detailed look inside the Clinton White House, focusing especially on the impeachment period. Both the Clinton and Bush presidencies are vitally important because that was the period when movement Conservatism came to power and went on to a period where they could exercise that power and almost destroy our country. What they did, how they did it, and who did it are important things to know, and this book is one among many, many others that present the information we need to understand today's world.
Big Lies – The right-wing propaganda machine and how it distorts the truth by Joe Conason. St. Martin's Press. Debunking the big lies about Conservatives and Liberals, information on corporate control of politics and the media, and lots more. A Bush era book but lots of stuff you should know because the lies are still being told. And it's well-written, as is always the case with Conason.
Foxes in the Henhouse – How the republicans stole the south and the heartland and what the democrats must do to run 'em out by Steve Jarding and Dave "Mudcat" Saunders. Touchstone Books. Written in 2006 but, except for some of the minor characters, possibly more important today than it was then. Explains to a lot of folks running the Democratic party on how they missed the boat when it was really easy to catch. Candidates, activists, bloggers, political consultants, and voters should check this out.
True Lies by Anthony Lappe and Stephen Marshall. A Plume Book. A call for support of alternative media. Hip, hip, hooray.
The Assault on Reason by Al Gore. The Penguin Press. An excellent book, well…uh, reasoned. How truth and reason have been tossed out the window, why they are under attack, and what can be done about it. A tough book to describe but well worth reading.
How to Think About Weird Things – Critical thinking for a new age by Theodore Schick, Jr. and Lewis Vaughn. What's this book doing here? Given the subject matter it's not a book that Conservatives would read, but it is useful for Liberals to guard themselves against Conservatives.
Bad Money – Reckless finance, failed politics and the global crisis of american capitalism by Kevin Phillips. Penguin Books. Phillips used to be a Conservative but not nasty and vicious. He seems to have had an awakening some time ago, and has written some excellent books. This one has some great sections, but there are also some weak parts. Cherry pick.
The Hunting of the President – The ten year campaign to destroy bill and hillary clinton by Joe Conason & Gene Lyons. Thomas Dunne Books. We tend to forget, certainly we forget the details and a lot of the activity. I re-read this book every two or three years, it's that valuable. Yes, it takes place in the 1990s, but the people, the forces, the movement, and the Republican party are still here and haven't changed. This is a super book.
Imperial America – Reflections on the united states of amnesia by Gore Vidal. Nation Books/Avalon. Vidal always struck me as someone with great insights but with a tendency to go a bit weird from time to time (especially about the Kennedys). This short book eliminates almost all the weird, though he sure is good with words and condemns the bad guys with flair.
Hubris – the inside story of spin, scandal, and the selling of the iraq war by Michael Isikoff and David Corn. Crown Books. The exposure of the lies and spin in the creation of the war with Iraq, all wrapped up in one long book.
Greenspan's Fraud – How two decades of his policies have undermined the global economy by Ravi Batra. Palgrave Macmillan. An excellent book that exposes Ayn Rand's foolish friend. Interested in the economy, or the Federal Reserve? This is a book you should read. It's even got a few charts!
Stand Up Fight Back – Republican toughs, democratic wimps and the politics of revenge by E.J. Dionne, Jr. Simon & Schuster. To me, Dionne is a mixture of a sharp observer who occasionally and suddenly injects very naive interpretations of events in his writing. This book is like that. Clever, so-so, clever, stupid, clever, stupid, clever. Put on your discernment hat and cherry pick the good stuff.
The Buying of the President 2004 – Who's really bankrolling bush and his democratic challengers – and what they expect in return by Charles Lewis and the Center for Public Integrity. Perennial. The US Supreme Court Citizens United decision has exacerbated the problem of money and politics one-hundred fold, but it's been building, and this book shows how bad it was seven years before Citizens. A huge amount of research, naming of names and amounts of money. Bad timing because it deals with candidates before Dems selected theirs so heavy on Bush and then includes all declared Dems, making it look slanted.
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy – The truth about corporate cons, globalization and high-finance fradsters by Greg Palast. Plume. Maybe the last investigative journalist in the world. Ya gotta love this guy. This book, like everything he does, documents the atrocities of the politically and financially powerful. Great stuff. It's the kind of book you want to send to everyone you know. Whether you know a lot or just a little, you'll know a lot more when you're done.
Buck Up, Suck Up…And come back when you foul up by James Carville & Paul Begala. Simon & Schuster. I grew up and live in the land of country boy slicksters so I wince a bit when I see people writing in that style, as Carville always does. Still, weed through it and there's good and useful stuff here. This is more of a "How to succeed" book than a true political book, but politics is their area of operation and all the examples are from politics. Some good stuff for political buffs.
We're Right, They're Wrong – A handbook for spirited progressives by James Carville. Simon & Schuster. Very strong. Simply, a listing of all the good things in America that have come from Democrat policy and why those policies are right for Americans. Memorize the book; it's great ammunition when debating swamp creatures. At the same time he includes devastating mini-exposes of the major Republicans. Very informative and, just as good, very useful.
Rumsfeld – His rise, fall, and catastrophic legacy by Andrew Cockburn. Scribner. It may be impossible to understand the Iraq war and how evil Don Rumsfeld is without reading this book. More has come out since 2007, when the book was written, about how stupid and powerful Runsfeld is but this is a good book to get you grounded.
It CAN Happen Here – Authoritarian peril in the age of bush by Joe Conason. St. Martin's Press. My copy is filled with highlighter marks in the margins. Why the Bushies and Republicans are dangerous for America. Lots of good information, and sharp thinking. He's even found some powerful quotes from Jefferson, Adams, Lincoln, etc. that I hadn't seen before. Like a lot of Bush era books a glance might make it look outdated, but the same people and same beliefs are still at work, so it's a valuable read.
Unequal Protection – The rise of corporate dominance and the theft of human rights by Thom Hartmann. Rodale. The harm large corporations bring is underestimated, even in this era when more and more people have low opinions of them. This is a great book for understanding exactly what's going on. I highlighted, in the margins, something from almost every page. A very strong book and highly recommended. Plus, the "And what you can do about it" stuff at the end is first rate: practical, clear, and achievable. Top marks.
Necessary Illusions – Thought control in democratic societies by Noam Chomsky. South End Press. Most people either like Chomsky a lot or roll their eyes at the mention of his name. I think he's a mixed bag with hobby horses. Which is not to say he doesn't reveal and write about some interesting stuff. His books are usually a bit heavy going as is the case here, and provoke the urge to take the material and rewrite it in a more interesting and accessible style. This 420 page book is abut 120 pgs. long; the other pages are appendices. But even if you only read the 120 pages you'll get a lot out of it.
Smells Like Dead Elephants – Dispatches from a rotting empire by Matt Taibbi. Black Cat Books. A collection of columns from Rolling Stone written by the great Mat Taibbi. Funny, revealing, newsworthy, and informative. Yeah, the columns are from 2007 and before, but, again, the book wouldn't be on my list if it wasn't filled with stuff that was useful today. Same players, same game; this is the evil they did a few years ago, and they're still doing it.
Toxic Talk – How the radical right has poisoned america's airwaves by Bill Press. Being a political junkie means becoming something of a media junkie, or it does for me anyway. This book gives an insider's view of what it means to try to have a progressive radio show when right wingers own all the stations. The so-called popularity of hate radio is, in large part, artificially created and illusionary. Read and know more.
When Corporations Rule the World by David C. Korten. Kumarian Press. A best seller (get the 380 page updated version). A warning of the dangers of the growth of corporations and what to do about it, which is not new but Korten adds a whole lot to the argument and to the ways we can change things. A very strong book and recommended, though I wish it was a little more "pop" oriented and easier to read. It's not difficult but it's not easy.
The Dark Side – The inside story of how the war on terror turned into a war on american ideals by Jane Mayer. Doubleday. An award-winning book by a writer for The New Yorker, so it's a journalist type book. But it is damning, full of facts, and very revealing. This book broke the story that the so-called War on Terror was being used as a tool to turn America into a totalitarian state (though journalist Mayer doesn't say that bluntly). A very important read, even more so because it's still going on.
Who Let the Dogs In? – Incredible political animals I have know by Molly Ivins. Random House. Ivins lived in an asylum without walls (Texas), but managed to keep her sense of humor and deliver keen observations, not only on the goofiness of Texas politics but the national political scene as well. Always fun to read, her insights are as useful now as then (and we all should have read her stuff on Rick Perry once he declared his candidacy for president).
No Place to Hide – You are being watched by Robert O'Harrow, Jr. Free Press. Any book on technology has got to be outdated if written in 2006, right? Yep, but you should still read this because there's stuff you don't know – and it's worse than you thought it was. There are a lot of magazine articles and a few books that pick up what's happening now, but the core reasons and the core players and the core techniques are all here in this book. Read it and weep.
Jacked – How "Conservatives" Are Picking Your Pocket – Whether you voted for them or not by Nomi Prins. PoliPointPress. Short and easy to read, Pins takes the unique approach of taking the cards in a typical wallet and showing how each one (or category) relates to rip-offs by Republican government and Republican corporations.
The Big Con –The true story of how washington got hoodwinked and hijacked by crackpot economics by Jonathan Chait. Houghton Mifflin. From the Intro: "American politics has been hijacked by a tiny coterie of right-wing economic extremists, some of them ideological zealots, others merely greedy, a few of them possibly insane." That's what the book is about, and it's well-worth reading. I used a lot of highlighting marker ink while reading this one.
Screwed – The undeclared war against the middle class – and what we can do about it by Thom Hartmann. Berrett Koehler Books. This is, for me, one of those "good-but" books. Great points, documentation, anecdotes on corporate misbehavior, and the And What You Can About It ending, but it doesn't hang together quite well enough to be powerful. Still very much worth reading.
Losing Our Democracy – How bush, the far right and big business are betraying americans for power and profit by Mark Green. SourceBooks. Long, but not tough to read. Ties all the evils of Republicanism together. Anecdotes, data, politicians, corporations, war, religion, labor, torture, and a lot more, but it's all arranged logically and written about clearly. A strong book. You should read it.
Dead Certain – The presidency of george w. bush by Robert Draper. Free Press. A Bob Woodward kind of book, but not as Republican. Draper makes a strong effort to remain independent and removed (unlike the Republican suck-up Woodward), but that also means softening the edges a bit. Lots of inside info and quotes from administration people, so it's both interesting and useful, but more a typical journalist's book than an expose. Interesting, and it does show the personalities and thinking of a group of bad clowns.
Unspeakable Acts, Ordinary People – The dynamics of torture by John Conroy. Knopf. Not exactly politics, but political just the same. Normal, relatively decent people can become torturers. Others more quickly adapt to roles as torturers, but there are a lot of them and they're not hard to find. Lots of people are easily manipulated, and some like it. Why, what do we make of it, and is there a solution? (The book doesn't address this but I read with the idea of understand conservatives better.)
…And the Horse He Rode In On – The people v. Kenneth Starr by James Carville. Simon & Schuster. Kenneth Starr is scum, and Carville nails him in this book. Starr, who led the impeachment "investigation" was both an easily manipulated tool of the fringe right and a nasty bit of goods in his own right. The Republicans conned congress into using taxpayer dollars to attack their political opponent, the president, and Starr was the point man. An embarrassment to humanity.
Cruel and Unusual – Bush/Cheney's new world order by Mark Crispin Miller. Norton. Miller's detailed, documented expose of the high crimes, misdemeanors, and shredding of the Constitution by the Bush administration and Republican congress in the first four years of their rule. We have short memories and this is a needed reminder that America almost became a dictatorship in 48 short months. Amazing.
Conservatives Without Conscience by John W. Dean. Viking/Penguin. Dean is an excellent writer and top-notch thinker; plus, he has some insider knowledge on which to draw. Who are these guys? It's Dean asking the question, not the Sundance Kid. Today's "Conservatives" are anti-American, pro-totalitarian, and totally with conscience. He gives some history, compares to early examples, and condemns today's Republicans.
The Iron Triangle – Inside the secret world of the carlyle group by Dan Briody. Wiley. You may know Haslliburton and Blackwater and maybe even Bechtel, but the Carlyle Group is more secretive and just as dangerous. It's how ex-prez G.H.W.Bush made most of his millions. It uses the CIA as its intel to make billions for Washington investment insiders.
Bush's Law – The remaking of american justice by Eric Lichtblau. Pantheon. Good, detailed, and documented information on the Bush/Cheney administration's distortion or ignoring of laws and the Constitution to set up a new extra-legal totalitarian state. Pulitzer Prize winning reporter.
Crashing the Gate – Netroots, grassroots, and the rise of people-powered politics by Jerome Armstrong and Markos Moulitsas Zuniga. Chelsea Green. Because the Democratic Party has abdicated its role it left a void that is being filled by alternative media, mainly the net. This is the why and how about it being done.
The Family – The real story of the bush dynasty by Killy Kelley. Doubleday. Kelley does her research and you understand the full picture of the Bush dynasty after reading the book. There's less pop People Magazine type stuff than you might have expected, and it paints a much clearer picture of the family and explains why it's a dynasty and why it's pretty damn shady.
Angler – The cheney vice presidency by Barton Gellman. The Penguin Press. A Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, so the book has lots of documentation and lots of facts but little or no opinion. The conclusions are easy to make however. Cheney is crazy and always has been.
The One Percent Doctrine – Deep inside america's pursuit of its enemies sincere 9/11 by Ron Suskind. Simon & Schuster. With that title and sub-title you don't need much more info, except perhaps an opinion of whether or not the book is any good. It is. The "War on Terror" was conducted by deceptive people who proffered deceptive reasons for what they did.
Globalization and Its Discontents by Joseph E. Stiglitz. Nobel Prize winning economist tells how the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and WB (World Bank) (and the World Trade Organization – WTO) screwed up the world's economy, killed hundreds of thousands of people with their policies, caused hundreds of thousands of children to terminate their education, increased prostitution and human trafficking and screwed up a lot of other things, including your life. All because they did a reversal on their original Bretton Woods/Keynes charter and adopted right-wing economic theory. Of course he's nicer about it than I am.
The Betrayal of America – How the supreme court undermined the constitution and chose our president by Vincent Buglosi. Nation Books. The legal indictment of the US Supreme Court's coup of 2000. "If anyone believes that a decent and honorable human could do something as horrendous as these justices did, I say to you that you are very mistaken." Bugliosi nails them in this very powerful book. This isn't history; the results are still with us and the "justices" are, too. To our shame.
Static – Government liars, media cheerleaders, and the people who fight back by Amy Goodman and David Goodman. Hyperion Books. The media sucks, and it was even worse during the Bush administration. A ton of examples about the corporate media, why it's a problem and why we shouldn't put up with it. The Goodmans know their stuff and, again, though written in 2006 it's worth reading.
What’s The Matter With Kansas? – How conservatives won the heart of America By Thomas Frank. Metropolitan Books. Well. A hugely popular. influential and much-quoted book. Some somewhat persuasive articles have come out disputing parts of the conclusions, but the book holds up and it’s a definite must-read. Some great insights, some humor, and it’s well-written. You can’t pass this up and still feel comfortable about having a handle on understanding voters or Republicans (and Democrats, too).
Slanting the Story The forces that shape the news by Trudy Lieberman. The New Press. An older book (2000) but lots of good information nonetheless. Stories about what the bad guys did, and how they did it. Very informative, all the more so because it’s still going on. A good understanding about how the media got to the pitiful place they occupy today.
I've run out of time. There's a project I have to deal with over the next few weeks, but I'll add the rest of the books in an update as soon as I can.
Fri Oct 19, 2012 at 8:19 AM PT: Wheeeee!!! A Community Spotlight for two of the last three diaries. (He nudges the dirt with his toe and blushes). Thanks!
Fri Oct 26, 2012 at 12:34 PM PT: UPDATE: A List of Books – Addition #1
There are certain tools you need to succeed in making your life livable, and making your country a good place to live. "Knowledge of a lot of things" is one of the most important, and books are probably the best way to get that knowledge.
(If you're "not a reader" don't be intimidated, just start reading; it gets to be easier and more fun with each book. We get better at anything with practice, and when we get good at something we enjoy it more.)
This is the first addition to the bigger list ABOVE. I ran out of time while making that list and this addition, but as I get time I'll add more. (No! No more, please!)
I don't mean to overwhelm.
I've had a few years to read these, and have more time than most because I haven't turned on a television in eleven years, except to watch DVDs (cable salespeople take to stammering when I tell them).
I've left out … most (but not all) books about … Bush/Cheney/Rove, which would comprise a large and clammy library of their own, books about creationism/evolution/the religious right, global warming, the various wars on education and science and the environment and privacy, books from/about the 1990s or before, crime/privatized prisons, foreign policy and other topics. Worthy books, worthy topics, but they would make the list unmanageable. When a book is especially useful I violate this guideline and include it, which is kinda fun.
What this list has … is books, mainly about politics (and a few of the books about political- economic policies, the media. and a few other things), which I found to be worth my time. I've whittled out the books that I did't think were worth my time, or yours, so all that remain are worthwhile. Read the list and then read the books that appeal to you. Of course.
Books I've read which provide little useful information are not included ... BUT simply because a book isn't included doesn't mean it's not useful and good. I may just not have read it. (Thanks to all those who have made book suggestions in the comments section, and those who will do so after this update is posted.)
I followed the same format in listing these as I did in the list I posted previously, so I refer the honorable member to the answer I gave some moments ago.
Broken Government – How republican rule destroyed the legislative, executive and judicial branches by John W. Dean. Viking. An excellent examination of how Republicans have almost totally destroyed the democratic form of government in America. Dean concludes it’s a natural result of their methods in achieving rule, etc.. My view is that he, and almost everyone else, miss that the methods are designed to destroy America as we know it. It’s not a glitch; it’s a feature. That is, it’s not a by-product; it’s a goal. Still, though, an excellent book.
Against Empire – A brilliant expose of the brutal realities of U.S. global domination by Michael Parenti. City Lights Books. Not a huge book, and written during Bush, but there's stuff here that's not widely known. Documentation of a widespread denial of teaching positions to professors with Liberal views, foreign policy, GATT, oil, and a wide range of topics. Good.
Idiot America – How stupidity became a virtue in the land of the free by Charles P. Pierce. Anchor Books. Piece writes something and I'll read it. He's always very good, and sometimes funny (see his political blog for Esquire magazine). Cranks. yes; idiots, no. Talk radio, the war on science, Terri Schiavo, etc. Idiots are everywhere these days, including in positions of great power. The book's title and sub-title say it all. Read it. Twice.
The Backlash – Right-wing radicals, high-def hucksters, and paranoid politics in the age of Obama by Will Bunch. Harper. I used the highlighter pen a lot while reading this one. You might want to read it just after reading Frank's What's the Matter with Kansas book. Bunch is always good and this book is one of his best. Paul Broun, Jr., the always included Glenn Beck, but also lots of other people and groups we're far less familiar with. A great book to help understand the people on the fringe.
Mission Unaccomplished by Tom Engelhardt. Nation Books. Interviews with insightful people, including: Andrew Bacevitch, Barbara Ehrenreich, Chalmers Johnston, Mark Danner, and half a dozen more. A mixed bag, naturally (with this format) but some good stuff in this short book.
State of Confusion – Political manipulation and the assault on the american mind by Dr. Bryant Welch. St. Martin's Press. Gaslight, the 1944 movie, is a tale of a husband trying to drive his wife insane by altering her perception of reality. Psychologist-lawyer Welch applies it, very successfully, to understanding the manipulation of a segment of the public by the right wing. Thinking about it in this new way will open your understanding. I'm skeptical of much of psychology but this nails it. Very useful.
Fools For Scandal – How the media invented whitewater by Gene Lyons and the Editors of Harper's Magazine. Franklin Square Press. From the book: "The Clinton Scandals didn't just happen. They are the result of one of the nastiest and most successful 'dirty tricks' campaigns in recent American history." The who, what and why of a group that was willing to destroy democracy in order to gain power. I think you have to understand what happened to understand what's happening today. Very good.
It's Still the Economy, Stupid – George w. bush, the GOP's CEO by Paul Begala. Simon & Schuster. A 2002 book. In just his first two years in office W. and the Republican Party had made serious inroads into destroying America's economy. It's easy to forget that they were bad to the bone from Day One. A good amount of highlighting.
Lies My Teacher Told Me – Everything your american history textbook got wrong by James W. Loewen. Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. Not exactly a political book, though the lies taught in schools are taught because of politics and the lies are part or the Republican plan to undermine education. You need to know this stuff, and it will open your mind to the possibility that other things you "know" aren't true, either. A classic. Reality-based and documented. Important.
The I Hate Republicans Reader – Why the GOP is totally wrong about everything edited by Clint Willis. Thunder's Mouth Press. Lots of quotes and speech excerpts, tons of facts and little essays, both from them and about them, all in a very easy to read format. Pick it up and read a few bits whenever you get a minute, or half a minute. Devastating.
Weapons of Mass Deception – The uses of propaganda in bush's war on iraq by Sheldon Rampton & John Stauber. Tarcher/Penguin. How do you convince Americans to go to war with another country which possessed a lot of oil but never did anything against us and which opposes the people who did attack us? This book tells you. Think propaganda doesn't work? Read.
Losing America – Confronting a reckless and arrogant presidency by Senator Robert C Byrd. Norton. Bush and the Republicans in their second term, the Constitution in tatters, totalitarianism a creeping reality – and very few in power are speaking out. Morally outraged, this old-school patriot takes a stand. Eloquent and strong, with a look at behind the scenes stuff in the senate, white house and house. He should have been listened to.
The Mind of the South by W.J.Cash. Vintage. A classic examination of the South from its earliest days to WWII, though some of my friends dislike the book intensely. But it tells the story that is there for all to see but about which few talk. I don't think you can really understand the South, the new bulwark of Republicanism, without reading this book. Sometimes flowery, in the old style of writing, it's very much worth reading if you intend to understand today's Conservatives.
Take the Rich Off Welfare by Mark Sepezauer & Arthur Naiman. Odonian Press/ Common Courage Press. Even in 1996, when this was written, the rich were taking middle-class taxpayer money from the federal government with both fists. Not a lot of detail but each case will light your hair on fire. Lots of contacts listed. A short book but worth your time.
Wizards of Media Oz – Behind the curtain of mainstream news by Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen. Common Courage Press. A compilation of columns from 1997 (from
FAIR – Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting) and before, but if you're a media junkie, as I am, it's an important book. For example, in just a couple pages it exposes Ted Koppel as the Republican propagandist that he is.
Vice – Dick cheney and the hijacking of the american presidency by Lou Dubose and Jake Bernstein. Random House. How Cheney came within a cat's whisker of turning America into a dictatorship while you and I did nothing. He's probably nice to his family so he's not pure evil, but he's as close as it comes.
Censored (fill in a year) by Peter Phillips and Project Censored. Seven Stories Press. Every year Project Censored picks the most important twenty-five stories censored by corporate media, and they tell the stories in a book. You'd be wise to get the edition from every past year you can lay your hands on, and keep an eye out for all future editions. It's surprising what you can learn.
Fog Facts – Searching for truth in the land of spin by Larry Beinhart. Nation Books. For a short book this has lots of good stuff in it. Things that are not secrets, but were reported (sometimes in a bland, deceptive way) and then disappeared into the fog, never to be heard again. He gives lots of examples, with documentation, and it makes you want to jump up and down and shout.
What Went Wrong In Ohio – The conners report on the 2004 presidential election. Academy Chicago Publishers. A short book that tells how the 2004 election was stolen in Ohio by crazed and crooked Republicans. No one has done anything about it. Election stealing has become more wide-spread. This is how they did it in 2004, and how they're doing it today.
Bushwhacked – Life in george w. bush's america by Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose. Random House. Okay, this is a Bush book but it should be included in the list because A) it's by Molly Ivins, who was a national treasure and a joy to read, and B) it's got a ton of insights into Conservative thinking and doings.
Stupid White Men – And other sorry excuses for the state of the nation by Michael Moore. Regan Books/Harper Collins. Funny, sharp, and filled with good information. Moore writes funny, but always with a point that strikes home. A bull's-eye. I'm a "Moore fan with reservations", but this book is excellent, and his naming phrases are superb.
Political Fictions by Joan Didion. Vintage. Keen observations and analysis on the ten years of politics from 1990 to 2001. A polemic with taste, but very revealing (data) and insightful (conclusions) about guys like Kenny Starr, Marv Olasky, Bob Woodward, Reagan, Clinton, D'Souza and others.
The I Hate Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, Donald Rumsfeld, Condi Rice … Reader, Edited by Clint Willis. Thunder's Mouth Press. This became a series ("The I Hate…" books), and they also published the same series by Republicans. Contains the money quotes, snippets from good essays, and the like. Good stuff and can be read in short doses. I leave it to you to decide which room in the house you read it in.
Take Them At Their Words – Shocking, amusing and baffling quotations from the g.o.p. and their friends 1994-2004 by Bruce J. Miller with Diana Maio. Academy Chicago Books. The title and sub-title say it all. Put it next to the "I Hate…" books on this list. Well done.
Homegrown Democrat – A few plain thoughts from the heart of america by Garrison Keillor. Viking/Penguin. A very enjoyable book, reminding us of what the Democratic Party was, and why that was so good. Especially good is a chapter that lists and explains the main characteristics of Democrats. By telling what we used to be he's pointing to where we need to go. For all its niceness and decency it's a very powerful book. Memorize it.
Perpetual War for Perpetual Peach – How we got to be so hated by Gore Vidal. Nation Books. First, it contains prison correspondence with Libertarian terrorist Timothy McVeigh which not only foreshadows the Tea Party movement but explains the Oklahoma City bombing. This got very little exposure in the media, simply because it was embarrassing to Republicans, but it deserves to be widely known. Second, Vidal succinctly deals a blow to the long standing hubris and hegemony of American foreign policy. A very short but astounding book. I usually have reservations about some of Vidal's stuff, but not with this book.
The I Hate Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity … Reader Edited by Clint Willis. Thunder's Mouth Press. Like the others in the series, and like Take Them At Their Words, a collection of the most insane claptrap from the mouth's of fools. Quotations, short essays, news clips, etc. Can be read in small doses because of the format.
Bushit! – An a-z guide to the bush attack on truth, justice, equality and the american way by Jack Huberman. Nation Books. Yeah, it's a book on Bush, but it's useful because it exposes the goals of the Republican Party and the methods they use to achieve those goals. Those things haven't changed.
American Theocracy – The peril and politics of radical religion, oil, and borrowed money in the 21st century by Kevin Phillips. Viking. Ex-Republican bigwig writes fluently about the dangers of global overreach, right-wing religion and the national debt (written before the crash so he may be a Keynesian now, dunno). Lots of good data in a combination of pop and scholarly style. Recommended.
Off Center – The republican revolution & the erosion of american democracy by Jacob S. Hacker & Paul Pierson. Yale University Press. An earlier (2005) book by the authors of the great book Winner-Take-All-Politics and not quite as good. Still full of great and useful stuff, however. If I was you I'd read it.
Cable News Confidential – My misadventures in corporate media by Jeff Cohen. PoliPointPress. For political junkies who are also media junkies. The founder of media watchdog FAIR, Cohen tells the inside story of corporate media, his guest appearances on various shows, and what the survey numbers show about the Republican slant of cable news (and the networks). Good stuff.
Fooled Again – How the right stole the 2004 election & why they'll steal the next one too (unless we stop them) by Mark Crispin Miller. Basic Books. Well, they didn't steal it, they shot themselves in the foot again by putting Bush, and themselves, in office in the first place, and then nominating McCain-Palin. But in 2012 they again picked the worst candidate imaginable (though the best Republican) and they're still industriously working at destroying democracy and fixing elections. This book covers the evidence from 2004, and it's only gotten worse. Read and learn.
What Liberal Media? – The truth about Bias and the news by Eric Alterman. Basic Books. A ground-breaking book (2003) that finally exposed the lie that there was a liberal slant to the media, countering the propagandistic Goldberg book Bias. Alterman went a bit out of his way to show a "both sides do it sometimes" thing, but can be forgiven because he wanted to protect his teaching gig and because he was out there first and alone. But he did prove Conservative/Republican bias in the "mainstream" press, and that opened the doors to others.
Contempt – How the right is wronging american justice by Catherine Crier. Rugged Land. An extremely important book by a Texas Republican judge. In their drive to destroy America Republicans have taken over the courts. During the reign of W. seven of the nine US Supreme Court Justices were Republican appointees, and 3/5ths of the Federal Court judges were Republican appointees. That leads to the law being shredded, and the Right wingers ability to kill democracy and put you in jail for objecting. A must read.
The Great Unraveling – Losing our way in the new century by Paul Krugman. Norton. Written in 2005, this is a collection of his columns, grouped by themes, with new material added. Sounds out of date, but this guy is very bright and he writes very clearly and I'll bet you're going to learn a lot, as I did, then and now in re-reading. And he did get some thing wrong.
Talking Right by Geoffrey Nunberg. PublicAffairs. I think the use of words is important so I like books like this more than most people will. The author is a linguist. This isn't one of the best on the subject, but it still has some good stuff (and some dumb stuff). Try it if framing and words are your thing.
The Republican Noise Machine – Right-wing media and how it corrupts democracy by David Brock. Crown. By the author of the classic Blinded by the Right. Brock was able to catch this earlier than most, probably because he had been an insider. An important book even though it was written in 2004, and well-worth your time. I highlighted quite a bit.
Start Making Sense – Turning the lessons of election 2004 into winning progressive politics by A whole bunch of folks. Chelsea Green Publishing. Alternet.org got some people together and wrote something akin to the old Rules for Radicals book on how to organize and get a grassroots movement going. Some good stuff. Even if you're a stereotypical passive Democrat you can do some of this stuff. Pick and choose, and get moving.
The Woman Who Wouldn't Talk – Why i refused to testify against the clintons & what i learned in jail by Susan McDougal with Pat Harris. Carroll & Graf. A mild title. But it will make even a self-controlled reader want to punch a whole bunch of folks in the face. The nastiness, viciousness, and sleaziness of Ken Starr and the Republicans is simply hard to believe. How scuzzy can humans be? And all for political power? Geez.
The Family – The secret fundamentalism at the heart of american power by Jeff Sharlet. Harper. I haven't put many books on the Religious Right in this list but this best-seller is hugely important. It sounds like a conspiracy theory but it turns out to be true: a group of politically and financially elites, all members of a secretive very far right wing religious cult, and out to destroy the world. Well documented and all that stuff. Powerful.
The Bush Agenda – Invading the world, one economy at a time by Antonia Juhasz. Regan Books/ Harper Collins. Why so many people around the world dislike America, how the Republicans used your tax dollars to enrich corporate elites through globalization, and the damage it did – and is still doing.
The Rehnquist Choice – The untold story of the nixon appointment that redefined the supreme court by John W. Dean. Free Press. The recent Citizen United decision, and a whole passel of anti-citizen, anti-freedom decisions by the supreme court (including the Coup of 2000), all have their beginnings in the dirty tricks era of Dick Nixon. Dean was an insider and tells how Nixon and the Republicans emptied US Supreme Court seats and then filled them with hard right-wing fanatics. It's a dirty story, and is the start of a forty year campaign to attack American principles.
Hostile Takeover – How big money & corruption conquered our government – and how we take it back by David Sirota. Three Rivers Press. A best-seller and it deserves to be. I usually sigh when I come to the section of some books, sections I call "And what you can do about it" because the sections assume people are activists and we're, by and large, not. And this entire book is, first, a couple series labeled "myths" and "lies", countered with fact-based truth, and then "myths" and "solutions". The big, even huge, difference, is that these are the types of answers that even the passive can do. This is very, very workable. Want to make your life and your country better? Read this book.
American Fascists – The christian right and the war on america by Chris Hedges. Free Press. Religion, because it's faith-based rather than verifiable-based, often makes some adherents a bit defensive. But an element of many religions feels compelled to get into politics, and in most cases it's the authoritarian, dictatorial faction that does this. That's true to a huge degree in America, and it's dangerous and it's growing. We all need to understand this movement, and this excellent book tells all about it. Written from the point of view of a mainstream Christian (Harvard Divinity School) who had done a great deal of investigation. Very important.
Nemesis – The last days of the american republic by Chalmers Johnson. Metropolitan Books. The third book in his trilogy. In the case of this book I'd suggest you read at least one of the others first, though you could get by without doing so. I've kept most books on foreign policy off this list, but the Johnson books are an exception because they're so good and so important. Our foreign policy has hurt the country in many ways, most of which are unpublicized here at home. Now you'll know about them. Read all three.
Hidden Power – Getting from the election trap to regime change by Charles Derber. Berrett-Koehler. There were reasons not to include this: it was written in 2005, if you're a reader you've probably come across most of the info, it's a And What You Can About It book with suggestions for activists and it's predictions are optimistic rather than realistic. But it still has merits seven years later: lots of information and contacts, suggestions for would-be or passive- activists as well as activists, a clear analysis of what's going on, and lots of clear thinking and writing.
Pity the Billionaire – Hard-times swindle and the unlikely comeback of the right by Thomas Frank. Picador. Picks up, in time, where "What's the Matter With Kansas?" left off. It answers the question of how the economically disastrous results of the Republican Party philosophy during the Bush era could possibly have resulted in a resurgence of the right wing, running under the banner of "More of the Same". Preposterous, illogical, unlikely, but it's happening. How they did it and who did it, coupled with great insights. Virtually all revolutions are by the common people against evil kings and dictators. Now the Tea Party and Republican Party rally the common man to the barricades in support of the elites who are taking their money. One of those books in my handful of absolutely must reads.
The Fine Print – How big companies use "plain english" to rob you blind by David Can Johnston. Portfolio/Penguin. His third and newest best-seller, and all three deserve your immediate attention. The guy is spectacular. You'll be pulling your hair out as you read. Another of the handful from this list that I'd choose as one of the top ten best. And find his other two books; they're fairly recent.
The American Presidency by Gore Vidal. Odonian/Common Courage Press. A very slim little paperback. Vidal picked a dozen presidents, and it only goes up to Clinton, Vidal was not one to go easy on the powerful, and he loves provocative phrases such as his reference to 1776 as "the so-called revolution". Always original and worth a read.
Manufacturing Consent/Content – The political economy of the mass media by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky. Pantheon. An early work that recognized, before most, that the media had gone down hill and become corporate shills. For media junkies, mainly, though the Introduction in the newer edition of 2002 is worth reading by one and all.
Supreme Conflict – The inside story of the struggle for control of the united states supreme court by Jan Crawford Greenburg. The Penguin Press. Any book that Cokie Roberts blurbs I would assume to be twaddle, but this is actually pretty good. It is as the sub-title says, and though we tend to not focus on the USSC except during confirmation hearings or at the release of anti-Constitution decisions, we suffer the consequences of that. One of the many areas where America has been, and is being, undermined.
Billionaires & Ballot Bandits – How to steal an election in 9 easy steps by Greg Palast. Seven Stories Press. A couple disclaimers: I find Palast's style to be so over the top that it's hard to read, and I usually skip Ted Rall's comics/cartoons because I don't like cartoons or his art style. BUT Palast should be given a Pulitzer prize every year, automatically, and Rall's text is pointed and enlightening, so I end up enthusiastically recommending everything they do, including this new book. I high-lighted a lot, which means I found a lot of valuable information in the book which, in turn, leads me to suggest that you should read it.