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List of Must Read Political Books

Mrs Whiggins

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Mrs Whiggins

Mrs Whiggins 13050

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Instead of dropping this in the Hobbies--Books section, I'm hoping for some guidance here. TL/DR: What books about current affairs/politics would make your top ten list in that category?

Backstory: Received an early holiday present of a gift card and would like to pick up some reading material. We aren't having guests at Thanksgiving so I'll have a little more time. Since books are getting pricey, anything I can't cover, I'll pick up at the library. I already have put Sara Kendzior's book, Hidden In Plain Sight on my list and I saw that @Hugo Stiglitz mentioned American Rule last month. It seems like everybody (even Donald Trump Jr.) has written a book, or has had one written for them (coloring books excluded). My husband recommended a book on SCOTUS (can't recall the name--The Nine? maybe? but he said it's at the library, so I'll put it lower on my list.

Old or new, what do you recommend?

TL/DR--what political books make your top ten (or top five if ten is too long)? Thanks !

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105134

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^^^ an interesting list.

Another really important one along those lines, especially for those of us who align with the "Christian left," is this one:

81LKasSoqHL.jpg

 

It's a great piece on how intentions are great, but thoughtful action aimed at achieving LONG TERM goals is better.  It's not a condemnation of direct giving etc., but it cautions us to be more thoughtful about the big picture, and doing the much harder work of building up those who we are called to serve.

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former alkie

former alkie 72

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15 hours ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

Thanks for all the titles so far; I'm looking forward to spending some sustained reading time instead of little bits and pieces, as I have of late.

If you're really wanting to spend some time on a comprehensive autobiography

WILL, by G. Gordon Liddy    

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Walden Ponderer

Walden Ponderer 12639

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I love the Rawls suggestion; Theory of Justice is pretty much the starting point for political ethics, IMHO. However, you really need to temper it with:

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The problem of how much tolerance to show towards intolerance is the fundamental, fatal flaw in Democratic systems. I think we're seeing proof of that now. Ackerman predicted it, in 1980, in his response to Rawls.

I would also recommend UT's own Jay Budziszewski's "Resurrection of Nature". He's personally a moral and emotional dwarf, stunted by infantile obsessions, but as a political theorist, he's brilliant.

442280637-m.jpg

Edited by Walden Ponderer
Fuckin' autocorrect.
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Mrs Whiggins

Mrs Whiggins 13050

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6 minutes ago, Walden Ponderer said:

I love the Rawls suggestion; Theory of Justice is pretty much the starting point for political ethics, IMHO. However, you really need to temper it with:

41jDKQUZYmL._SR600%2C315_PIWhiteStrip%2CBottomLeft%2C0%2C35_PIStarRatingFOURANDHALF%2CBottomLeft%2C360%2C-6_SR600%2C315_SCLZZZZZZZ_FMpng_BG255%2C255%2C255.jpg

The problem of how much tolerance to show towards intolerance is the fundamental, fatal flaw in Democratic systems. I think we're seeing proof of that now. Ackerman predicted it, in 1980, in his response to Rawls.

I would also recommend UT's own Jay Budziszewski's "Resurrection of Nature". He's personally a moral and emotional dwarf, stunted by infantile obsessions, but as a political theorist, he's brilliant.

442280637-m.jpg

I may start with some of these basic background books, so I definitely appreciate the foundational texts. Been a long time since I've done that type of reading and it was simply the usual survey history courses as electives. What gave me the idea was the gift card plus the podcasters on Gaslit Nation frequently mention, "Oh, and if you haven't read X, you ought to check it out, it's pretty good. It dawned on me just how little I know about this beyond Surly and just reading around.

So, thanks again!

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washparkhorn

washparkhorn 9939

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1 hour ago, former alkie said:

WILL, by G. Gordon Liddy  

Fantastic book. Liddy has a unique view of the world. I will never forget how he knew he had met his wife when he saw her "birthing hips."  

Liddy is on the bleeding edge . . . between the sane and the insane. Excellent book suggestion for understanding the dastardly nature of the Nixonians. 

 

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Ghost of LL

Ghost of LL 15531

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Machiavelli, The Prince.  Still the most cogent discussion of politics and the use of political leverage.

Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.  Particularly the first half if an engrossing discussion of how a functioning democracy can be torn down when (1) one side of the political spectrum is hostile to the idea of democracy and (2) a person pursues power guided by the proposition, "what the fuck are you going to do about it?".

Silver, The Signal and the Noise.  Very interesting discussion on polls and statistics and what can be gleaned from them.

Havel, The Power of the Powerless.  Kind of the opposite of Shirer's book--an account of how a democratic resistance can exercise political power in an authoritarian state.

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F250

F250 28774

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9 hours ago, formermav43 said:

I’ll go in a somewhat different direction, as I’m mainly interested in the intersection of politics and Christianity. If you are too, here’s a couple of classics and a new release this year (and if you’re not at all, just disregard):

 

 

00D86E95-57BF-4F62-91F2-1A53065F00B0.jpeg

 

I would never have expected to see a reference to this book on Surly. It's a bit of a blast from the past. I've been following Willimon's work for years. He was a Methodist bishop in Alabama which used to confuse me because you expect MAGA Jesus from a preacher in Alabama but Willimon teaches the opposite.

 

 

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Wulaw Horn

Wulaw Horn 19069

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10 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

^^^ an interesting list.

Another really important one along those lines, especially for those of us who align with the "Christian left," is this one:

81LKasSoqHL.jpg

 

It's a great piece on how intentions are great, but thoughtful action aimed at achieving LONG TERM goals is better.  It's not a condemnation of direct giving etc., but it cautions us to be more thoughtful about the big picture, and doing the much harder work of building up those who we are called to serve.

I liked Blue like Jazz if you want to talk about lefty Christians. It was a long time ago that I read that, though so I can’t swear  to the thesis being a through line I’d endorse. Gabe me some things to think about.

My favorite Christian preacher is Tim Keller of Reedemer in NYC. His political theory is that wherever you are on the spectrum of

politics prior to getting serious about your faith you need to move the opposite way after experience with jesus. I think he’s right. 

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Kyrie Eleison

Kyrie Eleison 9312

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On 11/20/2020 at 9:28 AM, formermav43 said:

I’ll go in a somewhat different direction, as I’m mainly interested in the intersection of politics and Christianity. If you are too, here’s a couple of classics and a new release this year (and if you’re not at all, just disregard):

 

3B866B6D-F0DC-4FD2-8AB7-8323D83265B6.jpeg

00D86E95-57BF-4F62-91F2-1A53065F00B0.jpeg

6FF3D0E7-EF7C-4450-A46F-627984E7FED0.jpeg

as a former student of both Hauerwas and Yoder, i concur...though Hauerwas' best "political" (all his writings are political) treatises are found in "Christian Existence Today."

and i'll also add these...

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51XUcjJm8vL._SX340_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

 

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Kyrie Eleison

Kyrie Eleison 9312

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On 11/20/2020 at 7:06 PM, F250 said:

I would never have expected to see a reference to this book on Surly. It's a bit of a blast from the past. I've been following Willimon's work for years. He was a Methodist bishop in Alabama which used to confuse me because you expect MAGA Jesus from a preacher in Alabama but Willimon teaches the opposite.

 

 

i nearly totaled his car running an errand for him when he was Dean of Duke Chapel... 

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  • 3 years later...
Red Five

Red Five 40857

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11 hours ago, DixonHur said:

Decided to read something off the "banned books" list and holy shit this is the GOP/Trump blueprint.

Everyone who wants to understand what is happening today should read this.

image.png.5589b85b076be740dcb2eee4354513d8.png

Um, I never put this together, but...

image.png.73eba4dd0faa918f45e117b01cfe9fc7.png

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