Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
If you read one political science book in your lifetime, read Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville..
Just bought George Saunders' latest book, anyone in for a good laugh check out his work. 'CivilWarLand' first.
Read 36 of these with bits and pieces of others I could not finish or whatever. I still think Dostoevsky's 'Brothers Karamazov' the greatest novel of all time. Read Camus, Borges, Ellison, Faulkner, but where the heck are Golding, Greene, Malraux, Yeats, Shaw, Huxley, Stevens, Bellow, Steinbeck, Milton, T. Williams, Eliot, Maugham, etc in this list? Maybe I missed them?
'The 100 best books of all time' How many of these "100 best books of all time" have you read?
The 100 best books of all time - 'Things Fall Apart,' by Chinua Achebe - CSMonitor.com
Today's public figures can no longer write their own speeches or books, and there is some evidence that they can't read them either. Gore Vidal
A pretty good read is "War is a Racket" by General Butler. After retirement he started thinking about his career and realized he had been nothing but a hit man for corporate america. I'm not sure those were his exact words but basically he realized war is a business or racket and the very wealthy always make a bundle and of course they never put their lives on the line by putting on a uniform. Nothing changes. I bought the book but it can be found online free I think.
you forgot to mention The Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx.Someone asked recently which writer influenced you most, and I list three, Albert Camus, Thomas Wolfe, and Feodor Dostoevsky. For Camus it was all his writings, Wolfe's 'You can't go home,' and D's 'Devils' and 'Brothers Karamazov.'
So I complied a more modern list of reading that challenges and will surely make you think. And raise your IQ as well. Four asterisks are excellent first reads. Most is nonfiction, I will add fiction writers at end.
What We Leave Behind By Derrick Jensen
Amazon.com: What We Leave Behind (9781583228678): Derrick Jensen, Aric McBay: Books
Media / Hate / Ecology ****
Amazon.com: The Culture of Make Believe (9781931498579): Derrick Jensen: Books
Amazon.com: Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (9780375714498): Edward S. Herman, Noam Chomsky: Books
Burning All Illusions : A Guide to Personal and Political Freedom by David Edwards
Amazon.com: Burning All Illusions : A Guide to Personal and Political Freedom (9780896085312): David Edwards: Books
Politics - rhetorical thought - excellent ****
Amazon.com: The Rhetoric of Reaction: Perversity, Futility, Jeopardy (9780674768680): Albert O. Hirschman: Books
Deer hunting with Jesus ****- excellent picture from a hick on hicks - said with respect.
Amazon.com: Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War (9780307339379): Joe Bageant: Books
Two excellent introductions to political thinking
Amazon.com: Political Philosophy: A Beginners' Guide for Students and Politicians (9780745635323): Adam Swift: Books
Amazon.com: An Introduction to Political Philosophy (9780199296095): Jonathan Wolff: Books
Great Depression and Bubbles
Amazon.com: The Great Depression and the New Deal: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (9780195326345): Eric Rauchway: Books
Amazon.com: A Short History of Financial Euphoria (Penguin business) (9780140238563): John Kenneth Galbraith: Books
Poverty Global Issues
Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet by Jeffrey D. Sachs
Amazon.com: Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (9780143114871): Jeffrey D. Sachs: Books
Amazon.com: The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time (9780143036586): Jeffrey Sachs: Books
Globalization and Its Discontents by Joseph E. Stiglitz
Amazon.com: Globalization and Its Discontents (9780393324396): Joseph E. Stiglitz: Books
Economics
Amazon.com: How The West Grew Rich: The Economic Transformation Of The Industrial World (9780465031092): Nathan Rosenberg, L.E. Birdzell Jr.: Books
Great Depression
Amazon.com: Invisible Hands: The Businessmen's Crusade Against the New Deal (9780393337662): Kim Phillips-Fein: Books
Amazon.com: A Propensity to Self-Subversion (9780674715585): Albert O. Hirschman: Books
Liberal thought - Waldron is excellent
Amazon.com: God, Locke, and Equality: Christian Foundations in Locke's Political Thought (9780521890571): Jeremy Waldron: Books
Amazon.com: Justice as Fairness: A Restatement (9780674005112): John Rawls, Erin Kelly: Books
Serious fun, thought provoking.
Amazon.com: What Have You Changed Your Mind About?: Today's Leading Minds Rethink Everything (9780061686542): John Brockman: Books
Amazon.com: What We Believe but Cannot Prove: Today's Leading Thinkers on Science in the Age of Certainty (9780060841812): John Brockman: Books
EDGE
History
Amazon.com: The Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991 (9780679730057): Eric Hobsbawm: Books
Evil - understanding a topic that confuses all.
Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing by James Waller
Amazon.com: Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing (9780195189490): James Waller: Books
Ideas - a survey from fire to ....
Amazon.com: Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud (9780060935641): Peter Watson: Books
Ethics - profound and deep
Amazon.com: Reasons and Persons (Oxford Paperbacks) (9780198249085): Derek Parfit: Books
Other stuff to challenge you.
"Is Democracy Possible Here? Principles for a New Political Debate" By Ronald Dworkin
"The Morality of Freedom" By Joseph Raz.
Amazon.com: The Morality of Freedom (Clarendon Paperbacks) (9780198248156): Joseph Raz: Books
Liberal Rights" Jeremy Waldron See Chapter 2 Page 35
Liberal rights: collected papers ... - Google Books
Amazon.com: Ideology: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (9780192802811): Michael Freeden: Books
Amazon.com: Liberty before Liberalism (9780521638760): Quentin Skinner: Books
Modern writers worth reading William Vollman, Richard Powers, and the books below are all excellent.
* Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance By Robert Pirsig
Darkness At Noon By Arthur Koestler
Angle Of Repose By Wallace Stegner
Go Tell It On The Mountain By James Baldwin
Invisible Man By Ralph Ellison
Man's Fate, André Malraux
Sophie's Choice By William Styron
The Fall, The Plague, Albert Camus
An American Tragedy By Theodore Dreiser
The Heart Of The Matter By Graham Greene
The Sound And The Fury By William Faulkner
To The Lighthouse By Virginia Woolf
Someone asked recently which writer influenced you most, and I list three, Albert Camus, Thomas Wolfe, and Feodor Dostoevsky. For Camus it was all his writings, Wolfe's 'You can't go home,' and D's 'Devils' and 'Brothers Karamazov.'
So I complied a more modern list of reading that challenges and will surely make you think. And raise your IQ as well. Four asterisks are excellent first reads. Most is nonfiction, I will add fiction writers at end.
What We Leave Behind By Derrick Jensen
Amazon.com: What We Leave Behind (9781583228678): Derrick Jensen, Aric McBay: Books
Media / Hate / Ecology ****
Amazon.com: The Culture of Make Believe (9781931498579): Derrick Jensen: Books
Amazon.com: Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (9780375714498): Edward S. Herman, Noam Chomsky: Books
Burning All Illusions : A Guide to Personal and Political Freedom by David Edwards
Amazon.com: Burning All Illusions : A Guide to Personal and Political Freedom (9780896085312): David Edwards: Books
Politics - rhetorical thought - excellent ****
Amazon.com: The Rhetoric of Reaction: Perversity, Futility, Jeopardy (9780674768680): Albert O. Hirschman: Books
Deer hunting with Jesus ****- excellent picture from a hick on hicks - said with respect.
Amazon.com: Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War (9780307339379): Joe Bageant: Books
Two excellent introductions to political thinking
Amazon.com: Political Philosophy: A Beginners' Guide for Students and Politicians (9780745635323): Adam Swift: Books
Amazon.com: An Introduction to Political Philosophy (9780199296095): Jonathan Wolff: Books
Great Depression and Bubbles
Amazon.com: The Great Depression and the New Deal: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (9780195326345): Eric Rauchway: Books
Amazon.com: A Short History of Financial Euphoria (Penguin business) (9780140238563): John Kenneth Galbraith: Books
Poverty Global Issues
Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet by Jeffrey D. Sachs
Amazon.com: Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (9780143114871): Jeffrey D. Sachs: Books
Amazon.com: The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time (9780143036586): Jeffrey Sachs: Books
Globalization and Its Discontents by Joseph E. Stiglitz
Amazon.com: Globalization and Its Discontents (9780393324396): Joseph E. Stiglitz: Books
Economics
Amazon.com: How The West Grew Rich: The Economic Transformation Of The Industrial World (9780465031092): Nathan Rosenberg, L.E. Birdzell Jr.: Books
Great Depression
Amazon.com: Invisible Hands: The Businessmen's Crusade Against the New Deal (9780393337662): Kim Phillips-Fein: Books
Amazon.com: A Propensity to Self-Subversion (9780674715585): Albert O. Hirschman: Books
Liberal thought - Waldron is excellent
Amazon.com: God, Locke, and Equality: Christian Foundations in Locke's Political Thought (9780521890571): Jeremy Waldron: Books
Amazon.com: Justice as Fairness: A Restatement (9780674005112): John Rawls, Erin Kelly: Books
Serious fun, thought provoking.
Amazon.com: What Have You Changed Your Mind About?: Today's Leading Minds Rethink Everything (9780061686542): John Brockman: Books
Amazon.com: What We Believe but Cannot Prove: Today's Leading Thinkers on Science in the Age of Certainty (9780060841812): John Brockman: Books
EDGE
History
Amazon.com: The Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991 (9780679730057): Eric Hobsbawm: Books
Evil - understanding a topic that confuses all.
Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing by James Waller
Amazon.com: Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing (9780195189490): James Waller: Books
Ideas - a survey from fire to ....
Amazon.com: Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud (9780060935641): Peter Watson: Books
Ethics - profound and deep
Amazon.com: Reasons and Persons (Oxford Paperbacks) (9780198249085): Derek Parfit: Books
Other stuff to challenge you.
"Is Democracy Possible Here? Principles for a New Political Debate" By Ronald Dworkin
"The Morality of Freedom" By Joseph Raz.
Amazon.com: The Morality of Freedom (Clarendon Paperbacks) (9780198248156): Joseph Raz: Books
Liberal Rights" Jeremy Waldron See Chapter 2 Page 35
Liberal rights: collected papers ... - Google Books
Amazon.com: Ideology: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (9780192802811): Michael Freeden: Books
Amazon.com: Liberty before Liberalism (9780521638760): Quentin Skinner: Books
Modern writers worth reading William Vollman, Richard Powers, and the books below are all excellent.
* Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance By Robert Pirsig
Darkness At Noon By Arthur Koestler
Angle Of Repose By Wallace Stegner
Go Tell It On The Mountain By James Baldwin
Invisible Man By Ralph Ellison
Man's Fate, André Malraux
Sophie's Choice By William Styron
The Fall, The Plague, Albert Camus
An American Tragedy By Theodore Dreiser
The Heart Of The Matter By Graham Greene
The Sound And The Fury By William Faulkner
To The Lighthouse By Virginia Woolf
Someone asked recently which writer influenced you most, and I list three, Albert Camus, Thomas Wolfe, and Feodor Dostoevsky. For Camus it was all his writings, Wolfe's 'You can't go home,' and D's 'Devils' and 'Brothers Karamazov.'
So I complied a more modern list of reading that challenges and will surely make you think. And raise your IQ as well. Four asterisks are excellent first reads. Most is nonfiction, I will add fiction writers at end.
What We Leave Behind By Derrick Jensen
Amazon.com: What We Leave Behind (9781583228678): Derrick Jensen, Aric McBay: Books
Media / Hate / Ecology ****
Amazon.com: The Culture of Make Believe (9781931498579): Derrick Jensen: Books
Amazon.com: Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (9780375714498): Edward S. Herman, Noam Chomsky: Books
Burning All Illusions : A Guide to Personal and Political Freedom by David Edwards
Amazon.com: Burning All Illusions : A Guide to Personal and Political Freedom (9780896085312): David Edwards: Books
Politics - rhetorical thought - excellent ****
Amazon.com: The Rhetoric of Reaction: Perversity, Futility, Jeopardy (9780674768680): Albert O. Hirschman: Books
Deer hunting with Jesus ****- excellent picture from a hick on hicks - said with respect.
Amazon.com: Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War (9780307339379): Joe Bageant: Books
Two excellent introductions to political thinking
Amazon.com: Political Philosophy: A Beginners' Guide for Students and Politicians (9780745635323): Adam Swift: Books
Amazon.com: An Introduction to Political Philosophy (9780199296095): Jonathan Wolff: Books
Great Depression and Bubbles
Amazon.com: The Great Depression and the New Deal: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (9780195326345): Eric Rauchway: Books
Amazon.com: A Short History of Financial Euphoria (Penguin business) (9780140238563): John Kenneth Galbraith: Books
Poverty Global Issues
Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet by Jeffrey D. Sachs
Amazon.com: Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (9780143114871): Jeffrey D. Sachs: Books
Amazon.com: The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time (9780143036586): Jeffrey Sachs: Books
Globalization and Its Discontents by Joseph E. Stiglitz
Amazon.com: Globalization and Its Discontents (9780393324396): Joseph E. Stiglitz: Books
Economics
Amazon.com: How The West Grew Rich: The Economic Transformation Of The Industrial World (9780465031092): Nathan Rosenberg, L.E. Birdzell Jr.: Books
Great Depression
Amazon.com: Invisible Hands: The Businessmen's Crusade Against the New Deal (9780393337662): Kim Phillips-Fein: Books
Amazon.com: A Propensity to Self-Subversion (9780674715585): Albert O. Hirschman: Books
Liberal thought - Waldron is excellent
Amazon.com: God, Locke, and Equality: Christian Foundations in Locke's Political Thought (9780521890571): Jeremy Waldron: Books
Amazon.com: Justice as Fairness: A Restatement (9780674005112): John Rawls, Erin Kelly: Books
Serious fun, thought provoking.
Amazon.com: What Have You Changed Your Mind About?: Today's Leading Minds Rethink Everything (9780061686542): John Brockman: Books
Amazon.com: What We Believe but Cannot Prove: Today's Leading Thinkers on Science in the Age of Certainty (9780060841812): John Brockman: Books
EDGE
History
Amazon.com: The Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991 (9780679730057): Eric Hobsbawm: Books
Evil - understanding a topic that confuses all.
Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing by James Waller
Amazon.com: Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing (9780195189490): James Waller: Books
Ideas - a survey from fire to ....
Amazon.com: Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud (9780060935641): Peter Watson: Books
Ethics - profound and deep
Amazon.com: Reasons and Persons (Oxford Paperbacks) (9780198249085): Derek Parfit: Books
Other stuff to challenge you.
"Is Democracy Possible Here? Principles for a New Political Debate" By Ronald Dworkin
"The Morality of Freedom" By Joseph Raz.
Amazon.com: The Morality of Freedom (Clarendon Paperbacks) (9780198248156): Joseph Raz: Books
Liberal Rights" Jeremy Waldron See Chapter 2 Page 35
Liberal rights: collected papers ... - Google Books
Amazon.com: Ideology: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (9780192802811): Michael Freeden: Books
Amazon.com: Liberty before Liberalism (9780521638760): Quentin Skinner: Books
Modern writers worth reading William Vollman, Richard Powers, and the books below are all excellent.
* Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance By Robert Pirsig
Darkness At Noon By Arthur Koestler
Angle Of Repose By Wallace Stegner
Go Tell It On The Mountain By James Baldwin
Invisible Man By Ralph Ellison
Man's Fate, André Malraux
Sophie's Choice By William Styron
The Fall, The Plague, Albert Camus
An American Tragedy By Theodore Dreiser
The Heart Of The Matter By Graham Greene
The Sound And The Fury By William Faulkner
To The Lighthouse By Virginia Woolf
Do you know of any forums wherein his works are the sole topic of discussion?
Too many books, too little time. Fiction can many times offer greater insight into humanity (or inhumanity) with greater clarity than the most researched tomes of non fiction.
Fiction which influenced me and in no particular order:
"The Red Badge of Courage"
"The Ox Bow Incident"
"All Quiet on the Western Front"
"The Grapes of Wrath"
"Brave New World"
"Johnny Got his Gun"
"The Jungle"
"The Octopus"