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All Politics Is Local!
A Suggested Reading List of Classic and Contemporary Titles
CLASSIC POLITICAL TITLES
Aristotle.
The Politics
Aristotle establishes how constitutions can be upheld and established by
examining how societies are run. This classic of political thought describes the
ideal state and ponders how it can bring about the most desirable life for its
citizens. 888.5 Ari (Main ); 888 A Pb (West)
Hobbes, Thomas.
Leviathan
Written while the Puritan Commonwealth ruled England, Hobbes presents a defense
of secular monarchy. He believed that social peace could only be achieved within
a stable government which had absolute authority over its subjects and
institutions. 320.1 Hob (Main)
Machiavelli, Niccolo.
The Prince
A classic handbook of advice on the acquisition, use, and maintenance of
political power. 320.1 PB (Main)
Paine, Thomas.
Common Sense, and Other Political Writings
Considered one of the most important literary influences on the movement for
independence from Britain, this work was the first unqualified argument for
complete political independence. A precursor to the Declaration of Independence.
320.81 Pai (West)
Plato.
The Republic
Republic begins by posing a central question: "What is justice, and why should
we be just, especially when the wicked often seem happier and more successful?"
Discover what Plato has to say in answer to this question. 888 PLA (Main & West)
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques.
The Social Contract; and, Discourses
Rousseau posits that, since no man has any natural authority over another, the
social contract, freely entered into, creates natural reciprocal obligations
between citizens. 320.1 Rou (Main)
Thoreau, Henry David.
Walden; and, Civil Disobedience
Classics of American literature, Walden posits Thoreau’s belief that living
simply is the best way to experience life. His Civil Disobedience asserts that a
man’s first loyalty is to his own nature and that by being true to himself, he
can then be true to his government. YA PB Tho (Main) or 818 Tho (West)
CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL TITLES
Cartoon America: Comic Art in the Library of Congress
Like jazz and baseball, cartoons are an indelible, indigenous part of American
culture. "Cartoon America" celebrates 250 years of American cartooning with an
unprecedented selection of original art. 741.5973 Car (Main)
Garton Ash, Timothy.
Free World: America, Europe and the Surprising Future of the West
The author marked the 15th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by
attacking the less obvious walls that have come to separate individuals and
countries since 9/11. He states that Britain and must combine powers to spread
democratic ideals and economic progress in order to improve worldwide living
conditions and reduce the violent idealism that leads to war and terrorism. 909
Gar (Main)
Hitchens, Christopher.
Love, Poverty & War: Journey and Essays
Hitchens began the nineties as a "darling of the left" but has become more of an
"unaffiliated radical" whose targets include those on the "left." However,
Hitchens shows in this collection of essays from the last decade, he has not
jumped ship and joined the right but is faithful to the internationalist,
contrarian and democratic ideals that have always informed his work. 814.Hit
(Main)
Kennedy, Edward.
America Back on Track
Kennedy argues that our nation has departed more deeply from its fundamental
ideals than at any time in modern history. In response to this erosion, he
addresses the country's most significant domestic and international concerns and
offers a sweeping vision for reform and renewal. 320.609 Ken (Main)
Obama, Barack.
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics - a politics for those
weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the "endless clash of armies" we
see in Congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith,
inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of "our improbable experiment
in democracy." B Obama (Main)
Phillips, Kevin P.
American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House
of Bush
Political and economic commentator, Phillips, reveals how four generations of
Bushes, beginning with the original alliance between George Herbert Walker and
Samuel P. Bush, have ascended the ladder of national power since World War I,
solidifying their place in the American establishment. B Bush Family (Main)
Russell, Francis.
The Knave of Boston: & Other Ambiguous Massachusetts Characters
Examines the lives and careers of those men of acute intelligence and lax ethics
who brightened the Yankee landscape of MA during the late 19th and early 20th
centuries! 974.4 Rus (Main)
Stewart, Jon.
America (the Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction.
Jon Stewart of the "Daily Show" is a major source of news for the 20-something
set as well as older television watchers numbed by conventional reporting.
Packed with jokes, this mock textbook contains chapters packed with ludicrous
charts and maps, sidebars, illustrations, and "were you aware?" and discussion
questions. 320.973 Ste (Main)
Steyn, Mark.
America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It
Mark Steyn takes on what he considers the great poison of the twenty-first
century: the anti-Americanism that fuels both Old Europe and radical Islam.
America, Steyn argues, will have to stand alone. The world will be divided
between America and the rest; and for our sake America had better win. 303.4827
Ste (Main)
Williams, Marjorie.
The Woman at the Washington Zoo: Writings on Politics, Family and Fate
Marjorie Williams was a woman in a man's town, an outsider reporting on the
political elite. She was, like the narrator in Randall Jarrell's classic poem,
"The Woman at the Washington Zoo," an observer of a strange and exotic culture.
975.3 Wil
DG 5/07
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