Recommended Political Reads
As the political season heats up, Gaithersburg Book Festival committee members recommend some of their favorite political reads and tell you why they enjoyed them so much. (Books are listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name.)
“President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime” by Lou Cannon
A great bio of a complex person, by a master reporter. It was widely reported that President Obama recently read the book, which shows that it appeals to both sides of the political aisle.
“Path to Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson” by Robert A. Caro
first of a three volume set
I have read many, many great political books over the years, but this is one of my all time favorites. Someday I will have a chance to read the other two volumes. Caro makes this fascinating and complex man come to life and gives us an understanding of critical moments in recent history.
“The Power Broker” by Robert Caro
The most powerful man in New York City in the 20th Century was an unlikely figure; his name was Robert Moses and he was essentially a planning commissioner. This was a guy who knew his stuff, he knew how to play the game, and essentially shaped all of the greater New York area, including Long Island and some parts upstate, into what we now know well. Even though he was a controversial figure, Moses’ tenure lasted for decades — through several governors and numerous mayoral administrations — and his power remained undiminished until a moment in the ’60’s when a citizens group led by stay-at-home moms protested his not allowing a playground in Central Park, in favor of a parking lot. Believe it or not, that turned out to be the beginning of the end for Moses. Can you think of a more “American” story than a man rising to power as Moses did and, consumed by his own hubris, being brought down by a minor little citizens group? (This book also made our list of recommended reads for local politicians.)
“Going Public: An Inside Story of Disrupting Politics as Usual” by Michael Gecan
If you’ve ever wondered what it means exactly when Barack Obama says he was a community organizer, you can learn about it from someone who has been there. Gecan tells the story of how he helped a group of citizens in New York City organize themselves in a fight to save their neighborhood. In the tradition of the “father of community organizing” Saul Alinsky, Gecan helps local leaders learn to communicate effectively with politicians like Rudy Giuliani and Ed Koch, and demand accountability from them. Ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things.
“Game Change” by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin
This book gives a view not only of what happened “behind the curtains” in the 2008 campaign for President, but gives insight to the political process. This is not an “interested” book. It is not an expose. It presents an intricate account of what our election process really involves.
“Truman” by David McCullough
There’s so much that resonates with me about this wonderful book, a lot of which is encapsulated in a minor scene toward the end in which a minister in Missouri recounts giving a eulogy on a cold, rainy day out at a remote cemetery. The weather was such that, during the service, he noted that, aside from the cemetery staff, there was only one person in attendance. When it was over, the minister walked over and realized that that one person was a now-elderly Harry Truman. When he asked Truman why he’d come out on such a day, the ex-President replied, “I never forget a friend.”
“Aftershock: The Next Economy and America’s Future” by Robert B. Reich
This book touches on one of the central issues in this political campaign: distribution of wealth, taxes, and the consequences of not re-distributing it. It was a very readable book and not too technical for a general audience.
“All the Kings Men” by Robert Penn Warren
Not only one of the finest novels of the 20th century, sparkling with sublime, lyrical prose, but a treatise on the way politics works with our fellow human beings and a cautionary tale on the way that power corrupts and destroys everything in its path.
“The Bush Tragedy” by Jacob Weisberg
This book looks at the two terms of George W. Bush presidencies through the lens of relationships, chiefly the relationship of George the son to George the father. The author proposes that many of the decisions and actions W took, he took to be different from his father. Two other relationships Weisberg examines are W’s with Karl Rove — who thought he was great — and with Dick Cheney.
Comment below with your favorite political reads…
P.S. — Coming next week: Recommended political reads for kids and teens, courtesy of Gaithersburg Elementary School Media Specialist Jennifer Nicholson.