Politics & Government

As far as topics go, politics may be as divisive as they come. Still, there's no escaping the role that it plays in our lives. The texts in this collection explore the gamut of how politics shapes and reshapes societies throughout history.

Publication year 2006

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Society: Community

Tags History: U.S., Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Military / War, Politics / Government, Education, Education, American Literature, History: World


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Self Help, Inspirational, Psychology, Parenting, Sociology, American Literature, Science / Nature, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos (2018) is Jordan B. Peterson’s second book. Peterson’s self-help book seeks to provide practical and virtuous rules to live by for a wide audience and general readership. The book streamlines, simplifies, and reimagines some of the more traditionally academic topics of Peterson’s first book, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief. Each non-fiction work aims to explain human history and human nature according to universal frameworks. 12... Read 12 Rules for Life Summary


Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags American Revolution, History: U.S., Military / War, History: World, Politics / Government

1776 is a biography of the American Revolutionary War written by historian David McCullough. Published in 2006, the book is a companion piece to John Adams (2001), a biography McCullough wrote about the second US president. Though the Revolutionary War did not officially end until the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, the text follows George Washington, King George III, Nathanael Greene, Henry Knox, and other key figures as it examines crucial military events... Read 1776 Summary


Publication year 1949

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Siblings

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, British Literature, Education, Education, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

George Orwell’s dystopian novel1984 (also written as Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel) was originally published in 1949 and is regarded as a literary classic. Orwell was known for social and political criticism in his writing. He supported democratic socialism and opposed totalitarianism—political stances that come through in the themes of his most well-known works.Edition note: This novel is available in the public domain in many countries, and this summary is based on the electronically published version... Read 1984 Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community

Tags Sociology, Social Science, Business / Economics, History: World, Social Justice, Poverty, Politics / Government

Published in 2015, $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America is a nonfiction investigation into how a new form of virtually cashless poverty emerged in the United States. Authors Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer are both academics with extensive experience researching poverty, but it is only in recent years that they have come across households with almost no cash income at all. There are now 1.5 million families with children in... Read $2.00 a Day Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Globalization, Society: Community

Tags Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Politics / Government

21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018) is historian, philosopher, and acclaimed author Yuval Noah Harari’s in-depth look at the current global affairs and the immediate future of humankind. To Harari, the merging of biotechnology and artificial intelligence potentially represents the end of history with some humans becoming godlike. Despite the ramification of this situation on all of humanity, most people are distracted by irrelevant information and do not realize the debate that is occurring... Read 21 Lessons for the 21st Century Summary


Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Community

Tags Politics / Government, Business / Economics, Education, Class, Finance / Money / Wealth, Food, History: World, Immigration / Refugee, Leadership/Organization/Management, Military / War, Poverty, Social Justice, Sociology, Technology, Philosophy, Philosophy


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Life/Time: Mortality & Death

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Food, Relationships, Politics / Government, Love / Sexuality, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1983

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Tags History: U.S., American Civil War, Military / War, History: World, Biography, Politics / Government

This study guide references the 1990 Oxford University Press edition of James M. McPherson’s Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution. The book is a collection of seven essays originally delivered as lectures, all on the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and his role in the Civil War (1861-1865). The book calls the Civil War era the “Second American Revolution” because, with Lincoln’s help, it brought about a fundamental transformation in the... Read Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution Summary


Publication year 1995

Genre Poem, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Society: War, Relationships: Teams, Life/Time: The Future, Natural World: Space & The Universe

Tags Free verse, Lyric Poem, Spoken Word Poetry, Politics / Government, History: World, Military / War, Grief / Death, American Literature


Publication year 2005

Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Economics, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Globalization

Tags Business / Economics, Philosophy, Politics / Government, Anthropology, Social Justice, Education, Education, Anthropology, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy


Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Language, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Place, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Politics / Government

Published in 2014, A Brief History of Seven Killings is a literary crime novel by Jamaican writer Marlon James. To serve as the foundation for his novel, James builds the narrative around a singular historical event: the 1976 assassination attempt on Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley, whom he fictionalizes as the Singer for thematic effect. James draws on his experiences growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, in the 1970s, and on his parents’ careers in law... Read A Brief History of Seven Killings Summary


Publication year 1681

Genre Poem, Fiction

Tags Lyric Poem, Satire, Politics / Government, Restoration, Education, Education, British Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

John Dryden’s “Absalom and Achitophel” was first published in 1681, in direct response to a political crisis faced by King Charles II from 1679 to 1681. In what became known as the “Exclusion Crisis,” the king’s opponents in Parliament tried to exclude Charles’s brother James from the succession on the grounds that he was a Roman Catholic. “Absalom and Achitophel” is a satiric narrative poem in which Dryden uses a biblical allegory to discuss the... Read Absalom and Achitophel Summary


Publication year 1970

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Play: Drama, Play: Comedy / Satire, Italian Literature, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Accidental Death of an Anarchist was first written and produced by playwright and actor Dario Fo in Italy, 1970. The script was directly inspired by the events surrounding the 1969 Piazza Fontana Bombing, and much of Fo’s work revolves around political satire directed at Italy post-World War II and later. Exemplifying Fo’s work as a writer, Accidental Death of an Anarchist combines the humor, irony, and satire of the old Italian tradition of commedia dell’arte... Read Accidental Death Of An Anarchist Summary


Publication year 1881

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Natural World: Place, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Identity: Indigenous

Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Colonial America, Grief / Death, Military / War, Politics / Government, Social Justice, History: World


Publication year 2007

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Religion / Spirituality, Education, Education, Biography, Politics / Government

Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim in the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation is a book by Eboo Patel. Part memoir, part treatise on the vulnerability of youth who are preyed upon and radicalized by religious zealots, the book examines Patel’s search for his identity, following him from childhood to his time as the founder of the Interfaith Youth Core group. Themes of faith, family, religious doubt, pluralism, and the... Read Acts Of Faith Summary


Publication year 1963

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Society: Colonialism

Tags Play: Postcolonial, Allegory / Fable / Parable, History: African , Politics / Government, African Literature, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy

Written and first performed in 1960 as part of the national celebrations of Nigeria’s independence from Britain, A Dance of the Forests features a unique combination of classically European dramatic elements and traditional Yoruba masquerade traditions which make the play resistant to both staging and traditional Western criticism. Since 1960, few attempts have been made to perform the play, due to its complexity and ambiguity. A Dance of the Forests presents an allegorical criticism of... Read A Dance of the Forests Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Military / War, Journalism, History: World, Religion / Spirituality, Biography, Politics / Government, History: Middle Eastern


Publication year 1993

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, Race / Racism, Education, Education, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki is a revisionist account of American history that provides an in-depth view of America as a country populated and built by diverse peoples of the world. Originally published in 1993 by Little, Brown and Company, this study guide uses the updated 2008 edition. In 1994 A Different Mirror received an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for its contributions to advancing understandings of racism and human diversity.Takaki’s... Read A Different Mirror Summary


Publication year 2012

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Disability, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government

Tags History: U.S., Disability, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Sociology, Gender / Feminism, History: World