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.

Prequel

by Rachel Maddow

Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Nation, Politics & Government, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags US History, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World War II, Military & War, World History, Politics & Government

... Read Prequel Summary

Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents

by Richard E. Neustadt

Publication year 1960

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Politics & Government

In 1960 Richard Neustadt’s Presidential Power, which constitutes the first eight chapters of the work discussed here, set forth an analysis of the US presidency that argued for presidents to focus on the prospective enhancement and conservation of their own power in terms of politics as they actually occur. The book became a classic, representing the entry of presidential studies into modern political science. It was soon read by individuals holding the office and their... Read Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents Summary

Prisoner of Tehran

by Marina Nemat

Publication year 2007

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Globalization, Nation, Safety & Danger

Tags Middle Eastern History, Incarceration, Trauma & Abuse, World History, Religion & Spirituality, Politics & Government, Biography

Prisoner of Tehran is a memoir by Marina Nemat that recounts her harrowing experiences in an Iranian prison post-1979 revolution, highlighting The Impact of Political and Ideological Repression. Through her narrative, Nemat explores The Challenges Faced by Women Under Authoritarian Regimes, illustrating the severe constraints and injustices they endured. Despite these adversities, her story is a testament to The Resilience of the Human Spirit, which showcases her journey of survival and defiance against oppressive forces.This... Read Prisoner of Tehran Summary

Prisoners of Geography

by Tim Marshall

Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Politics & Government, Science & Nature, Business & Economics, World History

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World, by Tim Marshall, was published in 2015 and became a New York Times bestseller and a Sunday Times #1 bestseller. The book describes how geography—mountains, plains, rivers, coastlines, climate, and natural resources—shape the fate of nations. Each chapter explains geography’s effects on a particular country or region. The book also considers how other influences—religion, culture, language, ethnicity—interact with local geography.Chapter 1 explores Russia, where... Read Prisoners of Geography Summary

Profiles in Courage

by John F. Kennedy

Publication year 1955

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Politics & Government, US History, World History, Classic Fiction, Biography

Profiles in Courage articulates and argues for the significance of the idea of "political courage" in American political history. Through four parts, the author, President John F. Kennedy argues that the preeminent value of a senator is "political courage," which he defines from drawing from the lives of eight former American senators.The first of these Senators is John Quincy Adams, the son of President John Adams. Considering an embargo against Britain over its aggression on... Read Profiles in Courage Summary

Progress and Poverty

by Henry George

Publication year 1879

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Justice, Science & Technology, Equality

Tags Business & Economics, Philosophy, Politics & Government, Poverty, Social Justice, Urban Development, Sociology, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

... Read Progress and Poverty Summary

Properties of Thirst

by Marianne Wiggins

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Grief, Memory, Perseverance, Nation, Justice, Politics & Government

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Arts & Culture, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Food, Grief & Death, US History, World History, Immigration & Refugeeism, Incarceration, Military & War, Philosophy, Politics & Government, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Social Justice

... Read Properties of Thirst Summary

Pushout

by Monique W. Morris

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Race, Education

Tags Race & Racism, Education, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Education, Sociology, Social Justice, Politics & Government

... Read Pushout Summary

Queen Mab

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Publication year 1813

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Place, Environment, Future, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, War

Tags Narrative Poem, Christian, Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Mythology, Fantasy, Philosophy, Politics & Government, Military & War, World History, Science & Nature, Religion & Spirituality, Grief & Death, Romanticism, British Literature, Health, Philosophy, Food, Classic Fiction

... Read Queen Mab Summary

Quit India

by Mahatma Gandhi

Publication year 1942

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes War, Colonialism, Perseverance, Hope, Community, Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Justice

Tags Philosophy, Politics & Government, Asian History, World War II

... Read Quit India Summary

Race and Reunion

by David W. Blight

Publication year 2001

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Politics & Government

Tags US History, American Civil War, Race & Racism, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, American Literature, Military & War, World History, Politics & Government

Race and Reunion by David W. Blight was published in 2001. It is about the history of American Civil War memory, specifically focusing on the 50-year period (1865-1915) after the war’s conclusion. It centers the competing themes of racial equality and sectional reunion. The book won numerous awards, including the Frederick Douglass Prize, the Merle Curti Award, the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, the Bancroft Prize, and the James A. Rawley Prize. Another work by this... Read Race and Reunion Summary

Radio Free Dixie

by Timothy B. Tyson

Publication year 1999

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality

Tags Race & Racism, US History, Sociology, World History, Biography, Social Justice, Politics & Government

Published in 1999 by historian and professor Timothy B. Tyson, Radio Free Dixie is a work of biographical nonfiction about the life of civil rights leader Robert F. Williams. A controversial figure within the movement, Williams is best remembered for his advocation of armed self-defense in the struggle for Black liberation. In Radio Free Dixie, Tyson charts Williams’s rise to prominence against the sociopolitical and cultural influences that guided the evolution of the civil rights... Read Radio Free Dixie Summary

Reading Lolita in Tehran

by Azar Nafisi

Publication year 2003

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Literature, War, Self Discovery, Politics & Government

Tags Gender & Feminism, Middle Eastern History, Politics & Government, Women`s Studies, World History, Biography

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books is a memoir by Iranian American author Azar Nafisi, first released to widespread critical and popular acclaim in 2003. The memoir recalls Nafisi’s experiences living and teaching in Iran after the 1979 revolution that created the Islamic Republic of Iran, until her eventual exile in the United States in 1997. At the center of the memoir is Nafisi’s account of a secret book club she hosted during... Read Reading Lolita in Tehran Summary

Red Notice

by Bill Browder

Publication year 2015

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Economics

Tags Business & Economics, Russian Literature, World History, Politics & Government, Biography

When Bill Browder’s 2015 nonfiction book Red Notice begins, he is a naive investor; when it ends, he is a crusader for human rights. In between is a narrative of ambition, greed, corruption, violence, death, and, finally, retribution and justice. Red Notice chronicles the life of a financier and his quest to repair the terrible damage done to him and his business team by Russian operatives, and, most of all, to get justice for Sergei... Read Red Notice Summary