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Political Books to Understand the Past and Present

In today’s world, there is an endless amount of political change and turmoil to keep up with. Books about politics can help you to understand both what is happening at this current moment and the history of how we got to where we are now. 

Politics can be an intimidating subject, and many feel that they do not have a full understanding of current and past political events. We have gathered the best history, journalistic, and political science books to help you to gain a fuller understanding. There’s always a lot for anyone to learn and this is the perfect place to start!

Whether you are looking for books that illuminate American politics, such as books about the political divide in America or books about the American presidents, or books that explore international conflicts and politics, we have the political books for you. 

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Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
by Angela Y. Davis, Cornel West, Frank Barat
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The Best Kindle Unlimited Books
Pope Francis Among the Wolves
Pope Francis Among the Wolves
by Marco Politi
Rust
Rust
by Eliese Colette Goldbach
President Carter
President Carter
by Stuart E. Eizenstat, Madeleine Albright
The Souls of Black Folk
The Souls of Black Folk
by W. E. B. Du Bois
The Price of Children
The Price of Children
by Maria Laurino
Politics Is for Power
Politics Is for Power
by Eitan Hersh
I Am Spartacus!
I Am Spartacus!
by Kirk Douglas, George Clooney
Moral Politics
Moral Politics
by George Lakoff
Bearing the Cross
Bearing the Cross
by David J. Garrow
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
by Richard H. Minear, Theodor Seuss Geisel, Art Spiegelman
Taking Hawaii
Taking Hawaii
by Stephen Dando-Collins
Blessed Experiences
Blessed Experiences
by James E. Clyburn, Alfre Woodard
North Korea's Hidden Revolution
North Korea's Hidden Revolution
by Jieun Baek
Invisible Countries
Invisible Countries
by Joshua Keating
Remembering America
Remembering America
by Richard N. Goodwin
Imperialism
Imperialism
by Hannah Arendt
Crown & Sceptre
Crown & Sceptre
by Tracy Borman
Tell Me How It Ends
Tell Me How It Ends
by Valeria Luiselli
A Train of Powder
A Train of Powder
by Rebecca West
Bananas
Bananas
by Peter Chapman
Vietnam
Vietnam
by Mary McCarthy
Blind Ambition
Blind Ambition
by John W. Dean
Enemies and Neighbors
Enemies and Neighbors
by Ian Black
A Discourse on Inequality
A Discourse on Inequality
by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Parliament of Whores
Parliament of Whores
by P. J. O'Rourke, Andrew Ferguson
The Baby Boom
The Baby Boom
by P. J. O'Rourke
Miami
Miami
by Joan Didion
Not in Your Lifetime
Not in Your Lifetime
by Anthony Summers
A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age
A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age
by David J. Helfand
Washington
Washington
by James Thomas Flexner
Retreat from a Rising Sea
Retreat from a Rising Sea
by Orrin H. Pilkey, Linda Pilkey-Jarvis, Keith C. Pilkey
Dallas '63
Dallas '63
by Peter Dale Scott
Capitalism
Capitalism
by Arundhati Roy
George Washington's Expense Account
George Washington's Expense Account
by Gen. George Washington, Marvin Kitman
Overcoming Hate through Dialogue
Overcoming Hate through Dialogue
by Ozlem Cekic
The Genius of Impeachment
The Genius of Impeachment
by John Nichols
MLK: An American Legacy
MLK: An American Legacy
by David J. Garrow
The Soong Sisters
The Soong Sisters
by Emily Hahn
Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882–1940)
Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882–1940)
by James MacGregor Burns
The Brass Check
The Brass Check
by Upton Sinclair
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11 Top-Notch Works of Journalism
From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation
From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation
by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Angela Y. Davis
It's Not Over
It's Not Over
by Michelangelo Signorile
Break Through
Break Through
by Michael Shellenberger, Ted Nordhaus
Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War
by George Crile
Conduct Unbecoming
Conduct Unbecoming
by Randy Shilts
The Falcon and the Snowman
The Falcon and the Snowman
by Robert Lindsey
1000 Years of Annoying the French
1000 Years of Annoying the French
by Stephen Clarke
I Call Him "Mr. President"
I Call Him "Mr. President"
by Ken Raynor, Michael Patrick Shiels, Barbara Bush
Showing 1-50 of 79 results

If you are just starting on your journey of reading about politics, you might want to start with books that give a more general overview of many topics, such as A Short History of the United States by National Book Award Winner Robert V. Remini or A History of Modern Britain by Andrew Marr.

To gain a deeper understanding of political systems, you should reach for a book of political science or theory. These books include Robert A. Dahl’s A Preface to Democratic Theory, Kevin J. Elliott’s Democracy for Busy People, and David A. Baldwin’s Power and International Relations