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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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Kill Chain
Kill Chain
by Andrew Cockburn
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The Words We Live By
The Words We Live By
by Linda R. Monk
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by Timothy Bax
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President Carter
President Carter
by Madeleine Albright, Stuart E. Eizenstat
What You Need to Know About Voting—and Why
What You Need to Know About Voting—and Why
by Kim Wehle
The Price of Children
The Price of Children
by Maria Laurino
Uncivil Agreement
Uncivil Agreement
by Lilliana Mason
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
by Richard H. Minear, Art Spiegelman, Theodor Seuss Geisel
Bananas
Bananas
by Peter Chapman
The Nixon Tapes: 1973
The Nixon Tapes: 1973
by Luke A. Nichter, Douglas Brinkley
Enemies and Neighbors
Enemies and Neighbors
by Ian Black
Tell Me How It Ends
Tell Me How It Ends
by Valeria Luiselli
Not in Your Lifetime
Not in Your Lifetime
by Anthony Summers
Parliament of Whores
Parliament of Whores
by Andrew Ferguson, P. J. O'Rourke
Capitalism
Capitalism
by Arundhati Roy
The Brass Check
The Brass Check
by Upton Sinclair
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Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
by Angela Y. Davis, Cornel West, Frank Barat
Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War
by George Crile
Leadership
Leadership
by James MacGregor Burns
Miami
Miami
by Joan Didion
Blind Ambition
Blind Ambition
by John W. Dean
Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882–1940)
Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882–1940)
by James MacGregor Burns
The Souls of Black Folk
The Souls of Black Folk
by W. E. B. Du Bois
The Harvest Gypsies
The Harvest Gypsies
by Charles Wollenberg, John Steinbeck
Washington
Washington
by James Thomas Flexner
Solving Tough Problems
Solving Tough Problems
by Adam Kahane, Peter Senge
The Soul of the First Amendment
The Soul of the First Amendment
by Floyd Abrams
The Spy's Son
The Spy's Son
by Bryan Denson
Dark Towers
Dark Towers
by David Enrich
A Boy from Georgia
A Boy from Georgia
by Jimmy Carter, Kathleen Jordan, Hamilton Jordan
Pope Francis Among the Wolves
Pope Francis Among the Wolves
by Marco Politi
Rust
Rust
by Eliese Colette Goldbach
Understanding Truman Capote
Understanding Truman Capote
by Thomas Fahy
Sustainable Values, Sustainable Change
Sustainable Values, Sustainable Change
by Bryan G. Norton
Kivalina
Kivalina
by Christine Shearer
That's What They Want You to Think
That's What They Want You to Think
by Paul Simpson
Do Guns Make Us Free?
Do Guns Make Us Free?
by Firmin DeBrabander
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Quilt Out Loud
Quilt Out Loud
by Thomas Knauer
North Korea's Hidden Revolution
North Korea's Hidden Revolution
by Jieun Baek
Blessed Experiences
Blessed Experiences
by James E. Clyburn, Alfre Woodard
Invisible Countries
Invisible Countries
by Joshua Keating
Feminist Philosophy and the Problem of Evil
Feminist Philosophy and the Problem of Evil
by Robin May Schott
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James and Esther Cooper Jackson
James and Esther Cooper Jackson
by Sara Rzeszutek Haviland
My Seditious Heart
My Seditious Heart
by Arundhati Roy
Women and the White House
Women and the White House
by Lilly J. Goren, Justin S. Vaughn
Fragile Empire
Fragile Empire
by Ben Judah
Walking the Precipice
Walking the Precipice
by Barbara Bick
Retreat from a Rising Sea
Retreat from a Rising Sea
by Orrin H. Pilkey, Keith C. Pilkey, Linda Pilkey-Jarvis
A Conservationist Manifesto
A Conservationist Manifesto
by Scott Russell Sanders
Showing 1-50 of 83 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