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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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Sacred Liberty
Sacred Liberty
by Steven Waldman
Neither Liberal nor Conservative
Neither Liberal nor Conservative
by Donald R. Kinder, Nathan P. Kalmoe
Yes, I Can Say That
Yes, I Can Say That
by Judy Gold
The Spy's Son
The Spy's Son
by Bryan Denson
Dark Towers
Dark Towers
by David Enrich
The Enemy of the People
The Enemy of the People
by Jim Acosta
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Every Vote Is a Prayer
Every Vote Is a Prayer
by Cathy Cambron
The Harvest Gypsies
The Harvest Gypsies
by John Steinbeck, Charles Wollenberg
President Carter
President Carter
by Madeleine Albright, Stuart E. Eizenstat
The Price of Children
The Price of Children
by Maria Laurino
Uncivil Agreement
Uncivil Agreement
by Lilliana Mason
Stitching Stolen Lives
Stitching Stolen Lives
by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sara Trail, Teresa Duryea Wong, Jesse L. Jackson
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
by Art Spiegelman, Richard H. Minear, Theodor Seuss Geisel
Remembering America
Remembering America
by Richard N. Goodwin
Imperialism
Imperialism
by Hannah Arendt
A Thousand Days
A Thousand Days
by Arthur M. Schlesinger
Crown & Sceptre
Crown & Sceptre
by Tracy Borman
A Train of Powder
A Train of Powder
by Rebecca West
Bananas
Bananas
by Peter Chapman
Vietnam
Vietnam
by Mary McCarthy
The Original Watergate Stories
The Original Watergate Stories
by Bob Woodward, The Washington Post, Carl Bernstein
Tell Me How It Ends
Tell Me How It Ends
by Valeria Luiselli
Not in Your Lifetime
Not in Your Lifetime
by Anthony Summers
A Cry from the Far Middle
A Cry from the Far Middle
by P. J. O'Rourke
Mourning Lincoln
Mourning Lincoln
by Martha Hodes
Dallas '63
Dallas '63
by Peter Dale Scott
A People's Guide to Capitalism
A People's Guide to Capitalism
by Hadas Thier
The Brass Check
The Brass Check
by Upton Sinclair
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11 Top-Notch Works of Journalism
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
by Cornel West, Frank Barat, Angela Y. Davis
Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War
by George Crile
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
The Quiet Man
The Quiet Man
by John Sununu
Leadership
Leadership
by James MacGregor Burns
Miami
Miami
by Joan Didion
The Hidden History of the Korean War, 1950–1951
The Hidden History of the Korean War, 1950–1951
by Mark Crispin Miller, I. F. Stone, Bruce Cumings
Above Suspicion
Above Suspicion
by Joe Sharkey
Blind Ambition
Blind Ambition
by John W. Dean
Lincoln Reconsidered
Lincoln Reconsidered
by David Herbert Donald
May Man Prevail?
May Man Prevail?
by Erich Fromm
If Nuns Ruled the World
If Nuns Ruled the World
by Jo Piazza
Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882–1940)
Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882–1940)
by James MacGregor Burns
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Washington
Washington
by James Thomas Flexner
Kill Chain
Kill Chain
by Andrew Cockburn
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Rust
Rust
by Eliese Colette Goldbach
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
Showing 1-50 of 84 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