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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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Miami
Miami
by Joan Didion
The Harvest Gypsies
The Harvest Gypsies
by John Steinbeck, Charles Wollenberg
Kill Chain
Kill Chain
by Andrew Cockburn
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Sacred Liberty
Sacred Liberty
by Steven Waldman
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Triple Cross
by Peter Lance
Dark Towers
Dark Towers
by David Enrich
Civil Rights
Civil Rights
by Thomas Sowell
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Politics Is for Power
Politics Is for Power
by Eitan Hersh
Taking Hawaii
Taking Hawaii
by Stephen Dando-Collins
Crown & Sceptre
Crown & Sceptre
by Tracy Borman
My Seditious Heart
My Seditious Heart
by Arundhati Roy
Bananas
Bananas
by Peter Chapman
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
A Cry from the Far Middle
A Cry from the Far Middle
by P. J. O'Rourke
Inside Job
Inside Job
by Stephen Pizzo, Mary Fricker, Paul Muolo
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
At the Highest Levels
At the Highest Levels
by Michael Beschloss, Strobe Talbott
Leadership
Leadership
by James MacGregor Burns
Above Suspicion
Above Suspicion
by Joe Sharkey
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Washington
Washington
by James Thomas Flexner
Democracy May Not Exist, But We'll Miss It When It's Gone
Democracy May Not Exist, But We'll Miss It When It's Gone
by Astra Taylor
Solving Tough Problems
Solving Tough Problems
by Peter Senge, Adam Kahane
Yes, I Can Say That
Yes, I Can Say That
by Judy Gold
Pope Francis Among the Wolves
Pope Francis Among the Wolves
by Marco Politi
Rust
Rust
by Eliese Colette Goldbach
I'm Right and You're an Idiot
I'm Right and You're an Idiot
by James Hoggan, Grania Litwin
Stitching Stolen Lives
Stitching Stolen Lives
by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sara Trail, Teresa Duryea Wong, Jesse L. Jackson
Blessed Experiences
Blessed Experiences
by James E. Clyburn, Alfre Woodard
Vietnam
Vietnam
by Mary McCarthy
The Nixon Tapes: 1973
The Nixon Tapes: 1973
by Douglas Brinkley, Luke A. Nichter
George Washington's Expense Account
George Washington's Expense Account
by George Washington, Marvin Kitman
MLK: An American Legacy
MLK: An American Legacy
by David J. Garrow
The Soong Sisters
The Soong Sisters
by Emily Hahn
The Brass Check
The Brass Check
by Upton Sinclair
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The Spies Who Never Were
The Spies Who Never Were
by Hervie Haufler
Kennedy and Roosevelt
Kennedy and Roosevelt
by Michael Beschloss, James MacGregor Burns
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Blind Ambition
Blind Ambition
by John W. Dean
The Naked God
The Naked God
by Howard Fast
Bearing the Cross
Bearing the Cross
by David J. Garrow
I Am Spartacus!
I Am Spartacus!
by Kirk Douglas, George Clooney
If Nuns Ruled the World
If Nuns Ruled the World
by Jo Piazza
Israel, Palestine and Peace
Israel, Palestine and Peace
by Amos Oz
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Kissing the Sword
Kissing the Sword
by Sara Khalili, Shahrnush Parsipur
A Boy from Georgia
A Boy from Georgia
by Kathleen Jordan, Hamilton Jordan, Jimmy Carter
President Carter
President Carter
by Madeleine Albright, Stuart E. Eizenstat
Showing 1-50 of 85 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.