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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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Solving Tough Problems
Solving Tough Problems
by Adam Kahane, Peter Senge
Hatemonger
Hatemonger
by Jean Guerrero
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Politics Is for Power
Politics Is for Power
by Eitan Hersh
Now or Never
Now or Never
by Tim Flannery
Moral Politics
Moral Politics
by George Lakoff
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
by Richard H. Minear, Theodor Seuss Geisel, Art Spiegelman
North Korea's Hidden Revolution
North Korea's Hidden Revolution
by Jieun Baek
A Thousand Days
A Thousand Days
by Arthur M. Schlesinger
Crown & Sceptre
Crown & Sceptre
by Tracy Borman
Bananas
Bananas
by Peter Chapman
The Original Watergate Stories
The Original Watergate Stories
by The Washington Post, Bob Woodward, 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
The Baby Boom
The Baby Boom
by P. J. O'Rourke
A People's Guide to Capitalism
A People's Guide to Capitalism
by Hadas Thier
MLK: An American Legacy
MLK: An American Legacy
by David J. Garrow
Votescam
Votescam
by James M. Collier, Kenneth F. Collier
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Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
by Angela Y. Davis, Cornel West, Frank Barat
The Spies Who Never Were
The Spies Who Never Were
by Hervie Haufler
Leadership
Leadership
by James MacGregor Burns
Miami
Miami
by Joan Didion
The Souls of Black Folk
The Souls of Black Folk
by W. E. B. Du Bois
The Harvest Gypsies
The Harvest Gypsies
by John Steinbeck, Charles Wollenberg
Blind Ambition
Blind Ambition
by John W. Dean
I Am Spartacus!
I Am Spartacus!
by Kirk Douglas, George Clooney
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
Dare to Speak
Dare to Speak
by Suzanne Nossel
Dead Doubles
Dead Doubles
by Trevor Barnes
Dark Towers
Dark Towers
by David Enrich
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 Price of Children
The Price of Children
by Maria Laurino
Quilt Out Loud
Quilt Out Loud
by Thomas Knauer
My Seditious Heart
My Seditious Heart
by Arundhati Roy
A Train of Powder
A Train of Powder
by Rebecca West
Enemies and Neighbors
Enemies and Neighbors
by Ian Black
Atmosphere of Hope
Atmosphere of Hope
by Tim Flannery
Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War
by George Crile
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
Kennedy and Roosevelt
Kennedy and Roosevelt
by Michael Beschloss, James MacGregor Burns
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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
Lincoln Reconsidered
Lincoln Reconsidered
by David Herbert Donald
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
Kissing the Sword
Kissing the Sword
by Shahrnush Parsipur, Sara Khalili
That's What They Want You to Think
That's What They Want You to Think
by Paul Simpson
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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.