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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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Sacred Liberty
Sacred Liberty
by Steven Waldman
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Dead Doubles
by Trevor Barnes
Dark Towers
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The Impostors
The Impostors
by Steve Benen
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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
Moral Politics
Moral Politics
by George Lakoff
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
Bananas
Bananas
by Peter Chapman
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 People's Guide to Capitalism
A People's Guide to Capitalism
by Hadas Thier
Friendly Fascism
Friendly Fascism
by Bertram Gross, Mark Crispin Miller, Chris Hedges
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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
Leadership
Leadership
by James MacGregor Burns
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
Blind Ambition
Blind Ambition
by John W. Dean
The Souls of Black Folk
The Souls of Black Folk
by W. E. B. Du Bois
Washington
Washington
by James Thomas Flexner
Dare to Speak
Dare to Speak
by Suzanne Nossel
Rust
Rust
by Eliese Colette Goldbach
President Carter
President Carter
by Madeleine Albright, Stuart E. Eizenstat
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
by Art Spiegelman, Richard H. Minear, Theodor Seuss Geisel
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
My Seditious Heart
My Seditious Heart
by Arundhati Roy
A Train of Powder
A Train of Powder
by Rebecca West
The Nixon Tapes: 1973
The Nixon Tapes: 1973
by Douglas Brinkley, Luke A. Nichter
Enemies and Neighbors
Enemies and Neighbors
by Ian Black
Parliament of Whores
Parliament of Whores
by P. J. O'Rourke, Andrew Ferguson
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
Conduct Unbecoming
Conduct Unbecoming
by Randy Shilts
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 Harvest Gypsies
The Harvest Gypsies
by John Steinbeck, Charles Wollenberg
Solving Tough Problems
Solving Tough Problems
by Peter Senge, Adam Kahane
Pope Francis Among the Wolves
Pope Francis Among the Wolves
by Marco Politi
Quilt Out Loud
Quilt Out Loud
by Thomas Knauer
Invisible Countries
Invisible Countries
by Joshua Keating
Vietnam
Vietnam
by Mary McCarthy
A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age
A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age
by David J. Helfand
Mourning Lincoln
Mourning Lincoln
by Martha Hodes
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