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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
Breaking Through Gridlock
Breaking Through Gridlock
by Jason J. Jay, Peter Senge, Gabriel Grant
Yes, I Can Say That
Yes, I Can Say That
by Judy Gold
Triple Cross
Triple Cross
by Peter Lance
Dark Towers
Dark Towers
by David Enrich
The Impostors
The Impostors
by Steve Benen
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Rust
Rust
by Eliese Colette Goldbach
What You Need to Know About Voting—and Why
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by Kim Wehle
Uncivil Agreement
Uncivil Agreement
by Lilliana Mason
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
Imperialism
Imperialism
by Hannah Arendt
My Seditious Heart
My Seditious Heart
by Arundhati Roy
The Original Watergate Stories
The Original Watergate Stories
by Bob Woodward, The Washington Post, Carl Bernstein
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
The Burden of the Past
The Burden of the Past
by Malgorzata Glowacka-Grajper, Anna Wylegala
None of My Business
None of My Business
by P. J. O'Rourke
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
The Zanzibar Chest
The Zanzibar Chest
by Aidan Hartley
Inside Job
Inside Job
by Stephen Pizzo, Mary Fricker, Paul Muolo
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
Votescam
Votescam
by Kenneth F. Collier, James M. Collier
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From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation
From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation
by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Angela Y. Davis
Memoir of Col. Benjamin Tallmadge
Memoir of Col. Benjamin Tallmadge
by Benjamin Tallmadge
The Quiet Man
The Quiet Man
by John Sununu
Miami
Miami
by Joan Didion
Washington
Washington
by James Thomas Flexner
Remembering America
Remembering America
by Richard N. Goodwin
Bananas
Bananas
by Peter Chapman
Conduct Unbecoming
Conduct Unbecoming
by Randy Shilts
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
The Children
The Children
by David Halberstam
The Harvest Gypsies
The Harvest Gypsies
by John Steinbeck, Charles Wollenberg
Kill Chain
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by Andrew Cockburn
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President Carter
President Carter
by Madeleine Albright, Stuart E. Eizenstat
The Price of Children
The Price of Children
by Maria Laurino
Quilt Out Loud
Quilt Out Loud
by Thomas Knauer
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
A Train of Powder
A Train of Powder
by Rebecca West
Vietnam
Vietnam
by Mary McCarthy
Dallas '63
Dallas '63
by Peter Dale Scott
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