Staff Picks
#BroaderBookshelf 2021:Read a Book by a Journalist (Government & Politics)
- Chantal W.
- Friday, May 28, 2021
Collection
Compete the #BroaderBookshelf 2021 prompt of reading a book written by a journalist with these engaging and thought-provoking titles about government and politics.
The American Crisis
What Went Wrong, How We Recover
Published in 2020
"Some of America's best reporters and thinkers offer an urgent look at a country in chaos in this collection of timely, often prophetic articles from The Atlantic"-- Provided by publisher.
The Mueller Report
Presented with Related Materials by The Washington Post
Published in 2019
The only book with exclusive analysis by the Pulitzer Prize-winning staff of The Washington Post, and the most complete and authoritative available. Read the findings of the Special Counsel's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, complete with accompanying analysis by the Post reporters who've covered the story from the beginning. This edition from The Washington Post/Scribner contains: --The long-awaited report -- An introduction by The Washington Post titled "A President, a Prosecutor, and the Protection of American Democracy" --A timeline of the major events of the Special Counsel's investigation from May 2017, when Robert Mueller was appointed, to the present day --A guide to individuals involved, including in the Special Counsel's Office, the Department of Justice, the FBI, the Trump Campaign, the White House, the Trump legal defense team, and the Russians --Key documents in the Special Counsel's investigation, including filings pertaining to General Michael T. Flynn, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, Roger Stone, and the Russian internet operation in St. Petersburg. Each document is introduced and explained by Washington Post reporters. One of the most urgent and important investigations ever conducted, the Mueller inquiry focuses on Donald Trump, his presidential campaign, and Russian interference in the 2016 election, and draws on the testimony of dozens of witnesses and the work of some of the country's most seasoned prosecutors. The Special Counsel's investigation looms as a turning point in American history. The Mueller Report is essential reading for all citizens concerned about the fate of the presidency and the future of our democracy.
Proof of Corruption
Bribery, Impeachment, and Pandemic in the Age of Trump
Published in 2020
The Harvard-educated defense attorney and "Newsweek" political columnist presents an in-depth account of the Ukraine scandal that exposes years of clandestine activities, explaining why Trump's corrupt international deals have been particularly consequential during the COVID-19 pandemic.
American Carnage
On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump
Published in 2019
Shattered
Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign
Published in 2017
An analysis of the bitter 2016 presidential election, told from the viewpoints of Hilary Clinton campaign insiders, reconstructs key decisions and missed opportunities cited as the cause of the election upset.
Twilight of Democracy
The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism
Published in 2020
"A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and journalist explains, with electrifying clarity, why some of her contemporaries have abandoned liberal democratic ideals in favor of strongman cults, nationalist movements, or one-party states. Across the world today, from the U.S. to Europe and beyond, liberal democracy is under siege while different forms of authoritarianism are on the rise. In Twilight of Democracy, prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum argues that we should not be surprised by this change: There is an inherent appeal to political systems with radically simple beliefs, especially when they benefit the loyal to the exclusion of everyone else. People are not just ideological, she contends in this captivating extended essay; they are also practical, pragmatic, opportunist. The authoritarian and nationalist parties that have arisen within modern democracies offer new paths to wealth or power for their adherents. Describing politicians, journalists, intellectuals, and others who have abandoned democratic ideals in the UK, U.S., Spain, Poland, and Hungary, Applebaum reveals the patterns that link the new advocates of illiberalism and charts how they use conspiracy theory, political polarization, social media, and nostalgia to change their societies"-- Provided by publisher.
All the Truth is out
The Week Politics Went Tabloid
Published in 2014
"The former chief political correspondent for The New York Times Magazine brilliantly revisits the Gary Hart affair and looks at how it changed forever the intersection of American media and politics. In 1987, Gary Hart--articulate, dashing, refreshingly progressive--seemed a shoo-in for the Democratic nomination for president and led George H.W. Bush comfortably in the polls. And then: rumors of marital infidelity, an indelible photo of Hart and a model snapped near a fatefully named yacht (Monkey Business), and it all came crashing down in a blaze of flashbulbs, the birth of 24-hour news cycles, tabloid speculation, and late-night farce. Matt Bai shows how the Hart affair marked a crucial turning point in the ethos of political media--and, by extension, politics itself--when candidates' 'character' began to draw more fixation than their political experience. Bai offers a poignant, highly original, and news-making reappraisal of Hart's fall from grace (and overlooked political legacy) as he makes the compelling case that this was the moment when the paradigm shifted--private lives became public, news became entertainment, and politics became the stuff of Page Six"-- Provided by publisher.
Herding Donkeys
The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics
Published in 2010
Ari Berman reveals how the Obama campaign built upon Howard Dean's strategy when others ridiculed it, expanding the ranks of the party and ultimately laying the groundwork for Obama's historic electoral victory--but also sowing the seeds of dissent that would lead to legislative stalemate and intraparty strife.
All the President's Men
Published in 2014
Investigation and report of the burglary at the Watergate Hotel that culminated with President Richard Nixon's resignation from office.
The Forgotten
How the People of One Pennsylvania County Elected Donald Trump and Changed America
Published in 2018
The Greatest Comeback
Published in 2014
The former Nixon advisor and best-selling author of Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War" traces the unanticipated political rise of the 37th President just six years after his gubernatorial loss, sharing insights into how he resurrected his career and reunited a divided Republican Party.
The Spy's Son
The True Story of the Highest-ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia
Published in 2015
The Year of Voting Dangerously
Published in 2016
A noted political columnist traces the psychologies and pathologies in one of the nastiest and most significant battles of the sexes ever, the presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Thank You for Your Service
Published in 2013
"Finkel, a journalist, follows the soldiers who serve in the Iraq War as they struggle to reintegrate into American society"-- Provided by publisher.
Dark Mirror
Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State
Published in 2020
"Edward Snowden chose three journalists to tell the stories in his Top Secret trove of NSA documents: Barton Gellman of The Washington Post, Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian and filmmaker Laura Poitras, all of whom would share the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Poitras went on to direct the Oscar-winning Citizenfour. Greenwald wrote an instant memoir and cast himself as a pugilist on Snowden's behalf. Gellman took his own path. Snowden and his documents were the beginning, not the end, of a story he had prepared his whole life to tell. More than 20 years as a top investigative journalist armed him with deep sources in national security and high technology. New sources reached out from government and industry, making contact on the same kinds of secret, anonymous channels that Snowden had used. Gellman's reporting unlocked new puzzles in the NSA archive. And as Snowden's revelations faded somewhat from the public consciousness, the machinations he exposed continue still, with many policies unaltered despite societal outrage. Dark Mirror is a true-life spy tale that touches us all, told with authority and an inside view of extraordinary events. Within it is a chilling personal account of the obstacles facing the author, beginning with Gellman's discovery of his own name in Snowden's NSA document trove. Google notifies him that a foreign government is trying to compromise his account. A trusted technical adviser finds anomalies on his laptop. Sophisticated impostors approach Gellman with counterfeit documents, attempting to divert or discredit his work. Throughout Dark Mirror, the author wages an escalating battle against unknown digital adversaries who force him to mimic their tradecraft in self-defense. With the vivid and insightful style that marked Gellman's bestselling Angler, Dark Mirror is an inside account of the surveillance-industrial revolution and its discontents, fighting back against state and corporate intrusions into our most private spheres. Along the way, and with the benefit of hindsight, it tells the full story of a government leak unrivaled in drama since All the President's Men"-- Provided by publisher.
Surviving Autocracy
Published in 2020
"An analysis of the destruction the Trump administration has waged on our institutions, the cultural norms we hoped would save us, and our very sense of identity"-- Provided by publisher.
The Mueller Report Illustrated
The Obstruction Investigation
Published in 2019
"Written and designed by The Washington Post and illustrated by artist Jan Feindt, "The Mueller Report Illustrated: The Obstruction Investigation" brings to life the findings of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III in an engaging and illuminating presentation. When it was released on April 18, Mueller's report laid out two major conclusions: that Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election had been "sweeping and systematic," and that the evidence did not establish that Trump or his campaign had conspired with the Kremlin. The special counsel left one significant question unanswered: whether the president broke the law by trying to block the probe. However, Mueller unspooled a dramatic narrative of an angry and anxious president trying to control the criminal investigation, even after he knew he was under scrutiny. Deep inside the 448-page report is a fly-on-the-wall account of the inner workings of the White House, remarkable in detail and drama. With dialogue taken directly from the report, The Mueller Report Illustrated is a vivd, factually rigorous narrative of a crucial period in Trump's presidency that remains relevant to the turbulent events of today."--Page [4] of cover.
MBS
The Rise to Power of Mohammed Bin Salman
Published in 2020
"MBS is the untold story of how a mysterious young prince emerged from Saudi Arabia's sprawling royal family to overhaul the economy and society of the richest country in the Middle East|́|and gather as much power as possible into his own hands. Since his father, King Salman, ascended to the throne in 2015, Mohammed bin Salman has leveraged his influence to restructure the kingdom's economy, loosen its strict Islamic social codes, and confront its enemies around the region, especially Iran. That vision won him fans at home and on Wall Street, in Silicon Valley, in Hollywood, and at the White House, where President Trump embraced the prince as a key player in his own vision for the Middle East. But over time, the sheen of the visionary young reformer has become tarnished, leaving many struggling to determine whether MBS is in fact a rising dictator whose inexperience and rash decisions are destabilizing the world's most volatile region. Based on years of reporting and hundreds of interviews, MBS reveals the machinations behind the kingdom's catastrophic military intervention in Yemen, the bizarre detention of princes and businessmen in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton, and the shifting Saudi relationships with Israel and the United States. And finally, it sheds new light on the greatest scandal of the young autocrat's rise: the brutal killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul, a crime that shook Saudi Arabia's relationship with Washington and left the world wondering whether MBS could get away with murder. MBS is a riveting, eye-opening account of how the young prince has wielded vast powers to reshape his kingdom and the world around him"-- Provided by publisher.
The Victory Lab
The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns
Published in 2012
"A look how social scientists and renegade thinkers are imposing a new data-driven order on the American political campaign--an industry previously run on gut instinct"-- Provided by publisher.
Monsoon
The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power
Published in 2010
In "Monsoon," a pivotal examination of the Indian Ocean region and the countries known as "Monsoon Asia," bestselling author Robert D. Kaplan deftly shows how crucial this dynamic area has become to American power in the twenty-first century. Kaplan also offers riveting insights into the economic and naval strategies of China and India and how they will affect U.S. interests, while also providing an on-the-ground perspective on the more volatile countries in the region.
Asia's Cauldron
The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific
Published in 2014
"An examination of the future role of the South China sea in international relations and a tour of the the nations surrounding the South China Sea and their interests in the region. In exploring each of these countries individually, Kaplan clearly shows where the conflicts may arise and why they will be challenging for the international community"-- Provided by publisher.
The Red and the Blue
The 1990s and the Birth of Political Tribalism
Published in 2018
"From MSNBC correspondent Steve Kornacki, a lively and sweeping history of the 1990s--one that brings critical new understanding to our current political landscape"-- Provided by publisher.
Liberty and Tyranny
A Conservative Manifesto
Published in 2009
A nationally syndicated talk radio host and author of Rescuing Sprite presents a volume of essays for today's conservative leaders that recommends specific approaches to such issues as immigration, health care, and foreign policy.
Democracy in Chains
The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America
Published in 2017
A scholarly expos©♭ of the ideas of political economist James McGill Buchanan and multibillionaire Charles Koch explores their role in the radical right's six-decade campaign to eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize public education, and minimize restrictions on the wealthy.
Dark Money
The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right
Published in 2016
An investigation into the growing radical right reveals a network of wealthy people with extreme Libertarian views, led by the Koch brothers, that has been systematically influencing and controlling academic institutions, the courts, and the United States government.
The Way of the Knife
The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth
Published in 2013
An account of the transformation of the CIA and America's special operations forces into man-hunting and killing machines in the world's dark spaces: the new American way of war.
Kompromat
How Russia Undermined American Democracy
Published in 2018
"A timely and essential book from the CBS correspondent who has led their coverage of Russia election interference and the FBI counterintelligence investigation into whether the Trump Campaign coordinated with the Russians. In this compelling account of how the Russians hacked the 2016 election, CBS News Justice and Homeland Security Correspondent Jeff Pegues reveals how far the Kremlin poked into voter databases and why it happened. He also investigates the steps taken to shore up election systems in states across the country ahead of the 2018 midterm and indeed the 2020 Presidential election. Based on exclusive interviews with officials from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and cybersecurity experts, Pegues takes readers behind the scenes and into the minds of investigators following the case. He delves into the shadowy world of Russian spies, unraveling the complicated web of contacts between Russian operatives and Trump representatives during the campaign. In one chapter, he focuses on Valeri Gerasimov, widely believed to be the mastermind behind a Russian cyber strategy designed to influence and disrupt democracies. Evidence is presented showing that the Russians infiltrated not only Democratic Party computer networks in the US, but networks in the Ukraine and Europe as well. Consulting with representatives of top cyber security firms, the author discusses what states are doing to protect voting systems in the next midterm elections and beyond. Fascinating and chilling at the same time, Kompromat opens a window into the murky world of espionage, digital warfare, and a newly aggressive Russia brazenly inserting itself into U.S. politics"-- Provided by publisher.
Fracture
Barack Obama, the Clintons, and the Racial Divide
Published in 2015
"Barack Obama's speech on the Edmund Pettus Bridge to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches should have represented the culmination of Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of racial unity. Yet, in Fracture, MSNBC national correspondent Joy-Ann Reid shows that, despite the progress we have made, we are still a nation divided--as seen recently in headline-making tragedies such as the killing of Trayvon Martin and the uprisings in Ferguson and Baltimore.With President Obama's election, Americans expected an open dialogue about race but instead discovered the irony of an African American president who seemed hamstrung when addressing racial matters, leaving many of his supporters disillusioned and his political enemies sharpening their knives. To understand why that is so, Reid examines the complicated relationship between Barack Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton, and how their varied approaches to the race issue parallel the challenges facing the Democratic party itself: the disparate parts of its base and the whirl of shifting allegiances among its power players--and how this shapes the party and its hopes of retaining the White House. Fracture traces the party's makeup and character regarding race from the civil rights days to the Obama presidency. Filled with key political players such as Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Jackson, John Lewis, and Al Sharpton, it provides historical context while addressing questions arising as we head into the next national election: Will Hillary Clinton's campaign represent an embrace of Obama's legacy or a repudiation of it? How is Hillary Clinton's stand on race both similar to and different from Obama's, or from her husband's? How do minorities view Mrs. Clinton, and will they line up in huge numbers to support her--and what will happen if they don't? Veteran reporter Joy-Ann Reid investigates these questions and more, offering breaking news, fresh insight, and experienced insider analysis, mixed with fascinating behind-the-scenes drama, to illuminate three of the most important figures in modern political history, and how race can affect the crucial 2016 election and the future of America itself"-- Provided by publisher.
Fear and Loathing
On the Campaign Trail '72
Published in 2012
A political journalist presents his frankly subjective observations on the personalities and political machinations of the 1972 Democratic presidential primaries and the subsequent campaign between nominee George McGovern and incumbent Richard Nixon.
How Barack Obama Won
A State-by-state Guide to the Historic 2008 Presidential Election
Published in 2009
The Nine
Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court
Published in 2007
As the Supreme Court continues to rule on important issues, it is essential to understand how it operates. Based on exclusive interviews with the justices themselves and other insiders, this is a timely "state of the union" about America's most elite legal institution. From Anthony Kennedy's self-importance, to Antonin Scalia's combativeness, to David Souter's eccentricity, and even Sandra Day O'Connor's fateful breach with President George W. Bush, this book offers a rare personal look at how the individual style of each justice affects the way in which they wield their considerable power. Toobin shows how--since Reagan--conservatives were long thwarted in their attempts to control the Court by some of the very justices they pressured Presidents to appoint. That struggle ended with the recent appointments of John Roberts and Samuel Alito, and Toobin relays the behind-the-scenes drama in detail, as well as the ensuing 2007 Court term.--From publisher description.
Good and Mad
The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger
Published in 2018
"From Rebecca Traister, the New York Times bestselling author of All the Single Ladies--whom Anne Lamott called "the most brilliant voice on feminism in this country"--comes a vital, incisive exploration into the transformative power of female anger and its ability to transcend into a political movement. In the year 2018, it seems as if women's anger has suddenly erupted into the public conversation. But long before Pantsuit Nation, before the Women's March, and before the #MeToo movement, women's anger was not only politically catalytic--but politically problematic. The story of female fury and its cultural significance demonstrates the long history of bitter resentment that has enshrouded women's slow rise to political power in America, as well as the ways that anger is received when it comes from women as opposed to when it comes from men. With eloquence and fervor, Rebecca tracks the history of female anger as political fuel--from suffragettes chaining themselves to the White House to office workers vacating their buildings after Clarence Thomas was confirmed to the Supreme Court. Here Traister explores women's anger at both men and other women; anger between ideological allies and foes; the varied ways anger is perceived based on its owner; as well as the history of caricaturing and delegitimizing female anger; and the way women's collective fury has become transformative political fuel--as is most certainly occurring today. She deconstructs society's (and the media's) condemnation of female emotion (notably, rage) and the impact of their resulting repercussions. Highlighting a double standard perpetuated against women by all sexes, and its disastrous, stultifying effect, Traister's latest is timely and crucial. It offers a glimpse into the galvanizing force of women's collective anger, which, when harnessed, can change history"-- Provided by publisher.
Unbelievable
My Front-row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History
Published in 2017
The NBC news correspondent assigned to cover the Trump campaign for the 2016 presidential election shares her perspective on witnessing Trump's unexpected campaign successes.
Reputation
Portraits in Power
Published in 2008
A collection of profiles captures the people and power players who influenced politics and the media at the end of the twentieth century, including Clark Clifford, Patricia Duff, Lee Atwater, James Carville and Mary Matalin, and Terry McAuliffe.
Fire and Fury
Inside the Trump White House
Published in 2018
Thanks to his deep access to the West Wing, Michael Wolff tells the story of the stormy first nine months of Donald Trump's term as President. Among the revelations: What President Trump's staff really thinks of him -- What inspired Trump to claim he was wire-tapped by President Obama -- Why FBI director James Comey was really fired -- Why chief strategist Steve Bannon and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner couldn't be in the same room -- Who is really directing the Trump administration's strategy in the wake of Bannon's firing -- What the secret to communicating with Trump is -- What the Trump administration has in common with the movie The Producers.
American Character
A History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the Common Good
Published in 2016
The War Within
A Secret White House History 2006-2008
Published in 2008
From the Publisher: As violence in Iraq reaches unnerving levels in 2006, a second front in the war rages at the highest levels of the Bush administration. In his fourth book on President George W. Bush, Bob Woodward takes readers deep inside the tensions, secret debates, unofficial back channels, distrust and determination within the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the intelligence agencies and the U.S. military headquarters in Iraq. With unparalleled intimacy and detail, this gripping account of a president at war describes a period of distress and uncertainty within the U.S. government from 2006 through mid-2008. The White House launches a secret strategy review that excludes the military. General George Casey, the commander in Iraq, believes that President Bush does not understand the war and eventually concludes he has lost the president's confidence. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also conduct a secret strategy review that goes nowhere. On the verge of revolt, they worry that the military will be blamed for a failure in Iraq. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice strongly opposes a surge of additional U.S. forces and confronts the president, who replies that her suggestions would lead to failure. The president keeps his decision to fire Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld from Vice President Dick Cheney until two days before he announces it. A retired Army general uses his high-level contacts to shape decisions about the war, as Bush and Cheney use him to deliver sensitive messages outside the chain of command. For months, the administration's strategy reviews continue in secret, with no deadline and no hurry, in part because public disclosure would harm Republicans in the November 2006 elections. National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley tells Rice, "We've got to do it under the radar screen because the electoral season is so hot." The War Within provides an exhaustive account of the struggles of General David Petraeus, who takes over in Iraq during one of the bleakest and most violent periods of the war. It reveals how breakthroughs in military operations and surveillance account for much of the progress as violence in Iraq plummets in the middle of 2007. Woodward interviewed key players, obtained dozens of never-before-published documents, and had nearly three hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush. The result is a stunning, firsthand history of the years from mid-2006, when the White House realizes the Iraq strategy is not working, through the decision to surge another 30,000 U.S. troops in 2007, and into mid-2008, when the war becomes a fault line in the presidential election. The War Within addresses head-on questions of leadership, not just in war but in how we are governed and the dangers of unwarranted secrecy.
Fear
Trump in the White House
Published in 2018
With authoritative reporting honed through eight presidencies from Nixon to Obama, author Bob Woodward reveals in unprecedented detail the harrowing life inside President Donald Trump's White House and precisely how he makes decisions on major foreign and domestic policies. Woodward draws from hundreds of hours of interviews with firsthand sources, meeting notes, personal diaries, files and documents. The focus is on the explosive debates and the decision-making in the Oval Office, the Situation Room, Air Force One and the White House residence. Fear is the most intimate portrait of a sitting president ever published during the president's first years in office.