I’ve got my books
and my poetry to protect me
I am shielded in my armor
— Paul Simon
Books have been a favorite companion since an early age. There’s nothing like curling up with a good book — and I do mean the old-fashioned dead tree kind, although I’ve been swayed to love Kindle for its portability too.
If you want to go deeply into a subject, there’s pretty much no substitute for a book. In an age of fast food media fare, a book is an entire love affair with a topic, dining out at 5-star restaurants every night. Reading is learning and learning is love. Get you a book that looks at you the way a librarian looks at… a book.
Here are just some of the books that have touched my life; these sets are more recent studies in politics and psychology, and at some point I’ll get around to adding some top fiction lists and books from other genres. Until then, enjoy the deep dives into (mostly) the dark arts of political pathology.
Book Lists
- American History Books
- Authoritarianism Books
- Banned Books — for all their talk of “free speech,” right-wingers sure do love to ban books
- Bob Altemeyer: The Authoritarians
- Christian Nationalism Books
- Conspiracy Theory Books
- Corruption Books
- Cults and Mind Control Books
- Disinformation Books
- Heather Cox Richardson Books
- Narcissism Books
- Phobia Indoctrination Books
Book Reviews and Summaries
- Amusing Ourselves to Death Book Review — Neil Postman
- Meme Wars Book Review: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America
- Network Propaganda Book Review: Manipulation, Disinformation, and Radicalization in American Politics
- On Lying and Politics Book Review — Hannah Arendt
- Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires Book Review — Douglas Rushkoff
- The Authoritarians — Bob Altemeyer
I’ve also compiled several sets of the books that have especially helped me navigate the current political and cultural climate — check out all the lists here:
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