Non-fiction Books & Literature for Liberal News Junkies

[artist]

I did a search and did not see anything covering this topic. I wasn't sure if this thread belonged in the politics section or the books section, so feel free to move this to the books section if need be.

I am curious what other liberal news junkies like to read in their free time. I am sure many of us try to keep up with various newspapers, perhaps to some degree news on television, maybe certain websites, podcasts, blogs, films, etc. But what non-fiction books are any of you reading? What books have you read? What books do you recommend? Are there any you would not recommend? Are there any books you thought were wonderful a few years ago that are probably a bit outdated by now, but still might be interesting to read? Do you ever read books from "the other side" that you disagree with? If so, why do you read them and do you actually buy them or do you get them from the library? If you mention any books, I encourage you to write any additional information about the book, such as what you enjoyed or didn't like about the book, various topics covered in the book, interesting tidbits about the author, etc.

Part of my reason for starting this thread is that I enjoy non-fiction political books. For some reason I tend to prefer non-fiction to fiction literature. I am hoping others who also enjoy this type of literature might be able to recommend some new books for me to check out.

[artist]

Here is a list of books from the Liberals thread...


PROGRESSIVE READING LIST:

What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America by Thomas Frank

Bush at War by Bob Woodward

The Bush Survival Bible by Gene Stone

The I Hate Republicans Reader: Why the GOP is Totally Wrong About Everything by Clint Willis

Citizens Dissent: Security, Morality, and Leadership in an Age of Terror by Wendell Berry and David James Duncan

Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--The Essential Guide for Progressives by George Lakoff

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama

The Conscience of a Liberal: Reclaiming the Compassionate Agenda by Paul Wellstone

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollen

Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen by Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry

An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore

Politics the Wellstone Way: How to Elect Progressive Candidates and Win on Issues



So, if you have read any of these books or any not mentioned here, please elaborate and give your review on it! Yes, I realize there is the Liberal thread, but this thread is focusing just on liberal books.

[artist]

Since I started this thread, I will get the ball rolling by mentioning some books I have read or enjoyed.

One book I enjoyed reading several years ago was The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: The Truth About Corporate Cons, Globalization and High-Finance Fraudsters by Greg Palast. Perhaps it might be a bit outdated since I believe the copyright date is 2003. Regardless, I still found it to be a hard hitting and well written book that still might be of interest to some of you. The part of this book that I found the most interesting was the very first chapter which delved into the details of how African Americans were taken off the voter lists in FL in 2000. If you are a Democrat who was irked with Ralph Nader and the Green Party voters, or if you are a liberal who has been outraged by Bush stealing the 2000 election by being "selected" by the U.S. Supreme Court, PLEASE consider at least reading the first chapter of this book as it illustrates in great detail about how so many African American voters were taken off the voter lists, how this was done, what corporations and people were behind this scandel, etc. It looks like one can purchase a used copy of this book from Amazon for only a dollar.

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Another one that I enjoyed in the past, which is ALSO a bit outdated by now was Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken.

The chapter I enjoyed the most was the chapter explaining the TRUTH of what the Wellstone memorial REALLY was like. As a Minnesotan who still misses Wellstone, worked on his campaign, has met Wellstone, and attended Camp Wellstone training, it isn't any surprise that I was one of the many who was AT that same memorial. Al Franken refreshingly wrote a true and accurate description of that same memorial. This shouldn't come as a surprise considering Al Franken, ALSO a Minnesotan was also AT that same memorial. How interesting that those of us who were actually AT the entire memorial service recall a VERY different memorial service than that which was depicted by such lunatics as Rush Limbaugh and other right-wing puppets who not only were not AT the memorial service, but never bothered to even WATCH the whole thing on television, yet apparently were qualified to make commentaries about the whole thing and bash it completely. I can't imagine what would happen if god forbid we progressive liberals were to bash the memorial service of a dead Republican!

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On that note, and since it is in the list (which was taken from the Liberal thread), I definitely recommend Politics the Wellstone Way: How to Elect Progressive Candidates and Win on Issues which is published by Wellstone Action. (I recommended this book in the Liberal thread.) This is the book which was used in the Camp Wellstone training I received. I recommend this book primarily to anyone who is interested in ever running for office, working in any capacity on a campaign, anyone who is an activist, anyone who is a community organizer, etc. Although the same information and advice provided could certainly apply to conservatives and Republicans, the book is obviously geared towards progressive liberals. The book is definitely a great resource, but if you are that passionate about politics and activism, I recommend signing up for Camp Wellstone if and when it ever comes to your town/city. The book is definitely much more exciting when read in conjunction with the training.

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I am sure there are more that I could mention, but these are perhaps some of the more interesting ones I can think of. There are also plenty that I have not read yet but am hoping to get to eventually.