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Editors’ Picks: Politics
Our editors’ top picks explicate the political spectrum at home and abroad.
Published on January 10, 2020
Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice
Bill BrowderWritten like a gripping thriller novel, Browder’s account of exposing deep corruption in Russia and his unfailing will to fight against Putin’s regime proves that sometimes fact is far stranger than fiction.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Michelle AlexanderAlexander makes her case that the War on Drugs created a new racial caste system in a highly readable & compelling way. This provocative work has shifted how we think about civil rights & prison reform.
The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America
George PackerPacker’s award-winning work on the economic anxieties of Americans has reached cult-like status since Donald Trump’s unexpected election. Those hoping to understand an electorate hungry for change will find much to consider in this excellent work of political journalism.
Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen
Jose Antonio VargasBattles over border walls and illegal immigration have sparked intense debate and led to severe actions this year as many migrants from Central America have tried to enter the US. “Dear America” describes the often misunderstood complexities of undocumented immigration and Jose Antonio Vargas’ personal experience as one of the most prominent undocumented immigrants. In its best moments, the book is a poignant story of finding a place to belong, and how you can define your own sense of self without a home to anchor to.
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
Elizabeth KolbertThis incredibly accessible and informative look at the current mass extinction of species caused by human innovation takes on even more urgency in light of recent alarming climate research. Kolbert leaps through thousands of years of history and travels the world in this Pulitzer Prize winner.
Diplomacy
Henry KissingerA fundamental work on the history and current practices of international relations. Authored by noted diplomat and political scientist Henry Kissinger, who peppers the narrative with fascinating anecdotes from his decades in service.
Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions
Valeria LuiselliThis slim book examines the current immigration crisis through a 40-question survey child migrants must take and the stakes riding on how children answer, “Why did you come to the United States?”