Politics & Government

As far as topics go, politics may be as divisive as they come. Still, there's no escaping the role that it plays in our lives. The texts in this collection explore the gamut of how politics shapes and reshapes societies throughout history.

Empire of Cotton

by Sven Beckert

Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags US History, Race & Racism, American Literature, Business & Economics, World History, Politics & Government

Empire of Cotton is a nonfiction book published in 2014 by the German American author and historian Sven Beckert. By chronicling the history of the global cotton trade and its vast network of growers, merchants, and manufacturers, the book explores the origins and evolution of modern capitalism. In a narrative spanning over two centuries, Beckett takes readers through the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the American Civil War, and the collapse of colonialism following World... Read Empire of Cotton Summary

Empire Of Illusion

by Chris Hedges

Publication year 2009

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fame, Community

Tags Sociology, Education, Education, American Literature, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts & Culture, Politics & Government

Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle is a non-fiction book written by Chris Hedges, published in 2009. This work of cultural criticism focuses on the effects of mass media and popular culture on American society, politics, and economics. Since its publication, Empire of Illusion has been marketed as a work which predicted the forces that ultimately gave rise to the election of Donald Trump in 2016. Author Chris Hedges... Read Empire Of Illusion Summary

Empire of Pain

by Patrick Radden Keefe

Publication year 2021

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Social Class, Siblings, Art, Trust & Doubt, Economics, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Health, Politics & Government, US History, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Business & Economics, Crime & Law, Finance, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science & Nature, World History, Biography

... Read Empire of Pain Summary

Endgame

by Omid Scobie

Publication year 2023

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Power & Greed, Conflict, Nostalgia, Future, The Past, Family, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags European History, Politics & Government, Sociology, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Biography

... Read Endgame Summary

Enlightenment Now

by Steven Pinker

Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Social Class, Education, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, Nostalgia, Equality, Justice, Science & Technology, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Community

Tags Philosophy, Science & Nature, Psychology, Sociology, Politics & Government, Health, Agriculture, Business & Economics, Social Class, Climate Change, Social Justice, World History, Psychology, Philosophy

... Read Enlightenment Now Summary

Enough

by Cassidy Hutchinson

Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Nation, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags US History, Politics & Government, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Biography

... Read Enough Summary

Enrique's Journey

by Sonia Nazario

Publication year 2005

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Mothers, Immigration

Tags Politics & Government, Social Justice, US History, Immigration & Refugeeism, Education, Education, World History, Biography

Enrique’s Journey: The Story of a Boy’s Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother is a best-selling nonfiction book by Sonia Nazario, an American journalist best known for her work on social justice. Originally published in 2006, the book is based on Nazario’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Enrique’s Journey” series, which was written in six parts and published in The Los Angeles Times.The book, which has been published in eight languages and adapted for young adults in... Read Enrique's Journey Summary

Escape from Camp 14

by Blaine Harden

Publication year 2012

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Tags Asian Literature, Immigration & Refugeeism, Asian History, Korean Literature, World History, Action & Adventure, Politics & Government, Biography

Escape from Camp 14 is the story of Shin Dong-hyuk, who is the only known person to have been born in and escape from a North Korean labor camp. The book’s author, Blaine Harden, interviewed Shin many times and has also spoken with former camp guards and North Korean traders. His book details Shin’s life both inside and outside the camp, as well as the political landscape in North Korea.As Shin was born in the... Read Escape from Camp 14 Summary

Escape From Freedom

by Erich Fromm

Publication year 1941

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Community

Tags Psychology, Sociology, World History, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

Escape From Freedom is a book of social psychology written by Erich Fromm in 1941. A German-Jewish psychoanalyst, Fromm had been a member of Frankfurt’s influential Institute for Social Research before fleeing the Nazis and relocating to the United States. In Escape From Freedom, Fromm uses ideas from both psychology and sociology to explain humanity’s ambivalent relation to freedom, with a particular attention paid to the rise of Nazism in Germany. The first two chapters of... Read Escape From Freedom Summary

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

by Matthew Desmond

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Community

Tags Sociology, Social Justice, Poverty, Race & Racism, Business & Economics, World History, Politics & Government

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, written by Matthew Desmond, a tenured sociology professor at Princeton University, was published in 2016 and won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 2017. In this influential work, Desmond highlights the interconnected issues of extreme poverty and affordable housing in the United States, themes he continues to explore in his more recent book, Poverty, by America. Through an ethnographic study, he follows the experiences of eight... Read Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City Summary

Excellent Sheep

by William Deresiewicz

Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Community

Tags Sociology, Education, Education, World History, Parenting, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics & Government

William Deresiewicz’s 2014 nonfiction book Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life examines elite education in America in the 21st century and finds it sorely lacking. By “elite education,” Deresiewicz is referring to the Ivy League schools and a handful of top-tier universities just below the Ivy League. Having spent over two decades in the Ivies as both a student and professor, Deresiewicz speaks from his own... Read Excellent Sheep Summary

Exodus

by Paul Collier

Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Social Class, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government

Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, Politics & Government, Business & Economics, Sociology

... Read Exodus Summary

Factfulness

by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund

Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Globalization, Trust & Doubt

Tags Sociology, Science & Nature, Business & Economics, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Politics & Government

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World—And Why Things Are Better Than You Think, written by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund, was published by Flatiron Books in 2018. This book examines how people across cultures view the world through a negative lens, which leads them to believe conditions everywhere are declining. Doctor and global health expert Hans Rosling offers research and anecdotes from his medical experience and his lectures to unpack... Read Factfulness Summary

Fall Of Giants

by Ken Follett

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Politics & Government, Love

Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, World War I, World History, Relationships, Politics & Government, Poverty, Grief & Death, Russian Literature, Narrative Poem

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett, published in 2010, is a historical novel and the first installment of the Century Trilogy. The trilogy takes place during the 20th century and is told through the points of view of five interconnected families from Wales, Germany, America, and Russia. Fall of Giants spans World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the women’s suffrage movement. Winter of the World, the second book in the trilogy, takes place against... Read Fall Of Giants Summary

Family of Spies

by Christine Kuehn

Publication year 2025

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, The Past, Family, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags US History, European History, World War II, Memoir & Autobiography, Politics & Government, Espionage

... Read Family of Spies Summary