Common Sense, Thomas Paine, 1776
Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, William Riordon, 1915
All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren, 1946
The Last Hurrah, Edwin O’Connor, 1956
The Power Broker, Joseph Lieberman, 1966
Boss: Richard Daley of Chicago, Mike Royko, 1971
All the President’s Men, Robert Woodward & Carl Bernstein, 1974
Primary Colors, Anonymous (Joe Klein), 1996
An odd title to add to the list, but perhaps with our endless cultural wars in American society, “Huckleberry Finn” might be a worthy addition to the list.
Mark Twain had a way in describing us that still unnerves Americans more than a century later.
Looking for other political book picks to warm up a cozy fire?
Veering away from seriousness would be “The Ohio Gang: The World of Warren G. Harding.” Our nation’s 29th president is considered one of the dimmer bulbs on the Christmas tree by presidential historians. The book offers reasons why.
It came out in the early 1980s and was written by playwright named Charles Mee. The book is entertainment. It is not serious history. I have not found serious history contradict it.
The book is a quick read and a good laugh about corruption in government by the Harding administration. This sounds trite, but this reader finished the book and mentally muttered: “Well, the Republic survived.”