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.

Publication year 1990

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Relationships: Teams, Society: Class, Society: Immigration, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: Nation, Life/Time: The Future, Society: War, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Business / Economics, Finance / Money / Wealth, Leadership/Organization/Management, Social Science, History: World, Politics / Government

The Competitive Advantage of Nations is a 1990 work of economics by American author Michael E. Porter, a Harvard Business School professor and expert in corporate competitive strategy whose influential works are frequently cited in business and economics. In this book, Porter dismantles traditional economic theories about how well a nation fares in global competition (factor costs and macro-economic policy) and proposes a model that focuses on active and malleable factors of business rather than... Read The Competitive Advantage Of Nations Summary


Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality

Tags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Social Justice, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government

Khalil Gibran Muhammad’s book The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America is a nonfiction history published in 2010. Muhammad, an American historian specializing on race and public policy, studies the connections between Blackness, crime, and the makings of America’s urban North after the Civil War. The book has garnered significant accolade, winning awards such as the 2011 John Hope Franklin Publication Prize and landing on the Vera Institute of... Read The Condemnation of Blackness Summary


Publication year 1845

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Philosophy, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Considered one of the classics of social and political theory, Friedrich Engels’s The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845) is a thought-provoking work based on the author’s personal observations of English society. As the first text of its kind to address the effects of capitalism on workers, it was widely read upon publication, even influencing the theories of Karl Marx, with whom Engels would later write The Communist Manifesto.Employed as a representative of... Read The Condition of the Working Class in England Summary


Publication year 2003

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community

Tags Crime / Legal, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Politics / Government

Published in 2004, The Corporation, by legal scholar Joel Bakan, demonstrates that corporations often misbehave because it is in their nature to do so. The corporate legal mandate, to pursue profit on behalf of shareholders, impels corporations to take any action, including callous, antisocial, and even unlawful behaviors, so long as they generate a profit.  Because corporations are created by governments, they are beholden to the state for their survival, yet they often manage to... Read The Corporation Summary


Publication year 1994

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government

Tags History: U.S., Business / Economics, History: World, Finance / Money / Wealth, Politics / Government


Publication year 1983

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Military / War, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, History: World, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government


Publication year 2004

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Gender, Society: Nation

Tags Education, Education, Gender / Feminism, Arts / Culture, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government


Publication year 2020

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Identity: Femininity, Society: Politics & Government

Tags History: World, Politics / Government, Military / War, WWII / World War II, Cold War, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography


Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Community

Tags Anthropology, Science / Nature, History: World, Anthropology, Business / Economics, Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government


Publication year 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Masculinity, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Teams, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Politics / Government

The Day of the Jackal is a 1971 thriller by Frederick Forsyth. The novel is centered around a professional assassin, known only as the Jackal, who is hired by a French paramilitary group to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle. Forsyth’s realistic, research-based writing style builds suspense through a detailed account of the cat-and-mouse chase that spans across Europe, showcasing the complexities of security and espionage during a tumultuous political era. The novel has been... Read The Day of the Jackal Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Literature

Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Politics / Government, History: World, Biography, Social Justice


Publication year 1961

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community

Tags Sociology, Urban Development, History: World, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

The Death and Life of Great American Cities is a 1961 non-fiction book written by Jane Jacobs, an American-Canadian journalist, author, and activist with expertise in urban history and theory. This guide refers to the original edition published by the Vintage Books division of Random House. The title references the killing of cities by urban planners and to Jacobs’s ideas about the processes required to breathe new life into them. Jacobs’s overarching aim is to... Read The Death and Life of Great American Cities Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Race, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Health / Medicine, Race / Racism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Poverty, Business / Economics, Sociology


Publication year 1776

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Nation

Tags History: U.S., Politics / Government, American Revolution, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The Declaration of Independence is one of the founding documents of the United States of America. The text was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson in June of 1776 after the Second Continental Congress appointed him the chair of the Committee of Five (the others were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman), a group designated to draft a statement declaring the American colonies independent from Great Britain. Jefferson based his draft on existing... Read The Declaration of Independence Summary


Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: War

Tags Ancient Rome, Politics / Government, History: World, Military / War, History: European, Classical Period, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality

Tags Business / Economics, Politics / Government, Finance / Money / Wealth


Publication year 2024

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Identity: Race, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War

Tags History: U.S., American Civil War, Military / War, History: World, Politics / Government


Publication year 2004

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Sociology, History: U.S., Race / Racism, Immigration / Refugee, Creative Nonfiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Journalism, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Luis Alberto Urrea’s book, The Devil’s Highway, tells the story of a disastrous border crossing between Mexico and The United States. The Devil’s Highway refers to a particularly brutal stretch of desert. In the past, it was not used as often as other routes, but as the story shows, the development and proliferation of the Border Patrol has made it necessary to use this dangerous route. The story is divided into four sections: “Cutting the... Read The Devil's Highway Summary


Publication year 1871

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Relationships: Family

Tags Satire, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Psychological Fiction, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Russian Literature, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government