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 2011
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose
Tags Politics / Government, Philosophy, Psychology, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy
Publication year 1974
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Nation
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government
The Dispossessed tells the story of its protagonist Shevek’s journey from his home on a desolate, isolated moon to the abundant planet around which his society revolves. Shevek is an Odinian physicist from the planet of Urras, a socialist planet without a central government that follows the teachings of the revolutionary Odo. Upon settling Urras, Odinians refused contact with their former home, the planet Anarres: the only exchange between the planets occurs as mined goods... Read The Dispossessed Summary
Publication year 1893
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Economics, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Sociology, Philosophy, Business / Economics, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Social Science, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government
The Division of Labor in Society by Émile Durkheim is a doctoral dissertation first published in 1893. It is most notable for using the scientific method to explain social phenomena, and it is widely considered one of the foundational works in modern sociology. Durkheim, along with other theorists such as Max Weber and Karl Marx, is considered a founder of the field. In The Division of Labor in Society, Durkheim explores how modern societies remain... Read The Division of Labor in Society Summary
Publication year 1919
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Society: War, Society: Economics
Tags History: World, Business / Economics, Politics / Government
Publication year 1852
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose
Tags History: European, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Sociology, German Literature, Business / Economics, History: World, French Literature, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1992
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Politics / Government, Philosophy, Business / Economics, History: World, History: European, Sociology, Philosophy
The End of History and the Last Man by political scientist Francis Fukuyama is a widely read and controversial book on political philosophy published in 1992. In it, Fukuyama argues that the end of the Cold War in 1991 established Western liberal democracy as the final and most successful form of government, thus marking the conclusion of “mankind’s ideological evolution.” Since its original release, the book has been updated in 2006 and 2019 with reassertions... Read The End of History and the Last Man Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community
Tags Sociology, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Race / Racism, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy
Publication year 2005
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Community
Tags Race / Racism, Social Science, Business / Economics, History: World, Sociology, Social Justice, Poverty, Politics / Government
In The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time (2005), leading economist Jeffrey D. Sachs draws on his extensive global experience to identify a path to end extreme poverty within 20 years. This work is inspired by, and in some ways modeled after, the classic John Maynard Keynes essay Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren (1930). In the depths of the Great Depression, Keynes outlined a pathway to ending poverty in the industrialized countries near... Read The End of Poverty Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Politics / Government, Business / Economics, History: U.S., Agriculture, Class, Finance / Money / Wealth, Food, History: World, Immigration / Refugee, Military / War, Technology, Urban Development
Publication year 2006
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Indigenous, Society: Colonialism, Society: War, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags History: Middle Eastern, Race / Racism, Military / War, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2017
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Teams, Relationships: Siblings, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Education, Education, History: World, Biography, Social Justice, Politics / Government
In The Far Away Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life (2017), Lauren Markham tells the true story of 17-year-old Salvadoran twins, Ernesto and Raúl Flores, who flee violence in El Salvador to build new lives for themselves in America. It follows the twins from their initial exodus from El Salvador, across the Rio Grande, and into the United States, where a world of both unbounded possibility and undeniable danger await... Read The Far Away Brothers Summary
Publication year 2000
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Historical Fiction, Latin American Literature, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government
The Feast of the Goat, written by Peruvian Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, is a work of historical fiction originally published in Spanish in 2000 and translated into English by Edith Grossman in 2001. The novel chronicles the final days of Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship over the Dominican Republic from three points of view: through the eyes of his assassins in 1961, from the time they wait to ambush him until their final moments; through Trujillo’s... Read The Feast of the Goat Summary
Publication year 1787
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Politics & Government
Tags Politics / Government, History: U.S., American Revolution, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
The Federalist Papers is a collection of 85 essays, most of which were published as serialized articles between October 1787 and April 1788, by the American statesmen Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. Released under the pseudonym Publius, a common name in ancient Rome derived from the word for “the people” or “of the people,” The Federalist Papers were written to persuade the voters of New York state to ratify the US Constitution. The... Read The Federalist Papers Summary
Publication year 1970
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family
Tags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government
Publication year 1963
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Society: Education, Society: Economics
Tags Gender / Feminism, History: U.S., History: World, Love / Sexuality, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government
Betty Friedan’s 1963 The Feminine Mystique is considered a classic text of feminist non-fiction. It was enormously influential in kick-starting the second wave of feminism, a movement that began in the 1960s advocating increased rights and new social roles for women. By voicing the despair that many women felt, The Feminine Mystique galvanized readers across the US to join the feminist movement and prompted others to at least to take its criticisms of mid-century American... Read The Feminine Mystique Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Politics & Government, Natural World: Climate
Tags Politics / Government, History: U.S., Science / Nature, Business / Economics, History: World
Publication year 1963
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Tags LGBTQ, Existentialism, African American Literature, Black Lives Matter, Creative Nonfiction, Race / Racism, History: World, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government
James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time (1963) comprises two autobiographical essays in which the author confronts the racial issues and tensions that he believes corrupt and deform American life and the American dream. Baldwin’s essays exemplify and precursor many of the elements and arguments central to the Civil Rights movement. Please note: Throughout the text, Baldwin uses the racial labels/language common at the time he was writing. This study guide, which uses the Vintage Reissue... Read The Fire Next Time Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Black Lives Matter, Creative Nonfiction, Race / Racism, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government
The Fire This Time is a contemporary anthology responding to America’s turbulent racial climate. Jesmyn Ward, associate professor of English at Tulane University, edited the anthology. She has won numerous awards for her fiction writing, and in this book she seeks to present a collection of writing poetry from varied voices to illustrate the current moment and imagine a possible future. The book, which contains 14 essays and four poems, was published in 2016. In her... Read The Fire This Time Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Race, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Historical Fiction, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Politics / Government, Gender / Feminism, History: World
Publication year 1689
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Relationships: Fathers
Tags Philosophy, Politics / Government