American Progressivism
Last updated: February 28, 2025
What does it mean to be a progressive in America? In this special series Five Books approached ten political commentators, activists and politicians and asked them to talk about which books were most important for the progressive cause.
The series was edited by Eve Gerber, our US editor, and Neera Tanden, who currently serves as Domestic Policy Advisor to Joe Biden.
Unlike our American Conservatism series, we did not arrange a vote to establish the ultimate books in the progressive canon. However, we can highlight the books that were chosen more than once: John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath (chosen by both John Kerry and Antonio Villaraigosa) and Winner-Take-All Politics by Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson.
How do the choices, made well before he was even a candidate, stand up in the age of Trump?
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1
Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story
by Martin Luther King Jr -
2
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
by Malcolm X and assisted by Alex Haley, Laurence Fishburne (narrator) -
3
The Two-Income Trap
by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Tyagi -
4
Winner-Take-All Politics
by Jacob S Hacker and Paul Pierson -
5
God’s Politics
by Jim Wallis
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