Politics Books

American statistician Andrew Gelman, professor of statistics and political science at Columbia University and author of Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State explains the (often surprising) realities of how Americans vote.

Satire is humour used for a moral purpose, explains American political satirist P.J. O’Rourke—though it doesn't have to be particularly funny and can be quite dark. Here, he chooses five classic works of political satire, books that lay bare the shortcomings of not only communism and fascism but also the two-party system and the quest for a perfect society where everyone is happy. Books by P.J. O'Rourke recommended on Five Books

The former chief of staff to Tony Blair, Jonathan Powell, tells us about his experience of negotiating in Northern Ireland, and explains why it's important never to lose your temper except on purpose

Spying is ultimately very dull and you run into the same kind of mediocrity that you encounter anywhere else in life, says former CIA operative Robert Baer. Nor do governments always listen.  He recommends books on espionage—both fiction and nonfiction—that give a sense of what it's all about.

As American congressman Keith Ellison—the first Muslim elected to Congress—enters the race to chair the Democratic National Committee, reread this interview on the cause he stands for: progressivism — and the best books to read to fully understand it.

Historian Eric Foner chooses five books illustrating how concepts of American liberalism have changed over the past 50 years, and about the tension that lies at the heart of liberalism today.

Karl Rove recommends five historical works that define, for him, the essence of American Conservatism.

Heather Brooke's investigative journalism was the catalyst for the MPs expenses scandal of 2009. With an eye to how power corrupts, from Orwell's Animal Farm to an apartheid memoir, she looks at importance of sticking to one's principles and the dangers that arise when we don't.

The celebrated feminist gives us her view of essential reading for women – and says the gender revolution is far from over

Award-winning British physicist, Athene Donald, tells us how to fight preconceived ideas about gender and suggests reading that could inspire women to pursue careers in science.