Something Political

[RoyGBiv]

I have found myself at a loss, and it bugs me, so I am turning to DU for help.

My daughter and I were walking through the bookstore the other day, and she said, "I want to read something political." This was an invitation to a recommendation. This didn't exactly shock me, but I realized I didn't know what to recommend. Part of the reason is that she and I are totally synced on fiction. She's fifteen now, and I've been recommending things for her since she was very young. She's not once disliked anything I've given her, and most of it has opened up new avenues of exploration.

But, for whatever reason, my tastes in political, non-fiction literature to not turn toward the artistic and/or humorous quite so much as my taste in fiction. I actually enjoy what most people would call dry and boring. For example, I've read _The Federalist Papers_ several times. I take notes while I read. It's a slow process, but it's what I like.

My daughter, at this point, is not quite like that. She wants something witty, something that compels you to turn the page, something a teenager can't put down. I thought about Molly Ivins, and while she seemed intrigued with the first few pages, I got the sense she was looking for something else.

So, does anyone have a recommendation that seems to fit this admittedly rather vague description?

[evlbstrd]

1. Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972

HST.

[RoyGBiv]

5. Good one ...

I have no idea why HST didn't pop into my head. I was about her age when I first found him.

Thanks.

[evlbstrd]

9. Back to fiction, has she read Vonnegut?

[RoyGBiv]

10. Just recently, yes ...

I was afraid my streak of recommending books for her would end when I bought her a copy of _Cat's Cradle_. She seemed unimpressed at first, but she got into it and finished it in a weekend. We haven't had a chance to discuss it fully yet. I need to re-read it. She has an eye for detail, and I'm sure I've forgotten some things.

I think that may be partly why she wanted something political.

[evlbstrd]

11. Hell, yeah, Vonnegut got me started.

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Slaughterhouse Five, Breakfast of Champions. And his play, Happy Birthday, Wanda June. We staged it in my high school in the 70's!

[Extend a Hand]

2. if she is interested in exploring

the motivations behind liberal and conservative thought
I liked George Lakoff's

Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--The Essential Guide for Progressives

[wli]

3. "War is a Racket" and "Confessions of an Economic Hitman"

Those pretty much sum up what's going on.

[madmom]

4. depending how mature she is...

I just finished Bill Maher's "New Rules". Thought it pretty funny. It's pretty short though finished it in a little over an hour, and that's with interruptions.She might enjoy Huffington's "Pigs at the trough",seeings how these things will affect her also the one by Robert Kennedy Jr. (just can't remember the name), it's about the corporate rape of the environment, this REALLY affects her.Hope this helps.

[RoyGBiv]

6. She's quite mature ...

But she's going through this "I really want to be silly sometimes" phase. She has so much drama in her life and worries so much about what's going on in the world that she wants to laugh without having to turn herself off completely.

The Bill Mahr book is a good suggestion. I also though of Jon Stewart's book, but I haven't read it yet and so don't know.

[VPStoltz]

7. I vote for Al Franken's Liars book or Jon Stewart's America.

[FloridaPat]

8. Michael Moore's "hey Dude Where's my Country'. Al Fraklin was pretty

good but had one big chapter that was boring. Krugman's book is interesting and it's nice to hve an economic/political book written in understandable English.

[pstans]

12. Homegrown Democrat by Garrison Keillor or Dude. Where's my Country

Homegrown Democrat is very wity and explains what it really means to be a Democrat.

I am 25 and got turned onto politics 2 years ago after skimming a co-workers book of Moore's "Dude, Where's my Country." That night I went to the library to pick it up and I couldn't put it down. It really opened my eyes and is funny.

[CrispyQ]

13. At the risk of offending a 15 year old with a comic book style book,

I recommend "We the People: A Call to Take Back America" by Thom Hartmann. It's a great primer or reminder of the values our country was founded on. He goes into detail of what the commons are & why it is so crucial that they are not privatized or underfunded through tax cuts. He also tackles the issue of corporate personhood & how it is contrary to democracy. Because of its comic book fashion, it's a very quick read.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1882109384/qid=1124477331/sr=8-4/ref=pd_bbs_4/002-2187220-5227244?v=glance&s=books&n=507846


Another excellent book is "Big Lies" by Joe Conason. He takes 10 of the most critical issues that the repubs have twisted & used against liberalism, such as the liberal media, & debunks them. It's less than 200 pages, but is very good reading.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0312315600/qid=1124477899/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-2187220-5227244?v=glance&s=books


Let us know what she chooses. I would love to hear what the children of other progressive parents are reading.

[pstans]

14. Any updates on your daughter?

Any updates on your daughter? Did she read any books and if she did, did she like the book?

[RoyGBiv]

15. Yes and no ...

By the time we made it to a bookstore again, her brain had taken a new turn, as is typical I suppose with teenagers, but in this case I think it was caused in part by the events along the Gulf Coast. It wasn't a bad turn, just a turn away from wanting something "funny."

I bought her _Dude, Where's my Country_ after talking with her about some of the suggestions and having her browse the first few pages of several books. She read some of it the day we got it, but it's been put to the side for now. What she has read has given her a few new quotes she and her friends pass around.

While browsing, the subject of _Cat's Cradle_, mentioned above, arose, and in the end she ended up getting _Slaughterhouse-Five_, which she recently finished and passed to her friend in trade for _The Metaphysical Club_.

Now, I don't know about anyone else, but I was floored by the notion that a 15 year old had even heard of _The Metaphysical Club_, much less bothered to read it. Her friend is some sort of prodigy. If I weren't looking at her when I speak with her, I'd be completely unaware I was talking to anyone under the age of 20, an "old" 20 at that. Of course eventually she starts talking about music, and reality sets back in. :-)

Anyway, my daughter is now reading this. She asked me about it the other day, saying, "This is your kind of thing, isn't it?" which it certainly is. I gathered she's rather bored with it, but she intends to read everything her friend reads; they challenge each other.

I imagine when she's done with it, she'll immediately get back to Michael Moore. :-)