What one book would you recommend to the uninformed

[StClone]

You see an otherwise intelligent person repeat obvious misinformation. What one book then, not too difficult of a read, would provide them up-to-dated information as to why things are the way they are?

I was going to recommend Thom Hartmann's "Unequal Protection." But there may be other works that sweep the decades and brings current events into focus in a totally footnoted and readable way.

[NightWatcher]

1. shock doctrine

[daleanime]

4. Definitly...

one of the best that I've had a chance to read.

[rapturedbyrobots]

20. shock doctrine is the most important book to read

for understanding the new modus operandi of transnational capital and market creation

not that i don't like history. (people's history is great)

but we need to understand and adapt to the current organization of global capital.

also...to this end. i recommend 'beyond resistance: everything'

shameless plug. its the transcript of an interview with subcomandante marcos done by some friends that run a community center in durham, nc. i've worked with them a little in the past on small projects. but they do really good work for organizing people in the underdeveloped parts of the city.

you can read the full text online:
http://www.elkilombo.org/documents/beyondresistance.pdf

and you can order a hardcopy from paperboat press to help fund the center (please do this if you like the book):
http://paperboatpress.org/

[BlueJac]

43. Definitely Shock Doctrine..........

Your eyes will fly open

[ProfessorPlum]

56. Right on - the Shock Doctrine would definitely be my choice.

[MrsCorleone]

57. Shock Doctrine is THE must read for all. nt

[mysticalchick]

89. It's a tough read ...

... I thought. I started several times - it's dense and packed full of info and yes, I'd recommend it as well but for the uninitiated, it might be like starting in on masters level when they need a bit more elementary instruction.

[MrsCorleone]

94. There have been a few of my friends & family members

who couldn't get through it easily, as I recall, so I see your point.

But, there's an audio version available via iTunes for iPod or computer listening. I would imagine that this format would be much easier to digest. Don't know if it's unabridged or not, though.

[tanyev]

2. Conservatives Without Conscience - John Dean

[dhpgetsit]

3. Screwed

by Thom Hartmann is a good one.
I haven't read Unequal Protection yet but it's on my wish-list.

[B Calm]

48. I second that!

[asdjrocky]

5. People's History of the United States - Howard Zinn

Hands down, the best book to start with.

[mod mom]

8. + 1 (and there's a children's version)

[Cleita]

12. That's the one I would start with too. Not only that it's very readable for

those who don't like to read that much.

[asdjrocky]

14. He's far eaiser for me to read than Chomsky.

[Cleita]

17. He sure is.

Chomsky is not an easy read and you have to really dig your teeth in it. So I would not recommend him to a beginner in understanding the history and politics of this country.

[Recursion]

18. And less combative than Klein, Chomsky, Ehrenreich, etc.

When you're trying to convert the uninformed you shouldn't start by talking about fascism.

[Recursion]

16. Yup. Even today. NT

[Cal Carpenter]

22. yes indeed

That was my first thought too.

[zipplewrath]

27. Not a big fan of this book

It's not that he got anything "wrong" per se. And for anyone who didn't really know much of that history, it's surely an eye opener. My only real complaint about the book is it seemed to fail to emphasize that despite much of that history, the people ultimately were able to accomplish changes that improved their lot. Slavery was ended, so was Jim Crow. Unions did rise, and a middle class did develope. Woman were emancipated. The path is ugly, and there is still much to do, but the book seemed to focus upon the ugly path, with little acknowledgement of the distance covered.

[TheWatcher]

52. If the same distance could have been covered without an ugly path, then your statement has little

relevance.

And when you consider the ugly path this country has taken, and how the cons have FAR outweighed the so-called "distance covered", it makes it even less so.

However, after reviewing your post, I think you should quit whatever job you are doing, and get a job in Government PR, or perhaps as a lobbyist on K Street.

You have promising talent.

[zipplewrath]

59. few countries have

You'll find few countries over 200 years old that don't have similar paths in their history. Some have significantly worse. I don't wanna say we're some how the "best" but I'm not really ready to claim we are the worst either. It is that context that is missing from the book.

[TheWatcher]

66. That was some amazing spin, that says absolutely nothing.

Sorry kid, I was born, but I wasn't born yesterday.

Like I said, Go work for the system.

It LOVES people like you.

[zipplewrath]

91. Oh hardly

It's a variation of "the easiest thing to do is criticize". His book suggests that on some "absolute" terms that the US has been particularly "horrible". A comparison with other cultures/countries suggests that his bar is a tad high and that we've been relatively "nominal", and have excelled in some areas that others did not.

[EFerrari]

49. Agreed. Everything else is just details.

[David Zephyr]

53. Zinn's "People's History" is the starting place, asdjrocky.

I give it away during the holiday season.

[asdjrocky]

61. Gave it to my daughter when she was 12, so she would question history taught in school.

I must be on my tenth copy because I'll give my current copy to anyone who shows even a little interest.

[donheld]

75. A must read!

[asdjrocky]

84. I can't hold onto the book.

I give it to anyone with even the slightest interest. I must be on my tenth copy now.

[dysfunctional press]

70. it's some pretty heavy reading, though...

and the op was asking for something that was an easy read. that book will tear your guts out LONG before you even get to the 20th century.

the solution?

just read about the 20th century:

http://www.amazon.com/Twentieth-Century-Peoples-History/dp/0060530340/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264474121&sr=1-1

[asdjrocky]

71. Truth matters.

And sometimes it hurts.

[dysfunctional press]

77. and the op specifically asked for something "not too difficult of a read"...

howard zinn's book is still the roughest read i've ever had.

[asdjrocky]

83. I don't know what you mean by rough.

I found him a very easy read compared to many others. But that's just me. If you mean it's kind of rough as to what it reveals about America, it's history and it's political system, then yeah, it's kind of rough, but true.

[dysfunctional press]

87. the second one.

it took me months to read it, because i'd have to put it down for weeks at a time.

[burrowowl]

78. Zinn gives a good base

for understanding the other books. A must read!

[Dr.Phool]

79. That's probably the most important book I've ever read.

I've given away dozens of copies.

[rucky]

88. +1

[Xicano]

6. Hoodwinked by John Perkins

[walnutpie]

7. Atlas Shrugged

Let them see what the other side really thinks...

[arcane1]

9. "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James Loewen

[Xicano]

13. That's a good one too. I have a copy.

+1

[slampoet]

42. +1

[blondeatlast]

10. "The Republican Noise Machine" by David Brock. Eye-opening and a good read. nt

[azmouse]

11. Nixonland

Even though it's about the 1960s it does help to explain why the US is the way it is today.

[Ian David]

15. Humor always helps sell things. Try "The Truth With Jokes" by Al Franken. n/t

[pretzel4gore]

19. 'Up from Conservativism' by Michael Lind

the gopig 'revolution' took place by design, and the blatant dishonesty inherent in it- the scheme to defraud the country's reactionaries- enabling the enemy to use the rightwingers as agents of change; which the rightwing itself meanwhile finds horrible. The neatness of the 'conservative' takeover of the country is explained, but Lind, who was a reagan repub thinker/scholar, explains how it's literally just taking candy from a baby, since using the most vile instincts of a population to empower those intent on stealing everything from that population, is so easy it's amazing that leftwing liberals don't do it (not to steal, but to invest in the commons etc)

[Javaman]

21. The Ugly American. nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

23. "Catch-22" the definitive exploration of American life, politics, and nuttiness.

[wickerwoman]

24. David Brock - Blinded by the Right

I think you have to start by making people aware of the extent of the system that is lying to them. Then put them on to Howard Zinn and then Ehrenreich, Molly Ivins, etc.

[blondeatlast]

34. And his "The Republican Noise Machine." nt

[Octafish]

25. JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters

The great DUer MinM turned me on to it.

[peace frog]

36. [phone]

Highly recommended reading.

[Berry Cool]

26. "The Man Who Sold the World"

Explodes the Ronald Reagan myth beautifully.

[Ernesto]

44. TRUE!

"Take down this myth" is also a good read on st. ronnie.

[tech9413]

28. For the truly uninformed, Hartmann "What Would Jefferson Do"

It presents the facts, without detail, in comic book format that can be absorbed by the eight grade mentality that abounds. I'm sorry to say that a good percentage of our country will have to start at that level before they can deal with footnotes and detailed facts that are presented in other recommendations from the likes of Zinn, Klein, Hartmann, and so many others.

For those that don't read, and that number is astounding, recommend radio shows like Ian Masters, Lila Garrette, "This is Hell", and Hartmann. Between those few you will get a serious, intelligent discussion of issues with interviews of truly knowledgeable resources.

[wickerwoman]

40. Also Calvin and Hobbes and Doonesbury.

[TheCowsCameHome]

29. My Pet Goat.

No wait, I thought you meant.....

[PuraVidaDreamin]

30. The Wrecking Crew- Thomas Frank

How conservatives ruined government, enriched themselves,
and beggared the nation.

[apocalypsehow]

31. "Nixonland" by Rick Perlstein. n/t.

[HopeHoops]

32. Animal Farm - but they wouldn't understand it.

(sigh)

[AngryAmish]

33. Pop. 1280

You think you can change peoples minds. It is not possible. I just like this book. It's fun. Maybe "Scoop" too.

[omega minimo]

35. 1984

[gmoney]

65. especially the "Goldstein's Book" parts...

it really spells out the motivations and methods of the powerful.

[omega minimo]

67. anyone can read and relate

and maybe keep track with a checklist of everything they recognize already occurring....

:hi:

[bigwillq]

37. "The Italian Letter"

http://www.amazon.com/Italian-Letter-Bush-Administration-Build/dp/1594865736

[The_Commonist]

38. Everything You Know is Wrong

http://www.amazon.com/Everything-You-Know-Wrong-Disinformation/dp/0971394202

Or anything and everything else by The Disinformation Company.
This is exactly the purpose of these books, to inform the misinformed about how the world REALLY works.
There is no better place to start...

[flyarm]

39. THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS by Jon Ronson

[Dr.Phool]

81. Guy Savelli, the martial artist in there was my first instructor back in '73.

He was a whack job back then too.

[earth mom]

41. Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins

(just saw that John Perkins has a new book upthread, haven't read it so I'm recommending the one I have read)

Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
The End of America by Naomi Wolf
Also books by Barbara Ehrenreich, Michael Moore and Thom Hartmann.

[Ernesto]

45. "Greenspan's Fraud"

By Ravi Batra is a great expose of republican kleptocracy.

[malaise]

46. I like this John Dean book

http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Government-Republican-Destroyed-Legislative/dp/B002GJU3P0/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c

[vanbean]

47. The Bible.

:sarcasm:

[TheWatcher]

50. Confessions Of An Economic Hitman. John Perkins.

The Creature From Jekyll Island. G. Edward Griffin.

[Truth2Tell]

63. +1 on Economic Hitman. I pass that one around a lot. nt

[B Calm]

51. What's the Matter With Kansas? book by Thomas Frank

http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Matter-Kansas-Conservatives-America/dp/0805073396


97 of 108 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Orwell was right about 1984, and Thomas Frank explains 2004, July 9, 2004
By Steve Koss (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

In his book 1984, George Orwell described the state of perpetual war in his fictional future society by saying that the war wasn't meant to be won, it was only meant to be continuous. In WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH KANSAS?, Thomas Frank illustrates how, and how effectively, the neoconservative right has implemented Orwell's concepts via a neverending war over culture and values.
Using his home state of Kansas as the model and focal point, Frank asks rhetorically why it is that Kansans so willingly espouse right-wing social issues (creationism, defunding public schools, prayer in schools, pro-life) while simultaneously allowing their state to become economically devastated by Republican free market policies of unfettered, unregulated capitalism. In other words, why do Kansans (and many other Red Staters) vote consistently against their pocketbooks, against their own economic self-interest?

With great specificity, Frank illustrates these behaviors and their devastating economic consequences by describing individuals and communities in Kansas. These are some of the strongest parts of his book, since they demonstrate through real people and real towns how life has changed, and continues to change, under Republican conservative rule. If anything, Frank could use more of these examples, particularly more description of some of the small towns and communities in his state that are dying a slow and tortured economic death. Regardless, the examples given convey the sense that Kansans are voting Red even as they vote themselves economically dead.

Frank correctly ascribes this seemingly self-contradictory behavior to the idea that Conservatives have discovered a means to incite permanent "backlash" among the Red Staters through culture wars. Whatever the issue, whether it's Janet Jackson's right breast or gay marriage in Massachusetts, Conservative politicians whip up fierce indignation and activism by threatening the loss of American moral values to the eastern, intellectual elite who support the denigration of those values and the denial of moral absolutes. And, as Frank points out, despite years of bitter denunciation, almost nothing has changed. The war rages on, but the Conservatives rarely win even a skirmish.

By focusing attention on culture issues, the Conservatives not only distract their followers from economic concerns, they remove capitalism itself as an issue. For Red Staters, capitalism is a natural force, and free markets are an absolute good. Concerns about environment, globalization, estate taxes, Wal-Martization, health and welfare all disappear, since laissez-faire is an inviolable principle. Capitalism cannot and must not be regulated in this worldview, and any restrictions and regulations designed to "thwart" it are necessarily wrong if not evil. The fact that culture itself -- MTV, Hollywood, Howard Stern, Fear Factor -- is a capitalist product that follows the same profit motivations goes unnoticed. In Kansas, as in most places, there is no connection in people's minds between culture and capitalism.

Frank has put his thumb directly on the source of America's current problems, the so-called Red State, Blue State divide. As I write this review on July 9, 2004, the United States remains embroiled in Iraq and Afghanistan, our standing in the world is at an all-time low, Tom Ridge is warning against another imminent Al-Qaeda attack, the country is hemorrhaging jobs, young kids can less and less afford to go to college, gas and milk prices have soared to all-time highs, working men and women can't make ends meet even with two or more jobs, millions are without health insurance, the President claims the power to arrest and detain anyone he chooses without legal representation, and our education system is becoming enslaved to meaningless standardized tests. What solutions does our Republican President and Republican legislative branch offer? The Senate is too busy preparing for an all-out legislative war over a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage to worry about real problems. The newspaper every day tells us just how correct Thomas Frank is in his analysis. Kansas isn't just Kansas, Kansis is us!

Anyone who truly wants to understand today's upside-down political world, who wants to understand how middle class people can enthusiastically support tax cuts that give them nothing and the rich more money and power, should read WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH KANSAS? Mr. Frank offers clear and straightforward explanation of this bizarre phenomenon, and his insights and implications should send chills down the spines of those who espouse a free, fair, and open society. To quote Frank's closing line: that the "fever-dream of martyrdom that Kansas follows today...invites us all to join in, to lay down our lives so others might cash out at the top; to renounce forever our middle-American prosperity in pursuit of a crimson fantasy of middle-American righteousness." How much better can it be said?

[omega minimo]

68. All of Frank's work, including The Baffler.

[anonymous171]

54. Anything by Noam Chomsy. nt

[CBR]

55. News: The Politics of Illusion by Lance Bennett and

The Problem with the Media by Robert McChesney.

[Ruby the Liberal]

58. Another vote for Shock Doctrine. Second is Ravi Batra's "The Coming Golden Age"

The latter goes through cycles in history from worship of greed (Wall Street, athletes, money in general) to worship of work (military/blue collar/police/teachers) and how we are about to move from the former and go back to the latter.

He is a brilliant economist, but this is written for the everyman.

[Kber]

60. I would recommend "What to Expect when you are Expecting" to anyone wanting to legislate

the relationship of women and their doctors.

It's an essentially "pro-birth" book in that it's written for people who generally want to be pregnant and carry to term.

However, it lays out the medical facts of dangerous pregnancies and discusses, in terms purely related to the your health, why abortion may sometimes be necessary, even for women who want children.

You can't legislate ectopic pregnancies out ot existence, no matter how many votes you think you can get, and it's plain dangerous to try.

[Cass]

62. Conservatives Without Conscience by John Dean and An Economic Hitman by John Perkins.

Those were 2 very eye-opening books.

I haven't yet read The Shock Doctrine but I hear it is a must-read so it is next on my list.


edit: oops, that's Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins.

[timeforpeace]

64. "Don't Expect All The Answers From Just One Book" by Seymour Butts.

[dysfunctional press]

69. Tear Down This Myth: How the Reagan Legacy Has Distorted Our Politics and Haunts Our Future

http://www.amazon.com/Tear-Down-This-Myth-Distorted/dp/B002PJ4GEK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264473782&sr=8-1



some of the other books mentioned are some pretty heavy reading.
this one isn't.

[Odin2005]

72. The Shock Doctrine.

[scheming daemons]

73. "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark" - by Carl Sagan

[Dr.Phool]

80. Awesome book.

I loaned my copy and never got it back. I'll have to get another so I can read it again.

[AwakeAtLast]

74. An Inconvenient Truth - Al Gore

We need to make this list a sticky somewhere! :think:

[HCE SuiGeneris]

76. "Going Rouge"

or Rogue if you prefer... :9

[Dr.Phool]

82. Kick and rec!

So people can keep adding to the list.

Funny, I've read almost everything on it.

[Hannah Bell]

85. "everything you know is wrong" by imadeitup.

[Greyhound]

86. For only a single book I'd have to go with Zinn's "A People's History" as well.

If they read that and are not compelled to learn more, they're a lost cause, IMO.

[thesquanderer]

90. I love the idea of this thread

It's an interesting list of books. Though the varied responses indicate different ideas of what you're trying to accomplish by giving someone this book.

I think, regardless of what aspect of things you choose to emphasize in your choice of book, it's important to pick books that aren't designed strictly to preach to the choir. That is, if you want to have a hope of persuading an open-minded person, you need something that's neither talks down to nor insults people who aren't already in the camp. Not all books we may like can accomplish that.

[leave iraq]

92. Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire

part one of the Chalmers Johnson trilogy

part two and three

* The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic
* Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic.

[booley]

93. best democracy money can buy

still sadly relevant after all these years