photo credit: Randy Son Of Robert
Recently, a website called The Fix asked their readers to recommend their favorite political fiction and non-fiction. The most recommended piece of political fiction was The Last Hurrah by Edwin O’Connor while Robert Caro’s The Power Broker was the most recommended non fiction work.
I’ve only read The Prince… Where should I start?
FICTION
Jack Gance by Ward Just
The Wanting of Levine by Michael Halberstam
The People’s Choice by Jeff Greenfield
The Last Hurrah by Edwin O’Connor
The Shad Treatment” by Garrett Epps
The Woody by Peter Lefcourt
The Ninth Wave by Eugene Burdick
Advise and Consent by Allen Drury
The Gay Place by William Brammer
Seven Days in May by Fletcher Knebel and Charles Bailey
Lincoln by Gore Vidal
NON FICTION
The Power Broker by Robert Caro
The Survivor: Bill Clinton In the White House By John F. Harris
The Politicos by Matthew Josephson
Politician by Ronnie Dugger
Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky
City for Sale by Jack Newfield and Wayne Barrett
Who Governs by Robert Dahl
NON FICTION (Cont.)
Boys on the Bus by Tim Crouse
The Prince by Machiavelli
Huey Long by T. Harry Williams
Earl of Louisiana by A.J. Liebling
Southern Politics in State and Nation by V.O. Key
The Ambition and the Power by John M. Barry
Hardball by Chris Matthews
The Power Game by Hedrick Smith
Man of the House by Tip O’Neill
Nixonland by Rick Perlstein
The Selling of the President by Joe McGinnis
What I Saw at the Revolution by Peggy Noonan
Enduring Revolution by Major Garrett
Boss by Mike Royko
Bad Boy: The Life and Politics of Lee Atwater by John Brady
Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms by Ed Rollins
RFK by Jack Newfield
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail by Hunter S. Thompson
When Hell Froze Over by Dwayne Yancey
The Making of the President 1960 by Teddy White
Path to Power, Means of Ascent, Master of the Senate by Robert Caro
The Future of American Politics by Samuel Lubell
The Real Majority: The Classic Examination of the American Electorate by Ben Wattenberg and Richard Scammon.
Conscience of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater
The Last Hayride by John Maginnis
Politics Lost by Joe Klein
Marathon by Jules Witcover
Truman by David McCullough
President Reagan: The Role Of A Lifetime By Lou Cannon
The Best and the Brightest by David Halbertsam
Wallace by Marshall Frady
Lincoln by David Herbert Donald
1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft and Debs–The Election that Changed the Country by James Chace
I’ve only read “Advise and Consent” and Gore Vidal’s “Lincoln” in the Fiction category, but both are old school historical page-turners. (Is there such a thing?) Highly entertaining, if perhaps a bit dated in their writing style, especially the Drury. But don’t let that stop you.
I’m shocked that none of Robert Caro’s Lyndon Johnson bios are on the list. Essential and fascinating reading. Even though I read a lot of non-fiction, I seem to have missed out on a lot of political books. But I highly recommend David McCullough’s “Truman.” As with all of McCullough’s writing, he truly makes history come alive. Though it may sound a bit pompous, McCullough is of our true national treasures.
Thank you, Jim!! And my husband would emphatically agree that “historical page-turner” is not an oxymoron… Thank you for the recommendations!!