As a political science major, I have read an abundance of books surrounding historical events, political activism, and biographies about political leaders. This list (in no particular order) includes my top 10 choices on books that every PoliSci major (and history nerd) must read.
1. The Communist Manifesto — Karl Marx
Hear me out on this one, although communism didn't exactly pan out, Karl Marx's take on why communism is the best form of government is very riveting.
2. ALL The Federalist Papers — Alexander Hamilton
You probably read Federalist Paper 51 in your high school government class, but reading all of them together focuses more on the complexities of the federal government, the political structure and the basic rights for humans under a government.
3. Animal Farm — George Orwell
This one is a popular book among English classes around the US. The book is in a way a metaphor about communism, comparing animals to Soviet Russia in the 1960's. It's a must read if you love fiction with a hint of truth behind it.
4. 1984 — George Orwell
Again, another popular book among English classes. This book tells of a world that is supremely ruled by the government, and you are always being watched. In the book, even your thoughts are monitored. It's interesting, and some people even compare it to today's government as well.
5. The Art of War — Sun Tzu
This book, written for the Chinese in order to strengthen their military strategy, has been used worldwide as a model on how to run an army. Tzu's teachings have not only been used for warfare tactics, but can also be used in the business world and everyday life as well.
6. The Republic — Plato
This text by the philosopher Plato tells of a perfect community, with a focus on each individual person in that community. The text raises very good questions, like “what is goodness?" or “what is reality?" It makes the reader think and understand Plato's stance first hand.
7. Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do — Andrew Gelman
The title basically explains it all. Why do Americans vote the way they do? Does the location of a person determine if they vote one way or the other? This text has the lowdown on the voting patterns of the American people.
8. Nixonland — Rick Perlstein
After the election of Nixon came watergate and a divided society in America. This book depicts both sides of American citizens at the time, and reminds readers that political contestation isn't teleological.
9. The Social Contract — Jean-Jacques Rousseau
This book was published in 1762 by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In it, he theorized about the best way to establish a political community in the face of the problems of commercial society.
This writing is important because it helped inspire political reforms or revolutions in Europe, especially in France.
10. Fahrenheit 451 — Ray Bradbury
This book is one of my absolute favorite works of fiction. In it, the people are not allowed to read books, enjoy nature, spend time by themselves, think independently or have meaningful conversations. Instead, they drive very fast, watch excessive amounts of television on wall-size sets and listen to the radio on “Seashell Radio" sets attached to their ears. This book has many parallels to George Orwell's 1984, and if you like 1984, you'll absolutely love this one.
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