The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read. - Abraham Lincoln
There are few things so enjoyable as curling up with a good book. Save, perhaps, curling up with an absolutely
excellent book. You know the kind I mean - a book that informs you, educates you, opens up new insights to you that keep your mind racing long after you turned that last page. A book that changes the way you see the world.
This is an appeal to all of you well-read Kossacks to share your very favorite books. Various book-recommendation diaries (most recently this, this and this) have graced this site before, but this one is a bit different. For one, I ask you to focus on books that you have already read and know to be good, rather than on books you hope to read someday. Further, I do not want to restrict the recommendations to economics, children's books, or any other category - please feel free to contribute your recommendation on any book you feel is especially valuable and relevant to the discussions held here on Daily Kos (read: no purely escapist romance novels please). Politics or science, historical or contempory, fact or fiction are all welcome.
If it wouldn't be too much trouble, please provide a link and/or a brief description of your recommended book as a service to your fellow readers. Ok, so I'll go first. Here are my recommendations:
The Uses of Haiti by Paul Farmer (with introduction by Noam Chomsky)
(Nonfiction) Absolutely excellent book about why Haiti is the poor, strife-ridden country that it is today, and the US's very large role in shaping its history. The author is a physician with two decades of experience in Haiti working in a hospital serving the rural poor.
The Battle for Saudi Arabia: Royalty, Fundamentalism and Global Power by As'ad Abukhalil
(Nonfiction) This book takes a hard look at the history, religion and politics of Saudi Arabia, and at that country's interaction with the outside world, both within the Middle East and outside it (including its long and involved relationship with the US). I think everyone should read this book. Plus it's small and light so carrying it around with you is easy - always a plus. :)
Energy Revolution: Policies for a Sustainable Future by Howard S. Geller
(Nonfiction) A very good and readable book about policy options for promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. The author examines current energy trends, barriers to switching to renewable energy sources and reducing waste, and specific strategies for overcoming these barriers. It includes a good number of case studies from around the world to illustrate the policies discussed.
Cadillac Desert: The American West and its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner
(Nonfiction) A fascinating history of water politics in the US desert Southwest. This book takes a hard look at water politics and political pork, the motives behind the ridiculous and sometimes dangerous water projects of the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers, and modern conflicts like the one among US states (and between the US and Mexico) over the waters of the Colorado river. This book is a classic.
1984 by George Orwell
(Fiction) This one needs little introduction, I expect, so I will just say that it is a futuristic novel written shortly after WWII about a society under an omnipresent government. If you haven't read it, by all means do so - the man's prescience is uncanny.
Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins
(Nonfiction) A very important book which proposes that the modern model for doing business is neither sustainable nor good for the bottom line, and proposes a new, alternate paradigm. With plenty of case studies, the authors show how conservation and ecology-conscious innovation make good business sense, and propose specific strategies for launching companies onto a more sustainable trajectory.
Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict by Michael Klare
(Nonfiction) Examines the growing impact of natural resource scarcity on the foreign policy and military adventures of nations. I think the author is right on the mark with his analysis. A very good book.
The Country Under my Skin by Gioconda Belli
(Nonfiction) Memoir written by a woman born into a wealthy family under the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua, who becomes a Sandinista revolutionary. She plays a prominent role in the revolution and knows intimately most of its major players (and has romantic relationships with a good number as well), and following the revolution serves in the high ranks of the new government. She is, on top of being a very interesting historical figure, a superbly talented writer who describes events and people in rich and emotional detail. I should mention that I read the original Spanish version rather than the translated English one.
Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire by David Remnick
(Nonfiction) An insightful and detailed account of the final years of the Soviet Union. The author deserves the Pulitzer he received for this book.