BOOK CLUB

Where politics is fun, history comes alive and
everyone learns and grows together.

    Join the book club

    RECENT SELECTIONS
    The Independent Voter
    Thom Reilly, Jacqueline S. Salit, Omar H. Ali

    The Independent Voter looks at who independent voters are, and how they are transforming the political landscape in the United States. The book draws on historical and contemporary data (including survey data, participant observation, interviews, and current writings and scholarship), and provides timely new analysis.

    Watch
    Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy
    Andrew Yang

    The machinery of American democracy is failing, Yang argues, and we need bold new ideas to rewire it for twenty-first-century problems. Inspired by his experience running for office and as an entrepreneur, and by ideas drawn from leading thinkers, Yang offers a series of solutions, including data rights, ranked-choice voting, and fact-based governance empowered by modern technology, writing that “there is no cavalry”—it’s up to us.

    Watch
    TESTIMONIALS
    • "Sustaining the Great American Experiment demands relentless learning. The Politics4thePeople book club is a powerfully inspirational vehicle for that purpose"

      Al Bell, Activist with Independent Voters for Arizona
    • "The Politics for the People Book Club is more than your average book club; it’s a dynamic forum where we get to know other independent leaders from across the country in a personal way, relating what we read to our movement. We also get to have an interactive, engaging discussion with each book’s author. I love how it motivates me to read, contemplate and write about thought-provoking books that I likely wouldn’t find time for otherwise, helping me grow as a person, and as a leader in the independent movement."

      Tiani Xochitl Coleman is a mother of five, a graduate of Cornell Law School, and president of NH Independent Voters
    • "This book club is unique because not only do we read the author's words but we actually get the opportunity to listen and speak the words of the author. What other book club gives us this opportunity? This is why I treasure this book club format."

      Ramon Pena, Independent Activist from New Jersey
    • "The Politics for the People Book Club makes reading a collective activity full of excitement and wonder to share with others in person and on the Politics for the People blog. We are activists and the book club is one of many ways we immerse ourselves in current conditions and learn about so many ongoing histories, lives, social and political movements. The authors we read are outstanding, their works fascinating, we read their work and they read our writings and reviews on the blog, then we have a conference call with them, this interaction is truly unique and everyone grows!"

      Dr. Jessie Fields is a physician practicing in Harlem, a leader in the New York City Independence Clubs, and a board member of the All Stars Project and Open Primaries
    • "I’ve never been a book club member before, but I really enjoy P4P because 1) books are selected for their unique perspectives (e.g., historical and artistic) on politics and 2) discussions almost always include the author – a rare opportunity to discover the back story on their motivations and research. It’s not about interpretation or analysis but rather sharing experiences."

      Steve Richardson is a founding member of the Virginia Independent Voters Association and serves on IndependentVoting.org’s national Election Reform Committee
    • "Writing is ultimately solitary work, and that’s why I treasure opportunities to connect with thoughtful readers. It was a real pleasure to engage with the range of questions and perspectives from Politics for the People Book Club participants. And Cathy’s moderation of the conversation was excellent, both in terms of managing the technology and keeping the conversation flowing. What a wonderful reminder of the power of literature to connect and inspire us."

      Lois Leveen, Author, The Secret Life of Mary Bowser
    2034: A Novel of the Next World War
    Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis

    From two former military officers and award-winning authors, a chillingly authentic geopolitical thriller that imagines a naval clash between the US and China in the South China Sea in 2034—and the path from there to a nightmarish global conflagration.

    Watch
    In the Balance of Power: Independent Black Politics and Third-Party Movements in the United States
    Omar H. Ali

    Originally published in 2008, Omar H. Ali’s groundbreaking study reveals the multiple independent political strategies and tactics that African Americans have used to expand democracy and to fight for civil and political rights since the founding of the nation. This new edition of Ali’s book includes an epilogue by independent political analyst and Independent Voting President Jacqueline Salit.

    Watch
    The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock
    Katherine M. Gehl, Michael E. Porter

    Utilizing a business analysis lens and Michael Porter’s Five Forces Framework, the authors examine our current political system and attempt to answer the following questions: Why is the United States innovative in so many areas, but not in politics? Why is it normal to have limited — and often disappointing — choices at the ballot box? What outcomes should we expect from an optimally functioning political system? And, most importantly, what can we do to start achieving those great outcomes?

    Watch
    UNRIGGED: How Americans are Battling Back to Save Democracy
    David Daley

    Daley takes you on the road across 2018 America to meet the citizen leaders in Maine, Michigan, Florida, North Dakota and Idaho that led fights for significant political reforms.

    Watch
    The Overweight Brain: How our obsession with knowing keeps us from getting smart enough to make a better world
    Lois Holzman

    The premise of The Overweight Brain: How our obsession with knowing keeps us from getting smart enough to make a better world is that we have become obsessed with knowing. Judged for how much we know. Plagued by what we don’t. But history has moved on, and the knowing paradigm has become obsolete – stifling creativity and development.

    Listen
    Let All Voters Vote: Independents and the Expansion of Voting Rights in the United States
    Jeremy Gruber, Michael Hardy & Harry Kresky

    “Let All Voters Vote: Independents and the Expansion of Voting Rights in the United States” chronicles the legal history of the fight for full voting rights and how that history shapes the current terrain that independent voters – now 46% percent of the electorate – face as we press for full voting rights.

    Listen
    The Line Becomes A River: Dispatches from the Border
    Francisco CantĂş

    The Line Becomes A River: Dispatches from the Border is a haunting memoir about the people on the border, in the desert and in shadows who make it hard for us all to see one another. It’s about much of what is missing in the partisan conversation about immigration and “the wall.” Can we break down the partisan walls enough to let the actual people on both sides of the border inform our conversations?

    Listen
    An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back
    Elisabeth Rosenthal

    An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back pulls the curtain back on the various businesses that make up American healthcare and looks at how each industry – hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, drug manufacturers – work to maximize profit in what has become a $3 trillion industry.

    Listen
    The Secrets of Mary Bowser
    Lois Leveen

    The best in historical fiction, this book is based on the life of Mary Bowser, a slave freed by her owner, who would go on to be educated in Philadelphia and ultimately return to the South where she lived once again as a slave and became a Union spy.  The novel brings to life Philadelphia and Richmond before and during the Civil War as author Lois Leveen introduces us to an African American heroine who worked at grave risk to do her part to insure that the Civil War would mean the end of slavery.

     

    Listen
    A Declaration of Independents: How We Can Break the Two-Party Stranglehold and Restore the American Dream
    Greg Orman

    In 2014, Greg Orman–a successful business leader and entrepreneur–ran for U.S. Senate in Kansas as an independent.  His landmark campaign attracted national attention as he nearly beat incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts.  The Democrat in the race dropped out, recognizing that Greg had animated record numbers of voters and was in the best position. The race was very close until the very final days. The book chronicles Greg’s journey to becoming an independent and his experiences in this historic campaign. In Declaration of Independents, Greg describes the huge price we are paying as a result of the toxic partisan political culture in Washington. Greg spells out how that two-party machine works, the supporting institutions that reinforce the paradigm limiting both competition and accountability to voters. In the final section of the book, Greg lays out his vision for reinventing our political system.

    Listen