Top 5 Best Political Books Of All Time To Read Now

This article is about the top 5 political commentary books to read now. In a time of growing political tension and conflict, it will be helpful to revisit the best political books of all time.

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Number 5 –

1984 by George Orwell

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Coming in at No. 5 is 1984, the classic dystopian sci-fi that seems to come to life with each new batch of technology entering the norm. Whether it be a National Security Agency spying on private calls, big tech social media censorship, or Alexa constantly monitoring the airwaves, it can feel as if Big Brother is becoming a growing presence and power. In a world of foreign propaganda targeting youth and a growing number of political agents expressing the idea that “whatever the Party holds to be truth is truth,” the battle to control the minds of the populace is evolving in an almost overwhelming way too eerily described by Orwell. Fortunately, with Orwell’s dystopian story comes time tested insight of the dangers of an overly authoritarian state. If you want to see the consequences of an overly intrusive techno- Authoritarian state, George Orwell’s 1984 is the place to start. 

Number 4 –

Animal Farm by George Orwell

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At No. 4 is George Orwell’s Animal Farm. For an analogy to the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, Animal Farm shows the reality of the perverted cycle of communist revolutions and how absolute power corrupts absolutely. The animals of this farm become tired of working for their farmer and rise up to take control of their own production, run the farm they work for, provide for each other, and live off a central doctrine of rules (analogous to Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto). Ironically, after taking power, the new governance of the animals themselves became oppressive and brought Animal Farm back to where they started. Only a handful of the animals that were oppressed before the revolution became the new ruling class after the revolution (the pigs), while the rest of the animals stayed oppressed, never truly bringing to life the idealistic farm envisioned by Old Major (analogous to Karl Marx). This book is an easy to read story that teaches the lessons observed from the failures of Communism in the Soviet Union. 

Number 3 –

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 

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Making an appearance at number 3 is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the third dystopian novel of this list and continuing the theme of idealism gone wrong. In this society’s quest for stability and peace, the world leaders removed art, science, and religion from the vocabulary of the populace and replaced these “opiates of the soul”, referring to Karl Marx, with an incredibly strong drug meant to keep everyone from feeling pain or unhappiness. The tragedy is, that in an effort to remove pain and suffering from the world, a plot to maximize happiness, the rulers have instead manufactured emotionless sex addicts incapable of personal bonding and preoccupied with consumption. Not to forget about the complete government control over reproduction, Brave New World is a look down the dark path of overconsumption, drug addiction, and complete government control. This book will show you why we cannot solely rely upon the government to enlighten happiness and relief from suffering. 

Number 2 –

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradburry

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Making for a close second place is the masterpiece dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. It is important to note that the preceding books on this list were analogous to the failure of communism and the idealism that was over promised and under delivered. In Fahrenheit 451, however, it is instead the American government that is being critiqued for its misbehavior during the Cold War. Inspired by the Red Scare in America, the suppression of information, government investigation, and witch hunt for artists and authors who were suspected to be communist sympathizers during the 1950’s, Bradbury uses this novel to show the dark path of censorship that America was heading down. Though this book comes in second on this list, it holds the crown for depicting the troubling reality of the authoritarian government prerogative to take advantage of public apathy and reduce the circulation of ideas and seamlessly destroying imagination and self-expression along the way. This book will remind you why censorship is one step towards corruption and to value freedom of expression. 

Number 1 –

Behaving As US by Kenneth Scherr

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Topping our list at number 1 and carrying on this list’s theme of fearing an unstable authoritarianism and idealistic political domination is Behaving As US by Kenneth Scherr. Written to help ease rising political tensions and feelings of frustration and hate towards others, this book answers how America can create a more unified country by focusing on values that matter. Using an introductory psychology crash course, author Kenneth Scherr reveals motivational insights that anyone can apply to their life to create new healthy relationships with those they have political disagreements with. His motivation to write this book developed during the 2020 presidential election. Disturbed to see a lack of respect for each other and a need to unify as a country, he dedicated himself to discovering how people learn to cooperate. This book simplifies years of research into a short and easy to understand message to instill lasting behavior change in the reader. This is a must read for every voting American. Instead of being a parable that illustrates the dark path society is headed down, Kenneth Scherr uses Behaving As Us as a tool to motivate readers to take charge of their behavior in a way that will have a ripple effect through society, without advocating for any certain political or economic philosophy.

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