The Best Political Books of 2010

NONFICTION

Released: Dec. 1, 2010

CASTLES MADE OF SAND: A CENTURY OF ANGLO-AMERICAN ESPIONAGE AND INTERVENTION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

by André Gerolymatos

"Those who suspect espionage is a mug's game will find plenty of evidence here, as well as a great deal of amusement."

A chronicle of the failures of Western intelligence operations in the Middle East. Read full book review >

NONFICTION

Released: Oct. 12, 2010

THE WHITES OF THEIR EYES: THE TEA PARTY'S REVOLUTION AND THE BATTLE OVER AMERICAN HISTORY

by Jill Lepore

"Learned, lively and shrewd."

Lepore (American History/Harvard Univ.; New York Burning: Liberty, Slavery, and Conspiracy in Eighteenth-Century Manhattan, 2005, etc.) explores the nexus of the American Revolution, the understanding and telling of history and today's Tea Party. Read full book review >

NONFICTION

Released: Oct. 12, 2010

YOUNG MR. OBAMA: CHICAGO AND THE MAKING OF A BLACK PRESIDENT

by Edward McClelland

"An engaging overview of the president's early political education."

Journalist McClelland (The Third Coast: Sailors, Strippers, Fishermen, Folksingers, Long-Haired Ojibway Painters, and God-Save-the-Queen Monarchists of the Great Lakes, 2008, etc.) looks at the effect of President Obama's years in Chicago. Read full book review >

NONFICTION

Released: Oct. 5, 2010

HERDING DONKEYS: THE FIGHT TO REBUILD THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND RESHAPE AMERICAN POLITICS

by Ari Berman

"Engaging and balanced--a stand-out book."

As The Nation political correspondent Berman ably shows, many factors led to the success of President Obama's election campaign, but a crucial aspect is often overlooked--the role played by Howard Dean as chairman of the Democratic Party Read full book review >