Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Favorite sociopolitical books

I read a lot of non-fiction and current events books, (along with a good dose of fiction). Some of them are just pretty good/amusing, (like Going Rouge: An American Nightmare by Richard Kim and Betsy Reed or anything by Al Franken). BUT I really wanted to make a list of the best that I've read within recent memory. I mean, these books make more of an impact than Sarah Palin's stay in the limelight ever will.

So, here's a list of my favorite (and most recommended) sociopolitical books. Some are based on contemporary culture and some are of a more historical nature:

Non-fiction

  • Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture by Ariel Levy
  • Comprehending Columbine by Ralph Larkin
  • Virgin: The Untouched History by Hanne Blank
  • Atheist Universe by David Mills (This is WAY better than The God Delusion and God Is Not Great)
  • When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection, Edited by Norman R. Yetman
  • Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism by Michelle Goldberg
  • Sexing The Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality by Anne Fausto-Sterling
  • The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
  • The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad
  • The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession With Virginity is Hurting Young Women by Jessica Valenti
  • Patriots Act: Voices of Dissent and the Risk of Speaking Out by Bill Katovsky

    Fiction (I'm including this list because I believe that fiction - especially dystopian literature - can have important sociological or political themes.)

  • The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
  • The Blue Orchard by Jackson Taylor
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
  • V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
  • Feed by M.T. Anderson
  • 1984 by George Orwell

    What are YOUR favorite sociopolitical books? Have you read any of the books listed above, and if so, what did you think of them? Based on my current list, do you know of any books that you would recommend to me?
  • 2 comments:

    1. I really liked The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

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    2. re: The Poisonwood Bible -- I looked it up on Amazon and it sounds really interesting. I will definitely check it out. Thanks!

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