Political

1984 by George Orwell

Written more than 70 years ago, 1984 was George Orwell’s chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, his dystopian vision of a government that will do anything to control the narrative is timelier than ever.

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx

The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels's revolutionary summons to the working classes, is one of the most important and influential political theories ever formulated. After four years of collaboration, the authors produced this incisive declaration of their idea of Communism, in which they envisage a society without classes, private property or a state. They argue that increasing exploitation of industrial workers will eventually lead to a revolution in which Capitalism is overthrown. This vision provided the theoretical basis of political systems in Russia, China, Cuba and Eastern Europe, affecting the lives of millions.The Communist Manifesto still remains a landmark text: a work that continues to influence and provoke debate on capitalism and class.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

At the dawn of the next world war, a plane crashes on an uncharted island, stranding a group of schoolboys. At first, with no adult supervision, their freedom is something to celebrate. This far from civilization they can do anything they want. Anything. But as order collapses, as strange howls echo in the night, as terror begins its reign, the hope of adventure seems as far removed from reality as the hope of being rescued.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
A farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality. Thus the stage is set for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned—a razor-edged fairy tale for grown-ups that records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible.

A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley's profoundly important classic of world literature, Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order–all at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.

In Defense of Freedom and Related Essays by Frank S. Meyer

When it first appeared in 1962, In Defense of Freedom was hailed by Richard M. Weaver as “a brilliant defense of the primacy of the person” and an effective “indictment of statism and bureaucratism.” Meyer examines the tension between the freedom of the person and the power of social institutions. In his view, both the dominant Liberalism and the “New Conservatism” of the American tradition place undue emphasis on the claims of social order at the expense of the individual person and liberty.

The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay

The Federalist Papers is a collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, and published in 1787 and 1788. These essays, which were originally published in various newspapers, were intended to explain and promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. The Federalist Papers are a classic of American political thought and remain essential reading for anyone interested in the history and politics of the United States. Through their arguments, the authors sought to demonstrate the wisdom and necessity of the proposed Constitution. The Papers are a source of insight into the intentions of the Founders and the struggles they faced in establishing a new nation. They also provide a valuable resource for understanding the U.S. Constitution and the principles of government it established. The Federalist Papers remain an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the history and development of the United States.

The Constitution of the United States of America: The Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights by The Founding Fathers

The Constitution of the United States of America is the ultimate law of the country. The document embodies the doctrine of the separations of the executive powers of the federal government. The Declaration of Independence outlines the grievances of the Thirteen Colonies and explains why they are at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain. It was signed by representatives of all original Thirteen Colonies. The Articles of Confederation setup the original wartime government of the states. The Bill of Rights records the first ten amendments or additions to the United States Constitution, written after the successful American Revolution, and the creation of the republican government. The Bill of Rights added specific guarantees of political rights and personal freedoms to the original Constitution.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

The story is narrated by Charles Marlow, recalling his obsessive quest to locate the ivory trader Kurtz, who has become ensconced deep in the jungle managing a remote outpost. As he ventures further and further down the Congo, Marlow finds himself and his surroundings become increasingly untethered.

My Daughter’s Keeper by Adiva Geffen

After the Nazi invasion of Poland, Johann goes missing. Without a family to rely on and antisemitic sentiments growing all over the country, Rachel and her newborn daughter Ilona are thrown into the Warsaw ghetto. Faced with their new reality, Rachel knows the only way to save her daughter is to smuggle her to her Christian sister-in-law, Irena, outside the ghetto. Irena is willing to risk her life just to save a single Jewish baby – but will her courage be enough?

Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism by Anne Applebaum

From the United States and Britain to continental Europe and beyond, liberal democracy is under siege, while authoritarianism is on the rise. In Twilight of Democracy, Anne Applebaum, an award-winning historian of Soviet atrocities who was one of the first American journalists to raise an alarm about antidemocratic trends in the West, explains the lure of nationalism and autocracy. In this captivating essay, she contends that political systems with radically simple beliefs are inherently appealing, especially when they benefit the loyal to the exclusion of everyone else.