Bill Moyers Journal: Power Reading

TROY DAVIS,PLEASE REMEMBER THAT AMERICA IS NOT THE OLD SOUTH ~ AFRICA !!! A $TATE ECONOMIC BOYCOTT OF GEORGIA INTERNATIONALLY WILL OBVIOU$LY BE THE END RE$ULT OF GEORGIA DECIDING TO MURDER A PO$$IBLE INNOCENT TROY DAVI$ WITHOUT A NEW AND FAIR TRIAL ? US CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS WHO ARE ALSO LAWYERS BY TRADE, CONTINUE TO DENY poorer AMERICAN'S PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION !!! THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY NEEDS TO BEGIN A FORMAL INVESTIGATION INTO THESE US CONGRESSIONAL CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BEING INFLICTED ON poorer AMERICAN'S LIKE MR.TROY DAVIS OF GEORGIA !!! HAVING BEEN DENIED APPEAL LAWYERS FOR THREE YEARS ON DEATH ROW IN GEORGIA MR. TROY DAVIS IS NOW BEING EXECUTED FOR A CRIME HE MIGHT NOT HAVE EVEN BEEN INVOLVED WITH !!! SENATOR OBAMA PLEASE LET THIS COUNTRIES VOTERS KNOW YOUR FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT A NEEDED FUTURE REPAIR AND RENOVATION OF OUR BROKEN JUDICIAL SYSTEM THAT CONTINUES TO ALLOW THE EXECUTION'S OF EVEN POSSIBLE INNOCENT AMERICAN’S LIKE TROY DAVIS OF GEORGIA ????? BEING THE WEALTHIEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD SENATOR OBAMA, DON'T WE NEED AS THE LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD TO BEGIN ONCE AGAIN TO RE-INVEST THE PROPER MONIE$ IN OUR OWN US JUDICIAL SYSTEM, ASSURING...

Posted by: DOUGLAS FIELD | October 27, 2008 11:45 PM

THE US CONGRESS HAS AN UNDECLARED WAR AGAINST OUR POORER AMERICAM'S !!! US CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS WHO ARE ALSO LAWYERS BY TRADE, CONTINUE TO DENY POORER AMERICAN'S PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION !!! THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY NEEDS TO BEGIN A FORMAL INVESTIGATION INTO THESE US CONGRESSIONAL CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BEING INFLICTED ON POORER AMERICAN'S LIKE MR.TROY DAVIS OF GEORGIA !!! HAVING BEEN DENIED APPEAL LAWYERS FOR THREE YEARS ON DEATH ROW IN GEORGIA MR. TROY DAVIS IS NOW BEING EXECUTED FOR A CRIME HE MIGHT NOT HAVE EVEN BEEN INVOLVED WITH !!! SENATOR OBAMA PLEASE LET THIS COUNTRIES VOTERS KNOW YOUR FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT A NEEDED FUTURE REPAIR AND RENOVATION OF OUR BROKEN JUDICIAL SYSTEM THAT CONTINUES TO ALLOW THE EXECUTION'S OF EVEN POSSIBLE INNOCENT AMERICAN’S LIKE TROY DAVIS OF GEORGIA ????? BEING THE WEALTHIEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD SENATOR OBAMA, DON'T WE NEED AS THE LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD TO BEGIN ONCE AGAIN TO RE-INVEST THE PROPER MONIE$ IN OUR OWN US JUDICIAL SYSTEM, ASSURING ALL OF OUR CITIZENS THEIR RIGHTS TO FAIR TRIALS WITH PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION ??? DOES GOD NEED TO LOBBY OUR US CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD ON BEHALF OF OUR...

Posted by: DOUGLAS FIELD | October 24, 2008 6:40 PM

“Self and World, An Explanation of Aesthetic Realism” by Eli Siegel as well as many other writings of this author would help any president see reality more accurately, understand the dangers of “contempt” and be better equipped to be against it in him/herself an others. In addition Eli Siegel’s writings can provide the reader an understanding of the very practical use of art as well as an explanation of what makes something beautiful.

Posted by: David Di Gregorio | June 19, 2008 9:06 AM

There is not a book that I have read and could suggest that upon learning factually that the President of the United States has not read that would not stir in me a profound and nervous trembling. With that, my desire is that the next Title Holder takes into office with themselves the ability to read the will of the people authored by the people of course.

Posted by: oasis | March 24, 2008 4:45 PM

Christa Wolf. Cassandra: A Novel and Four Essays.

Posted by: L Michelle Baker | March 10, 2008 8:15 PM

THE BOOK FOR THE NEXT PRESIDENT! Day of empire: how hyerpowers rise to global dominance -- and why they fall by Amy Chua (Yale law prof) Doubleday, 2007 A very readable history of those who achieved being a single super power and how they failed. Great read! see UCLA Berkley on the web 'Conversations with History' for an interview with this author.

Posted by: Pam Child | March 3, 2008 8:36 PM

I highly recommend Kim Michael's The Art of Non-War. Humanity has tried war for thousands of years and can we truly say that it has worked? Hasn't there been enough suffering? Has there ever been a war that was the end of all wars? This book is the roadmap out of the state of consciousness that leads to the war into the consciousness of peace. My hope is that the next president raises his or her consciousness and reads this book and puts it into action.

Posted by: Claire Larsen | March 3, 2008 7:19 AM

Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart - so that America can be led back to some basics: honesty, humility, the dangers inherent in patriarchy and how to recognize human dignity in places not our own.

Posted by: Andrea Jadwin | February 27, 2008 10:52 PM

"The Art of Non-War" by Kim Michaels truly illumines those high and noble ideals that will guide humanity to reach its full potential. At the same time, the message is applicable to today's challenges. I highly recommend the book for any leader who wants to influence the global society toward peaceful living.

Posted by: Brandon Brooks | February 26, 2008 3:48 AM

Dr. David Gruder’s latest book, The New IQ, shows how anyone can achieve lasting success, fulfillment and happiness through learning how to live in what he calls “3D integrity.” Dr. Gruder’s captivating writing style, revealing stories and step-by-step clarity reveal how, by embodying 3D integrity we not only can live our best possible life but how in doing this we become an inspiration to our families our co-workers and our communities. This book is definitely a must read for our next president and anyone working with him/her in any capacity. Most of the books recommended have supported specific issues (e.g., economy, foreign policy, health care system) needing upgrades in our country. In contrast, The New IQ shows how creating “the change” we all want to embrace in the USA can only happen when our leaders clearly understand and embrace integrity; when they truly grasp how integrity is the foundation that effects every person and every issue, everywhere and every day. Integrity is the core intention that guides wisdom in moving society forward and changing the world to a more peaceful place for us all. When our president begins to grasp that change comes from living in “3D integrity,” he/she will...

Posted by: Jamie Johnson | February 25, 2008 2:14 PM

I'm a little late to the party, I know. That's the downside of DVRing the show, Mr. Moyers. But I'd like our next president to enter the White House with a copy of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare (The Riverside Shakespeare is my favorite all-in-one edition, by the way.) No, I'm not an English teacher or, I hope, pretentious. But I think our next president will find in Shakespeare the reflections on power that would serve any leader well to heed. Above all,leaders must never forget their humanity. King Henry IV (from Part II), speaking of sleep, for example - Canst thou, O partial sleep, give thy repose To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude, And in the calmest and most stillest night, With all appliances and means to boot, Deny it to a king? Then happy low, lie down! Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

Posted by: Stephen Sacco | February 24, 2008 6:21 PM

Howard Zinn's "People's History of the United States" is must reading. I would also recommend: Paul Krugman's "The Great Unraveling" and "The Conscience of a Liberal", his new book. Reading The Great Unraveling, a collection of his op-ed columns for the New York Times, one cannot fail to be impressed at how accurately Mr. Krugman has predicted the results of current policies. The Conscience of a Liberal provides a compelling argument that our current challenge is to regain the "New Deal" policies that both created and supported the American middle class, and therefore the society of opportunity, decency, and prosperity that is currently in a state of decline. Mr. Krugmans premise that capitalism does not support the middle class and the general welfare without the political will and institutions that mitigate the power of the wealthy is powerfully supported in this work. Finally, "Our Endangered Values" by former President Jimmy Carter speaks powerfully to those who see America's moral crisis as far more that the divisive issues forwarded by "the religious right".

Posted by: Gail Frank | February 22, 2008 2:19 AM

I am really dismayed that of all books recommended here - we are wanting change - one must have dialogs - everyone out there even for their own lives should read Speaking Peace: Connecting With Others Through Non-Violent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg or any of his other books get the DVD even showing live how to do it. This will change your life and that is where change begins for the whole world. And whomever is elected Get Rosenberg on your Cabinet to teach everyone this method. Enjoy and thanks for reading peace be with you always

Posted by: Trey parker | February 20, 2008 9:33 PM

Book recommendations for the next President: Robert Reich's Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life. Robert Reich is doing important work on how capitalism has changed (and changed America) since the digital revolution, how "supercapitalism" is affecting public policy and the judicial system (squeezing out the public) and the lives of workers, and what to do about it. His book, offers clear discription and analysis of what has happened, and a recommendation for fundamental change in how corporations are legally viewed and treated (as bundles of contracts, not as people) in order to make government more democratic and responsive to the public. I may not agree with all of his conclusions, but I agree with his main points that we need to restore our democracy and that policy changes are necessary to make a better world. Changes in personal behavior alone are not enough. Mark E. Eberhart's Feeding the Fire, The Lost History & Uncertain Future of Mankind's Energy Addiction. Everhart gives a history of energy and imagination in human society and offers a way to tackle global warming and energy policy. -- In short, wishing will not make it happen, and just a carbon emissions tax by...

Posted by: Linda Sander | February 20, 2008 1:20 PM

I think the next President should read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. The Goverment should be like us and not spend more that it makes.That results would make us a very powerful nation!

Posted by: Tommy Wells | February 20, 2008 5:03 AM

"The travelers of Dark Night" by "Naseem Hijazi" is a good book especially for the persons who r intrested in the history of spain or one can say how the muslim empire fall after fernidad victoriously enters into Gharnata.

Posted by: Muhammad Ali Javed | February 19, 2008 10:53 PM

Quite astonished to find two hustlers ("Where does the Money Go?") say Social Security is bust. Very cleverly, they did not actually SAY it but only implied it. Hey everyone, remember the President's "Personal retirement accounts" proposal a few years back? But it turned out SS had a huge surplus in fact and would still have 40 years out, even indefinitely if we allow modest adjustments along the way. However, the money has been borrowed for current accounts and repaying the SS trust fund proves awkward. But SS is the lender, not the villain! One more scary statement regarding deficit spending "31 out of 35 years" needs to be tempered. Deficit spending for capital improvement or other expectation of growth is a good purpose. It is not deficit spending itself but bad deficit spending over the last 7 years that is bad and is the true ill. So let's be accurate as to the problem first. After that, if you still want SS or Medicare to take the hit for it, be honest and say this why the benefits will not be there.

Posted by: Steven Yafet | February 19, 2008 3:15 PM

Bill, Please don't tell me that you are a left-gatekeeper just like Amy Goodman and all the other goose-stepping corporate media sheeple-goons.

Posted by: John Madland | February 18, 2008 11:56 PM

1. OUTSOURSE(Fiction) Privitized military 3.BALANCE of POWER by Richard Patterson (Gun Control) Have someone brief you...too wordy 4. Genesis (BOOK on Tape VERSION) By Bill Moyers; authors' dicourse 5.MAROON within US by Asa Hiliard; Education of our youth 6.Throught the Storm, Beverly Jenkins Good love story

Posted by: charlotte hill | February 18, 2008 7:56 AM

Easy: I'd like our next president to read "The Demon-Haunted World" by Carl Sagan.

Posted by: george.wiman | February 17, 2008 12:12 PM

The only way people unable to march on Washington is writing letters en masse to networks. So, how I ask, is this any different from people organizing busloads of peaceful protestors for a march on Washington DC? The only difference occurs when broadcasters such as Bill Moyers uses the fact of the organized campaign to exclude discourse on the issue being highlighted by said campaign. If one hasn't the money, the time, the health and stamina to endure rough, even brutal, arrests and harsh detainment, as has happened since Bush took office, this is the only non-violent way to get the attention of our elected officials, who rely to a surprising extent on main stream media, to the exclusion of all else, for their take on public opinion. Bill Moyers isn't the first to use stonewalling to keep politically incorrect discourse out of the public eye by denigrating those of use who see internet campaigns as a letitimate means for peaceful protest. The Star Tribune editorials manager wrote recently that he won't print letters sent en masse via internet campaigns, as it isn't like an individual letter. No it isn't. It is the only thing the public can really do...

Posted by: claire benson | February 17, 2008 10:32 AM

Well PBS and Moyers are out, go to alternative media for the Truth, Bill Moyers is fresh out of it. Alfons v911t

Posted by: Alfons Olszewski | February 16, 2008 7:03 PM

'The Art of Non-War' by Kim Michaels.

Posted by: Roi Kerr | February 16, 2008 5:00 PM

A must read is A Free Lunch" by David Cay Johnson and " The Future of Freedom" by Fareed Zakaria

Posted by: Nancy Briggs | February 16, 2008 10:35 AM

And the Poor Get Children: Sex, Contraception, and Family Planning in the Working Class," by Lee Rainwater is the book I recommend. The next president needs to have read this already and needs to understand how many social problems are caused by overpopulation

Posted by: Brenda | February 15, 2008 6:22 PM

"And the Poor Get Children: Sex, Contraception, and Family Planning in the Working Class," by Lee Rainwater is the book I recommend. The next president needs to have read this already and needs to understand how many social problems are caused by overpopulation.

Posted by: Brenda | February 15, 2008 6:21 PM

I think the next president needs to have read many books on overpopulation and how it affects so many different social problems. If I can name only one book it is: "And the Poor Get Children: Sex, Contraception, and Family Planning in the Working Class," by Lee Rainwater.

Posted by: Brenda | February 15, 2008 6:18 PM

Presidential Reading A late comment, but it just occurred because someone suggested "Grapes of Wrath". Steinbeck's "America and Americans" is an amazing critique, written over 40 years ago with lots great insight.

Posted by: Marty Morocco | February 15, 2008 4:16 PM

Read Margaret Atwood's the Handmaid's Tale about a fundamentalist takeover of the USA. Gets more valid everyday. Brave New World and 1984 make a great trilogy.

Posted by: davidg | February 14, 2008 10:59 PM

The book Thirteen Days or another on the interaction of JFK's advisors during the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which sharply different views were discussed. The next President must surround himself with smart people who will differ with him and each other and discuss frankly differing ways to resolve issues.

Posted by: John F Yeaman | February 14, 2008 8:00 PM

Chalmers Johnson, by all means, should be read by our next president, especially The Sorrows of Empire : Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic. All US Americans, and especially our leaders, need to be keenly aware of what an imperialistic nation we have become and of the unintended consequences. Empires are unlikely to endure when their military presence is so intensely resented by the nations they occupy, especially if those nations have been invaded or are being dominated by a plutocratic or oligarchic elite.

Posted by: Ben F. Nelms | February 14, 2008 7:17 PM

Chalmers Johnson, by all means, should be read by our next president, especially The sorrows of Empire : Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic. All US Americans, and especially our leaders, need to be keenly aware of what an imperialistic nation we have become and of the unintended consequences. Empires are unlikely to endure when their military presence is so intensely resented by the nations they occupy, especially if those nations have been invaded or are being dominated by a plutocratic or oligarchic elite.

Posted by: Ben F. Nelms | February 14, 2008 7:10 PM

Chalmers Johnson, by all means, should be read by our next president, especially The sorrows of Empire : Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic. All US Americans, and especially our leaders, need to be keenly aware of what an imperialistic nation we have become and of the unintended consequences. Empires are unlikely to endure when their military presence is so intensely resented by the nations they occupy, especially if those nations have been invaded or are being dominated by a plutocratic or oligarchic elite.

Posted by: Ben F. Nelms | February 14, 2008 7:05 PM

"shock doctrine" by Naomi Klein "conscience of a liberal" Paul Krugman "twilight in the Desert" Matthew Simmons "The Long Emergency" James Kunstler The next president faces some absolutely impossible problems. Most created by our current administration. If our next President doesn't get it right, we'll end up with another GW Bush, and that would spell the end of the American experiment, if it hasn't already.

Posted by: LL | February 14, 2008 5:34 PM

"The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution" - Bernard Bailyn. No one in Washington seems to remember that we were and are the beneficiaries of a longer struggle, knowledge of which would help determine answers to many current problems.

Posted by: Thomas Heiden | February 14, 2008 3:41 PM

The ‘Free Lunch’ by David Cay Johnston is shocking, informative and deeply disturbing. The chapter Home Robbery reveals monopolistic price fixing by four Title companies. One could conclude they along with the banks and Wall Street have headed the US towards a recession. Mr. Johnston reveals fraud at all levels of government and the free enterprise part of our system. Superb reporting. A must read.

Posted by: J Hall | February 14, 2008 2:45 PM

Bill, I'd recommend the next president read and keep available John Nichols' "The Genius of Impeachment" in addition to a copy of the US Constitution.

Posted by: suzy | February 14, 2008 11:18 AM

Free Lunch or The Grapes of Wrath or The Two Income Trap Atlas Shrugged!? Are you &%$@#(*! kidding me?!

Posted by: James Garza | February 13, 2008 5:39 PM

I recommend highly any of David Ray Griffin's 9/11 books, in particular "Debunking 9/11 Debunking", plus Michael Ruppert's well-researched volume "Crossing the Rubicon: The American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil". Also, "By Way of Deception: The Making and Unmaking of a Mossad Agent" .

Posted by: Shelton Lankford | February 13, 2008 2:46 PM

Hey Bill, I believe in Hillary. My concern is she is being abused by the media. This is a VERY important concern...Why does the media ask Barack strategy questions while they ask Hillary details about her policies/plans? This is in no way the same. Does the media believe Barack has no plan?... or is incapable of answering specific detail questions? I am not certain. How might you facilitate this equality? I am hopeful you will find a way as I believe you to be an incredibly honest reporter. Barack's media questions catch momentum (they are general and almost always about strategy), while the ones asked of Hillary are focused on the details of her plan implementations and not at all about strategy. The questions are not only VERY dissimilar, they are misleading. They also give credence ambiguity. My question to you is...How might you encourage the media to ask (each candidate) similar questions and/or how might you find a way for these questions to be more equitable? I hope you choose to be mindful of this and I'd appreciate a response.

Posted by: Virginia Campos | February 12, 2008 10:57 PM

I'm late to the party, but I do agree most heartily with the person who suggested Andrew Bacevich's "The New American Militarism." It's the one and only book I bought and gave to my new Congressman.

Posted by: (Rev.) Linda M. Maloney | February 12, 2008 9:08 PM

Greetings Mr. Moyers, I have not read all the books in the list, but I’m not running for president. I’ll recommend Animal Farm and 1984, both by George Orwell. Wouldn’t he be saying: “I told you so”. I had the chance to communicate with a journalist friend of mine who used to work for the New York Times. He has been writing books and making public appearances all over the country. I sent him a copy of the note I wrote in your blog, and as friends, I asked him to help me ease my concern about this country. Mr. Moyers, I was so depressed when I read his reply, this is what he wrote me: “first of all it is great to hear form you. Secondly, you are right. The country is dying. I certainly try to fight back, but I can't, like most who warn about what is happening, get much hearing above the noise pollution of television and the ridiculous slogans and clichés that infect all public discourse, including education, but I keep trying and will keep trying. This is the best we can do”. First of all I didn’t write that the country is dying. I...

Posted by: Angela M. Gomez | February 12, 2008 4:34 PM

Since I could not have a said it better myself, I will just ditto this comment: "The next President should not only read and bring to the White House "Citizen Power" by Mike Gravel, but should encourage the American people to sign into law the "National Initiative" which when enacted into law will make "We the People" lawmakers."

Posted by: Jessica Benzakein | February 12, 2008 2:46 PM

Hi, In accordance with all the Moyersly fairness, I expected a list of books with actual number of recommendations for each, top down, instead of an editoialized rundown on the actual TV report and on this site. This sour note is not entirely because the book I recommended, The Israel Lobby, is nowhere to be seen. I hope the final accurate accounting is yet to come. Thank you for your due attention. Best regards to you all.

Posted by: B. Jone | February 12, 2008 2:08 PM

E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web" To remember the simplistic interconnectedness of our living world.

Posted by: Deb | February 12, 2008 12:28 PM

Dear Mr. Moyers, Thank you for your excellent programs. My first choice is The Battle for God, A History of Fundamentalism, by Karen Armstrong. As a country, we are experiencing the consequences of over a hundred years of misjudgment, ignorance, and arrogance in our dealings with foreign countries, especially those with natural resources coveted by our corporations and our government. Currently, we are in a time again when corporations and the Administration seem operating more as a unit than as separate parts in our economy. Unless our new President has in-depth understanding of this terrible history, foreign policy decisions will continue to be deeply flawed, jeopardizing our national security. Karen Armstrong identifies linkage of foreign policies with consequences in the evolution of religious perspectives into those with which we are now confronted. She also traces the evolution of fundamentalism in the U.S. The focus on Jesus did not arrive on these shores with the Puritans. It evolved here in response to fear. Fear is at the root of fundamentalism everywhere, but how it is expressed depends on the culture being stressed. Religious perspective can strengthen hope and provide energy to do great good in the world. It can also destroy...

Posted by: D. Stauber | February 12, 2008 11:32 AM

The Art of Non-war by Kim Michaels

Posted by: clayton | February 12, 2008 12:03 AM

I've skimmed through most of the suggestions here, and seen some excellent suggestions as well as some rather foolish ones. The major underlying cause of most of our world's problems stems from extremely sophisticated systematic economic exploitation. Show me any problem, from environmental pollution, climate change, genocide, poverty, war, and man's brutality to his fellow man, and I can relate it's root causes to economic exploitation that begins with our central banking system and a ruthless cabal of international bankers and financiers whose goal is to monopolize the world's wealth and thereby control the world's people. Therefore, the single most important book would be one that points to road to workable economic and currency reforms. Milton Friedman was on the right track, but the only comprehensive study I've ever seen on a solution to our economic crisis is in the book, "The Lost Science of Money: The Mythology of Money - The Story of Power" by Steven Zarlenga, head of the American Monetary Institute at www.monetary.org. Nothing will change our steady course to disaster until we correct the fundamental flaw of creating money out of public debt. Our next president should also see the videos "Money as Debt" and "The...

Posted by: Jere Hough | February 11, 2008 10:52 PM

The Trial by Franz Kafka. The first line goes likes this: "Someone must have been telling lies about Joseph K., for without having done anything wrong he was arrested one fine morning." A couple pages later, K. is talking to two strange men who have inexplicably showed up at his home while he slept. K. tries to go out. "No," said the man at the window.... "You can't go out, you are arrested." "So it seems," said K. "But what for?" he added. "We are not authorized to tell you that. Go to your room and wait there. Proceedings have been instituted against you, and you will be informed of everything in due course." K. is never informed. But in trying to discover why he has been arrested, he weaves his way through a justice system filled with secrecy, paranoia and cronyism. In the past I would have laughed at the absurdity of the characters and story. But now, in the shadow of Guantanamo, waterboarding, wiretapping and extraordinary rendition, this book has become frightening. Eighty years after publication, it is, sadly, a timely cautionary tale.

Posted by: Ken Klein | February 11, 2008 10:04 PM

"Eat the Rich" by P.J. O'Rourke. to keep economics, politics, and central control in iconoclastic perspective.

Posted by: Larry B | February 11, 2008 8:14 PM

Mr. Moyers, You owe it to your loyal viewers to disclose the book that has an "organized campaign" behind it. Please name the book and provide us with information on how you detected foul play. Many have suggested that the suspect book is "Debunking 9/11 Debunking." I have not read this book , but I plan to, having read two other books by author David Ray Griffin on the topic of 9/11. For those of your viewers who are uninitiated with Griffin, he is no Johnny-come-lately. His book "The New Pearl Harbor" should be on everyone's bookshelf, and that is why I had chosen that one for the next president's must-read. The other book that I own by Griffin is "The 9/11 Commission Report, Omissions and Distortions." Without having read "Debunking 9/11 Debunking,” I'm sure that it also lives up to the high standards of David Ray Griffin. Do us all a favor and tell us the truth. We can handle it. Griffin's followers already know the truth behind 9/11. We're just waiting for someone in the mainstream media to acknowledge what we already know.

Posted by: Jackie D'Agostino | February 11, 2008 8:01 PM

Natural Capitalism by Dawken, Lovins & Lovins.

Posted by: John Konopak | February 11, 2008 7:10 PM

I just wanted to add "Antigone" by Sophocles. What better warning for the abuse of power by a ruler could there be other than the character of Creon?

Posted by: Dan Ferat | February 11, 2008 7:01 PM

Too late? Oh, well I did enjoy reading the posted list. Many are my favorites, including Zinn's History, Grapes of Wrath, A brief History of the Universe, Tom Paines great books, Jonathan Kozol. Let me add one that was not mentioned: War Against the Weak: The Story of Eugenics... Author: Edwin Black. Until a nation knows where it has been, it can never know where it's going. The next president should keep a copy of this book by his/her side. The story of the "races" is essential to understanding America.

Posted by: Gahie Tepane | February 11, 2008 2:44 PM

Plan B 3.0, Lester Brown. no supporting argument required, a must read. In fact, any candidate should appoint Brown as part of his cabinet.

Posted by: sal | February 11, 2008 1:21 PM

More than anything, the next president needs to reconnect with the formative basics. Two books will help. "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine and "On Liberty" by John Stuart Mill. I gave a copy of each to my three children. It also would not hurt for the next president to spend some time seriously studying both Washington's and Eisenhower's Farewell Addresses.

Posted by: Joseph David Marshall | February 11, 2008 3:20 AM

An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth by Gandhi The next president could benefit for learning how make change peacefully and without violence.

Posted by: Angela Olson | February 10, 2008 10:02 PM

An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth by Gandhi The next president could benefit for learning how make change peacefully and without violence.

Posted by: Angela Olson | February 10, 2008 9:59 PM

When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. -- Sherlock Holmes To let your emotions and gut feelings, disguised as science, be arguments for a conspiracy is very dangerous and ill-advised. Not only does it erode your credibility and integrity, it also inhibits your ability to make quality decisions. Fancy talk about physics and chemistry from someone who has provided no scientific evidence to help clear up the many mysteries surrounding 9/11 such as, for example, why the collapse of Building 7 looks exactly like a classic controlled demolition. www.ae911truth.org (Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth) As your own eyes witness — WTC Building #7 (a 47 story high-rise not hit by an airplane) exhibits all the characteristics of a classic controlled demolition with explosives: 1. Rapid onset of “collapse” 2. Sounds of explosions at ground floor - a full second prior to collapse (heard by hundreds of firemen and media reporters) 3. Symmetrical “collapse” – through the path of greatest resistance – at nearly free-fall speed — the columns gave no resistance 4. Squibs, or “mistimed” explosions, at the upper 7 floors seen in the network videos 5. “Collapses” into...

Posted by: Eloy Gonzalez II | February 10, 2008 4:45 PM

I would like the next President to read LOSING JONATHAN by Robert and Linda Waxler

Posted by: jeremy | February 10, 2008 4:37 PM

I wish I could just not say anything, but my conscious won't let me. I've read quite a bit on both sides of the 9/11 Conspiracy and I am thoroughly exhausted. But I want to address the unnerving and confusing comments left by Frank. Sure some don’t want to look at 9/11 because of fear but I think most of us have learned a lesson about speaking out from Bush’s Iraq War. I am unashamed to look at the facts and reality of 9/11 and not believe in a conspiracy. The ‘book that screams that we are ignorant about basic physics’ is littered with inconsistencies about physical facts and grossly underestimates the real forces involved in the collapse of the towers and destruction of the planes and the loss of life. The plain fact is that the vast majority of people is ignorant of basic physics and cannot begin to grasp the enormity of the events on 9/11. I know this because 80% of College Students in my class did not pass the first year physics course, 75% did not pass first year Chemistry, and 30-40% did not even pass college algebra. If that’s the case, how can you expect...

Posted by: Michael Arch | February 10, 2008 4:18 PM

Book suggestion: The Party's Over by Richard Heinberg So far, the concept of Peak Oil is still below the national radar, at least as far as the mainstream media is concerned. It was certainly not mentioned by any of the presidential candidates. Yet the peaking of world oil production which, if it has not already happened, is imminent in the next five to 8 years, is a watershed event that will require a sea change in our collective thinking and action. There are many good books out there on this subject, but Heinberg's is one of the most lucid and comprehensive. Absent an understanding of the ramifications of the end of cheap petroleum, all of the fine rhetoric of the candidates is meaningless. The presidential honeymoon with the American public is going to be very short lived, as the implications and consequences of the disappearance of cheap, available energy begin to manifest. Whoever occupies the Oval Office needs to be aware of what is coming down the pike to make some informed and tough decisions in order to prepare us for and navigate through some very difficult times.

Posted by: Connie Tate | February 10, 2008 3:50 PM

I thoroughly agree with the vast mojority of these suggestions; especially, The Shock Doctrine; the Chalmers "Blowback" trilogy; David C. Korten's When Corporations Rule the World; and Lao Tze's great Tao Te Ching; but I want to add a work of "fiction" that will give the president and the rest of us a glimpse of our likely future scenario: The Road by Cormac McCarthy. This list is a very valuable resource and a very worthwhile accomplishment for which I'd like to thank Mr. Moyers and all the sincere contributors who have created it. Oh, yes, Taleb's The Black Swan should be on here, too. Thank you!

Posted by: Mark | February 10, 2008 2:42 PM

I really do not care what he or she reads, as long as the president has the intelligence to tell the difference between fiction and non fiction. As long as he tells the truth and does not lie and mislead. If he or she wants to read a true work of fiction then I would suggest the book your being spammed with by the truth movement, Debunking 9/11 Debunking" by David Ray Griffin. I would follow that up with the white paper by Ray Mackay,Paper debunking Dr. Griffin, anyone at JERF can point you to it. http://forums.randi.org/forumdisplay.php?f=64 If he or she wants some good non fiction historical works then those are easy to find. If the president does not have the knowledge already to lead this country then why are we electing them to office. A book read now will not make much difference, however if they just want a short read just for fun, here is something to consider. http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=22618

Posted by: Carroll D. Sanders | February 10, 2008 2:36 PM

Please read "Free Lunch" by David Cay Johnston

Posted by: Judith B. Walker | February 10, 2008 2:27 PM

What was the title and author of the book Bill Moyer recommended as his possible must read for a president last Friday on his Journal?

Posted by: George A Simpson | February 10, 2008 2:09 PM

Why does it seem that we have all lost track of the essential foundations of our country and culture. As so often happens, the farther removed on is from the source the easier it becomes to discount that sources meaning and impact. For that reason the President, and indeed all of us, should read and think about a return to Common Sense by Thomas Paine. And if we truly take to heart the ideas and words that make our nation great it is about time for a new revolution. Let the voting begin.

Posted by: Michael Arch | February 10, 2008 1:38 PM

"Man without a Country" by Kurt Vonnegut. Summarizes it in a nanosecond.

Posted by: sonny charles urbine | February 10, 2008 12:47 PM

I sure would like to read the book suggestions you recieved. However, I simply do not have the time to scroll through the blog. Whats the chance of producing a compiled list without the comentary or duplicates. Perhaps a number after the title could give an indication of popularity.

Posted by: Wiley | February 10, 2008 12:29 PM

The book I recommend for the new president is "The Conscience of a Liberal" by Paul Krugman and see the movie "Nickeled and Dimed" (or read this book also)

Posted by: Mary Margaret Flynn, MD | February 10, 2008 12:05 PM

To those that are frustrated by Bill Moyer's (PBS) refusal to mention David Ray Griffin's book Debunking 9/11 Debunking, I share the same frustration. You have a well-respected man like Bill Moyers leave PBS for a while after creating a show called NOW, only to return to create the best show on television (in my opinion). His valuable show posted for all to see at 10:00 pm. A well-respected man refuses to mention a book that screams that we are ignorant about basic physics as we refuse to relook at the collapse of WTC Buildings 1, 2, and 7 on 9/11/01. It shows how strong deception really is. Just by what people write in this blog, and how they write it, shows that the people are well-read. But, I ask myself what sort of action, or what event will it take before I act to expose this conspiracy theory (a term and only a term) as I sit comfortable with plenty of food. There’s the analogy where a kid at a party set the music at a certain volume, when the parents aren’t looking, he turns it up a little, no one notices, then he turns it up a little...

Posted by: Frank | February 10, 2008 12:02 PM

Bill, Concerning ecology and farmland as well as the exploitation of farmland by agribusiness, I recommend "The Citizenship Papers" by Wendell Berry. He writes like a Tom Paine and I agree as a black woman with most of what this white male Kentucky poet laureate, farmer has to say about we the people. Thanks for doing this, Phyllis Griffin

Posted by: phyllis griffin | February 10, 2008 10:55 AM

The next president will be answering not only the call of his or her own soul to lead a great nation people, but as the leader of the United States he or she will be answering a higher call from the global community to lead the way to restore the balance of life on the planet. There are three books that are essential reading: #1. Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken #2. Cosmos and Psyche by Richard Tarnas #3. Awakening the World by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee. With gratitude, June

Posted by: june | February 10, 2008 1:46 AM

Well, the results are in and it looks like David Ray Griffin's "Debunking 9/11 Debunking" did not make the grade -- even though it was recommended numerous times by several people posting under this blog. I guess the lesson here is simple: If you're lazy and silent about your views of the world, that's a good thing. Because having been passionate about promoting my book of choice through fair, organized and rigorous activism has only served place it in some kind of Bill Moyers rogue’s gallery of blackballed books on truth. What a remarkably incomprehensive and undemocratic book selection process this has been.

Posted by: Eloy Gonzalez II | February 10, 2008 12:40 AM

Oh and BTW the so called "cable show" Wieck is spewing about is his own show of which is a full blown far Reich wing disinfo ministry that would have made Joseph Goebbels blush. Anybody with any sense would never appear on such a show when they know all it would be is a bunch of mouth breathers without a clue yelling at you from all sides simultaneously. You are either brain dead or a paid disinfo agent. Just Google Ron Wieck also known as "Pomeroo" and that will tell you all you need to know about this creep.

Posted by: Jerry | February 10, 2008 12:03 AM

Sorry Wieck but I just read that so called "white paper" and it was absolute drivel, it debunked nothing whatsoever in fact after reading it anyone with any sense would come away totally convinced that David Ray Griffin and the many others mentioned in his books are 100% correct. Thanks for the laugh. ROTFL

Posted by: Jerry | February 9, 2008 11:24 PM

Chomsky's entire body of political work is really one long book, so that would be it. If I had to pick one, his most recent Failed States is an excellent pulling together of all of his previous work, and with exceptionally insightful commentary on how the past fits into the present, and what kind of future we're headed towards if we don't start successfully changing our country for the better.

Posted by: Feroze | February 9, 2008 10:40 PM

Web of Debt by Ellen Brown Web of Debt by Ellen Brown Web of Debt by Ellen Brown

Posted by: Sergio Lub | February 9, 2008 9:52 PM

A myrmidon of the mindless 9/11 fantasy movement suggested reading David Ray Griffin's 'Debunking 9/11 Debunking,' a farrago of bogus science, crude errors, and outright falsehoods. Instead of wasting time on nonsense, try reading the devastating whitepaper by NASA engineer Ryan Mackey that caused Griffin to renege on an agreement to discuss his book on cable TV: http://www.911myths.com/drg_nist_review_2_0.pdf

Posted by: Ronald Wieck | February 9, 2008 9:33 PM

Supercapitalism by Robert Reich. This book discusses why our democracy is not working so well. It's really a history lesson which we all need to hear.

Posted by: Joan | February 9, 2008 9:20 PM

For a book for a new president to take to the White House, I recommend, "A Theory of Justice" by John Rawls.

Posted by: Steve Cross | February 9, 2008 7:05 PM

I would like to see a president take a book of poetry into the office. A good example would be The New Anthology of American Poetry Volume I: Traditions and Revolutions. Poetry has always sensed, interpreted, and reflected morality in the United States, and it would be refreshing to see a politician acknowledge that the office they hold is little more than a human creation, run by humans, and therefore shouldn't be treated with the reverence of perfection. Successful politicians, much like successful poets, operate outside the forms and constructs left by their predecessors. So many of these candidates hope to get elected on "change," but the canned responses of "The Federalist Papers" or "Wealth of Nations" reek of the stuff that brings with it well deserved all-time-low approval ratings.

Posted by: Patrick Richardson | February 9, 2008 6:53 PM

Dear Mr. Moyers, Thanks for the opportunity to contribute suggestions for books that ought to be on the next president's desk. I have read all the previous posts (and I am exhausted) and I agree with those who mention Naomi Klein, David Korten, Paul Krugman, Chalmers Johnson, Thom Hartman & Barbara Ehrenreich; I am a fan of the several books each have written. I'm also happy to see that people are recommending the basics like Harper Lee, John Steinbeck, and Thomas Paine. However, I have three authors who've gone unmentioned (or nearly so) thus far. 1) Noam Chomsky I'm appalled that not more people have proffered his work as essential reading. Media Control is a basic and most accessible work for the chief executive on-the-go. More timely would be his latest observations on America's hegemonic obsessions in What We Say Goes, also very accessible in a lively interview format. There are a wealth of offerings available from America's #1 public intellectual, but these two will do as primers to Chomsky's incisive views on US foreign policy and the awesome propaganda force of US media, and how each work to subvert democracy globally and domestically. 2) Ralph Nader He has been...

Posted by: Tom Kenny | February 9, 2008 6:19 PM

Mr. Moyers, I didn't read this until after your show aired. But, I'll say the next President should read CHILDHOOD'S END by Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Thank you.

Posted by: D.M. Dunkle | February 9, 2008 5:34 PM

Both "The Scapegoat Generation" by Mike Males, and "When God was a Woman" by Merlin Stone

Posted by: rick machado | February 9, 2008 5:18 PM

Mr. Moyers, The book I'd recommend the next president take to the White House is The Four Agreements by M. Ruiz. This thin but very powerful Toltec wisdom book helps clear the fog of the mind and of the soul. Mitakuye Oyasin(we are all related)

Posted by: WalkingBear | February 9, 2008 5:10 PM

"The New IQ : How Integrity Intelligence serves You, Your Relationships and Our World" by Dr. David Gruder As a web developer, I am always interested in finding the most elegant solution to any problem. Often, an elegant solution achieves multiple goals by addressing the root of any issue. Most of the major problems and issues facing the world today seem to have their root in the lack of integrity or honor of our people and our leaders. By focusing more on whats perceived to be popular (thank you pollsters) and less on what is right, our leaders sacrifice the future for their political present. Dr. Gruder's book "The New IQ addresses this concept and provides immense justification for focusing on personal integrity as THE means to most any goal. I would love to see a president who was as committed to their own personal development as their example would inspire and lead millions!

Posted by: Ron Northcutt | February 9, 2008 4:29 PM

Another vote for Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. No book has done more to reframe my thinking and examine my behavior as a consumer in, and ultimately a citizen of, an interconnected world.

Posted by: Cody | February 9, 2008 4:18 PM

Right On, Grady Lee Howard (see Moyers' Reading) Debunking 9/11 Debunking- DRG Plan B 3.0- Brown Debunking 9/11 Debunking-DRG Plan B 3.0-Brown Debunking 9/11 Debunking-DRG Plan B 3.0- Brown Debunking 9/11 Debunking-DRG Plan B 3.0-Brown Debunking 9/11 Debunking-DRG Plan B 3.0- Brown Debunking 9/11 Debunking-DRG Plan B 3.0- Brown (adfinitem)

Posted by: Jack Martin | February 9, 2008 2:36 PM

Global Responsibility: In Search of a New World Ethic by Hans Kung. This is an introduction to his trilogy on the prophetic religions Judism, Christanity and Islam and his thesis "No world peace without religious peace".

Posted by: Nathan DeHart | February 9, 2008 2:30 PM

Barbara Jordon's Testimony before congress http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/uscir/062895.html

Posted by: ultima | February 9, 2008 2:04 PM

For those who see no threat in dividing finite natural resources over an ever increasing population, I recommend: "The Coming Economic Collapse" by Leeb and Strathy.

Posted by: ultima | February 9, 2008 1:20 PM

As a predictor of America's future, I suggest "Mexifornia -- A State of Becoming" by Victor Davis Hanson. Hanson carefully relates from his own experiences in California and his perspective as a professor of classics what we can expect as the U.S. becomes Mexico Norte. He importantly decries the lack of civics education and understanding of Western civilization.

Posted by: ultima | February 9, 2008 1:17 PM

I would like to suggest "How Many People Can the Earth Support? by eminent demographer Joel Cohen. His statement: " personally am very concerned by the vast inequitable and largely avoidable burdens of hunger, disease, violence, ignorance and poverty borne by too many billions of people. But I will not try to persuade you that the world will end in the next ten years unless everybody changes to a diet of soybeans and contraceptive pills, or that a universal diet of soybeans and contraceptive pills would eliminate hunger, disease, violence, ignorance and poverty…. But I will try to persuade you that the world cannot easily and comfortably accommodate an unlimited number of people at any desirable level of material, mental and civic well-being." The last part of this can easily be extrapolated to the U.S. with the same conclusion. The question then becomes how far down that road do we want to go in the interests of population-driven economic growth? Is anyone taking the long view on this or are we all myopic like our politicians who care only about the next election and the power to go with it?

Posted by: ultima | February 9, 2008 1:12 PM

"Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" by Jared Diamond. It engenders the goal of planetary sustainability for now and for generations to come.

Posted by: Marjorie Willis | February 9, 2008 1:04 PM

Well I was going to give you a piece of my mind Mr. Moyers for fabricating such a blatant lie in order to CYA for not mentioning a book that was easily in the top 3 if not #1 on what real people, patriotic citizens wanted you to mention. But the eloquent response by "Cathie Bell" in your "Reading Recommendation" section is absolutely dead on and was exactly what I wanted to write so I will just say "Ditto" to her well spoken post. We are allegedly an "organized campaign" Bill? Now why exactly would you have the unmitigated gall to come out and call everyone that mentioned that book an organized campaign? Did all the people that mentioned "The Shock Doctrine" get accused of such a thing? NO! Now that I think about it what about all the people that listed "The Art of Non-War" that had to clearly be in the top 5 at least. I know nothing about that book never read it...(OK wait a minute here, I just now googled this book and guess what I found? Kim Michaels herself on a website called "Ask the real Jesus" is actually coming out an asking readers to...

Posted by: Jerry Wintraub | February 9, 2008 10:55 AM

Married to another man by Ghada Khami. I think it is vital that our leaders realise that it is our policies that have led to the alienation of Arab peoples. The totally uncritical bias in this country in favor of Israel and its policies with regard to the Palestinians needs to be addressed. Unfortunately, many of the senior advisers in the current administration have stronger loyalties to a foreign country than they do to the USA. As a result, they perform a disservice to both the USA and to all the inhabitants of Israel and Palestine.

Posted by: richard loveluck | February 9, 2008 10:32 AM

Autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi

Posted by: brij | February 9, 2008 10:11 AM

The new President of USA would do well to read "THE GREAT TURNING - from empire to earth community " by David Korten. The President should also take out a subscription for "YES - a journal for positive futures". It shares with us inspiring stories that change is possible , and enables us to tell those who say it cannot be done to get out of the way of those who are already doing it!!!!

Posted by: Anwar Fazal | February 9, 2008 9:15 AM

The Urantia Book is a lenghty yet fascinating book about diety, the history of our planet (Urantia) and the amazing bestowal of Jesus 2000 years ago. The book is a real faith builder. Most would dismiss this book because it claims to be an epochal revelation of truth from God as presented and comissioned by a group of spiritual beings. If that claim is true, every living soul on the planet should read it, not just the next president.

Posted by: Marc Thomas | February 9, 2008 3:59 AM

LORDS OF THE LAND by Idith Zertal and Akiva Eldar--the tragic history of building Israeli settlements in the occupied territories

Posted by: Rebecca B Reynolds | February 9, 2008 3:30 AM

LORDS OF THE LAND BY Idith Zertal and Akiva Eldar--a history of the building of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories

Posted by: Rebecca B Reynolds | February 9, 2008 3:26 AM

Especialy after hearing the Huckabee quote about changing the Constitution, I recommend that the next President read "Revolt in 2100" by Robert A. Heinlein. RAH graduated from Annapolis and retired an admiral, and this is an excellent study of what the United States is like after several generations as a theocratic state, much like modern day Iran. Personal freedoms are curtailed and it is forbidden to even own a copy of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It is a terrifying book, because it shows how easily this country could become a theocracy. But it is also hopeful because it shows that Americans will (eventually) fight to bring back the basic freedoms that this nation was founded on. It taught me to always speak truth to power and gave me the strength to teach others to speak truth to power.

Posted by: Fran Blaye | February 9, 2008 3:04 AM

The world global economy is based on a false premise called the comparative advantage of nations that is causing the world economically to resemble a game of musical chairs. The resulting failed states are incapable of providing jobs and other needs of their citizens. This is the root cause of the massive immigration and terrorism threatening the security of the success states. The solution to this problem needs a new economic paradign fair to all nations. The president should read "Parity Democracy, how to level the world economic playing field" by Ed Wode. This book offers a solution.

Posted by: Ed wode | February 9, 2008 2:29 AM

'A Language Older than Words' by Derrick Jensen is about Mankind's denial of the condition we are in. It is powerful, terrifying and based on personal experience. Reading it can be a tool for the transformation in thinking that must occur for our future leaders. Mikal Baker

Posted by: Mikal Baker | February 9, 2008 1:33 AM

I'm a long time fan of the Journal but want to comment on Bill's slightly condescending demeanor toward Samuel Rodriguez, Kathleen Hall Jamiesson's (patently and unopposed) pro Hillary stance and finally, the mysteriously missing book. Watch out, Bill. Another week like this will diminish your ratings.

Posted by: George Siegner | February 9, 2008 1:33 AM

Conflict of Visions by Thomas Sowell Essential for understaning the source of "conservatism" and "liberalism". Crucial for understanding the opposite side of the political isle.

Posted by: Alain Alvarez, MD | February 9, 2008 1:30 AM

"Nickeled and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrehreich

Posted by: Robert Ross | February 9, 2008 12:53 AM

While I enjoy Ms Jamiesons political commentary she should do her homework regarding James Dobson. She repeatedly refers to him as a reverend which he is not. I know for I served in the same school district where he was a school psychologist.

Posted by: William Norin | February 9, 2008 12:00 AM

I will never watch your show again. You had hundreds of people recommend David ray Griffin Debunking 9/11 Debunking in an honest effort to get some mainstream media to finally tell the truth and how you get out of listing it is to call it an "Organized Campaign"? You just proved to MILLIONS of Americans that you are just as complicit as all the rest. You just lost a long time listener.

Posted by: Jeebus | February 8, 2008 11:59 PM

If a copy of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" is the President's choice, Whitman's poem "Reconciliation" addresses a weakness in Paine's "Common Sense" argument--refusal to consider reconciliation as an option. Walt Whitman (1819–1892). Leaves of Grass. 1900. 137. Reconciliation WORD over all, beautiful as the sky! Beautiful that war, and all its deeds of carnage, must in time be utterly lost; That the hands of the sisters Death and Night, incessantly softly wash again, and ever again, this soil’d world: ... For my enemy is dead—a man divine as myself is dead; I look where he lies, white-faced and still, in the coffin—I draw near; I bend down, and touch lightly with my lips the white face in the coffin.

Posted by: peacepilgrim | February 8, 2008 11:55 PM

Organized campaign? Well you just proved that you are no different than any of the rest, a LYING BASTARD! that is complicit in Treason and war crimes.

Posted by: WTF | February 8, 2008 11:54 PM

Free Lunch by David Cay Johnston. - Because this stadium finance thing that people like GW Bush and Bruce Ratner are taking advantage of (often in conjunction with eminent domain abuse) and these Payment in Lieu of Tax Agreements- "R-TIFC-PILOT Agreemnts- promounced "Artifice-PILOT agreements are shams and shell games that need to be halted.

Posted by: M. D. D. White | February 8, 2008 11:12 PM

Free Lunch by David Cay Johnston. - Because this stadium finance thing that people like GW Bush and Bruce Ratner are taking advantage of (often in conjunction with eminent domain abuse) and these Payment in Lieu of Tax Agreements- "R-TIFC-PILOT Agreemnts- promounced "Artifice-PILOT agreements are shams and shell games that need to be halted.

Posted by: M. D. D. White | February 8, 2008 11:10 PM

Give love, you get a miracle. Highly recommend Jessica's First Prayer by Hesba Stretton; it would soften anyone's heart, including a president's!

Posted by: Karencita | February 8, 2008 10:42 PM

Here are a few science fiction novels for a future president to stuff in his pocket; Starship Troopers By Robert Heinlein, Bug Jack Barron by Norman Spinrad, and Arslan by M. J. Engh.

Posted by: Sulla | February 8, 2008 10:28 PM

Easily found online, if not in bookstores, a sweet and sentimental read like Hesba Stretton's ALONE IN LONDON might be all the new president needs as a GREAT teaching tool of humility and compassion for the burdened and less fortunate of our world, both in opportunity and economics, that touches all of us in time via wars, crime, religion, education, and industry: http://www3.shropshire-cc.gov.uk/etexts/E000422.htm

Posted by: Karen Peckham | February 8, 2008 10:19 PM

Geocide by Adam Cherson. This book is a Cliff notes length policy Bible for reuniting America with the great struggle for global democracy and well being that seems to have gotten away from us lately. Many of today's priority issues, immigration, the economy, perpetual war, the environment, and many others are viewed from the perspective of political ecology. Except for voting reform (an essential area not covered in this book), political ecology weaves together, into one coherent world view, an outlook capable of healing the ills that ail America and the Western tradition as a whole.

Posted by: Guy Uddenberg | February 8, 2008 10:18 PM

I'd recommend Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. An emotionally powerful way to "get" empathy and human understanding.

Posted by: HA | February 8, 2008 10:11 PM

William Strauss and Neil Howe's books "The Fourth Turning" and "Generations" posit an important understanding of generational theory. They posit that there are four generational types that repeat themselves over and over throughout history. As a result, it is possible to learn about the future from a look at history. They predicted the culture wars and a cataclysm that caused the US to be isolationist in its foreign policy (9/11). These are hugely important works that I hope you will consider featuring.

Posted by: FrSean | February 8, 2008 10:08 PM

Feb 8th B. M. Journal mentioned that one recommended book was excluded because it was part of a campaign. What was the book? Who was campaigning to promote it?

Posted by: Charles Barr | February 8, 2008 10:07 PM

Geography of Bliss -- an alternative view of what matters and the role of power in achieving happiness.

Posted by: Steven Jamar | February 8, 2008 9:56 PM

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra--a must read for everyone, especially for aspiring presidential candidates who might find a couple lessons on life in it.

Posted by: Neal W. Howard | February 8, 2008 9:46 PM

The next President should take with/read and refer to often, "Had Enough? Fighting Back" by James Carville. This book actually offers valid solutions to many of the maladies rampant in our government.

Posted by: mitch russell | February 8, 2008 9:24 PM

"The God Delusion?" by Richard Dawkins. Quite honestly i'd recommend that to anyone, but especially those going into public office

Posted by: Walter | February 8, 2008 9:19 PM

THE FOLDING CLIFFS by W.S. Merwin for its elegant combination of beauty and tragedy.

Posted by: Diane Williams | February 8, 2008 9:13 PM

I recommend that the next US President and all members of Congress read, "A Short History of Progress" by Ronald Wright. It's a relatively short book, but paints a convincing and disturbing picture of where our world civilization is heading.

Posted by: Ted Michalek | February 8, 2008 8:51 PM

Debunking 911 by David Griffin (Lewis Lapham likes this book) Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins Rise and Fall of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein

Posted by: Dave Barrett | February 8, 2008 8:37 PM

I would like the next President, and every President thereafter, to read carefully and have with them always "Anasazi America," David E. Stuart, UNM Press, 2000. It is an anthropological overveiw of the rise, fall and successful (sustainable) readaptation of complex native farming societies is the Southwestern US and the lessons we can learn from them. One imporant quote: "Prosperity, social integration, altruism, and generosity go hand-in-hand. Poverty, social conflict, judgmental cynicism, and savagery do, too" (p.145).

Posted by: Patricia K. Gregory | February 8, 2008 8:19 PM

I know this is coming late, but I did want to add to the list: FREE LUNCH by David Kay Johnston, and The Corporation by Joel Bakan. John Edwards was trying to get out to the public the info in these books. I hope Obama gets around to it!!

Posted by: Yvonne Brockenborough | February 8, 2008 7:57 PM

"Second Chance", 2007, by Zbig Brezinski.

Posted by: Dave Huntsman | February 8, 2008 7:47 PM

The person who made the following comment below is clueless, unaware and highly uninformed: I would like to add that I find it disgraceful that so many people would recommed the crank that David Ray Griffin publishes about 9/11. They desperately need to read this. My guess is that he considers himself to be a "skeptic", but he is most probably a skepter, the antithesis of what a true skeptic is: objective, open minded, unbiased and truth-based.

Posted by: Bill D. | February 8, 2008 7:35 PM

I recommend Winning the Oil Endgame: Innovation for Profits, Jobs and Security by Amory Lovins. We're going to get off of oil in the next 50 years (whether we like it or not). Lovins explains how this can be done profitably.

Posted by: Don Ross | February 8, 2008 7:15 PM

EQUALITY written in 1897 by visionary Edward Bellamy as a sequel to LOOKING BACKWARD

Posted by: lynn bard | February 8, 2008 7:06 PM

Hopefully the next president will have read The peter Principle at least once.

Posted by: Larry | February 8, 2008 7:04 PM

Morris Berman's DARK AGES AMERICA (2007) is the first book that comes to mind. it's time to get our head out of the sand.

Posted by: dr. peter werres | February 8, 2008 6:56 PM

In the spirit of "The Lorax" suggestion -- how about the classic "Horton Hears a Who!" with "people are people no matter how small" or "Yertle the Turtle"; "I know up on top you are seeing great sights, But down on the Bottom we, too, should have rights." Perhaps these stories, written to imprint the immortal ideals of equality and justice in the blueprints of our children, should be requred reading for all those who would seek a career in "service".

Posted by: Alisha Attella-Mueller | February 8, 2008 6:50 PM

Either of these two, because (a)they can be enjoyed in bits over the term of office, and (b)the candidate who can enjoy them will be a superior President: Positive Attitude: A Dilbert Collection (Dilbert Books (Paperback Andrews McMeel)) (Paperback) by Scott Adams (Author) The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (Calvin & Hobbes) by Bill Watterson (Hardcover - Oct 4, 2005) - Box set

Posted by: Bob Rennick | February 8, 2008 6:45 PM

Citizen Power by the Former Senator from Alaska Mike Gravel. Nothing so revolutionary, so innovative, yet so powerful has been carefully detailed and outlined to this point, that would fundamentally effect our Democracy for the better, and for the first time in this nations history- bring about a government truly By the People. Its ideas beyond the National Initiative are relevant, and expose many overlooked problems in our country, and the solutions to these problems are presented. Either the original, written in the 70s, or the newly released rewrite would suffice- as both (obviously the later, but the former to a suprising degree) are both relevant and important.

Posted by: John Anderson | February 8, 2008 6:35 PM

Hi Bill, The next prez should definitely read God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens. It's an eyeopener. Tom Buckelew

Posted by: tom buckelew | February 8, 2008 6:30 PM

My book suggestion for the next president is Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax." It's a concise argument against corporate greed, destroying the environment and making everything about this country "plain vanilla" by making people wear "Thneeds." Fortunately, it also gives us the hope that one person can make a difference.

Posted by: Nancy | February 8, 2008 6:19 PM

I would recommend "Gideon's Trumpet" by Anthony Lewis. It show the relevance of The constitution to indivuals, how The Constitution is a living document, and the role of the Supreme Court at its best.

Posted by: Rudolph Ripp | February 8, 2008 6:11 PM

Because I live in New Mexico 55 miles downwind of Los Alamos, and because I learned from the Los Alamos Study Group that the Los Alamos National Labs manufactured eleven new nuclear warheads or "pits" last year, I recommend the next president read John Hersey's HIROSHIMA.

Posted by: Suzy T. Kane | February 8, 2008 6:08 PM

Because I live in New Mexico 55 miles downwind of Los Alamos, and because I learned from the Los Alamos Study Group that the Los Alamos National Labs manufactured eleven nuclear warheads or "pits" last year, I recommend the new president read John Hersey's HIROSHIMA.

Posted by: Suzy T. Kane | February 8, 2008 6:06 PM

http://www.truthbook.com/urantia_book_commentary/2007_01_21_archive.cfm Most serious students of the text, though, who rely on the book itself for their guidance rather than their own inner fears or ignorant ambitions, know they have a responsibility to what they have been given, a responsibility to create a worthy foundation for the book's revelations to the world. This foundation is not so much a social and organizational matter, though that can be part of it, but a spiritual one, a challenge to live as the book shows in its final section that all of us can live, aware of a destiny much greater than ever imagined in recorded history. It is in essence the challenge to realize - to make literally real - the kind of human family all our evolution has been designed to achieve. It is a responsibility to create relationships that acknowledge and devote themselves to the kinship all of us share, not only with our human brothers and sisters on this world, but with all the personalities throughout the inhabited cosmos who care for us despite our childish barbarism and the distortions of our culture that have resulted from our isolation and ignorance. We have a responsibility to this greater family as...

Posted by: Terry Ridgeway | February 8, 2008 5:34 PM

"Free Lunch" by David Cay Johnston. And he/she should read it twice!

Posted by: Jack Bell | February 8, 2008 5:33 PM

I agree with Cate Campbell that a most impt book for the future President to have read is Unequal Protection by Thom Hartmann. It indeed explains how corporations have been allowed to gain control over our country on all levels and what must be done to take power back and return it to the people of this land.

Posted by: Manina Dodd | February 8, 2008 5:33 PM

There are two books I'd recommnend: "Democracy in America" By Alexis D'Tocqueville-a classic for good reason-it still is relevant and "Thirteen Days" by Robert F. Kennedy and Arthur J. Schlesinger, Jr. another classic about the Cuban missile crisis and the fog/folly of going to war (especially good for a candidate who never experienced war like our present "Decider"). I love your show-keep up the good work!

Posted by: CMcDonough | February 8, 2008 5:32 PM

THE PALESTINE CONSPIRACY - A must read for any President, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State and CIA Director who need to know what we're up against and how to change it.

Posted by: Robert Spirko | February 8, 2008 5:31 PM

I feel the President and all political elected persons should read and be required to especially understand our Bill of Rights and our Constitution!!! The president should know group dynamics and have knowledge of the skills of how to ctitically listen. The Golden Rules might be another suggeston!!!

Posted by: Hugg | February 8, 2008 5:28 PM

One of the best is a free download: Bob Altemeyer's "The Authoritarians." John Dean's book "Conservatives Without Conscience" is based on his research. He's a psychologist at the University of Manitoba who has spent his life studying right wing authoritarian and social dominator personalities. The book is very enlightening, readable, and quite funny! http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/

Posted by: jimbee | February 8, 2008 5:28 PM

The book I would recommemnd that the White House incumbent read is John Dunn's DEMOCRACY: A History (Atlantic Monthly Press 2005) ISBN-13: 978-0-87113-931-3 Because the term is so loosely used by all and sundry that a history of the term would be illuminating.

Posted by: Derrick Norman | February 8, 2008 5:24 PM

“The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot” by Namoi Wolf is a must.

Posted by: Krzysztof Matejkowski | February 8, 2008 5:16 PM

I recommend John Dean's fairly recent trilogy on our dysfunctional government. Dean paid his dues for Watergate long ago and has spent recent years trying to alert citizens to the even worse abuses of the current administration. I also believe that everyone should read Rep. Conyers's report on the stolen Ohio election of 2004, which led to the (unfortunately unsuccessful) challenge to Ohio's Republican electors in January 2005. Only by knowing what has been done to us in the past can we even hope to prevent such crimes in the future.

Posted by: Kathy Soltis | February 8, 2008 5:10 PM

I would recommend "The Bush Agenda: Invading the World One Economy at a Time" by Atonia Juhasz.

Posted by: Doug | February 8, 2008 5:08 PM

I am concerned about the lack of division between church and state in our government. I would recommend that our next president read Sam Harris' "The End of Faith" and remember that many americans are not religious.

Posted by: RRP | February 8, 2008 5:01 PM

If they're not interested in human evolution, then I would recommend two books dealing with middle east history .. one is "Charlie Wilson's War" by George Crile, and the other is "All the Shah's Men" by Stephen Kinzer. This way we can approach the area as if we had some clue about what's going on there.

Posted by: Phil Blaustein | February 8, 2008 4:55 PM

"Sex, Time, and Power: How Women's Sexuality Shaped Human Evolution" by Leonard Shlain .. essential reading for anyone, seems to me. It explains much of how we are who we are .. all of us, not just women. Also with some ideas for how the human race needs to grow and progress further.

Posted by: Phil Blaustein | February 8, 2008 4:50 PM

I join six participants from your Blog in suggesting Paul Kennedy's 'The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers'. The response you have received is encouraging since informed and thoughtful people can make a difference. Thank you and Judith for your efforts to keep us informed on many subjects of great importance. Gene

Posted by: Gene Lebherz | February 8, 2008 4:41 PM

What an amazing list these entries make. I'm taking notes and making a new reading list for myself. As a novelist, I would add more fiction to the list. It has an amazing way to capture the essence of being human, to reveal our greatest longings, fears, and desires. To inspire us to continue to hope and against all odds, to continue to believe. Or just to give us a well deserved laugh at the end of long day. And, through the power of story, to connect us to all the stories roaming the earth. Whether I'm reading Earnest Gains or Andre Dubus, or the thousands of names before and between them, I discover I'm not so different at all from my brother - regardless. I'm a southerner by birth so I'd throw a large list of southern works on that pile to read. Ultimately, fiction is so subjective that a President would have to read the books that call to him or her. Hopefully, ones that enlighted and inspire and tell what it was to have lived in this life, on this great earth. Books that make all of it worth keeping and making better for ourselves and the...

Posted by: River Jordan | February 8, 2008 4:37 PM

When I heard the question posed on Bill Moyer's Journal, my first thought was that I would take The Federalist Papers since it is the most accurate explaination of the Constituion. Later, I was elated to hear Hillary Clinton give that answer as well since I recently decided to vote for her. Great minds think alike, I guess.

Posted by: MB Harrington | February 8, 2008 4:17 PM

I think it would be helpful for a president to have read The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggeman and The Image by Daniel Boorstin. And I heartily agree that everyone, especially a president, should read The Shock Doctrine.

Posted by: Cynthia Bock-Goodner | February 8, 2008 4:14 PM

Howard Zinn's "People's History of the United States" because it fills in the gaps of our history that were left out of most of the texts we were given in our schools and let's us hear from the people of all classes and ethnic groups. A must for everyone.

Posted by: Breeze Bryson | February 8, 2008 4:04 PM

Another vote for the Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. (Looking forward to reading DC Johnston's latest noted in many other comments.)

Posted by: Augie | February 8, 2008 3:59 PM

Two worth considering: Thucydides' "History of the Peloponnesian War," and Barbara Tuchman's "The March of Folly." Both examine our (personal and governmental) tendency to pursue policy contrary to our interests. I would also recommend Dr. Philip A. Crowl's "The Strategist's Short Catechism: Six Questions Without Answers." While originally intended as questions "strategists must ask before they commence a war, or before they take actions which might lead to war, or before they undertake a wartime campaign, or before they end a war in which they are already engaged," these questions can be expanded to almost any policy decision--if only we could answer them honestly and thoughtfully . . . .

Posted by: Steven Anderson | February 8, 2008 3:54 PM

"Less Safe, Less Free: Why We are Losing the War on Terror" by David Cole and Jules Lobel A lot of good suggestions, but I'm dismayed with the frequency of David Ray Griffin's book. I'm not familiar with this particular work, but I know of his thesis and think it's a mistake and a diversion to buy into the conspiracy theory of 9/11.

Posted by: Michael Cushion | February 8, 2008 3:50 PM

Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II by William Blum

Posted by: Kevin J. Kukla | February 8, 2008 3:48 PM

Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine".

Posted by: Sharon Pines | February 8, 2008 3:27 PM

We suggest the book By Jimmy Carter "Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis.

Posted by: Steven And Linda Muehlberg | February 8, 2008 3:23 PM

The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad By Fareed Zakaria

Posted by: Mark Walker | February 8, 2008 3:17 PM

The book that came to mind is Collapse, by Jarod Diamond. It will be pleasing to have a president who reads. Saving this country is going to be an awfully tall order for anyone.

Posted by: Carol Mannchen | February 8, 2008 2:53 PM

I'd go with The Seventh Decade by Jonathan Schell. It is a book that clearly explains the nuclear dangers confronting humanity and calls for abolishing nuclear weapons. This will require US leadership from the next president. For more information on this issue, the president and citizens across the country can visit the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's website at www.wagingpeace.org, and order a free DVD on Nuclear Weapons and the Human Future.

Posted by: David Krieger | February 8, 2008 2:49 PM

We all could use another dose of "Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck.

Posted by: jtmonrow | February 8, 2008 2:46 PM

The next president should have a copy of Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut sitting next to whatever phone it is that he or she picks up to call in the troops.

Posted by: Chip Jenne | February 8, 2008 2:44 PM

"Confessions of an Ecnomic Hitman" by John Perkins (a guy who's 'been there') http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessions_of_an_Economic_Hit_Man

Posted by: B G - Minnesota | February 8, 2008 2:43 PM

the one book and only one that the president must read is 'rogue state' by william blum, common courage presss, monroe, maine otherwise, u s citizens, in and out of uniform, will continue to get killed

Posted by: mazdi randeria | February 8, 2008 2:41 PM

Wealth and Democracy, Kevin Phillips Blowback, Chalmers Johnson Common Sense Thomas Payne

Posted by: Felicia | February 8, 2008 2:41 PM

Someone mentioned all three of my top picks (I would put them in this order): "What Terrorists Want" by Louise Richardson "Plan B 3.0" by Lester Brown "The Zero Sum Society" by Scott Thurow (If required to choose a book not already on the list, I'd choose "The Affluent Society" by John Kenneth Galbraith).

Posted by: William Fraser | February 8, 2008 2:39 PM

The one book that I would like the next president to read is The Seventh Decade by Jonathan Schell. The book provides thoughtful insight as to why US leadership for a nuclear weapons-free world is necessary for our security and that of the rest of the world. For more information on this critical issue, the next president and the rest of the country could visit the website of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation at www.wagingpeace.org, and order the free DVD on Nuclear Weapons and the Human Future. The dangers of nuclear weapons in any hands continue to threaten the future of our cities, countries and civilization.

Posted by: David Krieger | February 8, 2008 2:27 PM

I have a better thought, my last: Gore Vidal's seven-novel Narratives of Empire (Burr, Lincoln, 1876, Empire, Hollywood, Washington, DC, and The Golden Age -- perhaps to be augmented by a novel on the Mexican War, if time permits).

Posted by: Doug Tarnopol | February 8, 2008 2:25 PM

Riane Eisler's THE CHALICE AND THE BLADE, which, along with a female U.S. President, helps move us a little further away from what Eisler terms "the Dominator model" of social organization and closer to "a Partnership model," which would include, of course, working in partnership with the rest of the plants and animals on the planet, instead of "dominating" and destroying "them" in our unholy arrogance and patriarchical madness.

Posted by: Steve Tills | February 8, 2008 2:23 PM

I would be glad to have a well-read president again. If only--a variety of current and historical works, fiction, non-fiction, science. To me, the last 7 years of impulsive and misguided policies have been a reflection of what it means to have a leader who is both shallow and incurious. It is easy to tell our current president does not like to read and reflect.

Posted by: Carole J. Powell | February 8, 2008 2:13 PM

Shouldn't the next pres. have already read most of these wonderful suggestions? I'd rec "State of the World", for the last 25 years. Technical, thorough, up-to-date and timely. We need someone who knows something, not just believes something.

Posted by: Allen Ansel | February 8, 2008 2:12 PM

_No Time To Lose_ by Pema Chodron

Posted by: Linda Leavitt | February 8, 2008 2:03 PM

I recommend David Sirota's book "Hostile Takeover: How Big Money and Corruption Conquered Our Government--and How We Take It Back". Every Democratic and progressive politician should read this book and use it as a guide on how to fight the corporatist takeover of our democracy.

Posted by: Terry Barton | February 8, 2008 2:01 PM

If our next president understood what brings happiness perhaps s/he could get us off this insane materialistic quest that's destroying our planet and communities. Happiness lies in creating a fair society with strong communities and relationships. The best of the recent books on happiness I've read is Jonathan Haidt's The Happiness Hypothesis.

Posted by: Robert Sessions | February 8, 2008 1:59 PM

Nickel & Dimed (a bit old but still true) & Disaster Capitalism. If you believe in hell some of these capitalists should be headed there!

Posted by: Valerie Chism | February 8, 2008 1:56 PM

The book every presidential candidate should read, but certainly will not, is "The End of America; Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot" by Naomi Wolf. People always dismiss such analyses until it is too late.

Posted by: James Clay Fuller | February 8, 2008 1:52 PM

"A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn, a book every American should read.

Posted by: Michael Hart | February 8, 2008 1:52 PM

Joke answer: I'd be happy with a president that reads something other than the New Testament and My Pet Goat, period. Serious answer: Anything by Noam Chomsky on foreign policy, _The Shock Doctrine_ by Naomi Klein, and anything by Ha-Joon Chang on "free trade" and economic development models. Also, the Constitution of the United States would be a good idea. As well as _Macbeth_, for obvious reasons. Films, for the busy campaigner: _Manufacturing Consent_, _The Corporation_, and anything by John Pilger.

Posted by: Doug Tarnopol | February 8, 2008 1:44 PM

Saving Face by Stuart Schneiderman (1995) is a clear description of who we are and where we're headed,in terms of an American culture that has recently moved from a shame-base to guilt-base. "A shame culture educates by persuading people to do things the right way and to be motivated by duty to preserve their honor and reputation.... [A} guilt culture educates by instilling a fear of the consequences of doing the wrong thing." ...could be a description of the difference between Democrats and Republicans. Drawing out bad and good points from each type of culture (e.g., the need for institutions of punishment in a guilt culture), this book offers a a moral and ethical framework for meta-debates on morality and ethics in public policy. For a more specific read, When Corporations Rule the World, by David Korten. This is where the real threat to America lies. For serious fun, any recent book by John LeCarre. Mission Song and the Constant Gardener contain much truth about the far-reaching deviltry of corporations.

Posted by: Jay Moor | February 8, 2008 1:29 PM

"Debunking 9/11 Debunking" by David Ray Griffin “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" by Naomi Klein. “Confessions of an Economic Hitman” by John Perkins “The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot” by Namoi Wolf

Posted by: Diane K. Morris | February 8, 2008 1:29 PM

I came to this session so late you've already received a Library of Congress full of suggestions. Nevertheless, I'd like to nominate David Halberstam's finest and, alas, final book - The Coldest Winter. Yes, it's a history of our forgotten war in Korea, and a magnificent one too. But at least for this 73-year-old bloody but unbowed liberal, it's an analytic demonstration of how Truman's surprise defeat of Dewey (the fifth consecutive Presidential triumph by Democrats) demented the right wing of the GOP, defeating the moderates and terrifying the Democrats for more than sixty years. Because we liberals had "lost" China, we must not "lose" North Korea, Viet Nam, El Salvador, Iraq, and certainly not Iran. For history is merely the exercise of military Will. Which should we choose -- Triumph or Surrender? Until we abandon this formulation, we will only follow the path of all Superpowers -- Rome, Britannia, Der Dritte Reich, Soyuze Sovyetsky.

Posted by: Douglas Scott | February 8, 2008 1:17 PM

The Myth of the Machine, volume 2: The Pentagon of Power by Lewis Mumford would have to be the one. Because one could hardly come away from it unchanged (in a good way,} or without a better understanding of how we got to where we are now. And I would have to add: The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry.

Posted by: andy reed | February 8, 2008 1:00 PM

The book I would like to see read in the White House is the Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe. This book may give reflection to the reader the generational differences and expectations and goes beyond the tags of Baby Boomers and Generation Jones so that empathy could be revealed as to each in relation to their life experiences.

Posted by: Brett Doyle | February 8, 2008 12:44 PM

Dag Hammarskjold's "Markings" is my pick! Thanks! Carolyn Peterson

Posted by: carolyn peterson | February 8, 2008 12:41 PM

For the most nuanced and illuminating look at the US/Mexico border - including immigration, trade, environmental effects, national economies, and much more, there is a relatively new book called "HYPERBORDER" by Fernando Romero. I have never understood the complexities of that region better. Truly eye-opening.

Posted by: j scott | February 8, 2008 12:31 PM

The Creature from Jekyll Island : A Second Look at the Federal Reserve by G. Edward Griffin. Put him on your show sometime and let's learn how to overpower the pirates who have wrested control of the United States of America from the Constitution. Also, Addicted To War: Why The U.S. Can't Kick Militarism by Joel Andreas.

Posted by: Samuel Teolis | February 8, 2008 12:29 PM

PEACE is POSSIBLE The Life & Message of Prem Rawat He has spent the last 40 years inspiring millions of people from all walks of life; offering a gift of a practical means to discover a world of peace within. While his message is translated into more than 70 languages, it remains a little-known secret, spread mostly by word of mouth. This book lifts the veil on Prem Rawat - the man. his life, his message. Imagine individuals feeling peace within, taking actions called countries!!

Posted by: Erica Rainhart | February 8, 2008 11:53 AM

"Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist" by Mike Farrell is the most inspiring book I've read...ever. Anyone, and this should include our next president (I hope), who wants a glimpse into how much better of a world we could live in if more people cared about humanity in the way Farrell and his wife Ms. Fabares do, must read this book. Farrell gives hope by example.

Posted by: hanna | February 8, 2008 11:49 AM

'Alice in Wonderland' to tone the mind. All else is secondary.

Posted by: John Hostage | February 8, 2008 11:40 AM

It seems my post from last night did not publish. This time i'll just cut right to the chase. The Complete Works of Mark Twain.

Posted by: Alexi Koltowicz | February 8, 2008 11:33 AM

I'm so impressed by the range and quality of suggestions...I'm going to have a lot of reading to do myself! Let me "second" McDonough & Braungart's "Cradle to Cradle." It's essential reading because it points the way to how humankind could fundamentally reorder how it makes, uses and disposes of things (from buildings to cars to roads to books to electronics...all made things) to be in harmony with nature. Crucially, the book is not an exhortation for all of us to do with less..."less" doesn't solve the problem. Rather, the book suggests a future of new ways of energy production, manufacture, materials re-use that create vast new markets, new jobs and new wealth and a significantly heightened quality of life, for humans and all life. The next president will have the opportunity to provide the leadership to establish a context--through incentives, tax laws, investments, regulations, policies and presidential persuasion--by which this transformation will be fostered. Our grandchildren would look back on such a president as one of the handful of great ones.

Posted by: John Ellis | February 8, 2008 10:37 AM

This Noble Land - My Vision for America by James Michener. Michener draws upon his career as a writer, researcher, historian, and professor to draw interesting observations leading to his vision for America. He has thought provoking suggestions to solve many of the problems the country faces today. This man is a great American.

Posted by: Ann | February 8, 2008 10:37 AM

'A People's History of the United States', by Howard Zinn. As a continual reminder of how this country looks from it's owners' points of view, as opposed to it's 'leader's' point of view. To remind the 'Commander in Chief' that he/she is an agent of the people, hired to represent them, and best serve their interests.

Posted by: Tom Doff | February 8, 2008 10:36 AM

My book recommendation is Adam Smith's "The Theory of Moral Sentiments." This book states Smith's assumptions about how each human being thinks and feels. Empathy is a theme. It is the foundation upon which he built "The Wealth of Nations."

Posted by: Charles Crummer | February 8, 2008 10:26 AM

Debunking 9/11 Debunking by David Ray Griffin. And no, this is not spam. This is THE most important book of our time and to suggest reading it is hardly "spam" or "trolling".

Posted by: Todd Templeton | February 8, 2008 10:10 AM

Debunking 9/11 Debunking by David Ray Griffin. And no, this is not spam. This is THE most important book of our time and to suggest reading it is hardly "spam" or "trolling".

Posted by: Todd Templeton | February 8, 2008 10:08 AM

Plan B 3.0 Cradle to Cradle I'd recommend Lester Brown's Plan B 3.0 to hit the ground running with both facts and solutions to the myriad global and local problems interwoven with climate change, and Cradle to Cradle, by Bill McDonough and Michael Baumgartner, for an antidote to despair and an ethos for a future we can all live with.

Posted by: Sara | February 8, 2008 9:53 AM

May I suggest: 1984 by Eric Blair

Posted by: il128 | February 8, 2008 9:51 AM

Greatness We recognize, follow, achieve greatness because there is also greatness in each and everyone of us. Please see the short piece on GREATNESS, and do share with more: http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2007/9886.html DailyOM, August 21, 2007 Recognizing Our Own Greatness The Greatness In Others A person who is said to possess greatness stands apart from others in some way, usually by the size or originality of their vision and their ability to manifest that vision. And yet those who recognize that greatness, whether they display it themselves or not, also have greatness within them; otherwise, they could not see it in another. In many ways, the achievements of one person always belong to many people for we accomplish nothing alone in this world. People who display greatness rely upon others who are able to see as they do, to listen, encourage, and support. Without those people who recognize greatness and move in to support it, even the greatest ideas, works of art, and political movements would remain unborn. We are all moved by greatness when we see it, and although the experience is to some degree subjective, we know the feeling of it. When we encounter it, it is as if something...

Posted by: DiscoverYou | February 8, 2008 9:41 AM

Two offerings: WAR IS A RACKET by Maj Gnrl Smeldey Butler BLESSED UNREST by Paul Hawken

Posted by: LYNNE ROMANS | February 8, 2008 9:36 AM

I wish the next President, and every American voter, would read The New American Militarism: How Americans are Seduced by War, by Andrew J. Bacevich

Posted by: Greg Todd | February 8, 2008 9:25 AM

If only ONE book could be taken, it would have to be Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States". But surely we would expect the next POTUS to have read Al Gore's "The Assault On Reason" AND Gore Vidal's "Perpetual War For Perpetual Peace" AND John Dean's "Worse Than Watergate". At the very least, let us hope that the next President does indeed read something other than Condoleezza's reports to 'her husband'!

Posted by: Robert Stevens | February 8, 2008 9:16 AM

I recommend Deep Economy; The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben Mr. Mckibben provides a framework with which we can start to think about restructuring our economy and culture away from the current unsustainable model of globalized corporate oligarchy, toward a more sustainable way of life that is both nourishing for the individual's soul and body, and essential for our communities' survival.

Posted by: Doug Ashby | February 8, 2008 9:16 AM

If only ONE book could be taken, it would have to be Howard Zinn's >A People's History of the United States But surely we would expect the next POTUS to have read Al Gore's >The Assault On ReasonPerpetual War For Perpetual PeaceWorse Than Watergate At the very least, let us hope that the next President does indeed read something other than Condoleezza's reports to 'her husband'!

Posted by: Robert Stevens | February 8, 2008 9:09 AM

"Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Eisenreich would inform the new president of the plight of the working poor and the need to treat these hard working people in a more humane manner.

Posted by: Elkan Katz | February 8, 2008 8:58 AM

I would suggest that the new president read and keep handy, Jack London's "The Iron Heel" just so they can imagine the consequences of the rising oligarchy. The people have power and will use it if pushed to the brink......and the brink is closer than they might think. Although in the end, the oligarchy and the mercenaries (Blackwater?) seem to win, the revolution does not end.

Posted by: Steve Oxier | February 8, 2008 7:36 AM

I would recommend The Urantia Book. The most mind expanding and philosophically challening book out there. Pay close attention to Paper 71, on "The Development of the State". Amazing and life changing read.

Posted by: Christi Larson | February 8, 2008 7:19 AM

I'd like to see the next president read MY AWAKENING by David Duke. In fact, I'd like to see this book become required reading for every White high school student in America.

Posted by: Fiddler | February 8, 2008 7:17 AM

I would recommend The Urantia Book. The most mind expanding and philosophically challening book out there. Pay close attention to Paper 71, on "The Development of the State". Amazing and life changing read.

Posted by: Christi Larson | February 8, 2008 7:16 AM

A Course in Miracles NO more WAR

Posted by: Laura Titsworth | February 8, 2008 5:28 AM

Three Cups of Tea

Posted by: Lynne Taylor | February 8, 2008 4:25 AM

Take Collapse by Jared Diamond to the White House. I was surprised and pleased to see this excellent book in the pictured stack of books on the splash page for Bill's show. The question is - considering the demographic, economic and geographical pressures with which we must content - which of our values are conducive to survival? I would appreciate most in our next president not the ability to follow received wisdom, but to question which values, in the decline of our hegemony, will best serve us.

Posted by: Paul Lakin | February 8, 2008 4:11 AM

My mother nurtured in me a love of words and the puzzle of language from the very start. She would have championed the perspective of Terry Jones that we've lost our way; we stopped challenging what's wrong with the world and instead went to war with an abstract noun. I've not looked at words, war, or the war with words the same way since. From http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/books/04/12/terry.jones/index.html In the book, "Terry Jones's War on the War on Terror" (Nation Books), Jones criticizes the use of language to describe the conflict in Iraq, the coverage by the news media and the influence neoconservatives such as Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz have exercised in U.S. policy. "First the [initial] bombing was called a war, but I thought a war had to have two sides," he says. "Then it became a war because people fought back, but now it's an ‘insurgency.’" For that matter, in the book he takes on the phrase "war on terrorism" with a Python's sense of the absurd: "But how is 'terrorism' going to surrender?" he writes. "It's well known, in philological circles, that it's very hard for abstract nouns to do anything at all of their own volition." He...

Posted by: Anita's Daughter | February 8, 2008 4:09 AM

A book not yet published, entitled: "Dick Cheney's Private Diary". Of course, it may take a subpoena to dislodge this document. On a happier note, I believe that the next president will have such difficult burdens to bear that he or she would benefit from reading "The Power of Positive Thinking", by Norman Vincent Peale.

Posted by: K. Cawley | February 8, 2008 3:57 AM

Hi all. Looking for Power of Myth transcript or subtitles. Does anyone have it? Thanks very much. gdrlmn@gmail.com

Posted by: Lmn | February 8, 2008 3:05 AM

Every American should read David Ray Griffin's "Debunking 9/11 Debunking." Regardless of what you think of his conclusions (I am unsure), he raises a big question: if the evidence for a 9/11 inside job is so flimsy, then why doesn't the government just come out and definitively explain to the public everything that happened that day? At the very least, the new President should read it so he/she understands what all the fuss is about and that tens of millions of Americans have so little faith in our government that they believe they would kill our own people. Even if the book's allegations are untrue, the fact that it exists says a lot about our society.

Posted by: mike | February 8, 2008 1:35 AM

To all who posted here, this is a political junkie's and a bookworm's (I fit in both categories!) dream come true! This is my first post, although I am a longtime admirer of Bill Moyers' choices of subjects and his commentary. I sent my first book recommendation to you last Saturday, but it didn't go through, possibly because I didn't include the URL. Hopefully my ISP's web address is what you mean by URL. Nevertheless, my first recommendation is Super-Imperialism: the Strategy of American Empire, by Michael Hudson, Ph.D. Reverend Strickler gave information about the book and the author earlier, so I'll only say that this book explains the origins and histories of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and their profound destructiveness in (1.)displacing rural people in third world countries and (2.)maintaining a U.S. economic stranglehold on the rest of the world. My second recommendation is A Biodynamic Farm by Hugh Lovel. Besides being a fascinating explanation of the fundamentals of how to grow food biodynamically, two main themes in the book are (1.)the world economy cannot be stabilized as long as producers and consumers do not have an equal political say with bankers and traders, and...

Posted by: Louis Hale | February 8, 2008 1:35 AM

I like many other people who responded didn't really take the time to answer the questions and just offer either a title of a book or a list of books we expect our next president to read and take with them to the White House. So I would like to take a little time to respond to the questions you are asking: "It's true you can't judge a book by its cover, but you can tell a lot about a person by what he or she reads." What do you think? I definitely agree. If I were to use the expression, "you are what you eat," and if you agree with that statement than we can also apply it to what you read. Does it mean that you are exactly what you eat/read, of course not. But let me put it this way: Books similar to food/drink are things we take in and then process so that we can change them so that our body and mind can use what ever we take in to fuel us to live. So, even if we read a book which is presents an opposing view to our own we can stil process it...

Posted by: Andrew James Jarrett | February 8, 2008 1:35 AM

I would like to recommend Thomas Paine's pamphlets, "Common Sense", and "The Crisis", perhaps bound together. His books, "Rights of Man" and "The Age of Reason" would make great additions to the White House bookcase, or even the president's nightstand. When Paine arrived in the colonies, he saw their great potential, not only for independence from the crown, but the resources for building a new republic. Among his accomplishments are his inspiration for writing The Declaration of Independence, and naming the colonies The United States of America during/after the Revolutionary War. Here are some of Paine's quotes that I feel are appropriate for a president in this day and age. From "Common Sense": 'Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best stage, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.' From "The Crisis" come these quotes: 'Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.' And from the "Age of Reason" comes: 'If there is a sin superior to every other, it is that of willful and offensive war... He who is the author of a...

Posted by: Liz McCrary | February 8, 2008 1:33 AM

"The Lecturer's Tale" by James Hynes. No sermons, no earnest advice. Just a pleasureable read, which may come at a high premium under the pressures of the job.

Posted by: Durren Anderson | February 8, 2008 1:22 AM

This is the only book any one need read ...Urantia! and its free to read at truthbook.com the truth really is free!! and this world would be blessed if this was the only book we had to read..because the truth really can set you free!!

Posted by: Terry Ridgeway | February 8, 2008 1:18 AM

Lester Brown's Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization

Posted by: Marian Gray | February 8, 2008 1:05 AM

Quotes by George Bernard Shaw "The reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround him... The unreasonable man adapts surrounding conditions to himself... All progress depends on the unreasonable man." "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them." -- Mrs. Warren's Profession, 1893 "Forget about likes and dislikes. They are of no consequence. Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness." "There are two tragedies in life: one is not to get your heart's desire. The other is to get it." "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place" "A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." "A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend upon the support of Paul." "Any man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still a communist at the age of...

Posted by: bookworm | February 8, 2008 12:56 AM

Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan This book should provide proper perspective and a sense of humility to any president occupying the oval office. I only wish that it were required reading (and, hopefully, understanding) for all national office-holders.

Posted by: Kevin Peck | February 8, 2008 12:39 AM

As several others suggested, I'd nominate The Coldest Winter and The Best and the Brightest, both by David Halberstam. These are two books that show how putting politics over what is right may pay off in the short-run, but leads to long-term disaster. If you become President of the United States, don't waste your chance to leave a proud legacy. Be a leader. Don't fritter away your opportunity by following the political winds.

Posted by: Ebenezer | February 8, 2008 12:38 AM

Thomas Paine's The American Crisis and Common Sense

Posted by: Timmi Kuykendall | February 8, 2008 12:32 AM

In this time of diminishing returns there are other ways. "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine We do need a return to common sense in both domestic and foreign policy. "Three Cups of Tea" This can only help clarify what is good about the United States and how we have lost that goodness. You win friends by good deeds, not weapons.

Posted by: Marc Hamilton | February 8, 2008 12:24 AM

The book that I would like to see in a permanent collection in the White House for all future presidents and their staff is A Course in Miracles. This incredible book is not just a preview of the coming of a new era in awareness of our collective consciousness. It is because it will ultimately guide everyone who understands its purpose and message for humanity to help us all unlearn fear and become peace "full" leaders within ourselves. The book is extraordinary not just with its content, it is extraordinary because it comes with an inner teacher that helps you understand what peace is from the inside out. There is a reason why this book was written for our times. Oprah understands why as do many in diverse fields and walks of life. "Only those who can see the invisible, can do the impossible" – Thomas Jefferson There have been leaders who understood how to see the invisible in order to do what seemed impossible. When we have a President who is ready to ratify the Inner Peace Treaty™ as their own, then their will Will be done. The time has come for our leaders as well as each of...

Posted by: Alice Yeager | February 8, 2008 12:21 AM

Progress and Poverty by Henry George. The author came in 2nd, ahead of Theodore Roosevelt, in the 3-way 1886 election for mayor of New York City. The book in clear logic demonstrates how wages paid out aren't a deduction from capital but rather a creator of new wealth- in opposition to "supply side" theory.

Posted by: Paul Kenns | February 8, 2008 12:21 AM

Since it is too late for my suggestion to be considered for your program tomorrow I will break the rules and make a 3 part recommendation. The first is a video by Professor Albert Bartlett of the University of Colorado titled Arithmetic, Population and Energy. It is available from the University of Colorado Media Center (Boulder). In one hour you get what you need to cut through all of the B.S. on energy and the fact that continual growth ensures environmental collapse and the collapse of our Civilization. One of the many nuggets in the video “Modern agriculture is the use of soil to convert petroleum into food and the end of the petroleum is in sight” or as one perceptive viewer remarked “turn petroleum into people”. The second is Richard Dawkins’ book “The God Delusion”. Unfortunately, Professor Dawkins missed the forest for the trees. The real issue is how important delusion is in allowing people to function psychologically; believing in “God” is just an element of it. Understanding these delusions and how to capitalize on them is why the Corporate Republicans were able to channel the Christian right and elect people like Ronald Reagan and the Bushes and “flat...

Posted by: Jon Robinson | February 8, 2008 12:12 AM

Shrapnel In The Heart, by Laura Palmer, is the most powerful book I've ever read. This would be my recommendation for the next President, in consideration of this tragically conceived Iraq War. I can't imagine how a President with genuine "moral values" could commit U.S. military personnel in the seemingly thoughtless way this one has, after reading such a profound and moving testament to the consequences of another tragically conceived war.

Posted by: J. Zogorski | February 8, 2008 12:12 AM

There are many, many excellent selections here. Some of my favorites include: To Kill a Mockingbird; Gibbons; Shakespeare; Huston Smith (but i think that Joe Campbell is better); and Things Fall Apart. The next president will be inundated with information. So many of the books on this list reflect what the person suggesting feels must be addressed. These issues must, indeed, be addressed. But i would hope that our next president enjoys reading for the sake of reading...not only for learning new information. My suggestion: The Complete Works of Mark Twain. Long pieces for long flights. Short articles for a moment of sanity. Insight; criticism; Americana; and all with intelligence and wit.

Posted by: Alexi Koltowicz | February 8, 2008 12:10 AM

Bill I recommend:"Man's Search For Meaning", by Viktor E. Frankl. He with millions of others suffered in the Germany concentration camps and found meaning in his suffering. So When the next president reads this book he or she will know that "life holds a potential meaning under any conditions, even the most miserable ones."

Posted by: Roberrt Frank | February 7, 2008 11:47 PM

Bill I recommend:"Man's Search For Meaning", by Viktor E. Frankl. He with millions of others suffered in the Germany concentration camps and found meaning in his suffering. So When the next president reads this book he or she will know that "life holds a potential meaning under any conditions, even the most miserable ones."

Posted by: Roberrt Frank | February 7, 2008 11:45 PM

Please please read: Duck for President or watch on YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM7ikKDv060

Posted by: duck | February 7, 2008 11:32 PM

I recommend a short but powerful and very practical book: Preventing Violence (2001)by James Gilligan, MD. This book explains and offers a sound remedy to violence at all levels--in the 'hood and in international conflicts. A must read. Thank you Bill Moyers for all your vision and hard work.

Posted by: Elizabeth Forrester | February 7, 2008 11:08 PM

No administration in history has done more damage to democracy than the current one. The next president should read "The Assault on Reason" by Al Gore and "Blackwater" by Jeremy Scahill. We have to find our way back to public control of our government.

Posted by: Neil Cramer | February 7, 2008 11:06 PM

My suggestion for the new president is: The Paranoia Switch: How Terror Rewires Our Brains and Reshapes Our Behavior--and How We Can Reclaim Our Courage by Martha Stout This eye is an opening book.

Posted by: Pat Butler | February 7, 2008 10:55 PM

Joseph Conrad's meditation on the effects of colonialism on the colonizer seems specially relevant, though published in 1902. A current book, Linda Greenhouse's "Becoming Justice Blackmun" chronicles the intellectual evolution of a conservative into a great justice of the Supreme Court.

Posted by: Sue and Ed Sparling | February 7, 2008 10:52 PM

Democracy's Edge - Frances Moore Lappe Lappé's most recent book Democracy's Edge exposes the threat of thin democracy, reframes the meaning of democracy, and gives us just what we need to get on with creating a real one. Part I: Living on Democracy's Edge Our journey to the edge and the forces making possible an invisible revolution of hope. Chapter One: The Frame discovering democracy’s power Chapter Two: The Long Arc tracing democracy’s journey Chapter Three: Power is Not a Four-Letter Word reframing the big ideas that stop us Part II: Democracy Growing Up Outgrowing four beliefs that stymie us and discovering that power, even corporate power, isn't so stuck after all. Chapter Four: Our Coat new times, new measures Chapter Five: The Elephant corporate power and the shape we give it New featured story: Land Stewardship New featured story: Food Power Important related news: Democracy Unlimited - Daniel McLeod Interviews Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap (Z Magazine Online) Part III: Democracy as a Verb It's not what we have, it's what we do! Americans seize the rewards of self-direction. Chapter Six: Attention economics & everyday life New featured story Chapter Seven: Action politics and the inauguration of the citizen New featured story...

Posted by: Patricia Hughes | February 7, 2008 10:46 PM

Animal Farm by George Orwell should be required reading for every president, especially those since Bush. The ugliness of the powerful and the sweetness of the powerless are a telling and instructional contrast every president needs to keep close to her/his heart and foremost in the mind. The manipulative ways of the pigs are lessons in what NOT to do--however, presidents like Bush take the pigs' actions to be a pattern to follow. Much more important, the AMERICAN PEOPLE need to read or re-read Animal Farm. The American people have allowed the travesties of Bush and his cronies and have done almost nothing about them. As some have said, "Where is the outrage?" The very essence of America is the adherence to principles of freedom and fairness and most importantly the exercise of free speech. Yet many Americans have been intimidated by Bush and cronies' sarcasm into going along with everything the government does. Mainstream media has become nothing more than governmental mouthpieces and so many American people just smile along with them. Animal Farm shows just how the American people have accepted governmental lies, failed to have faith in their own memories, and failed to get together and take...

Posted by: Sonja Forman | February 7, 2008 10:40 PM

The next president should have two books on the desk in the Oval Office: Huxley's BRAVE NEW WORLD, just for the title to be showing; and Parog Khanna's THE SECOND WORLD: EMPIRES AND INFLUENCE IN THE NEW GLOBAL ORDER.

Posted by: Al Krahn | February 7, 2008 10:25 PM

The Next Prez should read: "Reclaiming Our Future: An Agenda for American Labor" By William 'Wimpy' Winpisinger.

Posted by: Gus Froemke | February 7, 2008 10:14 PM

Since the American economic empire is well on its way to demise, I suggest Kevin Phillip's Wealth and Democracy. "You can have great wealth or a democracy, but you cannot have both"--Louis Brandeis

Posted by: Gene | February 7, 2008 10:14 PM

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

Posted by: Jeff Carver | February 7, 2008 10:11 PM

I would recommend Arthur Schleisinger, Jr.'s "War and the American Presidency", the last book he wrote before he died in '07. This relatively short book reads as his last wishes for our nation; and a primer to the next president. Schleisinger presents strong pleas to the next president to undo the errosion of our civil liberties and stop crossing the line of power in the executive office. In the book, Mr. Schleisinger points out that it was Eisenhower's administaration that coined the phony and frightening title of "executive privlege", and that this made-up concept has been used like a bludgeon against the congress, the courts, and the people ever since. There is no mention of "executive privilege" in any previous federal documents, or in the Constitution, and it has been a cover for the high crimes and misdemeaners of presidents such as Nixon, and Bush 43, and Clinton's more benign coverups. In the hands of Bush and Cheney excutive grabs of power were an obsession--some of the motivation for their intense secrecy, and their tens of hundreds of signing statements against their having to enforce laws crafted and passed by Congress. The administration's neocon fantasy of total American dominance over...

Posted by: Margaret Lange | February 7, 2008 10:00 PM

The Portable Athiest by Christopher Hitchens. It's a compilation of excerpts from noted athiests and free thinkers.

Posted by: James Nimmo | February 7, 2008 9:50 PM

I second the suggestion of "A Theory of Everything" by philosopher Ken Wilber. It introduces a framework for understanding complex problems and creating solutions that address all essential elements: psychology, culture, behavior and systems.

Posted by: Ann Drumm | February 7, 2008 9:48 PM

I recommend Ronald Wright's, A Short History of Progress, J. Carter's, Our Endangered Values, and W. Moyers, On America.

Posted by: Stan Lott | February 7, 2008 9:38 PM

(1) Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World by Thich Nhat Hanh I've never been a Christian (thank you for interviewing Jonathan Miller) so I suggest this book INSTEAD of the Bible. A group of us Unitarian Universalists are reading this in our Peace study/action group. Quotes from the cover of book: "Practicing peace is possible with every step, with every breath. It is possible for us to practice together and bring hope and compassion into our daily lives and into the lives of our families, our community, our nation, and the world." (TNH) "He shows us the connection between personal, inner peace and peace on earth." (His Holiness the Dalai Lama) "[He] is a holy man... a scholar of immense intellectual capacity. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to world brotherhood, to humanity." (Martin Luther King, Jr.) This is about always listening to others and being compassionate, bringing awareness into each moment of our lives (being mindfulness). By learning and practicing Thich Nhat Hanh's ideas of peace and compassion, one not only contributes to bringing peace in the world (and eliminating war) but also addresses issues such as...

Posted by: Sue | February 7, 2008 9:37 PM

"Aesop's Fables"

Posted by: Benigno Veraz | February 7, 2008 9:37 PM

I recommend Ronald Wright's, A Short History of Progress, J. Carter's, Our Endangered Values, and W. Moyers, On America.

Posted by: Stan Lott | February 7, 2008 9:37 PM

I reccommend 'Silent Spring' by Rachel Carson....the environment is just NOT an isolated issue from any other. The environment affects our health, education, religon, economy, culture, and just about every other issue being discussed these days..

Posted by: Ruth z | February 7, 2008 9:36 PM

Aesop's Fables

Posted by: Benigno Veraz | February 7, 2008 9:35 PM

A People's History of the Twentieth Century by Howard Zinn AND Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. One prose, one poetry - both steeped in the TRUE human history of our United States.

Posted by: Emily McVey | February 7, 2008 9:26 PM

I recommend Ronald Wright's, A Short History of Progress, J. Carter's, Our Endangered Values, and W. Moyers, On America.

Posted by: Stan Lott | February 7, 2008 9:21 PM

Bloodlines of the Illuminati by Fritz Springmeir and Trance formation of America by Cathy O'Brien. Both of these books expose some of the key players-whether they are elite families, individuals, corporations, foundations, secret societies, "shadow governments"and especially traitors within the government The important message is that the basic battle really is one of good vs. evil, and NOT Republicans vs. Democrats.

Posted by: Rachel | February 7, 2008 9:11 PM

Aesop's Fables

Posted by: Benigno Veraz | February 7, 2008 9:07 PM

I would recommend "Natural Capitalism" Creating the Next Industrial Revolution by Paul Hawken et al. The best introduction to sustainable business principles with many great ideas from green transportation to providing food and water for the world. Helps explain how conventional capitalism is ruining civilization and the viable alternative. Close second for a book was Howard Zinn's autobiography "You can't be Neutral of a Moving Train". His point to succeed as a country we have to truly understand our history and learn to jump over our nationalism. thanks for asking.

Posted by: Don Forrester | February 7, 2008 9:05 PM

I agree that they should read The Federalist Papers.

Posted by: Sally Chiu | February 7, 2008 9:03 PM

I would recommend George Baldwin's "Political Reading of the Life of Jesus" which simply and starkly demonstrates how the Christian right have it all wrong when it comes to politics. Christianity in its current form was adopted principally by the politically powerful as a simple tool for manipulating the masses.

Posted by: Gary Duell | February 7, 2008 8:53 PM

The next President and every American over age 18 should read Legacy Of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner. If you think you know about the crimes of the CIA, there is probably more, shockingly more here, than you realize. The next President needs to learn how the CIA and various prior Presidents have abused the constitution, abused each others offices,violated the trust of the American people, spread havoc abroad, the consequences from which we and much of the rest of the world are still suffering.

Posted by: Caroline Pufalt | February 7, 2008 8:53 PM

Required reading for all Presidential candidates: "Measuring Up: 2006 - The National Report Card on Higher Education" http://measuringup.highereducation.org/reports/default.cfm because, despite trillions of FEDERAL dollars, educating the American public for the 21st century has been left undone by the three last administrations. The report also offers SOLUTIONS. Research links 48 of 52 states with a weakness that also impacts voter participation RIGHT NOW: "...underperformance in educating its young population could limit the state’s access to a competitive workforce and weaken its economy over time." The strong performers also have worrisome weaknesses ... e.g., "strong performance in higher education could be undermined by large disparities in opportunity. The state is falling behind in the percentage of 9th graders graduating from high school in four years. And as the well-educated baby boomer generation begins to retire, the young population that will replace it does not appear as prepared educationally to maintain or enhance the state’s position in a global economy. Since the early 1990s, colleges and universities in (state) have become less affordable for students and their families. If these trends are not addressed, they could limit the state’s access to a competitive workforce and weaken its economy over time."

Posted by: peacepilgrim | February 7, 2008 8:52 PM

I recommend Ken Wilber's "The Integral Vision" (2007), an admirable and concise synopsis of his still emerging, 30+ year-old integral philosophy--relevant to politcs, art, business, education, spirituality, psychology, sustainablility, etc.

Posted by: Reggie Marra | February 7, 2008 8:51 PM

Yet another recommendation for: Powerdown - Richard Heinberg The Long Emergency - James Howard Kunstler The Geography of Nowhere - Kunstler again Cradle to Cradle - William McDonough The Ecology of Commerce - Paul Hawken

Posted by: AJ Kandy | February 7, 2008 8:36 PM

Skip the Bible. The next President needs to re-read D'Toquville's "Democracy in America". It is a reminder that citizens need to be participants in the invention of the government, not consumers. America needs to refind its spirit of voluntary association which was the grand secret of our success and the source of our early wealth. When did we stop being citizens and become consumers anyway?

Posted by: Dan Jones | February 7, 2008 8:29 PM

The one book I really want the next president to read is the Constitution. I'm quite serious about this. I want them to get one of those little books GPO puts out and keep it close by every minute. Punch a hole in it and put it on a string around their neck if necessary, but I want the next administration to follow that Constitution to the letter. No torture, no violations of national or international law, no spying on the American people.

Posted by: Morgaine Swann | February 7, 2008 8:26 PM

I would suggest The Federalist Papers so the next president is very clear about exactly what the Constitution says.

Posted by: Tracy McElhinney | February 7, 2008 8:24 PM

Madeleine Albright's Memo to the President-Elect: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership

Posted by: EJ McConaughy | February 7, 2008 8:19 PM

War & Punishment by Tolstoyevsky Only a profound understanding of the wisdom of classical literature can save the next President, and us all.

Posted by: Paul Becker | February 7, 2008 8:18 PM

Why Good People Do Bad Things by Dr. Gerard Vanderhaar presents a vision of peace coming about through caring people exercising social justice, a quality all leaders should have.

Posted by: Jane T. Morosky | February 7, 2008 8:16 PM

As I read through this list, I was amazed at how many of the books recommended that I have read. Not all, of course. But, instead of recommending a book, I'd like to recommend that the next president of the United States take with him - Bill Moyers - as part of an important "advisory team" to help keep him informed and balanced. I've followed the career of Mr. Moyers for many many years, and there's not a person in America, in my opinion, with higher integrity. And he knows so many people who are highly qualified to talk on so many important subjects.

Posted by: Ben | February 7, 2008 8:13 PM

Marilyn Ferguson's "Aquarian Conspiracy" written in 1980, and her follow-up twenty-five years later called "Aquarius Now."

Posted by: Kaija Laurila | February 7, 2008 7:49 PM

Many great recommendations here, but mine is The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century by James Howard Kunstler. We are grossly unprepared for the changes to come, and we continue living in denial. Energy prices, shortages, and climate change, if we fail to prepare for them, have the potential to destroy our economy, our government, our way of life, and even much of our population.

Posted by: Evan Jackson | February 7, 2008 7:47 PM

I think that what is lacking in EVERY president that has sat in the office in my lifetime is the apparent lack of sensitivity to the empirical history of the United States. I, therefore, wish that the next president would read Howard Zinn's book: A People's History of the United States of America. I believe that the solution to all of the present crises in our country are in that book.

Posted by: chuck | February 7, 2008 7:40 PM

The Forgotten Cause of the Civil War: A New Look at the Slavery Issue by Lawrence R. Tenzer Tenzer shows that the white Southern slaves produced by a combination of racial mixture and the maternal descent rule were viewed as white people by Northerners, who had good reason to fear that any white person ("mixed" or "pure") could be kidnapped by slave catchers and sold into slavery in the South. Tenzer also destroys the argument of those neo-Confederates who contend that the Southern states (called The Slave Power in the North) were merely resisting the tyranny of a federal government. The Slave Power effectively controlled Congress and the Presidency for most of the antebellum period. The "3/5 Rule" gave congressmen from the slave states the right to represent slaves (people who obviously couldn't vote), thereby giving them far more power than they would have received if they had been limited to repre! senting free persons. Free states exercised "states' rights" by passing personal liberty laws to nullify the effects of the federal Fugitive Slave Law. This law gave the accused slave no rights to bring witnesses, have a jury, or any other forms of due process. The judge was authorized...

Posted by: A.D. Powell | February 7, 2008 7:30 PM

I join many others in suggesting Barbara Tuchman's _The March of Folly_. Hubris can level modern America as easily as it did ancient Greece.

Posted by: DonQ | February 7, 2008 7:24 PM

Debunking 911 Debunking by David Ray Griffin. The next president needs to understand that 911 was an inside job or synthetic terror event, so we could take away more of our liberties, go to war w/ Iraq, keep the opium flowing in Afganistan, and establish the legislative framework for our future military police state.

Posted by: Mark Moffitt | February 7, 2008 7:15 PM

Mike Gravel's "Citizen Power." The president of this nation must know and remember that WE are the people.

Posted by: ~dac~ | February 7, 2008 7:10 PM

The next president needs to read, and needs especially to read Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley Free Lunch by David Cay Johnston Rise and Fall of the Third Reich Becasue the next president needs to undrstand the ugly underpinnings of society to succeed.

Posted by: Annie | February 7, 2008 7:10 PM

Anything by Molly Ivins!

Posted by: Lesley | February 7, 2008 7:09 PM

Mke Gravel's "Citizen Power." We must remind the "leader" of this nation that WE are the people.

Posted by: ~dac~ | February 7, 2008 7:08 PM

"PERFECTLY LEGAL" by David Cay Johnston. The rich are allowed, even encouraged, to shirk their duty and ability to pay their fair share of taxes, while our struggling middle class is now footing more than their share of the bill. Our tax system with all its loopholes, mainly benefiting the already rich, needs to be revamped.

Posted by: Kenneth N Robbins | February 7, 2008 6:54 PM

My husband suggests "The Best and the Brightest" and I suggest "Winnie the Pooh."

Posted by: CMSimon | February 7, 2008 6:42 PM

Complete works of William Shakespeare. That should provide four years worth of reading and provide examples to act in all situations.

Posted by: Russell G. DeAnna | February 7, 2008 6:39 PM

Since all of them are going to hear a lot of American religion talk, Greg Boyd's "Myth of a Christian Nation" is a must-read. It's an excellent analysis of the stark contrast between American history and real Christianity.

Posted by: Dan Martin | February 7, 2008 6:39 PM

The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam By Allama Muhammad Iqbal

Posted by: David Horowitz | February 7, 2008 6:31 PM

I don't know if anyone else suggested it, but my book choice for the next president would be the complete works of William Shakespeare. Obviously this would prepare him or her for just about any crisis or event.

Posted by: Russell G. DeAnna | February 7, 2008 6:30 PM

The Assault On Reason by Al Gore, This book is exactly what I have been feeling for the last eight years, I say eight, because of the fear I felt when I heard Bush campaign and use the language of born again Christians eight years ago. A lot of people didn't realize what he was doing, because you have to really be one to know the language, and I used to be one. I knew that he was speaking directly to them, and using them, and it scared me. I feel justified for that fear now, our country is alone and less safe, because of his unilateral imperial agenda. He told the world God told him what to do, and the country fell for it. He has used God as an excuse to get across the agenda of his far right extremist coalition, to the detriment of this country. It is criminal in my mind the things he has done and he should be impeached. Gore lays out, in an easy way for the average person to understand, all I have been feeling for eight years. Everyone needs to read it to understand how those people work on fear and...

Posted by: kathy struewing | February 7, 2008 6:15 PM

"The Moon is Down" by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck wrote the book as a propaganda piece against the Germans during WWII. Told through the viewpoint of villagers in an occupied Scandanavian country, the novel shows how the deposed citizenry always had the upper hand to the invading army. Resilient as the soldiers own fears and longing to be home got the better of them, the book made it clear that a military threat can never take away the spirit of an occupied people. It's a must read for anyone who believes we can change the hearts through military conquest.

Posted by: Joel | February 7, 2008 6:03 PM

Hostile Takeover by David Sirota - draws direct lines between the money and the votes and it's the best argument I've seen yet for clean money campaigns.

Posted by: Mel Liles | February 7, 2008 6:02 PM

I hope I am not too late. This book may have been mentioned already. I ran out of time reading the excellent suggestions. "The Long Emergency" by James Kuntsler. I can' remember the subtitle but it is about the inevitable collapse of our country. Written in 2005 but it is playing out exactly as he wrote. If you haven't done a program with him on it you should interview him. A scary book but hopeful too with some good suggestions of ways to survive.

Posted by: Jean Reynolds | February 7, 2008 5:48 PM

I think every American -- but especially our next President -- should read Glenn Greenwald's 2006 bestseller, How Would A Patriot Act? In it, he describes how "a creeping extremism has taken hold of our federal government, and it is threatening to radically alter our system of government and who we are as a nation."

Posted by: Dana Graves | February 7, 2008 5:36 PM

Anthony Arnove's IRAQ: The Logic of Withdrawal is the book I wish the next president would take to the White House.

Posted by: Eddie Jones | February 7, 2008 5:35 PM

Another vote for Ted Nace's "Gangs of America" readable online.

Posted by: Ronald Krinock | February 7, 2008 5:33 PM

"The Future of Money" by Bernard Lietaer. Sane, non-fiat money as a "complementary currency" leading to an enormous increase in both economic activity and employment.

Posted by: Frank Horowitz | February 7, 2008 5:32 PM

People's History of the United States-- Howard Zinn. A real-life history of the downtrodden and the ordinary--something all in power should have knowledge of

Posted by: phil melnik | February 7, 2008 5:02 PM

The Art of War by L. Tsu. Any Democrat will have to read it to understand the strategies of the Republican ruling class. The Prince by Machiavelli. Same reason. A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States by John Q. Adams. Every American should read this work to regain an insight into separation of powers of state.

Posted by: dlgreendo | February 7, 2008 4:58 PM

I recommend the allegorical treatment, The Beatitudes, part of The New Orleans Trilogy, which is based on Dante's Divine Comedy: To wit so that we do not have to travel downward toward on the circles to hell again: "Bells rang out and echoed in a rush of rolling tintinnabulation and so we hurried along, passing a tall building with a round flat dome on the top. A black halo surrounded the building circling round and round at a fantastic speed. The buzzing sound was deafening. I kept looking back as we headed into the sun and I realized that this was the World Trade Center at New Orleans and the black whirl was millions of flies. Where greedy pigs run free. There was a dark slash across the horizon. We climbed steps that led onto a ledge and stood looking into a valley that was lush with swaying green and yellow grasses. There was no evidence of creatures there. It was all pure nature. “Why are we here?” I asked. Delcambre pointed to the valley. “I want you to remember that this is where you must leave all human ways of thought behind you. No calculations, no cause and effect...

Posted by: Lyn LeJeune | February 7, 2008 4:51 PM

"Debunking 9/11 Debunking" by David Ray Griffin. Also, DESCENT INTO TYRANNY by Alex Jones.

Posted by: Martin | February 7, 2008 4:31 PM

I recommend "Web of Debt" by Ellen Brown 2007. "The Shocking truth about our money system - the sleight of hand that has trapped us in debt and how we can break free". It seems to undergird our global reality, i.e., what drives wars, wealth and poverty worldwide. This is scholarly researched and clearly written and more than just an inconvenient truth I feel it's an essential truth for anyone wishing to understand the human tectonic plates of our civilization.

Posted by: Brauce Baumrucker | February 7, 2008 4:26 PM

A must read for our next president is a forthcoming book this year by Winslow Myers titled "Building a World Beyond War: A Roadmap for Citizens." As other small books like Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" have played a significant role in our history, this work articulates a critical path for our future. The means are the ends in the making. For more information contact beyondwar.org.

Posted by: Robert Dodge, M.D. | February 7, 2008 4:18 PM

Free Lunch by David Cay Johnston seems to me essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of our country and the growing disparities that may be our most important threat to democracy.

Posted by: Jeff Kaczorowski | February 7, 2008 4:13 PM

"On Man and The Universe", Aristotle. Would be a good companion for the president. People and times change but the need for fairness and civility are always there.

Posted by: Anna Boyle Daniher | February 7, 2008 4:10 PM

I saw the show you did a few weeks back on makeing the case for impeachment. I agreed with you and your guests compleetly. Given the fact that this white house has gotten so much power in the last 7 years, I would love to see the next president read Animal farm. what a perfect book to demonstrate the absoult courption of power. christian lopez

Posted by: christian lopez | February 7, 2008 4:00 PM

"Under a Green Sky: Global Warming, the Mass Extinctions of the Past, and What They Can Tell Us About Our Future" by Peter Ward. The various global warming scenarios presented at the end of this book make all other problems seem small by comparison.

Posted by: Joyce West | February 7, 2008 3:56 PM

I hope this is the place for book suggestions for Bill Moyers show on Fri. 2-8. The book, 3 Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Relin. Story of Greg M and his quest to build schools in Afghanstan and Pakiston in the villages where the poorest people live and they want education more than anything. Greg shows that education is the only way to bring peace and a way to end Islamic terrorism. If we really want peace, we will have it, not with military might, but with book, not bombs.

Posted by: patty guerrero | February 7, 2008 3:45 PM

In light of the recent revelations that all of the 9/11 "confessions" were obtained under torture, and in an effort to prevent America's further slide into a dictatorial police state, I reccomend that the next president read David Griffin's, "The 9/11 Commision Report: Omissions and Distortions."

Posted by: larry | February 7, 2008 3:43 PM

I agree with Harold K. below. Constitutional expert Joel Bakan's book, "The Corporation", and the documentary based on the book, are too important not to read and see. This book truly shook me to the core.

Posted by: David S. | February 7, 2008 3:41 PM

2 books: "The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot by Naomi Wolf." A new President has to account for policy changes that offer so much advantage to corporations at the expense of relatively powerless individuals. What could be the consequences to constitutional order if this trend continues unchanged? "The Sorrows of Empire" or any other book by Chalmers Johnson. A national security imperative has led us to eke out over 700 military bases internationally. Is this over-extension and if so, what would be the consequences, both pro and con when we scale back?

Posted by: Sam Stetson | February 7, 2008 3:26 PM

How about "The Spoon River Anthology" to remind a President living inside the beltway that the lives of those he or she governs are fleeting, yet filled with so much hope and fear.

Posted by: Pat Nakamura | February 7, 2008 3:21 PM

Bill -- I would like the next President to read (not scan) _Utopia_ by Thomas More. It is both wonderful and somehow sad that the critique of law, politics, and society offered in _Utopia_ remains -- after nearly five hundred years in print -- still so very much on target. More wrote _Utopia_ not to describe a destination but to start a discussion, and a journey. Reading the book and understanding its history might remind the next President that, although it may be a long and difficult trek to improve human societies, it is always a journey worth undertaking. It might also remind the President that even lawyers do have imaginations and can use them, as lawyer More did in writing his book. Then again, More did lose his head. . . . Best, Howard V. Hendrix

Posted by: Howard V. Hendrix | February 7, 2008 3:20 PM

Reading through, I noticed only one person recommended Joel Bakan's "The Corporation". This is both sad and frightening,for such an important book. We'll never grow as a society without paying heed to this work.

Posted by: Harold K. | February 7, 2008 3:14 PM

Citizen Power by Mike Gravel. He's one of the most patriotic living Americans - a modern day Thomas Paine. He may not win the election (sadly), but his message is the best one to truly influence the future of our country for the better.

Posted by: marika | February 7, 2008 3:13 PM

I believe the one book the next president should read is "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn. Only by understanding where our country truly has been can we make informed decisions regarding our future.

Posted by: Wendy Brown | February 7, 2008 2:54 PM

BLESSED UNREST by Paul Hawken First, and foremost,the message of this book is positive. The book had its genesis in after-talk meetings with thousands of people who shared their work, their beliefs, and their business cards. It carries the subtitle"How the Largest Movement in the World Came Into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming." The movement is composed of organizations that fit within the very broad framework of environmental activism, peoples' rights, and social justice. The number of such entities world wide falls between one and two million (more than ten million individuals)—largely non-profits and NGOs. Now with the certainty of a new President, government can react and capitalize on the successful works in progress. Before arriving at the White House, the elected one should read the latest works of Oliver Sacks (about the brain), Sherwin B. Nuland (about aging-very accelerated as a President), and Nicholas Basbanes (about books-the power of the printed word to stir the world). A quiet time to read is a necessity.

Posted by: Harold Burnett | February 7, 2008 2:52 PM

Bill, A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam by Neil Sheehan and Devil's Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam by Robert Dreyfuss should be on the top of any new President's reading list for foreign policy. I would like to add that I find it disgraceful that so many people would recommed the crank that David Ray Griffin publishes about 9/11. They desperately need to read this.

Posted by: hardindr | February 7, 2008 1:59 PM

Any president that allows the Bible to be their first choice - should be required to read Leo Tolstoy's thoughtful non-fictional critique - The Kingdom of God Is Within You - the book credited with being a major influence on Mahatma Gandhi.

Posted by: Mark Sherman | February 7, 2008 1:50 PM

CONSUMED How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole by Benjamin R. Barber. This book should definitely be read by every candidate and citizen. It is the best book I have read in a DECADE and I read hundreds of books. Read it.

Posted by: Melinda Walton | February 7, 2008 1:45 PM

This great list of books suggests that our government hasn't been using the best ideas that could put our country in a positive direction. The next president must listen to new ideas or we're doomed to hear the same distored noise, where, in Yeats' words, " The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity" "Imperial Life in the Emerald City," by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, is the best book written about our failed occupation in Iraq. The aforementioned books, from "The Shock Doctrine" to The Constitution," are terrific, but I just want a president that will listen to the voices of a hopeful future, not a fearful past.

Posted by: SPENCER | February 7, 2008 1:44 PM

Lester Brown's "Plan B 3.0"... if you care about your children and grandchildren.

Posted by: Leigh Pomeroy | February 7, 2008 1:37 PM

It all depends. If the next president is a Democrat, he or she should read "Before the Storm" by Rick Perlstein. That book is indispensable for understanding how the GOP was transformed from a political party into a pathology. And if our next president does not get that he or she is up against a pathology, there won't be a lot of headway to be made. If a Republican, "Eisenhower" by Stephen Ambrose. Our Republican friends need to be reminded that it is possible to be both a Republican and a responsible leader. (However, someone needs to redact the chapter on Guatamala first..)

Posted by: Roddy McCorley | February 7, 2008 1:35 PM

Lester Brown's Plan B 3.0... if you care about your children and grandchildren.

Posted by: Leigh Pomeroy | February 7, 2008 1:35 PM

"The Great War for Civilisation" by Bill Fisk. No, that's not a typo, just English spelling. This book was a real eye opener as to the abuse heaped on the population of that region. Plus, the book is long and fat-- this might keep our new president occupied finding out how we and other imperial regimes have operated. "Blowback" by Chalmers Johnson or any relevant history book which emphasizes how we as humans keep making the same mistakes over and over. And over and over due to our innate hubris.

Posted by: Alan Liechty | February 7, 2008 1:32 PM

Like a lot of others have, I vote for "Collapse", by Jared Diamond.

Posted by: John Callender | February 7, 2008 1:23 PM

Nobody is going to "bring" a book with them to the White House. However, the next president may "TAKE" a book with them to the White House. Explanation: Bring it here, take it there. Bring it with you when you come, take it with you when you go. Hopefully, the next president will at least have better grammar than the current resident. It would be nice if supposedly educated reporters did as well, but not likely.

Posted by: Sue Laib | February 7, 2008 12:51 PM

A must read: Voltaire's Bastards by J.R. Saul (1992) Though written very densely,it fully explains our systemic, i.e. institutional (govt, business, military, etc)dysfunctions in the western developed nations. The Vietnam and Iraq debacles are prime examples, that have deep, intertwining roots that must be extricated and remedied. If not, we will repeat our disasters, like drug addicts, until system collape.

Posted by: w.mattson | February 7, 2008 12:42 PM

There are a lot of expected recommendations posted here (Atlas Shrugged, The Art of War, etc.) Let me suggest one that most probably haven't read: "The Seventeen Traditions," by Ralph Nader. The book, as the title might suggest, details seventeen traditions instilled in Ralph Nader by his parents. The lessons found therein are desperately needed in an age devoid of civic virtue. Cultivating these principles among America's youth is the single most important challenge to our sputtering democracy.

Posted by: Ben B. | February 7, 2008 12:33 PM

I would recommend two books: The Art of Non-War by Kim Michaels and Mary's Message of Love by Allan Arthur Schulte. These would be two balanced approaches to the problems we are facing in this country because obviously the approaches that have been done in the past are not working. War does not bring prosperity and this country has to move out of this dualistc thinking. Mary's Message of Love Mother Mary'presents her views on contempary issues that are facing this nation--everything from aboration to gay rights. Both are a must read. You don't have to be Catholic to read about Mary.

Posted by: Yvonne Sherrill | February 7, 2008 12:13 PM

"Deterring Democracy" by Noam Chomsky. "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine couldn't hurt either. I really enjoy your show Bill, keep up the great work.

Posted by: Nathan | February 7, 2008 12:10 PM

An Unbroken Agony: Haiti from Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President by Randall Robinson, 2007, exposes the CIA covert removal of democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in Haiti in 2004. http://www.randallrobinson.com/ All the Shah's Men by Stephen Kinzer, 2003, details the CIA overthrow of the elected government of Iran in 1953 in order to enrich the foreign oil companies. This sowed the seeds for the blowback the US is experiencing today. http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2003/07/20030709_a_main.asp These two books show the US-backed CIA methods used for covertly overthrowing foreign governments, beginning with Iran in 1953. Any President needs to understand this formula, used repeatedly, if he or she is to stop the US's illegal attacks against other countries and regain world respect for the US. We can no longer afford to have a secret government operating within our elected government. The sad truth is that Presidents already know this formula. It's the non-reading US citizens who need to read and learn it.

Posted by: Amy L. Beam, Ed.D. | February 7, 2008 11:50 AM

I would strongly suggest that the next president read and understand the Constitution of the United States of America. Future presidents must understand the importance of this document. This president has no understanding and no desire to understand let alone protect this foundation of Democracy. We must restore our Constitution. Impeachment is mandatory to stop further erosion of our Constitution.

Posted by: Peggy W. Larson, DVM, MS, JD | February 7, 2008 11:17 AM

It may already have been suggested, but I'd like to recommend the next president (and all government leaders for that matter) read Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States". Let's hope the next president reads.

Posted by: Kirk Miller | February 7, 2008 11:04 AM

For the next president, I recommend Rhinehold Niebuhr's Irony of American History. Niebuhr will remind our new leader that American is one nation among many and doesnt' necessarily represent God's will. This books would set a context for any leader and also reminds a new president that, "nothing really worth doing can be accomplished in one life time."

Posted by: Donald JOhnson | February 7, 2008 10:58 AM

I would recommend strongly that they read David Cay Johnston’s, How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill). David Cay Johnston’s writing is riveting, and his expose on how government regulations are helping take from the many to help the few is essential knowledge or all who wish a good and prosperous future for America. Which I hope our presidential candidates do. As David points out while from 1970 to today the size of our GDP has more than tripled, yet the lower 90% of American have seen their incomes drop. Johnston has done provides a major service for America and it will only be useful if we and the presidential candidates read it and take action. In case you missed it Mr. Johnston was interviewed by Bill Moyer’s, http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/01182008/profile.html and Terry Gross’s Fresh Air http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17808622 They are well worth listening to and passing on to our friends and politicians who love America and want to help it to have a great future.

Posted by: Jerry Fisher | February 7, 2008 10:55 AM

Best book: "Free Lunch" by David Cay Johnston

Posted by: Judith B. Walker | February 7, 2008 10:46 AM

Bill, Books for the next president to read: All books by Dr. Ron Paul "Debunking 9/11 Debunking" by David Ray Griffin (already recommended several times) "The Creature From Jekyll Island" by G. Edward Griffin (no relation to David Ray Griffin) "Cracking the Code: The Fascinating Truth About Taxation in America" by Peter Hendrickson "The Israel Lobby" by Meirsheimer and Walt That should be enough to get them started. Problem is those running know all this information already, yet they won't talk about it, except for Dr. Ron Paul.

Posted by: Cary, Baton Rouge, LA | February 7, 2008 10:45 AM

I recommend "The Art of Possibility" by Rosamund & Benjamin Zander. As the title implies, this book is about what is possible, about reaching for goals that were thought to be unreachable, about all of us taking care of each other so as to to nurture that impulse.It is subtitled "A Book Of Practices", and each section opens with a quote or an anecdote to set the stage for what is to follow. The first one goes like this---"A shoe factory sends two marketing scouts to a region of Africa to study the prospects for expanding business. One sends back a telegram saying, 'Situation hopeless, no one wears shoes!' The other write backs triumphantly, 'Glorious business opportunity, they have no shoes!'" The whole book is like that. it is an inspiring read, yet fun and playful. One of the sections begins with a story in which the punch line is, "Don't take yourself so God Damned Seriously!" This book follows that axiom.

Posted by: Ron Smith | February 7, 2008 10:22 AM

I recommend to the candidates the book "The Israeli Lobby" by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt to serve as a primer of the working of various Israeli lobbies. And how domestic politics dictates our foreign policy.

Posted by: Adil | February 7, 2008 9:53 AM

I highly recommend Alan Greenspan's book, THE AGE OF TURBULENCE. It is time we get our heads out of the clouds and begin to understand the economics of the age in which we are living.

Posted by: V. Cooper | February 7, 2008 9:50 AM

Bill Nothing can help a president maintain his/her direction better than Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth". If followed, the president can stay focused on what is important and we will all benifit. Cait

Posted by: Cait Ryan | February 7, 2008 9:26 AM

I echo the recommendations for The Shock Doctrine and Dark Ages America. A great book that has yet to be suggested is The Politics of Jesus by Obery Hendericks, Jr. I would also like to see him as a guest on your show from time to time during this campaign season.

Posted by: Mark Mason | February 7, 2008 9:11 AM

The next prez should read Faust.

Posted by: Elisabeth | February 7, 2008 8:37 AM

i have to agree... Author: David Ray Griffin "DEBUNKING 9/11 DEBUNKING" so shocking i didn't want to believe it... but, the evidence speaks for itself. Why did we not hear any of these facts during and shortly after 9/11? Bill please interview this guy!

Posted by: Chris Martini | February 7, 2008 8:31 AM

"Voltaire's Bastards" by John Ralston Saul. This is an impossibly broad analysis of what ails us and why. It is astonishing that one person could write so knowledgeably about so many things, around a common thread. I can't follow all his arguments, so I can't tell if he is really on the right track or not - but there are some pretty good exolanations for things that have puzzled me for a long time. How did we get ourselves into this mess? A president could get some perspectivew here.

Posted by: Barry Duncan | February 7, 2008 8:08 AM

The first requirement of good government is COMPASSION. No book I have ever used as a daily read compels compassion more than KITCHEN TABLE WISDOM by Rachel Naomi Remen. Without compassion all governments shall eventually corrupt.

Posted by: Terry D. Kester | February 7, 2008 8:02 AM

* “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand, the rights and strengths of the individual vs. the mob, * “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, personal failure, discovery and salvation, * “1776″ by David McCullough, remembering what we were when we as a nation were just discovering for ourselves, * “Theodore Rex” by Edmund Morris, Theodore Roosevelt’s Presidency and how TR as a person defines what personal strength and moral courage really are, * “Citizen Soldiers” by Stephen Ambrose, to me this book defines what is perhaps our single greatest trait as a nation, our individual citizen’s willingness to help set wrong to right. We did it for the right reasons then and are so lost now, and lastly, * “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin, perhaps the best of the bunch as it describes the times of hatred, strife and war that at its core is so similar to our times now.

Posted by: Ed Kirkpatrick | February 7, 2008 7:43 AM

"The Creature from Jekyll Island" - G. Edward Griffin The creature is the Federal Reserve which is creating fiat money and depleting our economic wealth by transferring it to the third world. Add my own formula, $ = NAME RECOGNITION = ELECTION, and the next president will see that at least one of the sheep out here understands his or her socialist (probably Council on Foreign Relations) motivation to ignore our Constitution in favor of world government. Follow the money and you'll see what, not necessarily who, drives everything.

Posted by: E. G. Southworth | February 7, 2008 7:13 AM

Book: State of Emergency: The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America by Pat Buchanan. We are losing our culture, language, sovereignty, heritage, history, country, and national security to non-citizens (illegal immigrants) who view our country as a welfare state and a paycheck. Americans built this country and we can not continue to be on a path of self-destruction by allowing an unfettered flow of non-citizens into our country because it will ultimately be to our own peril. For the last 30-40 years, all our Presidents have forgotten the importance of our immigration laws and why they need to be enforced.

Posted by: Pat | February 7, 2008 7:08 AM

My suggestion is that the next president should read The Art of non War, by Kim Michaels.

Posted by: Alejandro Chesta | February 7, 2008 7:02 AM

Though 35 years old, E. M. Schumacher's SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL: Economics as if People Mattered is still and will always be relevant.

Posted by: maureen casey | February 7, 2008 6:04 AM

It's been interesting reading thru so many thoughtful posts and nominations of wonderful books. But I have to say, at this point I am so tired of hearing about what's WRONG with the US, or the world, I think we have a pretty clear picture about that. I'm more interested in reading books about SOLUTIONS -- HOW do we make these very wrong things right, and get our country back on track? That's what I am desperately looking to hear more ideas about. That's why I'm not drawn to books like Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine," Naomi Wolf's book or some of the others listed here. While I recognize their clarity and even moments of brilliance, they don't really tell us something that you can't figure out by looking at the news headlines today, i.e. our country is screwed up, dreadfully so. No, instead I am drawn more to books like Steven Hill's "Ten Steps to Repair American Democracy." We need solutions, and I have read this book and it's brilliant and concise and chock full of solutions. I agree with what the other person who proposed this book said, that so much of what ails our country starts with the...

Posted by: Shirley | February 7, 2008 4:05 AM

Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II by William Blum And Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror by Mahmood Mamdani

Posted by: Joe O | February 7, 2008 3:55 AM

"The Assault On Reason" by Al Gore This book will instruct the next President about how our government was intended to work, the constitution, and the seperation of powers. By examining the Bush administrations constant abuses of presidential power and the media's inattention to the concept of a "well informed citizenry" the next president will have a guide of what to be wary of, how to uphold the oath of his/her office to "faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and to the best of his or her Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," and a real understanding of being in service to the commen good. This book explains what it all means.

Posted by: Shane Stewart | February 7, 2008 3:49 AM

"A Multitude of Counsel on Strengthening the Family by Dr William C. Small Many of the issues that we face in society pertaining to crime and the economy can be traced back to the break down of the family. A president of a company or president of a country can return their respective entity to relative peace and prosperity by concentrating on strengthening the families within their area of responsibility. Each fortune 500 corporation operates on family principles. This book contains the seven principles that fortune 500 corporations operate on which led them to become economic powerhouses. The next US President needs to read this book to return America to its status as an economic powerhouse in the world market.

Posted by: William C. Small | February 7, 2008 3:29 AM

SUPERPATRIOTISM by Michael Parenti. This book challenges the "USA! USA!" as number one that is so well parodied on "The Colbert Report". THE DARK SIDE OF CHRISTIAN HISTORY by Linda Ellerbe. With both parties trying to appear Christian, it is important to remember what the tragic results have been when Christianity has imposed its will in the past. It was not sweetness and light.

Posted by: Rosemary Tipton | February 7, 2008 2:42 AM

"Good Poems for Hard Times" selected by Garrison Keillor.

Posted by: terence mcdonald | February 7, 2008 2:18 AM

Bill: As a Canadian watching American affairs with great interest, I would recommend the following book go into the White House with the next president: All I Need To Know I Learned In Kindrgarten.

Posted by: roger varley | February 7, 2008 1:42 AM

William Carlos Williams' seminal collection of poems "Spring and All". The apparent simplicity belies a poet that worked hard and constantly refining his work. We should only be lucky enough for a President to strive for such.

Posted by: Mickey Bridges | February 7, 2008 1:37 AM

"As a man thinketh in his heart so is he," (Proverbs 23:7) Public education has not been developing children's mental and spiritual capacities for the 21st century: thinking, reasoning, judging, perceiving, intuiting, etc. are necessary in order to understand the complex issues and, hence, to vote. Thus, I recommend an excellent website ... http://www.criticalthinking.org/ People need to hear more about what the candidates are reading and how they will use those ideas to move democracy -- and public educatio --- back on track after becoming president. As a nation, the people's conversation must also examine whether the current democratic system is really of, for, and by the people -- or just of, for and by a 1% minority. Without realizing it, Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" seems to have predicted America's current conundrum ... for, time is definitely the variable on the side of those in power--throughout their families' generations: "... it only remains to know which power in the constitution has the most weight, for that will govern; and though the others, or a part of them, may clog, or, as the phrase is, check the rapidity of its motion, yet so long as they cannot stop it, their endeavors...

Posted by: peacepilgrim | February 7, 2008 1:33 AM

The bible is a mythical book. Any reasonable person will wonder what it would have to do in the oval office, especially if not complemented by the Torah, the Koran, and the sacred scriptures of all major world religions. And what a joke of having the president read only one other book! It makes George W. Bush appear literate. Anyway, I would definitely concur that Griffin's "Debunking 9/11 Debunking" would be an excellent candidate. Even though it is widely available, clearly written and well-reasoned, politicians have tried hard to ignore its existence. Yet reading it would force a U.S. president to start doing his/her job at long last: recognize publicly that the U.S. government is overrun with corruption, purge the U.S. government of its criminal elements, and make the remaining employees understand that public service is first and foremost about serving the public. Love,

Posted by: Dan Noel | February 7, 2008 1:28 AM

Might I be so bold to suggest that our next president read a book that turns integrity from a vague, abstract, philosophical concept into a set of concrete, specific actions? If the next president wants to live at the intersection of personal freedom and collective highest good, the book to read is "The New IQ: How Integrity Intelligence Serves You, Your Relationships and Our World by Dr. David Gruder." I don't at all mean to be self-serving with this recommendation. I am passionately sincere about it.

Posted by: David Gruder | February 7, 2008 1:10 AM

My suggestion, besides the Bible and the Constitution, would be The Essential Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This is a most timely book when the New Deal is being unravelled, and we shall soon rediscover the value of what our parents and grandparents bequethed us. Their blood, toil, tears and sweat yielded years of relative peace and prosperity. May it not have been in vain.

Posted by: Thomas D. Johnson | February 7, 2008 1:01 AM

Our next president needs to read -Nuclear Power is not the Answer, by Helen Caldicott -Humanism and Democratic Criticism, by Edward Said -Conversations in Maine: Exploring Our Nation's Future by Grace Lee Boggs, James Boggs, Freddy Paine, and Lyman Paine And, although I would hope that the book that founded our country has a permanent home in the Whitehouse, I must include what should be required reading for all presidents, Common Sense by Thomas Paine.

Posted by: Viva Stowell | February 7, 2008 12:54 AM

I've given this much thought since viewing an airing of the program a few days ago. First of all, let me say that I agree with the idea that you can gain insight into a person's thinking by reading the books they've read; as much as we might like to think the government is incompetent, I think they are not merely seeking to intimidate the citizenry by securing our library records. I've read many of the books recommended by others. "Heat" by George Monbiot. "Collapse" by Jared Diamond. "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein. I find that "Plan B 3.0", by Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute, is the best. Why? "Plan B 3.0" succintly addresses every problem facing the planet today, giving concrete science-based solutions that can affordably and quickly be implimented on a global scale. No other book does this so well, nor so convincingly. "Plan B 3.0" directly references Jared Diamond's work from "Collapse", answering the questions "Collapse" poses for our current civilization. It's solutions necessitate a way of doing business which is different than that outlined in "The Shock Doctrine". Besides, I think most presidential candidates are well aware of the reality "The Shock Doctrine...

Posted by: Joshua Trost | February 7, 2008 12:52 AM

"The Corporation", by constitutional lawyer Joel Bakan. I believe it to be the most important book thus far largely ignored.

Posted by: Brian | February 7, 2008 12:47 AM

There are a number of erudite and important books that would contribute enormously toward a philosophical foundation for good governance. Overall, though, if someone had read, grasped and appreciated the entire John McPhee catalog, I would be content that they were at least capable of perceiving perspective, the lack of which, I believe, has lead to many of the catastrophic dilemmas in which we are currently embroiled...

Posted by: Sylvia P. | February 7, 2008 12:42 AM

"Cerebrations of a Solitary Man" by Bradley Berman

Posted by: Roger Dawger | February 7, 2008 12:10 AM

The Great Work by Thomas Berry. TR Crowe says, "Maybe once every 100 years does someone emerge from the shuddering mass of humanity who speaks to us with a kind of clarity that is universally profound. Thomas Berry is such a figure. "The Great Work" will, I believe, be remembered as the touchstone, the 'bible' whose wisdom laid the groundwork for our continued healthy existence here on Earth."

Posted by: George Henry | February 7, 2008 12:04 AM

''THE SHOCK DOCTRINE" by Naomi Klein"

Posted by: Enrico Ferorelli | February 6, 2008 11:54 PM

I think Hillary Clinton's suggestion was the best. The Constitution. However, I think she needs to brush up on the Constitution as well as the rest of the 434 members of Congress. In addition all of the Executive appointees as well as Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney need to READ the Constitution. I have a copy myself close by and find myself watching the news, looking an item in question up and begin screaming at the TV screen. It is pretty plain to me. Why can't the Americans who take an oath to the Constitution defend and uphold it.

Posted by: Tolbert Feather | February 6, 2008 11:43 PM

End of the Line: The Rise and Coming Fall of the Global Corporation by Barry C. Lynn, 2005. From the jacket: "End of the Line is the first real anatomy of globalization. It is the story of how American corporations created a global production system by exploding the traditional factory and casting the pieces to dozens of points around the world. It is the story of how free trade has made American citizens come to depend on the goodwill of people in very different nations, in very different regions of the world. It is a story of how executives and entrepreneurs at such companies as General Electric, Cisco Systems, Dell, Microsoft, and Flextronics adapted their companies to a world in which America's international policies were driven ever more by ideology rather than a focus on the long-term security and well-being of society."

Posted by: Larry Kaseman | February 6, 2008 11:36 PM

I recommend: "The Post-Corporate World" by David C. Korten. Good historical background for how we've gotten into the political, economic, environmental mess we are in, and how to get out of it - gave me hope!

Posted by: Gretchen Harder | February 6, 2008 11:36 PM

The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community, by David Korten. A must read for leaders who are serious about working for real change.

Posted by: Kat Gjovik | February 6, 2008 11:28 PM

''THE SHOCK DOCTRINE" by Naomi Klein" might cause a White House reader to rethink the casually heartless history we have chosen for the people of Iraq.....and then again, perhaps not, profit being profit.

Posted by: Marshall Phillips | February 6, 2008 11:25 PM

"A Soldier of the Great War" by Mark Helprin. It would be too long for George Bush but any of the other candidates could handle it.

Posted by: Larry Gasda | February 6, 2008 11:07 PM

I was happy to read a number of posts that validate my choices for companion novels: The Grapes of Wrath and Atlas Shrugged. These stories helped me formulate beliefs and foster some confusion about the correct relationship between the individual and society. The next President’s success will depend heavily on his or her ability to demonstrate and articulate an understanding of those that disagree. Reading these books will empower that understanding.

Posted by: Rob Mackey - Pittsburgh | February 6, 2008 11:03 PM

I suggest the book "The Real Lincoln" By Thomas Dilorenzo the ideas put forth in that book put a lie to what we now call the ideas of our forefathers. Industrial strength central government is not in the founders tastes for they saw it in King George, an all powerful OZ is our problem now under this unitary executive showing all the lie that power vested in one omnipotent executive is a cource to a tyrants rule.

Posted by: Eric | February 6, 2008 10:53 PM

Naomi Kleins 'The Shock Doctrine'.....or anything else she has written for that matter.

Posted by: Dan Liston | February 6, 2008 10:45 PM

I think the old text "A Theory of Justice" by John Rawls may be a good book to have as a primer to create a better society. I want to start over. Any book by any economist that has the word "fair" more times than "free" and whose last name does not start with Fr is worth taking a chance on.

Posted by: Luette Forrest | February 6, 2008 10:42 PM

First - I'd want Bill Moyers for president. Lacking that, we need someone who doesn't wave the flag and the bible and has read books like Harris's Letter to a Christian Nation or Time Traveling with Science and the Saints.

Posted by: George Erickson | February 6, 2008 10:37 PM

Citizen Power by Mike Gravel. Washington insiders have forgotten that this is a governmnet of, by and for the people; Gravel's book is a good reminder of what we can accomplish when we work together and are no longer "drugged by fear." Obama says "Yes we can" but Mike Gravel tells us how we can.

Posted by: KM | February 6, 2008 10:23 PM

Two books, the first is Thom Hartmann's What would Jefferson Do? This book reminds us of the history of the constitution, what Jefferson thought American should be/become. The second is Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, an Eater's Manifesto. We have a serious health problem caused in part by our diets. This book is straightforward in evaluation our current problems and suggests next steps in finding sane diets and recovering from years of low quality foods.

Posted by: Jerry Moles | February 6, 2008 10:19 PM

David Cay Johnston Free lunch is a great book that should be read by everyone.

Posted by: Steven David | February 6, 2008 10:17 PM

"Citizen Power" by Mike Gravel. We build a battleship a day in WWII, we can build enough windmills and solar to power the country in a year. And enact the National Initiative to do the things government won't.

Posted by: Shawn | February 6, 2008 10:13 PM

I recommend the next president (and for that matter the current one) read "Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil" by Michael C. Ruppert (with Contributor Catherine Austin Fitts, former Assistant Secretary of Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in the first Bush Administration) ISBN 0865715408 512 pages

Posted by: John Mascaro | February 6, 2008 10:05 PM

If it's down to one book, I'd have to vote for Thom Hartmann's brilliant THE LAST HOURS OF ANCIENT SUNLIGHT. Regardless of who wins, the next president will need to understand how the upcoming energy crisis and environmental issues like global warming will shape western civilization for the foreseeable future.

Posted by: Todd Tanner | February 6, 2008 10:01 PM

THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1980 by Dean Baker

Posted by: Judith Marlin | February 6, 2008 9:53 PM

For me, D'Toquville's "Democracy in America" should be on the President's desk. It is a powerful reminder of the voluntary power of the American spirit without the intercession of the central government. Government is a necessary part of the American future, but it needs to be an expression of the people, not the dictator to the people.

Posted by: Dan Jones | February 6, 2008 9:51 PM

THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1980 by Dean Baker

Posted by: Judith Marlin | February 6, 2008 9:50 PM

There have been some excellent suggestions by many contributors. I would add that the next president should read and reread "The Leaders We Need" by Michael Maccoby. The leader we want (the one elected!) needs to have the personality, emotional, analytic, and strategic intelligence to lead all the generations of this era.

Posted by: Dennis Georg | February 6, 2008 9:50 PM

I would like them to read John Stuart Mill's On Liberty. Do you think they can follow his tightly reasoned arguments on individuality, etc.? Having read it, would they grasp its policy implications? Perhaps the best we can hope for is that the president's staff, knowing he/she is reading the book would themselves read it to be able to talk to the President about it and the staffs' thinking would be informed by Mill's points!

Posted by: David Johnson | February 6, 2008 9:40 PM

I would recommend "A Short History of Progress" by Ronald Wright. He outlines the indicators in the fall of civilizations: class, economics, environment etc and goes back centuries and analyses the major ones. The indicators are telling, penetrating for our times, considering (and he makes that point) we have only one civilization now, and its global. About 200 pages.

Posted by: david gamble | February 6, 2008 9:40 PM

Utter Incompetents by Oliphant... it wasn't just the Iraq war, virtually EVERYTHING Bush Admin touched turned out to be huge mistakes....the War (occupation) just got the most press because it was the costliest and most obvious mistake...this is a primer on what NOT to do...had Bush been a "do nothing" president on cruise control from Clinton years, our country would be in far better shape than it is now. Can't believe no one else recommended it. The title makes it sound like satire, but it's a serious investigation and details nearlly all the Administration's hideous mistakes these past 8 years. Sigh. Knowledge is power.

Posted by: Susan | February 6, 2008 9:40 PM

I highly recommend SHELL GAME, By: NY Times Best Selling Author Steve Alten! Fabulous read and jam packed with pieces of the truth of the Past, Present and Future of America and the world!

Posted by: Denise Marsh | February 6, 2008 9:35 PM

I would like the next president to read "Savage Inequalities" by Jonathan Kozol. We need to provide for our children in public schools or we have no future.

Posted by: Nancy Goldschmidt | February 6, 2008 9:34 PM

I would also recommend "Democracy in America" by Tocqueville, and add to the list the autobiographies of Frederick Douglass ("Narrative of the Life", "My Bondage and My Freedom", and "Life and Times"), "The Powers That Be" by David Halberstam, and "The Vanishing Voter" by Thomas E. Patterson. I would also recommend anything by Franz Kafka, just to remember that what appears to be absurd today can be true tomorrow.

Posted by: Janet Donovan | February 6, 2008 9:28 PM

Freelunch is the only book the new prsident needs to read

Posted by: Lars Eric | February 6, 2008 9:08 PM

Thousand Year War and the only book that (after 20 years plus) still scares me----The Handmaiden's Tale. I am looking forward to Bill's program.

Posted by: Bette Stobaugh | February 6, 2008 9:05 PM

I'd suggest "The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order" by Parag Khanna to be published in March 2008 by Random House. For a preview see Khanna's essay in The New York Times Magazine (January 27, 2008)which was adapted from the upcoming book. I also agree with all those people who nominate Zinn's wonderful history of the U.S.

Posted by: Bill Boehner | February 6, 2008 8:54 PM

I agree that one can tell a lot about a person by what books they read, but probably not so much based on a single book mentioned in the context of a political campaign. I would prefer to snoop through each candidate's personal library. THAT would tell me something. If I could pick one book for the next president to read, it would be Stacey Mitchell's brilliant "Big Box Swindle." It is by far the best book on the cancerous big-box phenomenon that I have come across, with much greater breadth, honesty and clarity than any other treatment, including the highly touted "The Wal-Mart Effect" (by Charles Fishman). If we are to do anything about the sorry state of the U.S. (and global) economy, the menace of global warming, or myriad other threats to our environment and way of life, we must heed the message of this vital book. By the way, Stacey Mitchell would be an excellent choice for an interview on the program.

Posted by: Jim Shaw | February 6, 2008 8:35 PM

"This I Believe" edited by J Allison and D Gediman

Posted by: Deb | February 6, 2008 8:33 PM

The Shock Dictrine: http://www.naomiklein.org/articles/2008/01/why-right-loves-disaster

Posted by: Mark Shepherd | February 6, 2008 8:30 PM

So many fantastic books suggested! You have all vastly increased my reading list. I'd agree with many of those already suggested, but I'd also recommend Bill McKibben's Deep Economy. It gave me a sense of hope that if we recognize economic growth cannot continue without destroying the planet, we can create a more humane, creative, and rewarding life. I love his comment about the developed nations, that "For most of human history, the two birds of More and Better roosted on the same branch. You could toss one stone and hit them both....Now, if you've got the stone of your own life, or your own society, gripped in your hand, you have to choose between them." The question is not how we can make more money and have more stuff, but how we can enhance life. Bill, thanks for your wonderful show and for being a voice of reason and compassion.

Posted by: Mary Makofske | February 6, 2008 8:30 PM

Read "WAR IS A RACKET" by General Smedley Butler. And don't imitate your predecessor.

Posted by: Harris Smith | February 6, 2008 8:25 PM

The book I would suggest for the next president to read is: "Blowback" by Chalmers Johnson. Perhaps by reading it he or she would give more thought to the possible consequences of our actions abroad.

Posted by: Glenn A. McKinney | February 6, 2008 8:23 PM

If I had one book to recommend it would be David Ray Griffin's "Debunking 9/11 Debunking". Paraphrasing Professor Emeritus Richard Falk of Princeton University, until we know the truth about the events of that day, we won't get anything right. Dr. Griffin seeks and finds a very disturbing truth.

Posted by: Agnes McKeon | February 6, 2008 8:23 PM

The Philosophy Of Freedom by Rudolf Steiner

Posted by: GrammaConcept | February 6, 2008 8:23 PM

I think the President should read "Ethics for Policy Decisions" by W.A.R. Leys, NJ, Prentice-Hall, 1952. This volume demonstrates a decision making technique based on the ideas of the great philosophers: Plato, Aristotle, Bentham, Kant, Spinoza, Hegel, Marx, Dewey and others. It provides a series of questions to be asked about priblem situations that enable a careful ananysis to be made to learn the possible consequences of varioous possible decisions. A great book even though it is not famous!!

Posted by: Paul Kessler | February 6, 2008 8:18 PM

I can't choose just one. Any of Thomas Paine's writings and a comprehensive book on Ethics. Starting with Aristotle, Socrates and Plato

Posted by: Catahe | February 6, 2008 8:07 PM

Pfft.. hands down Free Lunch By David Cay Johnston if there is any book that upsets you more when you read it- you haven't paid enough attention to this one...

Posted by: mark dennis | February 6, 2008 8:06 PM

Suggested book for next president: "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins which includes quotes by founding fathers about their thoughts on religion.

Posted by: M DeMoss | February 6, 2008 8:05 PM

Definitely "The Machinery of Freedom: Guide to a Radical Capitalism" by David Friedman. Useful for clearing the room of the stench left by "Shock Doctrine"... ;)

Posted by: Slim | February 6, 2008 8:02 PM

I would suggest that the next president read "10 Steps to Repair American Democracy," (www.10Steps.net) by Steven Hill from the New America Foundation. If we don't fix the political process and make it fairer, nothing else will be possible. That book lays it out clearly, the many ways our democracy is failing, and how we can make it work again.

Posted by: lucy colvin | February 6, 2008 8:01 PM

I would suggest "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich". You'll find the reason below. *************************** Below is a talk that I delivered at a "TAKE A STAND" rally in Augusta on August 28 sponsored by the Iraq Summer Campaign. When I sent him a draft copy, Noam Chomsky responded with "Very eloquent, and very well done." ********************************** There were good Germans, just like there are good Americans I grew up in a German-American family. My father, a Leisner, was drafted in early 1941 along with four of his brothers. My mother, a Rinehart, served as a WAVE nurse while her two brothers were drafted. I was always amazed that hardly anyone would talk about WWII and their experiences. Perhaps it was PTSD. As a result, I started reading about WWII when I was in my early teens. In 1961, at the tender age of 15, I read the paperback copy of "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William L. Shirer. I was blown away. When asked what I thought of the book by both the Principal and Superintendent of my High School, I told them, "I never knew there was another nation like America". Since...

Posted by: Roger Leisner | February 6, 2008 7:55 PM

Hopefully, all candidates have read the important historical documents of the US. To grasp the depth and breadth of the political disappointment we are suffering and not quite re-orientating ourselves out of, a more acute analysis is needed. I strongly recommend Simon Critchley's new book, Infinitely Demanding: Ethics of Commitment, Politics of Resistance. 150 pp. of theoretical analysis and grounded political possibility. It is a bit tougher than most of the other recommendations, but our problems are also a bit tougher... Read it with a couple of friends and plan on a reread. Actually, it's worth the price just for the last chapter: Crypto-Scmittianism - the Logic of the Political in Bush's America.

Posted by: Sheridan Phillips | February 6, 2008 7:51 PM

"Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years" by David Talbot. Every person running for president would do well to read this book and see what they'll be up against regarding the intelligence and military establishments. They run things as much as any elected official, probably more so.

Posted by: Doug Schwab | February 6, 2008 7:48 PM

I recommend A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. It explains the change of consciousness required to initiate and sustain an effective response to global issues.

Posted by: John Lavelle | February 6, 2008 7:47 PM

I would suggest Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass"

Posted by: joan l. goldstein | February 6, 2008 7:46 PM

Naomi Klien: The Shock Doctrine The Rise of Disaster Capitalism This book is essential to understanding the policies and procedures followed by both US parties in bed with multi-corporations. Why The Right Loves A Disaster By Naomi Klein - January 27th, 2008 If this kind of crisis opportunism feels familiar, it's because it is. Over the last four years, I have been researching a little-explored area of economic history: the way that crises have paved the way for the march of the right-wing economic revolution across the globe. A crisis hits, panic spreads and the ideologues fill the breach, rapidly reengineering societies in the interests of large corporate players. It's a maneuver I call "disaster capitalism." http://www.naomiklein.org/articles/2008/01/why-right-loves-disaster

Posted by: Mark Shepherd | February 6, 2008 7:44 PM

Citizen Power by Mike Gravel

Posted by: Quintin Maidment | February 6, 2008 7:43 PM

I recommend Louise Richardson's book, "What Terrorists Want: Understanding the Enemy, Containing the Threat" (2006, Random House, 312 pp.) This book knocks some common sense at the problem, that one cannot really defeat a tactic (targeting civilians violently...any one person can decide to act that way), but one can help contain the threat and lessen the number of attacks. The book dispels a number of myths about terrorists and their motives, and also offers many policy suggestions. Richardson is connected to a network of folks who have been studying world terrorism for decades, and our lawmakers would be wise to call upon them to share their wisdom.

Posted by: Carol Wright | February 6, 2008 7:41 PM

I recommend "Yes or No - The Guide to Better Decisions" by Spencer Johnson, M.D. Unlike his book "The One Minute Manager" which is only somewhat useful, "Yes or No" offers a process and road map for decision making that leads to better decisions based on available information and the persons intuition, intelligence, and insight.

Posted by: Michael Shelby | February 6, 2008 7:40 PM

Assault on Reason by Al Gore

Posted by: Peggy Tibbetts | February 6, 2008 7:31 PM

I recommend he/she reads 'Hunter's Wingmen' at www.usdoj.gr It is an electronic book.

Posted by: field mcconnell | February 6, 2008 7:22 PM

Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market by Murray N. Rothbard Murray N. Rothbard's great treatise Man, Economy, and State and its complementary text Power and Market provides a sweeping presentation of Austrian economic theory, a reconstruction of many aspects of that theory, a rigorous criticism of alternative schools, and an inspiring look at a science of liberty that concerns nearly everything and should concern everyone.

Posted by: Jeremy | February 6, 2008 7:21 PM

I would recommend our next president read BECOMING JEFFERSON'S PEOPLE - RE-INVENTING the AMERICAN REPUBLIC IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY by Clay S. Jenkinson -- A small, thin volume with a BIG message.

Posted by: judith vendrzyk | February 6, 2008 7:20 PM

I would recommend that the President read A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander et al. That is because it is an outstanding and unique book about how to design things -- from regions to highways to houses to bedrooms -- in a way that corresponds to human needs and a humane social life and draws on both accumulated cultural knowledge and scholarly research. In this way, it is a model for how to think about planning and designing things of any kind, whether architectural, urban, or social.

Posted by: Jeremy J. Shapiro | February 6, 2008 7:16 PM

I would suggest the Chalmers Johnson trilogy. If they can only read one it should be the last one: Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Empire.

Posted by: Bruce Johnson | February 6, 2008 7:13 PM

The Machinery of Freedom: Guide to a Radical Capitalism by David D. Friedman This book argues the case for a society organized by private property, individual rights, and voluntary co-operation, with little or no government. Among topics covered: how the U.S. would benefit from unrestricted immigration; why prohibition of drugs is inconsistent with a free society; why the welfare state mainly takes from the poor to help the not-so-poor; how police protection, law courts, and new laws could all be provided privately; what life was really like under the anarchist legal system of medieval Iceland; why non-intervention is the best foreign policy; why no simple moral rules can generate acceptable social policies -- and why these policies must be derived in part from the new discipline of economic analysis of law.

Posted by: Eliza Simpson | February 6, 2008 7:12 PM

Gold: The Once and Future Money by Nathan Lewis Though I doubt any politician would heed it's message.

Posted by: Sam Crenge | February 6, 2008 7:05 PM

"The Shock Doctrine: Rise Of Disaster Capitalism" by Naomi Klein is the most profound book that I've read in my lifetime. It's about why we are now back in a feudal society taking the rest of the world with us. It is a new paradigm from which to view our world. From Chile to Poland to Baghdad to Katrina, economists turn out to be as evil as any tyrant. It devastates Milton Friedman and the lighter Rubin/ Greenspan version and shows it to be just a big flim flam that has wreaked misery and death. Truly a frightening and important book. It's companion piece is "Legacy of Ashes" which chronicles one failure after another of a bunch of elite alcoholic jerks known as C.I.A. top officials. Shocking and depressing. "Free Lunch" as mentioned and Robert Kuttner's "The Squandering of America" also put the screws to the so-called free market theory otherwise known as feudalism. "Ending Poverty in America" edited by John Edwards.

Posted by: MontanaMaven | February 6, 2008 7:01 PM

Book everyone should read, Collapse by Jared Diamond. It reminds us that how we live today effects generations to come or if they do.

Posted by: Saran Kirschbaum | February 6, 2008 7:01 PM

Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government by P. J. O'Rourke and Andrew Ferguson. 'Cause believe me, he's gonna need it.

Posted by: Emily Pilsner | February 6, 2008 6:59 PM

Book everyone should read, Collapse by Jared Diamond. It reminds us that how we live today effects generations to come or if they do.

Posted by: Saran Kirschbaum | February 6, 2008 6:59 PM

The next president cannot take office and base his administration on a deadly lie; He or she cannot, therefore, blindly adopt as fact the unbelievable and destructive deception that has been perpetrated on our country and its citizens by a handful of greedy, violent, power-mad people. In order for this country to heal, the lie must be exposed, the indicted must be brought to justice, and the guilty punished for all the pain, sorrow, suffering and death they have brought upon their own countrymen. That's why I suggest Debunking 9/11 Debunking by David Ray Griffin

Posted by: Wayne Johnson | February 6, 2008 6:55 PM

I'm sorry I came to this thread late; I read about it on truthout.com. Here's a book for the next president's shelf that no one has mentioned yet. It has gotten hardly any attention from American reviewers, perhaps because it was written by the Canadian military historian and journalist, Gwynne Dyer. It is THE MESS THEY MADE: THE MIDDLE EAST AFTER IRAQ. Dyer melds hard-nosed common sense with a remarkably mastery of the facts to produce an explanation that not only the next president, but every Washington legislator and every concerned citizen should read.

Posted by: Dave Zimny | February 6, 2008 6:55 PM

Book everyone should read, Collapse by Jared Diamond. It reminds us that how we live today effects generations to come or not.

Posted by: Saran Kirschbaum | February 6, 2008 6:54 PM

I hope the President would read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

Posted by: Elmer Kuhlman | February 6, 2008 6:53 PM

Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement by Brian Doherty Great show, by the way.

Posted by: Jimmy McWilliams | February 6, 2008 6:50 PM

Anyone else having problems with this blog? - my name shows up over a message I didn't write, and the message I did write has someone else's name on it.

Posted by: Joan Collins Lambert | February 6, 2008 6:48 PM

B.K.S. Iyengar's latest book, "Light on Life" is what I want my next president to read.

Posted by: Janna Peterson | February 6, 2008 6:43 PM

A Drug War Carol by Susan Wells and Scott Bieser. The travesty of The War on (some) Drugs needs to end before it destroys more lives.

Posted by: Eric G Wilson | February 6, 2008 6:42 PM

"The Law" by Frederic Bastiat

Posted by: Bob Johnson | February 6, 2008 6:39 PM

Thank You for your wonderful, thoughtful and educational show. My Recommendation of a book for the next President is: MAKING GLOBALIZATION WORK by Joseph E Stiglitz Published in 2006, it is a study on economics that is good for our country and the world. My b

Posted by: Lillian E Goodman | February 6, 2008 6:35 PM

I would hope that the President would have read THE MAKING OF THE ATOMIC BOMB by Richard Rhodes. It makes the horrors of modern warfare all too clear. It also dramatizes the intense desire of nations to come up with the next new weapon in order to stay ahead of the current enemy. That desire in this case creates a juggernaut which cannot be halted even when the balance of power shifts and the wise minds who started the process say "stop, the situation has changed." Yes, as another viewer of your show wrote, it did prove Americans can complete big projects. But especially in the case of defense projects, we must always remain reflective enough to decide if our ultimate goal will be truly defensive.

Posted by: Mary Lynn | February 6, 2008 6:26 PM

The freeborn men and women of the getyourhandsdirty.net forums would greatly appreciate it if the future POTUS would read the book, "Unintended Consequences" by John Ross. PS: Trust us, Mr. President, it beats the hell out of that David Ray Griffin tripe. ;)

Posted by: Mother Batherick | February 6, 2008 5:59 PM

I'd recommend our incoming president read "The Bottom Billion" by Paul Collier, an economics professor at Oxford University and former director of research at the World Bank. Collier's thesis is insightful, clear and concise -- four types of "traps" (1.civil war; 2.dependence on natural resources for economic growth; 3. being landlocked with bad neighbors; and 4. bad governance in a small country) combine to condemn roughly one billion people in various parts of the world to intractable poverty. His analysis exposes why traditional methods to address global poverty (and poverty's handmaid, violence) -- economic aid on one hand, military intervention on the other -- may each be effective in certain circumstances but are nonetheless limited and costly treatments that may not reach root causes. Yet he notes that each of these "traps" can also be addressed by good -- and comparatively inexpensive -- policy decisions on the part of the developed world's leaders. Collier's book directly applies to the challenges that the United States faces in 1) Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Global War on Terror and 2) the economic ramifications -- both domestic and foreign -- of the globalization of trade. Each issue is high on the list of worries...

Posted by: Brian Knestout | February 6, 2008 5:55 PM

COMMON SENSE!

Posted by: Ronda Berkeley | February 6, 2008 5:53 PM

War Is The Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges

Posted by: Wilma | February 6, 2008 5:48 PM

The Books that I would recommend to the new President would be the following: THE IDEA THAT IS AMERICA by Anne-Marie Slaughter THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck TEAM OF RIVALS by Doris Kearns Goodwin Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond The EPIC story of the “Everyman” against the massive corporate machine continues to play out in today’s politics. The next President will need to call each of us to the ideas and values that are the foundation of this country. They will need to know and understand the failures of past great empires and inspire in each of us a vision for our future that is GREATER than ever imagined. They will need to harness the talents and ideas from every sphere of our society. Mr. Moyers, thank you for seeking the truth and fighting for a free and open press. You are a true American Hero. http://melissafrei.wordpress.com

Posted by: melissafrei | February 6, 2008 5:47 PM

Democracy Maters: By Cornel West....There has never been a much timely and opportuned season, for the repair of a battered, injured, fractured and mis-understood demo"critical" state....This book by the good Doctor, is the blueprint and written manual for "D"emocracy of the 21st Century.

Posted by: Tolu Olorunda | February 6, 2008 5:15 PM

How about the very simple book from Dr. Seuss, "Horton hears a Who". This is about an elephant, Horton saving the Whos in Who-ville. Horton can not see the Who, but he can hear them. The Who ask Horton to protect them from harm. The core of the story is that a person is a person no matter how small. Horton could only do so much then the Who have to help themselves by doing their part to be heard. I always believed this to be a classic story of our own democratic society. Horton as a representative in congress and the Who as the people. Neither one can achieve much without the other. But Horton can do more if the Who can be heard by the other Jungle Animals.

Posted by: Jody in Sunnyvale, CA | February 6, 2008 3:18 PM

David Cay Johnston's New Book, "Free Lunch" would be the best book for our next President and cabinet to read.

Posted by: RONALD McGINLEY | February 6, 2008 3:16 PM

"My Pet Goat" It worked for the past 7 years why reinvent the voter now. The 1% are laughing all the way to their WAR CHEST right now. Best Movie "Dumb and Dumber" it so real its true.

Posted by: Hey | February 6, 2008 3:15 PM

I would recommend that the person seeking to be our next president read The Third Millenium by Ken Carey. We are entering a new paradigm. Our future is secure but still unwritten. Ken's insight and profound poetic persuasions are worthy of a glimpse. Blessings/Peace, John Hosay (Goochland County, Virginia)

Posted by: John Hosay | February 6, 2008 3:12 PM

Go back to this country's roots. There was one book that created the definition "American" - Thomas Paine's "Common Sense." Really, this book should be in every family next to their religious text.

Posted by: Crickett Hoffman | February 6, 2008 3:04 PM

The next president should read Nickel and Dimed by Barbara E. - for a look at the real world.

Posted by: Janet K. | February 6, 2008 2:46 PM

I suggest John Perkin - Confessions Of An Economic Hit Man. Thanks. Robert D. Williams

Posted by: Robert D. Williams | February 6, 2008 2:36 PM

Apollo's Fire - Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy - Jay Inslee and Bracken Hendricks. We need more intiative in alternative energy sources.

Posted by: John | February 6, 2008 2:34 PM

I would suggest Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America -- the 2001 bestseller in which Barbara Ehrenreich articulately described her several months spent working undercover at the most low-level jobs (hotel maid, waitress at diner, discount store clerk, etc.) We need leaders who know and understand the challenges facing those who have the least power and privilege!

Posted by: Chris Edwards | February 6, 2008 2:29 PM

Apollo's Fire - Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy - Jay Inslee and Bracken Hendricks We some more initiatives in alternative energy sources.

Posted by: John | February 6, 2008 2:28 PM

The best book for the next president and for the rest of us who will vote for her or him is DAVID CAY JOHNSTON'S FREE LUNCH. It should be required reading for all of us, Democrat, Republican, or Independent. Since I reviewed it on my blog, www.writingdoctor.typepad.com, I'll just copy my post here for everyone to read: “The rich,” said F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Roaring Twenties’ chronicler of corruption, “are very different from us.” Now, 80 years later, David Cay Johnston’s brilliant new book, FREE LUNCH: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill) (Portfolio, December 27th, 2007), demonstrates how much the richest of the rich are different from you and me. Yes, “They have more money,” as Hemingway, unimpressed, replied to Fitzgerald. But Johnston, Pulitzer Prize-winning tax expert of the NEW YORK TIMES and Rochester resident, makes clear how much money the super-rich steal from the rest of us--and what they cost us. Addicted to money, the rich buy themselves ever-bigger chunks of political power--and we must pay the bill. Who are these super-rich? How do they fill their already bulging pockets? In 2005, 300,000 individuals, constituting the top tenth of the...

Posted by: Nancy Yanes Hoffman | February 6, 2008 2:27 PM

I have read Free Lunch by David Cay Johnston. This should be read by everyone who pays taxes. No where else can you learn how the tax system is subsidizing the rich.

Posted by: Eric Geist | February 6, 2008 2:19 PM

I would suggest "Who Moved My Cheese", by Spencer Johnson, M.D. The world and the world of politics is an ever changing place, and I just couldn't take it if there was a president blamed his ineffectiveness on Congress, or whoever. He needs to be adaptable to be able to make lemonade out of lemons. Our futures depend on it.

Posted by: Vee | February 6, 2008 2:17 PM

The book I think a President should read is Paul Krugman's "The Great Unraveling", because I think he has the best and most complete information about this country's economic situation and excellent options on what to do. Krugman is one of the rare journalists who is both brilliant and humble.

Posted by: Doris Buchanan | February 6, 2008 2:13 PM

I think all the presidential candidates should read Mike Gravel's book, Citizen Power. And when they're done reading it, they should hit themselves (hard, and continuously) for being such awful candidates.

Posted by: Emilee | February 6, 2008 2:00 PM

I would like to see the next president read David Cay Johnston's recently published book, "Free Lunch". As a former United Airlines Captain whistle blower who was prevented from speaking out on alleged white-collar federal criminality in the post-9/11 airline bankruptcy debacle, I have discovered first-hand the stranglehold that the powerful Wall Street banks an other corporations have on both sides of the aisle in Congress and our Department of Justice through the evidence that has been collected by a grassroots organization called The Whistleblowing United Pilots Assn. The United Whistleblower Association continues to press forward in forcing government to investigate the incontrovertible evidence at hand, but witness protection is required for key criminal informants in the case, which has not been provided by our Department of Justice for obvious reasons. We will not relent; we will not give up. The current federal loopholes in our nations bankruptcy laws favor these huge corporations, but when evidence has been produced, which suggests alleged federal criminality that continues to be ignored by both the Department of Justice and the relevant congressional oversight committees, it makes one wonder whether we truly have a federal government, which is paid for by our hard-earned tax...

Posted by: Dan Hanley | February 6, 2008 1:58 PM

The Creature from Jekyll Island : A Second Look at the Federal Reserve by G. Edward Griffin. Put him on your show sometime and let's learn how to overpower the pirates who have wrested control of the United States of America from the Constitution. Also, Addicted To War: Why The U.s. Can't Kick Militarism by Joel Andreas.

Posted by: Samuel Teolis | February 6, 2008 1:58 PM

"Debunking 9/11 Debunking" by David Ray Griffin - or any of his books on 9/11. We have been told "9/11 changed everything", and indeed it has! The truth of 911 is the single most important issue of our time because the lie of 911 has been the excuse for perpetual war and the shredding of our constitution.

Posted by: Nancy J Walker | February 6, 2008 1:50 PM

I hope (no doubt in vain) that the next president will have read Naomi Wolf's The End of America. Failing that, I would love to see Bill Moyers interview her on the show. I am not entirely sure what to make of her case, and I believe that an appearance on The Journal would help me sort it out. Her book is quite popular (about #500 on Amazon.com) yet I don't see her in the mainstream media.

Posted by: Robert Perry | February 6, 2008 1:42 PM

I hope (no doubt in vain) that the next president will have read Naomi Wolf's The End of America. Failing that, I would love to see Bill Moyers interview her on the show. I am not entirely sure what to make of her case, and I believe that an appearance on The Journal would help me sort it out. Her book is quite popular (about #500 on Amazon.com) yet I don't see her in the mainstream media.

Posted by: Robert Perry | February 6, 2008 1:37 PM

David Cay Johnston's "Free Lunch."

Posted by: Jonathan G. | February 6, 2008 1:32 PM

"..........Dare to imagine if someone found a better way to solve our world problems and free ourselves from all this senseless suffering..............." The book, "The Art of Non-War", is the book I would absolutely and gratefully choose to read by Kim Michaels. God Bless this author!!

Posted by: Anna Kyllonen | February 6, 2008 1:29 PM

I recommend "THE KASIDAH OF HAJI ABDU EL-YEZDI" by Sir Richard Burton as reading for a future President - or anyone else!

Posted by: Dr. M. Coxon | February 6, 2008 1:20 PM

The Shock Doctrine It is the most significant book that I've read regarding the history of the United States for my time. It is a parallel to the Japanese leaving Pearl Harbor out of their history books. This book deserves a pulitzer and to be in our our US history classrooms. The footprint this book makes is historical and explains how our government got away from we the people and how it is impossible for us to even call ourselves a democracy. It is most disturbing to me that this book had to educate me about how our government truly operates and functions with blatant disregard to the citizens of our nation and other nations. Democrat and Republican alike need to read this book.

Posted by: Chris Davis | February 6, 2008 1:13 PM

THREE DAY ROAD, Joseph Boyden Viking, Penguin A WW1 Epic. 2 Canadian Indians battle the Germans in France... Why combat is an insanity comparable to cannabalism in human beings. James Olmas plannng the movie.

Posted by: BARBARA BEASLEY MURPHY | February 6, 2008 1:11 PM

I just finished FREE LUNCH by Johnston - it's fantastic. I think everyone should read it.

Posted by: megan | February 6, 2008 1:07 PM

David Cay Johnston’s book Free Lunch would be a perfect choice

Posted by: Rob | February 6, 2008 1:04 PM

How about Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed"? It's a harsh reminder of what the real world is all about.

Posted by: Carolyn | February 6, 2008 1:03 PM

Power Reading

TrackBack

Comments