I want to buy one of the fabulous books recently released

[SemperEadem]

Joe Wilson, Richard Clarke...

Who's read any of the books that have been released in the last 6 months and which one do you recommend if I had only enough cash to buy one of them (as is the case right now)?

[ezee]

1. I've read clarks book and its great!

If you go to Amazon they have all the books there, and you can buy used ones for a great price, which I have done. Also they give a brak on shipping if you hit there limit.

[shraby]

2. You can always get them

from the library if you can't find them in a bookstore..cheaper too.

[alcuno]

3. Clarke's is better because he was on the inside.

The first chapter is riveting.

[Touchdown]

4. Clarke's book is a great history lesson, but dry in places.

It depends on what your looking for. I haven't read Wilson's book, and frankly, I'm a little tired of reading about the inner workings of the * White House...something I find hard to stomach in the first place...I've read so many books taht deal with the * WH, that I'm taking a break for my sanity right now...

Which is why I do not recommend Suskind's "The Price of Loyalty". Although very informative, it's just depressing, because it's all about the White House players, and at times it's almost apologetic towards them.

One book I really did enjoy was "Fraud"...very funny, and well written.

How about a new one, that just takes on the right?...

"The Right Wing Noise Machine" by David Brock

"Freethinkers: a History of Secular America" by Susan Jacoby

[LizW]

5. I recommend Clarke's book and John Dean's

As someone up thread said, Clarke's book is a great history lesson.

Dean's book is an easier read, but probably won't tell you anything you don't already know. It is just rather frightening to have someone so intimately involved with Watergate point out how Watergate paled in comparison to Bush's treason.

I also highly recommend "The Sorrows of Empire" by Chalmers Johnson. It is chock full of factual information that helps make sense of the neocon imperialism that we are experiencing now.

[nomatrix]

16. I agree Chalmers Johnson

"Sorrows of Empire" is excellent and frightening, because we have real examples of Empires that came before, and crumbled. Most of all how it is imperative we lose this administration, and make some serious changes in congress. (More detailed, heavy reading)
I got this at the library no wait.

If you are just starting out:
"The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" Greg Palast
"The Hunting of the President" Joe Cosonan Gene Lyons
"Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" Al Franken
"Blinded by the Right" David Brock
"Fortunate Son" JH Hatfield
All pretty easy reads.

Online reading and visuals
John O'Neill "the man who knew"
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/view/
His name was mentioned a few times with the WTC and bin laden. Richard Clarke speaks throughout this documentary. If you can't get his book.

I think with the elections approaching it is important for anyone who has fence sitters in their circle of family or friends to be informed when getting into a political discussion. These books can give you some real talking points, and very easy questions to get started.

[Justice]

6. Clarke

He weaves together the facts in a coherent fashion - really amazing

[oldlady]

7. John Dean's - hands down

have read all those listed & Dean's is the most anxiety-producing -- or reality-stressing... you know what I mean.

[alittlelark]

14. JOHN DEAN

Most Definately

[salin]

8. Only one - I would go with John Dean.

Bigger context (covers more areas) - and framed in a way that gives great, documented, unrefutable arguments to try out on fencesitting voter friends.

Then I would go to the library to check out the O'Niell and the Clarke book. Haven't read Wilson's yet - so put in an order for that and pass on the highlights!

[Zan_of_Texas]

9. Two suggestions. Oops, three.

I haven't read Clarke or Dean, although I've heard Dean twice and thought he was excellent.

For shear info, lucidly written, I'd recommend Kevin Phillips. American Dynasty. He covers 4 generations of the Bush family, and brings in a huge amount of the history of nearly the past century, with both depth and breadth. Phillips was briefly in the Nixon administration, so no one will accuse him of being a wild-eyed liberal. But he really really does not like Bush, for a variety of well-founded reasons.

For a quick read that nevertheless is well written (and often wry) and sheds light on under-covered topics, check out Bushwomen by Laura Flanders. Some of you may have heard her on weekend evenings on Air America. She covers women in the Bush cabinet, and points out how BushCo uses an "estrogen shield" to trot out women to take the heat sometimes -- for instance, when Afghanistan wasn't going well, Karen Hughes et al. trotted out to claim that the real reason the US was there was to liberate the Afghan women -- Flanders points out that it was an amazing thing -- the US military all of a sudden became world headquarters for feminism!

For a book that focuses less on Bush and BushCo personalities and more on concepts, and brings together a great and amazing framework of topics I have been working to understand for years, pick We the People: A Call to Take Back America by Thom Hartmann. Hartmann does radio and has written other books about topics such as giving corporations too much power (and rights under the Constitution). He has a number of pieces that can be found at Commondreams.org

We the People is a wonderful, illustrated book that covers BIG topics like corporate power, black box voting, war profiteering, etc. www.we-the-people-book.com The illustrations are cartoons, but this is a brilliant, serious book, explained so an intelligent, curious person could grasp it. Read it! Give it to friends and family!

[Stephanie]

11. Hi Zan!

Eventful few weeks, eh?

[Zan_of_Texas]

12. Hi Stef!

You said it!

We miss ya!

[nostamj]

10. Worse Than Watergate

hands down.

and Huffingtons's FOOLS AND FANTATICS a close second

but if you haven't read Alterman's WHAT LIBERAL MEDIA? well, you must, you just must!

[kaitykaity]

13. I've read both Clarke, Wilson, and Dean, and

I still think the best book I've read so far about this mess
is "Secrets and Lies" by Dilip Hiro. It's a must read.

http://www.biography-reviews.com/Secrets_and_Lies_Operation_Iraqi_Freedom_and_After_A_Prelude_to_the_Fall_of_US_Power_in_the_Middle_East_1560255560.html

[Hamlette]

15. Plug for Joe Wilson's book

not because it has so much on this admin but because it doesn't. The first half of the book is being in the state department overseas. I kept thinking if I had my life to live over, I'd live Wilson's life.

Price of Loyalty is great, as is Clarke's book. I'm reading Brock's now and also picked up Dionne's. I'll keep you posted on those two.