What Should The Next President Read?
Submitted by dcornwall on Thu, 2008-09-18 17:46.
I'm begging your indulgence for a post that's not really within the scope of Free Government Information, but should be of interest to the many pro and amateur policy wonks out there.
I got to thinking that no matter who wins in November, the next President will face some major challenges. But many of these challenges require knowledge and ways of thought that haven't seemed to be common to our political leaders.
So, being a good librarian, I created a reading/viewing list for the next President. I used OCLC Open WorldCat to build my list and you can find it at http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/dcornwall/lists/188566.
I tried to keep the list short because I know the next President may well be too busy to read much other than reports from his staff and hopefully some outside sources once in a while.
Here are my choices:
Rosenberg, M. B. (2001). The basics of nonviolent communication an introductory training in nonviolent communication. Sherman, TX: Center for Nonviolent Communication.
York, S., & Sheen, M. (2001). Bringing down a dictator. [Washington, D.C.]: York Zimmerman.
Flynn, S. E. (2007). The edge of disaster: rebuilding a resilient nation. New York: Random House.
Theoharis, A. G. (2004). The FBI & American democracy: a brief critical history. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.
York, S., & Kingsley, B. (2000). A force more powerful. [Princeton, NJ]: Films for the Humanities & Sciences.
Muller, R. (2007). Physics for future Presidents, supreme court justices, congressmen, CEOs, diplomats, professors, and other world leaders. Southbank, Victoria: Thomson.
Beck, A. T. (1999). Prisoners of hate: the cognitive basis of anger, hostility, and violence. New York: HarperCollins.
Prothero, S. R. (2007). Religious literacy: what every American needs to know--and doesn't. [San Francisco]: HarperSanFrancisco.
You can read the reasons for my choices on my list.
I think all these items could be consumed and digested between the election and Inauguration Day.
What do *You* think the next President read or watch? Make up your own WorldCat list and post the link to the list here. Tell your friends to make up their own lists. If enough people take up this call, maybe I'll search for ways to get the lists to the attention of our next chief executive.
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Of course, this would imply
Of course, this would imply that the next President has at least some degree of intellectual curiosity, and more importantly, can read something a little higher than "My Pet Goat." I am not holding my breath on this on, though making the list is an interesting exercise.
Our candidates are curious and capable
Based on their accomplishments and public statements, I am convinced that both major party tickets are composed of people who are fully literate and curious about things of interest to them. I could wish that some of them could be interested in different things, but I don't see a toxic lack of curiosity. Bias perhaps. But not lack of curiosity.
That's why the reading list is intended to be non-partisan.
Also, I put on one more book on my list: the Post American World by Fareed Zakaria. I reviewed it on my personal blog at http://alaskanlibrarian.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/book-review-the-post-american-world/.
It's great stuff that will help the next President.
------------------------------------ "And besides all that, what we need is a decentralized, distributed system of depositing electronic files to local libraries willing to host them." -- Daniel Cornwall, tipping his hat to Cato the Elder for the original quote.
OMB Watch
Hi, maybe you can add to your list OMB Watch's 21st Century Right to Know Project Recommendations. They are working on them now.
James' suggested readings for the presidential candidates
Thanks for starting this ball rolling Daniel. Here are my quick suggestions. Also check out this NY Times book review survey of writers for further suggestions. Here's my Worldcat list.
Blogs to read:
Of course there are TONS of blogs, but the following are especially important in terms of understanding American Politics and our relationship with the rest of the world, but especially with the Middle East.
Little Brother
I also added Cory Doctorow's young adult novel, "Little Brother." :-)
Another book for presidential candidates
Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries. By Naomi Wolf (who wrote an amazing article last year called "Fascist America, in 10 easy steps"). Wolf is extremely eloquent and proscribes ways for ordinary citizens to engage in the democratic process to change their communities -- and ultimately the nation -- for the better.
readings for the new president
Dan,
I hope the new President has read the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence, just to start. Here is my list for you to consider. Aimee
Aung San Suu Kyi and Michael Aris. Freedom from Fear: And Other Writings. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.
Derek Curtis Bok. The State of the Nation: Government and the Quest for a Better Society. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1996.
Rachel Carson, Lois Darling, and Louis Darling. Silent Spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962.
Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. New York: Random House, 1952.
Gabriel Garci?a Ma?rquez. One hundred years of solitude. New York: Harper & Row, 1970.
James H. Hutson Religion and the Founding of the American Republic. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1998.
Marcus Aurelius, and Gregory Hays. Meditations. New York: Modern Library, 2002.
Daniel P. Moynihan. Secrecy: The American Experience. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.
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