As the presidential election fast approaches, there's no more appropriate book to revisit than Norman Mailer's evocation of the chaotic nomination processes of both parties in 1968. Personal, unflinching, and illuminating in its consideration of American political culture, this is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how today's bitterly divided country arose.

David Remnick’s account of Barack Obama’s life and rise to the Presidency illuminates the ideas and ambitions of “a man nobody sent.” Employing a wealth of revealing interviews, the New Yorker editor delivers insight into how the political crucible of Chicago shaped an idealistic young lawyer into a figure of national transformation. Read more...