Posted on 01/25/2013 4:07:07 PM PST by Ennis85
Hi, I'm interested in reading about American politics and for a while I've been reading through Henry Kissinger's memoirs. I have to say they're a bloody good read, there are 3 volumes of them and well over a thousand pages each. They're pretty well written, rich in detail and he does defend himself well.
So they made me want to look for more books with regards to republican policy throughout American history,thinking maybe there are some that could rival Kissinger.
So basically I'm asking if anyone can recommend any decent books by republicans. I don't care if they're from the Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan or Bush eras
The Way the World Works—Jude Wanniski
Three collections of speeches by Calvin Coolidge
Taxation, The People’s Business—Andrew Mellon
“Armey’s Axioms” by Dick Armey.
I have Ronald Reagan’s greatest speeches Vol I & II. If your new to US politics I suggest you start there. (it on CD as I travel every day)
decision points was great. not to mention selfless. highly recommended.
I liked Clarence Thomas’s book. I’ve also heard that Margaret Thatcher’s books are good (not Republican, but conservative).
http://www.amazon.com/Margaret-Thatcher/e/B000APFTWE
Geez, I would never read anything by Kissinger. I would however, reccommend Nixon’s books. He was a fantastic writer and historian. Skip his memoirs. Too long. His book, In the Arena, which is basically a memoir was great. Also by him, Leaders, detailing all the great statesmen he knew. No More Vietnams was a great history of what really happened in Vietnam. And The Real War, written in 1980 will give you a real picture of what the world was like in the late 1970’s. Reagan used it in his campaign. After reading Nixon’s books, I knew the postwar period backwards and forwards, just because he was part of it from beginning to end.
I’d also reccomend Witness as another poster has. The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge was short but brilliant. And for politics sake, you should read The Conscience of a Conservative and A Choice, not an Echo by Goldwater and Phyllis Schlafley respectively. If you want a full American History, read A History of the American People by Paul Johnson. If you want a ton of background on the conservative movement, then read Before the Storm and the first volume of The Age of Reagan.
That should tide you over for a while, haha
Goldwater’s first memoir With No Apologies was better than his second. And I can’t remember the name of it either.
Oh, Reagan’s War was awesome!
The Reagan I Knew by W F Buckley
Decision Points. GW Bush. I never thought he was truly conservative enough but this is a great memoir of an important time in America’s history. Of course now he looks like a true conservative compared the current _resident.
Barry Goldwater - Conscience of a Conservative
OMG though the book-on-tape version of “The Education of Henry Adams” could be used for enhanced interrogation, don’t you think?
Brilliant man, extraordinary family, in the thick of history—yet stupifyingly dull!
Upstream; The Ascendence of American Conservatism
By Al Regnery
>>>ignore the Republican requirement and mention my favorite political memoirs<<<
Churchill’s memoirs and histories are endlessly rewarding.
What a great loss that man was to this country (something very few people even realize, --if they've ever so much as given a minute's thought to James Garfield).
“In His Own Hand” by Ronald Reagan
For a detailed memoir of History since the 1960’s by a man who has served as US Congressman, SECDEF (twice) and numerous other posts, try Donald Rumsfeld’s “Known and Unknown”...simply fascinating!
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