The Top 10 Bridge Building Books to Buy This Holiday Season
Epictetus, the Greek philosopher, believed that “books are the training weights of the mind.” In an era of 24-hour news infotainment, social media misinformation, and sloganeering without nuance, our minds need retraining. To that end, Divided We Fall is proud to publish our fifth annual holiday booklist. Grab one of these books and head to the mental gym to think harder, question deeper, and understand better.
American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard. In this thought-provoking historical analysis, Woodard argues that North America is made up of eleven distinct nations—from the Deep South to the Far West, to Yankeedom and El Norte—each with its own unique historical roots. Woodard reveals how each region continues to uphold its distinguishing ideals and identities today, with results that can be seen in the composition of the current U.S. Congress or in our election maps.
Opposing Viewpoints: Police Reform by Eamon Doyle. The Opposing Viewpoints series is a phenomenal resource of almost 100 books that explore varying opinions on current political debates. The series attempts to encourage critical thinking in students and adults alike by providing opposing views on contentious issues. In Opposing Viewpoints: Police Reform, Divided We Fall contributor Carl Schuman’s op-ed on qualified immunity is syndicated! Read his opinion, and many more, in this fantastic book.
Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media by Jacob Mchangama. Free speech is supposed to be the bedrock of democracy, but today in democracies and authoritarian states around the world, it is on the retreat. In Free Speech, Jacob Mchangama traces the legal, political, and cultural history of this idea. He reveals how the free exchange of ideas underlies all intellectual achievement, has enabled the advancement of both freedom and equality worldwide, and how much we stand to lose without it.
Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism by Michael Parenti. Here at Divided We Fall, we believe in taking our own medicine and, while not always easy, that we become stronger for doing so. To that end, we participate in book exchanges with people we disagree with in order to better understand their viewpoints and share our own. This year, we read Blackshirts and Reds by Marxist Michael Parenti, which aims to differentiate between Fascism and Communism and demonstrate connections between Capitalism and Fascism. Through his iconoclastic views, Parenti publishes a readable treatise that, while you may not agree with much (or any) of it, will make you question your assumptions and refine your understanding.
America the Fearful: Media and the Marketing of National Panics By Benjamin Radford. National panics about crime, immigrants, police, and societal degradation have been pervasive in the United States of the 21st century. Yet Americans must sort through which fears are legitimate threats and which are amplified exaggerations. This book combines investigative journalism, psychology, and neuroscience to address why many Americans believe the country is in horrible shape and will continue to deteriorate even in the face of contradictory evidence.
Drawing Fire: Investigating the Accusations of Apartheid in Israel by Benjamin Pogrund. Since October 7th, debates about Israel and Palestine have been raging at home and abroad. Tragically, much of the resulting protests have been violent, hateful, and misinformed. Terms are being thrown around without regard for fact or nuance. In this book, Pogrund, who spent 26 years as a journalist in apartheid South Africa and who has been facilitating dialogue in Israel for the past 15 years, investigates the accusation of Israeli apartheid and the motives of those who make it. This is a must-read for anyone who cares about history, facts, and peace.
100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting by E.J. Dionne Jr. and Miles Rapoport. Americans are required to pay taxes, serve on juries, get driver’s licenses, and sometimes go to war for their country. So why not ask—or require—every American to vote? In 100% Democracy, Dionne and Rapoport argue that universal participation in our elections would be the surest way to protect against voter suppression and the active disenfranchisement of a large share of our citizens. True to the aspirations of the Declaration of Independence, universal voting would finally create a government based on the consent of all of the governed.
Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse by Timothy P. Carner. Conservative journalist and commentator Timothy Carney continues the conversation begun with Hillbilly Elegy and Bowling Alone in this hard-hitting analysis that identifies the true reason behind the decline of the American dream. It is not purely the result of economics, as the Left claims, but the collapse of the institutions that made us successful, including marriage, church, and civic life. In Alienated America, Carney visits all corners of America and explains the most important data and research to demonstrate how the social connection is the great divide in America.
The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World by Aaron Wessman. If we’re going to find a way out of this era of polarization and partisanship, we are going to need leaders from all communities–political, media, business, sports, religion, and more–to stand up and speak out against incivility. In this book, Father Wessman does exactly that, making the case for the Bible’s support for civility, empathy, and grace. In so doing, he highlights the work that Divided We Fall has done to promote conversations between those who disagree.
Divided We Fall, by Alice Rivlin with Sheri and Alan Rivlin. The Rivlins provide a detailed outline of the history of polarization and partisanship in U.S. politics while highlighting numerous hopeful efforts to bridge ideological divides in Washington, state capitols and city governments, and communities around the country. This book is a practical guide for Americans across the political spectrum who are agonizing over partisan warfare, incivility, and policy gridlock and looking for ways they can help to get our country back on a constructive track before it is too late.
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