The American Spectator

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Christmas Books 2007, Part III

12.13.07 @ 12:07AM

(Page 2 of 2)

All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren (1946). A work of fiction that closely mirrors the political life of Governor Huey Long of Louisiana, the novel tells the story of the rise and fall of southern governor Willie Stark. The story is narrated by Jack Burden, Stark's political right hand, who is able to maintain his integrity while watching Stark rise to political power through dirty politics and back-room deals. In the end, Stark rises to political fame but pays a high price for his path to power.

The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay (1787 & 1788). Written during the years 1787 and 1788, the Federalist Papers eloquently argue for the ratification of the United States Constitution and explain why this new form of government was the best choice for America. Through 85 essays, Hamilton, Madison, and Jay explain how the government would function and explain the theory of democracy. While the papers were originally published in several New York newspapers to persuade New York citizens to ratify the Constitution, the papers remain perhaps the best documentation of the thinking of our Founding Fathers regarding the birth of American democracy.

Plunkitt of Tammany Hall by William L. Riordan (1905). This book provides a look into the world of big city "machine" politics from the first-person perspective. Journalist William L. Riordan published the series of interviews with George Washington Plunkitt, New York state senator and Tammany Hall ward boss.

A More Perfect Constitution by Larry J. Sabato (2007). This book will ask readers to set aside their own political loyalties, to look past the current "values" debates and hot-button issues, to consider this very real possibility: that the failure of the nation to update the Constitution and the structure of government it originally bequeathed to us is at the root of our current political dysfunction.

Larry J. Sabato is Center for Politics founder and Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, and the author of over 20 books on the American political process, including Feeding Frenzy: How Attack Journalism Has Transformed American Politics. His latest book, A More Perfect Constitution: 23 Proposals to Revitalize Our Constitution and Make America a Fairer Country, is on sale now.

R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.
Let me begin by saying Clarence Thomas has written what I consider the Best Book of The Year, which is not an accolade that I confer easily, as my book on Boy Clinton's ribald life in retirement (and Hillary's rise to presidential plausibility) is now out, The Clinton Crack-Up. Yet there you have it. My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir is a powerful book about the racism that Thomas had to overcome both in the Jim Crow South and in the liberal Kultursmog: at Yale Law School, in official Washington, and before Senate confirmation hearings that were the most unjust assault on a presidential nominee in American history. Thomas's memoir is also a powerful account of spiritual growth and the role faith can play in saving a man from certain destruction. This is a narrative on Justice Thomas's growth from poverty, through 1960s radicalism, and on to public service at the highest level -- a struggle that has left him the most noble figure in American public life today.

Another book I recommend purchasing this season is James Piereson's Camelot and the Cultural Revolution. Drawing on a wide array of materials, Piereson offers an intriguing explanation of how the dominant American political movement in the 20th century, liberalism, declined into the adolescent anger that is now its essence. In sum and in fine, Piereson believes that the Kennedy assassination was a blow from which the liberals never recovered.

After writing a superb biography of FDR, Conrad Black has now taken up the challenge of Richard Nixon and in an engaging style supported by wide-ranging research removed the prefix "disgraced" from the president's name. Black convinced many conservatives that Roosevelt deserved a more favorable appraisal than they had given him for generations. Will Black's case for a more charitable appraisal of Nixon persuade any liberals? I have my doubts. They are very angry.

By the way, not all conservatives are willing to reassess FDR in a rosy light. Amity Shlaes's The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression reveals how little FDR (and Herbert Hoover) knew about economics and how the New Deal prolonged the Great Depression. Had Roosevelt had access to Milton Friedman rather than Rexford Tugwell, the Great Depression might not have been so great.

Finally, two other books have fetched my admiration. Not surprisingly, John Adamson's chronicle of the uprising against Charles I is a stupendous history. I say not surprisingly because in this very issue Andrew Roberts recommends The Noble Revolt: The Overthrow of Charles I, and Andrew's assessments of history are unassailable. And for the last word on Arthur Schlesinger, read his delightful Journals: 1952-2000. While he was alive I enjoyed ribbing him. Now after his death I shall go on the record. I relished reading him.

R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. is the founder and editor in chief of The American Spectator. His latest book is The Clinton Crack-Up: The Boy President's Life After the White House (Nelson Current).

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These Christmas Book recommendations appear in the December 2007-January 2008 issue of The American Spectator. Part IV of this year's recommendations will be posted tomorrow. To read Tuesday's Part I, click here; to read yesterday's Part II, click here.

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