When it comes to politics, there is one thing that most people agree on: making an informed decision about your vote matters. Of course there are myriad ways to stay informed and educated, and it’s great to consult multiple sources of information. So, gearing up for the grind of election season, I decided to give myself a small reading challenge. There are only three prompts, so feel free to join me!
Image by Chris Piascik. Click through for the artist’s website.
1. Read a Book About an Election Issue You Care About – Hot topics in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election include immigration, gun control, healthcare, and more, but I urge you to define what matters most to you and go from there. In terms of “issues” books, I recently read Not Funny Ha-Ha, a graphic novel that straightforwardly describes two different women who choose to have abortions, and The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap, which I can’t stop talking about. I have plenty more on my “to read” list, including Burning Down the House: the End of Juvenile Prison and Between the World and Me.
2. Read a Book About Media or Politics – To me, the political process is sometimes as interesting and relevant as the outcomes. Insight about behind-the-scene antics help us understand how arguments and messages are being constructed, and interpreted (or misinterpreted). Right now, I’m in the midst of Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class and The Influencing Machine, and loving them both.
3. Read a book about or by a candidate – There are so many choices, I’m not even sure where to start. Choose your own adventure:
- Jeb Bush
- Ben Carson
- Chris Christie
- Hillary Clinton
- Ted Cruz
- Carly Fiorina
- Mike Huckabee
- Bobby Jindal
- John Kasich
- Rand Paul
- Marco Rubio
- Bernie Sanders
- Donald Trump
- Scott Walker [ETA 8:35 a.m.: Walker is no longer a candidate for 2016, but you are welcome to read about him anyway!]
How will you be keeping up-to-date this election season?
-Ginny
Eleventh Stack 
Politics go way over my head. This is a cool idea, though.
You’re a writer and a reader. Why then would politics be over your head?
I don’t follow it and I’m not interested.
I find it weird when people say that they are not interested in politics. Politics are in our everyday life. At least, as a nurse, it’s in mine. People never complain about the taxes that you pay? About the school system? About the roads? etc? Politics are everywhere. The difference is “I would just rather not argue politics with people”-that is what it boils down to.
I have my own views on politics. I do not like to argue to a point of disconnecting from others but I think it’s healthy to have disagreement conversations. After all, that is how we learn about each other and the world. But that’s just my opinion, not nec anyone else’s.
Do you have religion challenge? I’m looking for books of general religious nature. Information, insight, facts, customs, beliefs? Not ones that try to convert people, and not ones that are politically bias/hateful but ones with general knowledge of certain religions?
We don’t have one, but we’re going to put together some suggestions for you – hang tight!
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