What’s The Matter With Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America
by Thomas Frank
A careful history and analysis of the Midwest’s stark transformation from liberal to staunchly conservative.
Packaging The Presidency: A History and Criticism of Presidential Campaign Advertising
by Kathleen Hall Jamieson
A study of the decisive role of political advertising in the course and outcome of presidential elections.
What It Takes: The Way to the White House
by Richard Ben Cramer
A rare lens into the discrepancies between the candidates’ public and personal identities in the 1988 presidential election.
Miami and the Siege of Chicago
by Norman Mailer
A narrative of the 1968 party conventions and how they created a permanent fissure in American politics.
The Matador’s Cape: America’s Reckless Response To Terror
by Stephen Holmes
A critical investigation of terrorism policy and its reflection of American priorities and values after the Sept. 11 attacks
Siddhi Sundar is a staff columnist. Email her at [email protected].