Recommended Reading - What are your favorite books?

[Slugg]

An Introduction to Economic Reasoning: This is a textbook for introduction Austrian economics. It spends a great deal of time teaching basic logic also. The book covers pricing, currency, logic, and labor. It's excellent. It's made for 6th grade up to adults. It was intended for the Home Schooling family who wants to teach real free market economics. I thought it was dry at parts, but it's a textbook. It's full of great information!

Free EBook from Mises.org (I love those guys!)
http://www.mises.org/studyguide.aspx?action=subject&Id=117

Freakonomics: Great read. If you've ever watched the show numbers, it's kinda like that. But for real. They (two economists) analyze many aspects of conventional wisdom and apply economic thinking/math to determine it's validity. It sounds boring, but really its funny, educational, and entertaining. I couldn't put it down.

Politically Incorrect Guide to American History: My wife teaches History for the University of Maryland. This book rawks! It's accurate (has references for the doubtful) and it's light. It's not intended to be a complete and perfect history. But it covers the major shifts in our history from an Austrian standpoint. You can learn about the Civil War, Industrializaiton, and the Great Depression from a free market perspective. It's really eye opening. No conspiracy theory here, just cold hard facts. Sometimes they're uplifting, sometimes they suck. Great book. Moreover, you can listen to lectures from author at www.mises.org. Go to media and American History. There is a 9 part series where he covers most of the book in lecture.

 

[they walked in line]

An Introduction to Economic Reasoning: This is a textbook for introduction Austrian economics. It spends a great deal of time teaching basic logic also. The book covers pricing, currency, logic, and labor. It's excellent. It's made for 6th grade up to adults. It was intended for the Home Schooling family who wants to teach real free market economics. I thought it was dry at parts, but it's a textbook. It's full of great information!

Excellent choice.
I would also recommend Gene Callahan's Economics for Real People and Henry Hazlitt's classic Economics in One Lesson.

Politically Incorrect Guide to American History: My wife teaches History for the University of Maryland. This book rawks! It's accurate (has references for the doubtful) and it's light. It's not intended to be a complete and perfect history. But it covers the major shifts in our history from an Austrian standpoint. You can learn about the Civil War, Industrializaiton, and the Great Depression from a free market perspective. It's really eye opening. No conspiracy theory here, just cold hard facts. Sometimes they're uplifting, sometimes they suck. Great book. Moreover, you can listen to lectures from author at www.mises.org. Go to media and American History. There is a 9 part series where he covers most of the book in lecture.

Another excellent choice.
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism and The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution are also very well-done.

 

[Slugg]

Excellent choice.
I would also recommend Gene Callahan's Economics for Real People and Henry Hazlitt's classic Economics in One Lesson.

Actually, while finding the link to the Ebook I posted, I discovered this book. I will probably read it next.

Another excellent choice.
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism and The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution are also very well-done.

I saw those at Amazon, I'm sure I'll get to those also!

 

[they walked in line]

Actually, while finding the link to the Ebook I posted, I discovered this book. I will probably read it next.



I saw those at Amazon, I'm sure I'll get to those also!

Sometimes it seems like there are too many things to read and not enough time to do it, you know? My list is always getting longer, heh.

 

[quickmike]

My favorite is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Prepare for a long read though since its about 1,100 pages long.

 

[Slugg]

Sometimes it seems like there are too many things to read and not enough time to do it, you know? My list is always getting longer, heh.

Absolutely! Especially since I found the mises institute. Plus, all the books are free there. I'm trying to save to get an EBook reader so I don't have to sit infront of my computer 24/7. But those readers can be 400 bucks, and I'm also wanting to max out our primary donations before the end of the month. Then I gotta max out our General Election Donations........so I doubt I'll be getting a reader this year....sad. (Not really, I'm happy to do it!! )

 

[Razmear]

Snow Crash by Neil Stephanson
A sci-fi written in the early 90's set in the 'near future'. Great quick read and has a lot of stuff that is already becoming reality.

The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson (RIP) and Robert Shea
A classic from the 70's that should be required reading for any anarchist.

eb

 

[thuja]

The Passport Book by Bauman, and Island by Huxley

 

[Corydoras]

Everyone is talking about their favorite books.
So here's my favorite dessert:
Amaretto cheesecake from New Skete Kitchens:
http://newskete.com/shopping/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1&cat=Cheesecakes

 

[Cunningham]

If you like books that manage to be just as entertaining and "escapist" as they are intelligent and thought provoking, then I highly recommend the "Dune" series by Frank Herbert, especially the first three. Mr. Herbert was a brilliant man who tackled topics ranging from religion, to addiction, to economics, to war, to power, to sexual politics, to the environment, to the nature of peace and freedom and more in his sci fi epic. I have read it many times and it always makes me think.

On a side note, do not be fooled by the prequels and sequels penned by Frank Herbert's son, Brian Herbert. While they may be enjoyable enough as light reading for those who like the genre, they are like water for chocolate when compared to the originals.

I also just finished reading "How to Survive the IRS: My battles Against Goliath" by Michael Lois Minns. If you thought the IRS needed to be abolished before reading this book, just wait until after. The lies, abuse of power, and wanton ruining of innocent
lives revealed in this book will astound you. The IRS is truly evil and draconian, and Mr. Minns is one of the only attorneys who has successfully fought back on behalf of his clients. His account is equal parts educating, fascinating, and enraging.

I am currently reading Dr. Paul's book "A Foreign Policy of Freedom" and thoroughly enjoying it.

Funny you mentioned the Dune series. As soon as I saw this thread I thought of those books. I really can't recommend them highly enough.
I'm currently making my second attempt at reading "Human Action" by Ludwig Von Mises. It's an incredible book, it's "the" book on Austrian economics.

 

[winston84]

I just started reading "The Creature from Jekyll Island" I picked it up at the USC rally where the author, G. Edward Griffin gave a speech before RP came out! So far its got me interested, looks like it will be a good explanation into the core financial mechanism behind globalist events.

I'm also a big Dune fan! Nothing beats the original Dune by written by Frank Herbert.

 

[Locke_rpr]

If you are looking for currently relevant then "The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic" by Chalmers Johnson is a good one that hasn't been mentioned yet. Also, "Empire" by Orson Scott Card is a good fiction one that is all too realistic and current.... well minus a few high-tech weapons. If you just want something fun to take your mind off things, then anything by Terry Pratchett is great for that.

 

[BarryDonegan]

thanks for the john gatto stuff man, this stuff is brilliant, and FREE!

 

[constituent]

My favorite book is "Don Quijote".

i'll second that for the honor and glory of all knights-errant
in the field of battle, service to their noble ladies, or otherwise.

also,

books about america (fiction)

You Can't Go Home Again (important if you want to understand the world) - Thomas (not tom) Wolfe
Underworld (absolutely vital to understanding the last half century) - Don Delillio
Libra (b/c i love conspiracies, and this books tells the story of O.H. Lee) - Don Delillo

book you have to read before it happens here:

That Hideous Strength - C.S. Lewis


Non-Fiction

No Treason - Lysander Spooner
Permanent Revolution - Trotsky

 

[pyrazole2]

For entertainment:
"Earth Abides" by George R. Stewart. - it's a fictional survivalist analysis of Libertarianism.

"One Perfect Day" by Ira Levin. A dystopian novel. From Amazon review: "It is the tale of a lad named Chip, in a future world in which the great socialist dream has finally been realized. Preferring one person to another is a sign of social maladjustment. "Fight" is a dirty word; "f**k" is just the usual term for an activity no more important than sleeping or urination. Everyone is told what to do by "Uni," the great computer that organizes society and keeps track of everyone's location via electronic bracelet."

 

[Ridiculous]

Not my favorite book because it disgusts me, but a great insight to the kind of stuff that the Pentagon is thinking about

The author was a professor at the Naval War College and is a senior adviser to the Secretary of Defense. If you want to know why our foreign policy is so screwed up, read this book.

Buy it used if you get it so you are not supporting the Author....

The Pentagon's New Map
http://www.amazon.com/Pentagons-New...5296340-7124158?ie=UTF8&qid=1189688420&sr=8-1

This bold and important book strives to be a practical "strategy for a Second American Century." In this brilliantly argued work, Thomas Barnett calls globalization "this country’s gift to history" and explains why its wide dissemination is critical to the security of not only America but the entire world. As a senior military analyst for the U.S. Naval War College, Barnett is intimately familiar with the culture of the Pentagon and the State Department (both of which he believes are due for significant overhauls). He explains how the Pentagon, still in shock at the rapid dissolution of the once evil empire, spent the 1990s grasping for a long-term strategy to replace containment. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Barnett argues, revealed the gap between an outdated Cold War-era military and a radically different one needed to deal with emerging threats. He believes that America is the prime mover in developing a "future worth creating" not because of its unrivaled capacity to wage war, but due to its ability to ensure security around the world. Further, he believes that the U.S. has a moral responsibility to create a better world and the way he proposes to do that is by bringing all nations into the fold of globalization, or what he calls connectedness. Eradicating disconnectedness, therefore, is "the defining security task of our age." His stunning predictions of a U.S. annexation of much of Latin America and Canada within 50 years as well as an end to war in the foreseeable future guarantee that the book will be controversial. And that's good. The Pentagon's New Map deserves to be widely discussed. Ultimately, however, the most impressive aspects of the book is not its revolutionary ideas but its overwhelming optimism. Barnett wants the U.S. to pursue the dream of global peace with the same zeal that was applied to preventing global nuclear war with the former Soviet Union. High-level civilian policy makers and top military leaders are already familiar with his vision of the future—this book is a briefing for the rest of us and it cannot be ignored.

And it's sequel, A Blueprint for Action
http://www.amazon.com/Blueprint-Act...5296340-7124158?ie=UTF8&qid=1189688420&sr=8-1

The world is a mess. Iraq is becoming another Vietnam. Iran and North Korea are trying to get nukes or may already have them. Al Qaeda is still on the loose. In the middle of this turmoil, Tom Barnett believes America stands at a threshold. It can withdraw into itself. Or it can seize an opportunity to forge the most peaceful period in human history, where war becomes unknown. Barnett is a former professor at the U.S. Naval War College and senior advisor to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He has been called "one of the most important strategic thinkers of our time."

Barnett maps out a sweeping new vision for the U.S. military in Blueprint for Action, the sequel to his influential previous book The Pentagon's New Map. He says the U.S. military has a massive doctrinal flaw. It has an unrivalled power to win wars. But it has little ability to win the peace. Witness Iraq, where virtually no thought was given to postwar stabilization and reconstruction. He advocates creating a new Department of Global Security in the U.S. government, tasked with putting countries back on their feet after an armed intervention by U.S. forces. He says the new department would also work to reduce economic and social instability in "disconnected" regions of the developing world. "It all starts with America and yes, it all starts with security," he writes. Barnett's vision is highly U.S.-centric and recalls the "white man's burden" philosophy of British colonial authorities. He advocates "regime change" in North Korea and Venezuela. And his solutions for the problems of the Third World are straight out of a banker's mouth: privatization, deregulation, globalization. But Blueprint for Action is an important account of the current thinking and debates at the highest levels of the Pentagon.
------------------------
Emphasis mine. He wants more regime change?!!? It is like he just doesn't learn....

 

[Ridiculous]

As far as recommended reading.

I would recommend just about anything from the Cato institute library. They are very serious libertarians with a great think tank in DC. They are actually very respected in the mainstream media fox and cnn consult them regularly.

Some of the best books:
Cowboy Capitalism
http://www.catostore.org/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&method=&pid=1441268


Or David Boaz's Book's on Libertarianim
http://www.catostore.org/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&method=cats&scid=14&pid=1441021

 

[nexalacer]

Lots of great suggestions that I also love!

Some others:

Anthem by Ayn Rand... real short, but a great story

I'm also a big fan of fantasy:

Anything by Robin Hobb is excellent. The last thing I read of hers was the Liveship Traders trilogy, and honestly, I got a lot out of it as far as enhancing my libertarian/economic thinking. Really interesting book about independence.

I am currently reading Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman. Dude is kind of insane, but really interesting short stories.

 

[nullvalu]

"1984" by George Orwell
"Creature from Jekyll Island" by G. Edward Griffin

Nobody's including their desert? mine would have to be French Silk Pie.. mmm

 

[nexalacer]

Oh yeah, for dessert... damn that's a tough one... Key Lime Pie or Marble Chocolate Cheesecake.