Jane Jacobs
 

The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs.

This might be the most important book on modern urbanism.

James Joyce
Stanislavski

There are so many presidential biogrpahies out there, anyone recommend one in particular?

Don't know about a must read of biographies (there are so many).

However books that I would recommend:
Macrcus Aurelisus Meditations -the Gregory Hays translation was professionally done
Cicero - On Government
In The Company of Soldiers by Rick Atkinson, a good read following the 101st and the invasion of Iraq
The Sharp End: A Canadian Solider's Story by James R. Davis, a good autobiographical account of the Canadian military - served with the guy and to be honest it's a good read.. my copy is currently in Iraq somewhere;)

Not sure if this counts, but when George Washington was 14 he wrote a code behavior he thought was polite/gentlemanly. There is an edition out now that has what he wrote, plus some modern political examples of what happens when you do/don't follow that advice.

King Arthur, Karl Marx, Charlemenge, Franco, Kruchev, Zapita, Thomas Paine, Makavelli, Plato, Aristotle, and Regan. HEIL REAGAN

Didn't read the whole thread, but everyone... get thee to a bookstore and get some F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sylvia Plath. It will change you, for the better. Oh, and grab some Jack Kerouac while you're at it...

Um, babe, i'm pretty sure we're trying to stick to important political and sociological writers - although I do agree w/ your advice in a more general sense.


Here's two off-beat social/political writers that haven't been mentioned yet:

-Daniel Quinn (natural historian; revises human historical record in an interesting way)
-Kurt Vonnegut (humorist/satirist/political observer)

Here are the ones I remember - exact titles I'm not sure of.

Lyndon Johnson biography by Robert Dallek
John Adams biography by David McCullough
"Ronald Reagan: Role of a Lifetime" by Lou Cannon

I'll add more as I think of them.

Like I said - I didn't read the thread. I was wondering why it was in the News & Politics area though, so now it's all making sense now. On the political and social commentary though... I recommend Nietzsche. If nothing else, it is provocative.

Dan Rather

Tucker Carlson

and i didn't notice any Votaire on your lists.

Poor Candide!

I just finished Colin Powell: My American Journey, it's a fairly long read but it's well worth it. Dereliction of Duty is an interesting peek at what went on during the Clinton years. Another great book is In the Company of Heroes by Michael Durant, possibly my favorite book. Got it autographed and the whole shabang...

Sounds like my old AP English IV syllabus from high school Don't forget:

Brave New World- Aldous Huxley

Catch-22- Joseph Heller

Farenheit 451-Kurt Vonnegut

1984-Gorge Orwell

Black Boy- Richard Wright

Manchild in the Promised Land- Claude Brown

Um... Fahrenheit 451 was written by Ray Bradbury

MOST DEFINITELY!!!!! Anything by her is a must read!

do you have a particular favorite?

- marissa