A really intelligent man explaining complicated economic principles in layman’s terms and has a ton of real examples to back him up. He was my red pill on things like school choice, affirmative action and how left policies keep poor communities poor.
Biography of Andrew Jackson, Alexander Hamilton, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Lincoln, Robert E Lee, Rosevelt, FDR, Patton, Eisenhour, Regan, and Trump.
For some "light" reading for relaxing - and I don't usually read fiction - Starship Troopers. Excellent story with a great political undertone. The way society is structured is very interesting. Also... badass space marines fighting huge alien bugs. Can't go wrong.
A Youtuber named Sargon of Akkad has a really extensive reading list that has both far left and far right books in it. You have to know what the other side will do, and what arguments their will likely make.
The Bell Curve
Rules for Radicals
Andrew Breitbart's book on the media (not leftist, but his experience and tips when handling the left are absolutely top tier.)
I'm sure Sargon's list will cover almost any topic you can bring up.
Compromised: Clinton, Bush and the CIA (co-starring William Barr), written in 1995. Written by a former Vietnam era Air Force Intelligence guy whose flying skills led to him being recruited by the CIA for the Iran-Contras effort.
Explains & codifies the mindset & tactics of the anointed ones (the elites).
I recommend start with this book. An easy read, & available on audio, 9 hours 22min. IMO an important must-read. Book was written in 1995, but same lefty playbook is in operation today. Think Big Tech, MSM, Green New Deal, and our lefty friends & relatives.
tldr: You will understand the left & your lefty friends better than they understand themselves. As a result, you will easily call out & dismantle their arguments in real time, while they try in vain to sidetrack & silence you with emotional outbursts.
Some notes, a scratch on the surface of the wisdom in this book:
The anointed believe in a highly gifted or moral few (ie themselves), & they believe social progress depends on that moral few, making decisions for the masses, in order to right past wrongs and "improve" everyone's lives. They believe that if an individual has an unhappy outcome, it's because society & institutions have failed that person, rather than because of that person's unfortunate decisions. They believe that their role is to pre-empt other people's unwise decisions. Their sense of self is tied up in the belief of their superior wisdom & morality, and good intentions. They therefore believe that anyone who disagrees with them is willfully misinformed or malign. The anointed don't understand trade-offs, and have a willingness / preference to read malign intent into others.
Crusades of the Anointed: Beware of those who moralize. Moralizing is easier than facing cold hard facts. Crusades enhance the self-esteem of the anointed.
Template of a crusade of the anointed:
Claim there is an urgent crisis, a great danger of public catastrophe (while using misleading evidence, or emotional reasoning, or alarming statistics).
Push for collective coercive government power to fix the "crisis." The plan involves the government drastically curtailing the actions of the many in response to the anointed ones' conclusions. Denigrate, defame, dismiss anyone who opposes their plan. Accuse them of uninformed or unworthy purposes, or malign intent.
Inevitably, the anointed's plan (which is based on ideology, emotion, or unsound evidence, or misleading stats), doesn't work, backfires, or makes things worse.
Zero acknowledgement of failure. Zero self-diagnostics. Zero introspection. Instead, goal re-setting. Doubling down on the plan. Claiming it was a moral victory due to their "good intentions." Claiming that opponents of their failed plan are nostalgic for a golden age which never existed. Always wrong, but never in doubt.
A few other tactics:
Adopting mascots: The anointed like to pick a mascot, and act as their champion against the unenlightened (benighted) masses. Mascots play a role in enabling the anointed to make a statement, [virtue signal] whether or not it works out to the benefit of the mascot groups themselves.
False trends (the temperature has gone up 10ºF since this morning - OMG if this trend continues, the earth will be a ball of fire, by next week!)
Orchestrated Hysteria, Fictitious History [re-writing history].
False dichotomies / All or nothing:
Example: Claiming that a conservative's proposed plan is "no panacea." Whereas in reality, NOTHING is a panacea. They pretend to make a counter-argument by saying nothing.
Innocuous Generalities: We are for "change!" They are against "change!" We are for "making a difference!" We "have to move forward!" Pretty much says nothing.
General Proclamations: Saying something is "INEVITABLE," or "HERE TO STAY," or "OUTMODED."
Very glad for your question, & thank you OP, as you got me to quit lurking & get in the game. This is my first comment of any kind, anywhere, and I would like to see this book as part of every conservative's library!
Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell
A really intelligent man explaining complicated economic principles in layman’s terms and has a ton of real examples to back him up. He was my red pill on things like school choice, affirmative action and how left policies keep poor communities poor.
The Gulag Archipelago
The federalist papers.
1984
12 Rules For Life
Meditations a book by Marcus Aurelius
Biography of Andrew Jackson, Alexander Hamilton, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Lincoln, Robert E Lee, Rosevelt, FDR, Patton, Eisenhour, Regan, and Trump.
For some "light" reading for relaxing - and I don't usually read fiction - Starship Troopers. Excellent story with a great political undertone. The way society is structured is very interesting. Also... badass space marines fighting huge alien bugs. Can't go wrong.
A Youtuber named Sargon of Akkad has a really extensive reading list that has both far left and far right books in it. You have to know what the other side will do, and what arguments their will likely make.
The Bell Curve Rules for Radicals Andrew Breitbart's book on the media (not leftist, but his experience and tips when handling the left are absolutely top tier.)
I'm sure Sargon's list will cover almost any topic you can bring up.
Compromised: Clinton, Bush and the CIA (co-starring William Barr), written in 1995. Written by a former Vietnam era Air Force Intelligence guy whose flying skills led to him being recruited by the CIA for the Iran-Contras effort.
The Vision of the Anointed by Thomas Sowell.
Explains & codifies the mindset & tactics of the anointed ones (the elites).
I recommend start with this book. An easy read, & available on audio, 9 hours 22min. IMO an important must-read. Book was written in 1995, but same lefty playbook is in operation today. Think Big Tech, MSM, Green New Deal, and our lefty friends & relatives.
tldr: You will understand the left & your lefty friends better than they understand themselves. As a result, you will easily call out & dismantle their arguments in real time, while they try in vain to sidetrack & silence you with emotional outbursts.
Some notes, a scratch on the surface of the wisdom in this book:
The anointed believe in a highly gifted or moral few (ie themselves), & they believe social progress depends on that moral few, making decisions for the masses, in order to right past wrongs and "improve" everyone's lives. They believe that if an individual has an unhappy outcome, it's because society & institutions have failed that person, rather than because of that person's unfortunate decisions. They believe that their role is to pre-empt other people's unwise decisions. Their sense of self is tied up in the belief of their superior wisdom & morality, and good intentions. They therefore believe that anyone who disagrees with them is willfully misinformed or malign. The anointed don't understand trade-offs, and have a willingness / preference to read malign intent into others.
Crusades of the Anointed: Beware of those who moralize. Moralizing is easier than facing cold hard facts. Crusades enhance the self-esteem of the anointed.
Template of a crusade of the anointed:
A few other tactics:
Adopting mascots: The anointed like to pick a mascot, and act as their champion against the unenlightened (benighted) masses. Mascots play a role in enabling the anointed to make a statement, [virtue signal] whether or not it works out to the benefit of the mascot groups themselves.
False trends (the temperature has gone up 10ºF since this morning - OMG if this trend continues, the earth will be a ball of fire, by next week!)
Orchestrated Hysteria, Fictitious History [re-writing history].
False dichotomies / All or nothing: Example: Claiming that a conservative's proposed plan is "no panacea." Whereas in reality, NOTHING is a panacea. They pretend to make a counter-argument by saying nothing.
Innocuous Generalities: We are for "change!" They are against "change!" We are for "making a difference!" We "have to move forward!" Pretty much says nothing.
General Proclamations: Saying something is "INEVITABLE," or "HERE TO STAY," or "OUTMODED."
Very glad for your question, & thank you OP, as you got me to quit lurking & get in the game. This is my first comment of any kind, anywhere, and I would like to see this book as part of every conservative's library!