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Required Reading (Books)

f your understanding of U.S. politics has come from the popular media, the government, and academia, then you’re well-conditioned to miss the big picture—the only one that will matter in the long term. In the same way as the children in most U.S. “public schools” are being “educated,” so many of those who fancy themselves as “grown-ups” show the success of the same government training, as they presume to adequately understand both history and current events from a diet of more “news” from the contemporary media and the government itself.

The books listed here provide the much needed balance—the “rest of the story,” as it were—to the popularly held beliefs concerning past history, present circumstances, and the inevitable implications they both have for the future. These books provide some of the critical education that government education withheld from the vast majority of U.S. citizens (whether self-styled “liberals” or “conservatives” or otherwise).

“I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.”

— Patrick Henry

	The Law
	Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850)
	Subtitled “The Classic Blueprint for a Just Society,” this book concisely identifies the relationships between law, government (and the lethal force by which it rules), property, and liberty. An understanding of the history of government in the U.S. is not complete without a grasp of these core concepts and their immutable relationships, as clearly explained by Mr. Bastiat.

	What Has Government Done To Our Money?
	Murray Rothbard
	You won't find a more succinct, yet sufficiently detailed, history of money's origin and gradual usurpation by (what has historically been passed off as) the United States government. In a little over 100 pages, Rothbard delivers a solid introduction to economics and monetary policy. Of particular interest to Americans (especially those who still think of Federal Reserve Notes as "money") is Section IV, in which the nine-phase "Monetary Breakdown of the West" is briefly recounted in a mere 21 pages. If more Americans knew what's in this book, the Keynesians would be scurrying for the shadows. This book can be read online! <-CLICK Downloadable as a Free PDF! <-CLICK

	Good To Be King
	Michael Badnarik
	Mr. Badnarik has been studying the U.S. Constitution for several years, and he teaches an enlightening day-long introduction to the document, its history, and its meaning. This book represents the essence of Mr. Badnarik’s class in a pleasant and easy-to-read style, making it an ideal starting place for Americans interested in both the Law of their Land, and a straightforward analysis of how far the U.S. federal government has gone in transgressing that Law. Readers will profit from Badnarik’s many years of in-depth study, as he demolishes many popular myths concerning American history and recent events.

	Politically Incorrect Guide to American History
	Thomas Woods
	This is a great popular-level read, covering a whole boat-load of little-known historical facts and large-scale popular myths that have deluded Americans for decades. Woods has the guts to present the truth where the self-styled (politically correct) “historians” of the ivory tower league remain in adamant denial, as evidenced by more than one rabid review from academia, in which criticism abounds, but Woods’ facts are never effectively refuted. He exposes readers to the angles and aspects of the nation’s past which—while not always flattering—provide a much more complete picture of the American story than any offered by academia, the media, or the government.

Politically Incorrect Guide to American History

	The Road to Serfdom
	F.A. Hayek (1899-1992)
	Early in the 20th century the U.S. national government (among others) was already being steered towards socialism / collectivism / ‘central planning’ (pick your favorite label, the contents are the same) at the expense of the country’s founding principles of self-government and liberty. With this book Mr. Hayek documented this trend, sounding an early (and largely unheeded) warning concerning its inevitable consequences. Written shortly before World War II, it remains a classic and insightful exposé on the dangers of socialism of any variety. The universal benefits to genuine liberty from the rule of law and limited government are made apparent here, based more on real-world, historical example than mere theory.

	Your Money or Your Life
	Sheldon Richman
	This text provides a reasonably comprehensive treatment of the history, moral aspects, and regrettable consequences of the U.S. personal income tax as administered by the IRS. Mr. Richman provides a lucid, engaging, and well-documented overview, along with some anecdotal insights into the dynamics and repercussions of the tax concerning both individual citizens and government activities and policies. Subtitled “Why We Must Abolish the Income Tax,” this book goes beyond providing justification for such a proposal on principle alone, positively addressing the very feasibility of such an undertaking.

	Tethered Citizens
	Sheldon Richman
	Subtitled “Time to Repeal the Welfare State,” this work complements Mr. Richman’s earlier book (see above), this time documenting the history and unfortunate—but inevitable—repercussions of the emergence of statist socialism from what began as a constitutional republic. Richman documents the negative consequences of abandoning the rule of law for an arbitrarily administered, government-enforced “wealth redistribution” system.

	The Creature from Jekyll Island
	G. Edward Griffin
	The significance of this volume cannot be overemphasized. Mr. Griffin has thoroughly (and very readably) documented the history and the nature of the Federal Reserve—the privately owned and operated (and constitutionally unauthorized) “central bank” of the United States. The reader is guaranteed a clearer (and critically important) understanding of money in general, and the U.S. monetary system in particular. The understanding Mr. Griffin shares will be an invaluable resource to those who want to know the dirty secrets about the U.S. government’s fiscal policies, past and present.

	Against Leviathan
	Robert Higgs
	Higgs is much more than a well-credentialed and highly esteemed economist. His depth of insight and critical analysis skills defy the “conventional wisdom” that dominates today’s popular thought on government economics, liberty, and prosperity. This collection of essays sheds abundant light on several popular false assumptions, going well beyond mere ideology and politics to historical facts, trends, and real-world economic principles, and exposing the reader to an uncommonly crisp and sensible perspective. Read Doug Bandow’s review of this book here.

	The Roosevelt Myth
	John T. Flynn
	From the Introduction by Ralph Raico: The routine judgment of American historians, that Roosevelt was a truly "great president," has nothing objective about it. Like other academics they tend to be overwhelmingly on the left. "Left-liberal historians worship political power, and idolize those who wield it most lavishly in the service of left-liberal causes." (Higgs) Why should it be surprising that they venerate Roosevelt and try to get a credulous public to do the same? For a rather different view, the reader can now turn to The Roosevelt Myth, which was and, after half a century, remains the major debunking of Franklin Roosevelt.

	The Real Lincoln
	Thomas J. DiLorenzo
	Mr. DiLorenzo effectively deflates the Lincoln myths erected and popularized over the years by revisionist historians. Lincoln’s views on race and slavery, the U.S. Constitution, and states’ rights—in his own words—reveal the so-called ‘Great Emancipator’ to be more accutarely deserving the moniker ‘Great Centralizer.’ His war and its needless cost in American lives and property is a shame Lincoln’s memory has been spared for far too long. His was (and remains) the party of powerful central government, special-interest ‘corporate welfare,’ and a privately held central national bank—all contrary to the principles of founders and (curiously) the South during his own time, and (also curiously) prohibited by the Constitution. It’s all here in black and white, folks—thoroughly referenced and documented.

	When in the Course of Human Events
	Charles Adams
	A northerner by birth and education, Mr. Adams’ grasp of historical truth shatters the most popular myths surrounding the Civil War. In the introduction alone, Adams plainly and succinctly lays out the falsehoods that facilitated the war, in both North and South. He adeptly substantiates his initial summary in the balance of his text, citing brilliant and varied insights froma plethora of historical and international resources. This is one book that truly sets the record straight concerning the causes and consequences of the American Civil War (despite a theological naïvité needlessly displayed via multiple references to “Calvinistic fatalism”).

	Economics in One Lesson
	Henry Hazlitt
	This has to be one of the most concise, readable, logically sound, historically validated, and desperately needed texts on fundamental real-world economic principles in or out of print. Hazlitt’s basic “lesson”—that every act or policy must take into account not just the immediate consequences or its effects on one or some groups, but also its long-term consequences and effects on all groups—is brought to bear on public works, taxes, credit, rationing, “parity,” government price and rent “fixing,” and “stabilizing,” and more, showing with refreshing clarity the negative long-term and overall historically demonstrable negative effects of so much economic meddling by anti-Free Market do-gooders. It should be required reading for every aspiring public office holder—and every voter, for that matter!

	Libertarianism in One Lesson
	David Bergland
	A concise treatment of the libertarian perspective on most social and economic issues, this book is a real eye-opener for those jaded fugitives from the mainstream bipartisan monopoly. The common sense here is at once refreshing and compelling. Bergland dispels common misconceptions about libertarian thought (e.g., “libertarians are the same as anarchists” or “the ACLU is libertarianism in action”), showing instead that (surprise!) the core principles of modern libertarianism are more aligned with those of the founders than either modern conservativism or modern liberalism (hence, for example, their call for the federal government’s return to its constitutionally prescribed limits in size and jurisdiction).

	The Underground Lawyer
	Michael L. Minns
	Mr. Minns is a successful Texas lawyer whose book is a well-written compilation of historical background, an expose of the many defects in the American justice system and government in general, and a layman’s guide to effectively dealing with (and sometimes prevailing against) those defects. This insider’s contribution is an invaluable resource for any American who even might end up in court someday. Read and be prepared.

	The Sovereign Individual
	James D. Davidson & Lord W. Rees-Mogg
	The caliber and scope of historical, political, and economical insight contained in this book surpass even that suggested by the sensational-sounding (but by no means exaggerated) subtitle (How to Survive And Thrive During The Collapse Of The Welfare State). Earlier, the authors correctly predicted the fall of Communism, the S&L bankruptcy, the real estate crash, and the 1990s mass corporate downsizing, and the supplanting of Marxism by Islam as the main ideology of confrontation, among other things. This volume features the same keen historical insights into the past, and a remarkable perception of the future to which it points. Though peppered with a handful of popular—but empirically questionable—takes on science, ancient history, and theology, the authors’ compelling economic vision and detailed analysis remain brilliant and thought-provoking.

	World Without Cancer
	G. Edward Griffin
	Mr. Griffin thoroughly documents the historical emergence (and current stranglehold) of power/money-hungry elements in the chemical, financial, and political arenas both in the U.S. and worldwide, and how they have worked together to squelch healthcare solutions (a certain non-patentable one in particular) that threaten the perpetuation of their profits and power. The pharmaceutical industry—determined to dominate legal medicine production and sales, and foster the outlawing of any alternatives threatening its control and/or profits—gets some of its well-deserved and long-overdue negative exposure here. [Note: Not just so-called ‘corporate greed’ is at issue here (everybody wants to make a profit, and ‘corporations’ shouldn’t be singled out as exceptionally ‘evil’ or ‘greedy’ on this basis alone). It’s the coercive use of government power to protect and advance certain corporate agendas that is the problem.]

	Cracking The Code
	Peter Hendrickson
	Of the several competing analyses of the U.S. Income Tax on the market (all of them simplistically dismissed as tax "protestor" or "evasion" schemes by the IRS and the "mainstream" media), this one stands up well to scrutiny: The actual tax law (as written), when taken at face value, and on its own term definitions, actually applies to only a small percentage of Americans. Mr. Hendrickson practices what he preaches, and has openly encouraged others to do the same, explaining how, and regularly documenting their successes on his website. Even if some of us fear acting upon the truth, it behooves us all to know it, and this book does a decent job of explaining it. It is particularly noteworthy that Mr. Hendrickson's chief critics by and large have never even read the book, as their criticisms plainly reveal.

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