@Fabrico's recommended books for political moderates.

There are a good deal many nonfiction books talking about modern politics, most of them suck and have nothing of importance to say. This list composes of books that at the very least have some food for thought. I have read most of these, though not all fully. Most of these books have audiobook versions, which are useful for those of you who prefer that format. Many libraries have access to these books in both formats. !grillers you should ideally read/have read a few of these, !burgers you should do the same, as your civic duty. Also, a shoutout to @pizzashill for recommending some of these years ago on the subreddit.

Suspicious Minds by Rob Brotherton

 A great book that explains the mindset for believing the unbelievable, a good book for anyone who interacts with conspiracy theorists with any regularity.

Vodka Politics by Mark Lawrence Schrad

 This a good book that provides key insight into not only the Russian government, but the people who passively support the current regime. A good showcase on how the best way to deal with Russia geopolitically is to first understand the state, and it's history of oppression and control.

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

 Many people have a misunderstanding of The Prince, believing it to be a personal manifesto of Machiavelli's ideas. This is false, the book is mostly an observation of the states he saw around him, and what made some function and others falter. Machiavelli is not supporting these ideas from a moral standpoint, but a pragmatic one.

The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America by Coleman Hughes

When I heard some Zoomer with a YouTube channel wrote a book, I rolled my eyes. However this is actually an impressive breakdown on why modern IdPol is cancer to society and how two wrongs don't make a right. It helps that he is good at narrating his own audiobook, highly recommend the audio version over the regular book. Probably my favorite book of the year, fiction included.

Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up by Abigail Shrier

 If you have kids (or plan to), I consider this book essential. It provides some key tips for parenting (basically do the opposite of everything Millennial parents do). It's also useful for understanding why Zoomers and gen A are so dysfunctional, the parents did everything wrong. As Zoomers start to enter the political arena, understanding how they function (or rather mostly don't) is key.

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

 A guy he survived the holocaust explains how he was able to keep living after what happened to him. Is he the best writer? No. However he has a perspective that the vast majority of westerners don't, an event in life that involved true suffering.

China's Great Wall Of Debt: Shadow Banks, Ghost Cities, Massive Loans, and the End of the Chinese Miracle by Dinny McMahon

 China is screwed, but often it can be hard to understand why when for all appearances they appear to be a functioning almost developed country. People may see all the stats that spell doom and gloom, but without examples it can be hard to internalize. This book is masterful at providing those examples and tying them in to various stats about China's economy and population. The audiobook is also high quality, and 100% free if you have an Audible membership (doesn't cost a credit).

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt

 If you only read one book here, make it this one. This book perfectly explains the mind of the wingcuck, and explains what one can do to avoid becoming one. It also provides some really uncomfortable ideas that challenged my beliefs and actually made me more moderate.

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt

 This book is not as well written as The Righteous Mind, however it does have some additional ideas that are worth pondering. Worth a read, but not as essential of a read as The Righteous Mind.

Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson

 Jordan B Peterson is no genius, but his ideas have obviously resonated with a lot of people. This book, above all his other books really helps shed light on why. This is probably his most personal book, and shows what kind of person naturally gravitates towards this type of thinking. It helps that it also has more meaningful advice than his first self-help book, less empty platitudes.

Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies by Jared Diamond

 A lot of modern historians dismiss this book as pseudohistory, I'd argue that whether that's true or not doesn't matter. This book is more useful to explain the mindset of historians and politicians from the decade this book was published. The fact remains that many believe this book to be true regardless of it's actually factuality, and as such it is worth knowing what started this mindset and what the mindset actually is. I will personally add that this book has more truth to it than many modern historians are willing to admit. Most people who dispute this book attack the data, as the conclusion is hard to challenge.

The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money by Bryan Caplan

 Public school is trash in the USA, this book articulates why in a very matter of fact way. This book doesn't offer much substantial solutions imo. However understanding *why* our education system is broken is a key step to working on creating solutions.

The Bible (LSB)

 The Bible is the most important book ever written, this is undeniable. This book has had such an insane amount of influence not only on religion, science, and culture, but also the fabric of what makes The West a concept to begin with. Many modern readers have trouble getting through the KJV Bible, understandable. Thus I recommend the LSB version, is it as good from a religious or historical aspect? No. However if you have found yourself unable to really get through The Bible due to it's complex prose, the LSB version is a solid option for understanding The Bible. Unfortunately it doesn't have any non-AI complete audio readings, so no audiobook for those who want it.

You may wonder why other religious texts aren't included, and that's because The Bible has value from a culture and historical angle for any Westerner. Other religious texts are less valuable from that angle, and don't have the same amount of influence over the core Western identity as compared to The Bible.