But all of us like to pretend our opinions matter.  So, if we ran a high school, and our opinions did matter, everything here would be required reading before any student would be allowed to graduate.  (Needless to say, all these books would also be required reading for the faculty and administration.)

Now, some lists offer us hundreds of books.  Others require a Ph.D. in {fill in the blank} in order to understand everything on their lists.  However, we will try to be realists.  We understand that, here in America, the education system has been churning out students who are totally unprepared for the rigors of serious reading and generally incapable of independent thought.

What about the Federalist Papers?  What about Wealth of Nations?  What about Plato?  What about Edmund Burke?  The simple fact is this: anyone who has never heard of John Jay is unprepared for the Federalist Papers.  However, anyone who reads everything here will probably have the requisite curiosity and self discipline to read many of the works discussed and referenced in the books listed here.

Required Reading List

Inside American Education

In order to appreciate just how poorly prepared the typical product of American education is, we recommend Thomas Sowell's Inside American Education.  This book documents the fads and dogmas that have replaced rigorous study in our schools, and provides some practical advice to parents who wish to stop the drivel.

Who Stole Feminism

If you think that America's colleges and universities have been immune from the nonsense documented by Dr. Sowell, then you need to consider reading Who Stole Feminism? by Christina Hoff Sommers.  This book is a particular delight for anyone who revels in the shooting of sacred cows.

Trashing the Planet

They don't teach science any more in American schools.  Instead, the typical student is given a dose of environmentalist hysteria that is far more akin to religion than science.  Dixy Lee Ray, former governor of the state of Washington and former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, tries to bring some much needed scientific perspective to the subject in her book Trashing the Planet.

New Ideas from Dead Economists

Why do Americans fall for environmentalist hysteria?  Part of the reason is that they lack a basic understanding of economics.  If, as the 'chicken little' environmentalists claim, we are running out of natural resources, then why are the prices of virtually every commodity in the world falling?  In order to understand how markets can work to solve problems, one must first understand markets.  Todd Buchholz explains all that and more in New Ideas from Dead Economists.

And That's the Way It Isn't

Some folks say that the media is biased.  Is it?  Tom, Peter, and Dan assure us that we can trust them to be fair.  But are they?  You can find out for yourself in a book called And That's the Way It Isn't.   Although the writers, L. Brent Bozell and Brent Baker, both lean decidedly rightward, the studies that they cite were done by both liberals and conservatives, yet the results are the same.  Are we surprised?

A Constitutional History of the United States

If you know enough about American history to know that the War of 1812 came before the Civil War, then you may be ready for this book.  Every day, judges hand down decisions based (they say) on the Constitution.  In A Constitutional History of the United States, Forrest McDonald presents us with a very readable survey of American history in terms of how the interpretation of the Constitution has changed over time.

The Art of War

American students learn the following about war:  War is bad; Peace is good.  War...bad.  Peace...good.  Sun Tzu says:  "The art of war is of vital importance to the state."  This is not a book that debates whether war is good or evil.  This is a book that describes what a leader (and a nation) must do in order to win.

A Parliament of Whores

What did you learn in your high school civics class about how the American government works?  Rather less than you might think. In A Parliament of Whores, P.J. O'Roarke presents us with, as he describes it, "a lone humorist's attempt to explain the entire U.S. government."  This book is nothing short of riotous.

Starship Troopers

There is only one work of fiction in this list - Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers.  Not only is this book a civics lesson, it is a treatise on morality, duty, rights, and responsibility.  Most important, Heinlein talks about what happens when good intentions replace responsible behavior and the inevitable result that must follow.  Not bad for something regarded by many as just more pulp science fiction.

Suicide of the West

For anyone who has read all of these, James Burnham provides us with his "essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism," Suicide of the West.  According to Burnham, not only is liberalism killing western civilization, it "motivates and justifies" the killing while it "reconciles us to it" [emphasis added].

We would love to hear from you. Complements, criticisms, questions, suggestions, and seriously scorching flames are all equally welcome.