Tomorrow is a big day—the midterm elections are taking place throughout the U.S., and many of us are feeling… excited? Nervous? Disillusioned? Honestly, the political landscape has been so chaotic lately that it’s hard to know what to think and how to feel. So to help you make sense of Election Day, we’ve put together the following list of four brilliant, eye-opening political reads.
Strength in Numbers: How Polls Work and Why We Need Them
By G. Elliott Morris
A data journalist argues that the larger purpose of political polls is not just to predict elections, but rather to improve democracy, giving citizens influence they would otherwise lack. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author G. Elliott Morris, in the Next Big Idea App
Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put a Woman in the White House . . . Yet
By Ali Vitali
An NBC Capitol Hill correspondent investigates the gendered double standards placed on women presidential candidates of the 2020 election cycle and those who came before, and examines what it will take for a woman to finally break the glass ceiling and win the White House. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Ali Vitali, in the Next Big Idea App
We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy
By Eboo Patel
From the former faith adviser to President Obama comes an inspirational guide for those who seek to promote positive social change and build a more diverse and just democracy. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Eboo Patel, in the Next Big Idea App
The Paradox of Democracy: Free Speech, Open Media, and Perilous Persuasion
By Zac Gershberg and Sean Illing
The Paradox of Democracy captures the deep connection between communication and political culture, from the ancient art of rhetoric and the revolutionary role of newspapers to liberal broadcast media and the toxic misinformation of the digital public sphere. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Sean Illing, in the Next Big Idea App
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