10 Books About Politics and Activism I've Recently Added to My TBR

I'm starting something new around here. A lot of my book blogging friends have been doing it for ages and I'm jumping on the bandwagon. It's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, there's a different top ten list that book bloggers around the world post their own version of. I don't plan on participating every week, but I want to start doing the ones that feel relevant to my reading life. Here's what you'll typically see at the top of these posts:

Every once in a while, I like to jump in and join The Broke and the Bookish family for Top Ten Tuesday (these are the same friends that do #TBTBSanta in December!). It's an opportunity for book bloggers around the Internet to talk about the same thing once a week. It's a fun way to connect and also to talk books with you Read.Write.Repeat. readers. Please jump in with your additions to my Top Ten list!

With that said, let's get started! I'm really excited about today's topic. These are books I cannot wait to get my hands on. 

10 Books About Politics and Activism I've Recently Added to My TBR

If you've been around my blog (or me) long, you know that I am passionate about politics. That's pretty much always been the case. Since November, however, my desire to be personally involved in politics and activism has skyrocketed. Part of that feeding that desire is educating myself. I am, unsurprisingly, the type of girl that likes to read as much as possible about something before diving in. So, I'm reading. I expect most of these books to be fairly dense, but I am exciting about reading them!

1. Two Paths: America Divided or United - John Kasich - The governor of my home state didn't win the Republican nomination, but he stood true to his values and still refuses to endorse Trump. I don't know terribly much about Kasich's policies, but I dear friends who worked his campaign and have been impressed with the interviews I've heard and seen with him. Besides, the message of this book is one we desperately need these days. 
2. The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America - George Packer - Is America falling apart? Packer sets out to answer that question through stories of its citizens. It's a New York Times bestseller and widely praised. I'm hoping it's similar to Strangers in Their Own Land. 
3. Stones Into Schools: Promoting Peace With Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan - Greg Mortenson - I read Mortenson's first book, Three Cups of Tea, several years back. I'm anxious to read the continuing story of Mortsenson's international education activism. 
4. Privilege: A Reader - Michael S. Kimmel - If you are reading this, you enjoy some sort of privilege. I know I do, but I don't always do a good job of recognizing it. I'm hoping this anthology helps me see what I'm not seeing now.
5. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion - Jonathan Haidt - Why are the two most taboo dinner topics so taboo? Haidt sets out to answer that question. I'm hoping this book equips me to have better conversations and not fear the subjects.
6. Freedom From Fear - Aung San Suu Kyi - If you don't know this woman's story, you should read up on it. She's incredible. I've never read anything by her, though, so I'm looking forward to this collection of her writing. 
7. The Mother of All Questions - Rebecca Solnit - I still need to read her first book, Men Explain Things To Me, as well, but both books focus on feminism and its connected issues. This is me educating myself further on a subject about which I am already passionate. 
8. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History - Elizabeth Kolbert - My book club is reading this one. It's about how humans may very well cause the next mass extinction on our planet. It's definitely more science-y than I'm normally looking for, but stepping outside my comfort zone every now and then is a good thing. 
9. Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House - Alyssa Mastromonaco - The guys at Pod Save America worked with Mastromonaco during their shared time at the White House. When they had her on the podcast to talk about her new book, I knew it was one I wanted to read. I'm guessing this will be the funniest book on this list.
10. Exit West - Mohsin Hamid - Fiction may seem out of place on this list, but I firmly belief fiction helps us gain empathy for people in situations unlike our own. My favorite podcast, Pantsuit Politics had a bookstore-owning guest who believes the same. She recommended this book about Middle Eastern refugees and I am very much looking forward to reading it. 

There you have it. My first Top Ten Tuesday. This is hardly a comprehensive list of all the books from this genre I hope to be reading in upcoming months and years. But, these are the most recent additions to that list. If you have books about politics or activism that have educated and/or impacted you, I'd love to hear about them!