Politics & Current Events
Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill (1912-1994) is most closely associated with the truism “all politics is local.” One meaning of the observation is that politics must have a base of pragmatic neighborhood reality. It is not all theory; it is not all anticipation of demographics; it is not an imposition from above but an attention to grassroots. For years I resisted breaking out my political books to a page of their own because the topic seemed so ephemeral, so transitory. Well, what is the web but superb access to the ephemeral? I will try NOT to include too much history here or to stack the deck, so to speak, with partisan books. On the other hand, what is available is what is available — the only criteria is good writing, good sourcing, and some accordance with what my customers may be interested in. In that way, I am keeping it local, as per Speaker O’Neill. It will grow with time and a broadening definition of what is politics and what is a current event.
Wallace: The Classic Portrait of Alabama Governor George Wallace
Wallace: The Classic Portrait of Alabama Governor George Wallace
“A sensitive, informed and funny feat of high journalism that is a classic of the kind.”—The New York Times Book Review
Wallace is a classic portrait of one of the century’s most fiery and controversial political figures. Initially conceived as a novel, Marshall Frady’s biography of George Wallace retains the narrative force and descriptive powers of fiction. Elizabeth Hardwick noted on Wallace’s first publication in 1968, “There is a palpable Faulknerian mood to the reporting,” and The New Republic observed, “Frady has established new standards in political biography.” This is a wonderfully crafted depiction of a seminal figure whose influence altered the course of national politics.