25 thoughts on “Books That Shaped America– Please Discuss

  1. For some reason, I received a new hardcover copy of The Libertarian Mind today in the mail from the ‘Reading America Foundation’ in DC. Other people have received Bibles, Atlas Shrugged, and apparently one title authored by Paul Krugman–perhaps Conscience of a Liberal? (why didn’t they send me that?) I’m certain the LOC is not involved– it’s obviously political, but I can’t seem to find anything online except the recent metafilter post I linked to.
    I received the same postcard as the OP:

    <img src="http://oi64.tinypic.com/21o6grq.jpg"&gt;

    Weird.

    1. Lucky you, Smoke, Because you, along with 600 other Americans who read more than 20 books per year, have been found by the | Cato Institute | and | unwittingly enlisted in a Political Science Experiment. |

      Read, and do your bit to help re-intellectualize the moribund Republican Party so they can win all the elections again and lead the nation into a Brave New Libertarian Paradise.

      (You knew something was wrong. No true Objectivist gives away books, for free. )

      1. “We should not assume anything. Absolutely every aspect of the campaign, from the best way to knock on doors to the best way to broadcast television, should be tested,” says Blaise Hazelwood, a Republican voter-contact specialist

        or "Blaiselwood", for short.

          1. It was a much droller comment yesterday.

            Did you see any hanging post submissions while you were in there?

    1. The Wealth of Nations, Common Sense, Montesquieu's l'Esprit des Lois (Frog, I know, but still influential), Descartes' Rationalist philosophy, works by Voltaire, Rousseau, Hume, Kant. And So on. The true foundation of our political and social philosophy.

      And Cato opens the bid with Ayn fucking Rand's "Atlas Shrugged? " So drearily predictable.

      “It is not a book to be lightly thrown aside. It should be thrown with great force.”
      —Sid Ziff in Los Angeles Mirror-News

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