The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country
by Howard Fineman

The Age of American Unreason
by Susan Jacoby

I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to Be Destroyed by Me: Emblems from the Pentagon’s Black World
by Trevor Paglen

Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations
by Clay Shirky

Why We’re Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America
by Eric Alterman

Why Women Should Rule the World: A Memoir
by Dee Dee Myers
Also mentioned: Donorschoose.org

The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations
by Brian Fagan

Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets
by Sudhir Venkatesh
Colbert: “Did you, at any point, pop a cap in anybody’s ass?”
Venkatesh: “Uh, I’m from Irvine, California and I only popped soda caps.”