AOC’s Top 10 Book Recommendations
Take a peek into the mind of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is all over the media these days. She’s one of the most progressive congresspersons to enter US politics in decades.
She’s fiery, vocal, and a complete boss on social media — something many of her opponents simply cannot compete with.
She’s also known for pushing for ‘radical’ changes in the US:
- Medicare for all
- $0 tuition public college
- a federal jobs guarantee
- the Green New Deal
- and getting rid of ICE in the US (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Wouldn’t it be interesting to know where some of her influences come from?
Certainly, her double major in international relations and economics from Boston University made an impact. As I’m sure her work as an activist, waitress, and bartender did too.
But here’s one other area — what are her favorite books?
AOC hardly ever recommends things to her followers, but in one case she did. A small book shop noticed she had visited their store in 2018 and tweeted her asking her for a curated list of her favorite books.
She wrote back with the following 10 works:
In case you wanted to take a glimpse inside the mind of AOC, here’s a summary of each of those books with my favorite quotes from each one.
“Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities” by Rebecca Solnit
If you haven’t heard of her, Rebecca Solnit is a prolific writer, activist, and feminist who’s been active for nearly 40 years in all three circles. In Hope in the Dark, Solnit talks about activism in the face of failure and bleak outcomes.
She makes the case that activists have a fatalistic viewpoint about accomplishments through the 20th and 21st centuries. The idea that they never really win, she implies, is completely wrong.
Instead, Solnit lays out a case for activists to stave off the absolutism of winning/losing while acknowledging their hard-fought victories — even if not complete. She aims to help activists overcome their burnout and cynicism by viewing their work in a new light.
Selected quote:
“Their grumpiness is often the grumpiness of perfectionists who hold that anything less than total victory is failure, a premise that makes it easy to give up at the start or to disparage the victories that are possible. This is Earth. It will never be heaven. There will always be cruelty, always be violence, always be destruction.” — Rebecca Solnit
“Why We Can’t Wait” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote Why We Can’t Wait in 1963 and went on to publish the book in 1964. A manifesto and explanation of why 1963 was THE year for civil rights in America.
1963 was a historical year for events revolving around MLK Jr. Supporters were not at all pleased with the federal government’s promises towards Brown v. Board of Education, with 9 years already passing and very little implementation accomplished.
Massive protests, jailings, and confrontation was occurring in Birmingham, Alabama which led to MLK Jr.’s eventual imprisonment — for participating in a non-violent protest.
It was here where he wrote his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” which called for the active non-violent participation of those seeking justice for all, rather than waiting for the courts to sort things out.
This letter became the foundation for a much-expanded version, which evolved into the widely published “Why We Can’t Wait” a year later.
Selected quote:
“Lamentably, it is a historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but, as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
“The Search for Common Ground” by Howard Thurman
For those not familiar with Howard Thurman, he was a civil rights leader, prolific author, theologian, philosopher, and university leader. He was also a significant inspiration and mentor to MLK Jr.
In “The Search for Common Ground,” Thurman attempts to explain his lifelong ideations of humanity’s role in this world. He called it “his lifelong working paper.” If you are able to absorb the roughly 100-page book in its entirety, you can see why most people reread it more than once.
The short but intense book covers many different areas of life, from our need to belong in groups to a deeper requirement for a mystic level of consciousness. It ties his beliefs of humanity coming together while avoiding tribalism and how we should all strive for the betterment of our world together.
The last and most significant chapter focuses almost solely on the role and existence of African Americans in society and expresses a hope for an eventual togetherness in society as a whole.
Selected quote:
“The radical tension between good and evil, as man sees it and feels it, does not have the last word about the meaning of life and the nature of existence. There is a spirit in man and in the world working always against the thing that destroys and lays waste.” — Howard Thurman
“Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin
This amazingly in-depth lengthy biographical account of Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet from 1861–1865 is one of the most notable historical works of the last two decades.
Firstly, it was written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Doris Kearns Goodwin. Secondly, it has been acclaimed by several prominent modern politicians including Barack Obama. He even said he factored in the book when selecting his own cabinet.
This historical piece focuses on the trials and tribulations of Lincoln’s method of governing. Moreover, it places a lot of emphasis on how he included many of his political rivals in his own cabinet to great effect.
Lincoln was elected with only 39.8% of the votes after winning a four-way contest. He knew he was in a precarious position to begin with, let alone seeing the start of the civil war a few weeks into his position. The book follows the various intricate paths and maneuvering of having a team full of rivals running a country — something almost completely unheard of in modern politics.
The book was also recreated into the Steven Spielberg hit, Lincoln, in 2012.
Selected quote:
“Lincoln had internalized the pain of those around him — the wounded soldiers, the captured prisoners, the defeated Southerners. Little wonder that he was overwhelmed at times by a profound sadness that even his own resilient temperament could not dispel.” — Doris Kearns Goodwin
“The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde” by Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde described herself as being “black, lesbian, womanist, librarian, and civil rights activist.” A large portion of her courageous career was spent battling injustices across the political and human spectrum including racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia.
Her poems have been described as beautifully passionate and evoking compassion and outrage at society’s ills. Adrienne Rich, one of the most influential poets of the 20th century, described this collection are being “poems which blaze and pulse on the page.” If any of these issues are close to heart, you should surely read her poetry.
Selected quote:
“Death folds the corners of my mouth into a heart-shaped star. It sits on my tongue like a stone around which your name blossoms distorted.” — Audre Lorde
“The Bhagavad Gita” by Eknath Easwaran
A tenet of Hindu Sanskrit scripture, “The Bhagavad Gita” is a translated work that describes a wonderful interaction between a warrior and a god.
In the midst of an ultimate battle, a leader named Arjuna has a crisis of conscience in the middle of the battlefield. He is accompanied by his charioteer, Krishna who at first appears human.
Throughout the short yet impactful translation, Krishna imparts lessons for life upon Arjuna, who goes on to win the battle later. The topics cover life, religion, yoga, and self-control, and is one of the most important works of scripture in history.
A truly inspirational piece for those looking for some soul-searching.
Selected quotes:
“Seek refuge in the attitude of detachment and you will amass the wealth of spiritual awareness. The one who is motivated only by the desire for the fruits of their action, and anxious about the results, is miserable indeed.”
“Capital in the Twenty-First Century” by Thomas Piketty
Thomas Piketty’s magnum opus rests on over 15 years of work and research in economics both at MIT in the US and School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in France.
His extensive volume, “Capital in the Twenty-First Century,” is a 817-page examination of 250 years of wealth inequality. It plays a large focus on the difference in rates of growth of capital versus the actual economy — and why that is immensely problematic in the long run.
Essentially, it looks at why the ultra-rich will only get ultra-richer, and vice versa for the poor in society. He examines how previous revolutions and world wars were affected, if not caused, by this simple yet devastating discrepancy.
Although a difficult read for those completely unfamiliar with economics, it is consumable with a bit of learning on the part of the reader. Anyone interested in the well-being of society, taxes, and class inequality would greatly benefit from reading this book.
“The decrease in the top marginal income tax rate led to an explosion of very high incomes, which then increased the political influence of the beneficiaries of the change in the tax laws, who had an interest in keeping top tax rates low or even decreasing them further and who could use their windfall to finance political parties, pressure groups, and think tanks.” — Thomas Piketty
“One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Written by one of the first four novelists included in the Latin American Boom of the 60s & 70s, “One Hundred Years of Solitude” is often considered to be Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s magnum opus.
And for good reason. It has sold over 50 million copies worldwide since first being published in 1967 as well as being translated in at least 46 languages. It’s also one of the foremost novels written in the magical realism style — which is one of my personal favorites.
The novel follows seven generations of a family named Buendía whose patriarch founded a fictional utopia called Macondo, in modern Colombia. The incredibly wonderful stories combine the path of an isolated town, enraptured by nature and magical elements, with the chaotic nature of the Buendía generations.
As the town evolves and slowly gains access to the outside world, so do the family members change for better and for worse. Following the complex story is an incredible joy throughout this masterpiece.
Selected quote:
“Wherever they might be they always remember that the past was a lie, that memory has no return, that every spring gone by could never be recovered, and that the wildest and most tenacious love was an ephemeral truth in the end.” — Gabriel Garcia Marquez
“Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace
This literary bestseller is a masterpiece in creative writing. Coming in at a whopping 1092 pages, the novel follows a strange nonlinear structure referred to as metamodernist or hysterical realist.
The story without a proper resolution (within the text) follows four different narratives and takes place in a dystopian future where North America is just one giant country. The plot revolves around a movie of infinite jest, whereby whenever someone views the film, they never want to do anything else but rewatch it over and over again until they perish.
Quite an interesting take on a superweapon — and a wild slightly humourous ride from start to finish.
Selected quotes:
“I’ll say God seems to have a kind of laid-back management style I’m not crazy about. I’m pretty much anti-death. God looks by all accounts to be pro-death. I’m not seeing how we can get together on this issue, he and I…” — David Foster Wallace
“Consider the Lobster and Other Essays” by David Foster Wallace
The second book written by David Foster Wallace on AOC’s list is a collection of 10 essays of his choosing published in 2005.
“Consider the Lobster” is a glimpse into the madness and creativity of the author. There is almost no semblance of order to these essays either. Half of them are incredibly long for what they are — a 62-page book review, for example — while the other half are much shorter and to the point.
What that point is, is half the fun. His essays cover his journalistic coverage of the AVN awards (the Academy Awards of porn), media monopolies, the ethics of boiling lobsters, and many more.
Selected quote:
“It never once occurs to him, though, that the reason he’s so unhappy is that he’s an asshole.” — David Foster Wallace
Takeaway
Maybe you’re not a fan of AOC, like I used to be. As a long-time news junkie, when she first popped up on my radar I thought her ideals and brashness wouldn’t bode her well.
I was wrong — from her massive upset victory in 2018 to her popularity amongst young voters today, she keeps on winning and likely will continue to for a while.
I’ve also come around to understanding her perspective much more than before, and have to say I agree with a lot of what she says. It’s always a great reminder to dig a little bit deeper than the surface level if you truly want to understand something.
And in this case, I admit I judged a book by it’s preface rather than the content of its chapters. Reading into what novels and works of writing influenced her only helped further my understanding of her perspective — and I like what I hear.
I do hope that more congress people and senators can be as educated and well read as her — as often the case appears to be the opposite.
Whether or not you agree with her viewpoints, I’d rather vote for a well-rounded, learned politician than a Twitter rabbling high-school dropout, any day of the week.
But then again, maybe Lauren Boebert’s is also a fan of The Bhagavad Gita — although I have my doubts.
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