A lot of you have asked: What should I be reading?
The world is chaotic, the media is garbage, and most people donโt have time to sift through mountains of books to find what actually matters. So, Iโm making it simple.
Welcome to The Long Memo Book Clubโwhere we cut through the noise and get to the books that explain how the world actually works.
How This Works
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One featured book per month
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Free subscribersโsee the book list and a short breakdown.
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Paid subscribersโget a full analysis, deep dives, extensions, and how these books connect to current events.
๐ March 2025โs Featured Read
๐ The Dictatorโs Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics โ Bruce Bueno de Mesquita & Alastair Smith
A brutally honest breakdown of how leadersโdemocratic and authoritarianโhold onto power. Once you understand the game, youโll never look at politicians (or corporate leaders) the same way again.
๐ Paid subscribers will get:
A deep dive analysisโkey takeaways, surprising insights, and why this book is critical to understanding todayโs political power struggles.
How it applies to modern politicsโTrump, Musk, authoritarian tactics, and what this means for 2025 and beyond.
Exclusive discussion accessโask questions, get insights, and participate in the conversation.
The rest of what weโre reading in 2025 (by Topic)
๐ Despotism, Tyranny, & Fascism
๐ Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism โ Anne Applebaum
Why once-liberal elites embrace authoritarianismโand how itโs happening in real-time.
๐ The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It โ Yascha Mounk
Democratic backsliding isnโt just happeningโitโs accelerating. Hereโs why, and what (if anything) can be done about it.
๐ณ Elections, Congress, & Political Dysfunction
๐ Ratfcked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal Americaโs Democracy โ David Daley
How gerrymandering and systemic rigging have locked in minority rule for generations.
๐ Itโs Even Worse Than It Looks โ Thomas E. Mann & Norman J. Ornstein
Why Congress is broken, how we got here, and why extreme partisanship is making governance impossible.
โ๏ธ Racism, Caste Systems, & Systemic Inequality
๐ Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents โ Isabel Wilkerson
Americaโs racial divide isnโt just about raceโitโs a caste system built into the countryโs foundation.
๐ Guns, God & Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America โ Bruce Hoffman & Jacob Ware
A deep dive into the rise of far-right extremism, militias, and domestic insurgencies in the U.S.โand why the threat is far from over.
๐ฐ Finance, Commerce, & The Economics of Power
๐ The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism โ Naomi Klein
How economic crisesโfrom wars to natural disastersโare exploited to push privatization, corporate control, and austerity policies that hurt the most vulnerable.
๐ Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World โ Anand Giridharadas
Why billionaire philanthropists arenโt fixing the systemโtheyโre rigging it further in their favor.
๐ Want the Full Breakdown?
Iโll be breaking down The Dictatorโs Handbook for paid subscribersโdiving into:
What this book says about power and governments.
How these ideas apply to todayโs political landscapeโfrom Trump and Musk to global authoritarianism.
Whatโs missing, flawed, or misunderstood about its conclusions?
The first deep dive drops next week. If you want to go beyond the reading list and get complete insightsโnowโs a great time to subscribe.
See you inside the club.
If youโve considered upgrading to The Long Memo (TLM), nowโs the time. Through February 28, annual plans are 25% offโfor just $5 a month (billed annually). That means a full year of exclusive deep dives, analysis, book club access, and all future paid-member benefitsโat the lowest price it will ever be. This deal wonโt happen again.
If youโre already a paid subscriber, thank you for supporting the publication.