Party Polarization

In Polarization: What Everyone Needs to Know Nolan McCarty takes listeners through what scholars know and don't know about the origins, development, and implications of our rising political conflicts, delving into social, economic, and geographic determinants of polarization in the United States. While the current political climate seems to suggest that extreme views are becoming more popular, McCarty also argues that, contrary to popular belief, the 2016 election was a natural outgrowth of 40 years of polarized politics, rather than a significant break with the past. 

Bloomsbury presents Don't Talk About Politics: How to Change 21st-Century Minds, written and read by Sarah Stein Lubrano Democracy is dying because we are clinging to a dangerous and outdated myth: talking about politics can change people’s minds. It doesn’t. This provocative debut from a...

Bloomsbury presents Don't Even Think About It by George Marshall, read by John Lee. An Esquire Essential Book on Climate Change From the founder of the Climate Outreach and Information Network, a groundbreaking take on the most urgent question of our time: Why, despite overwhelming scientific...

Social psychologist Peter T. Coleman explores how conflict resolution and complexity science provide guidance for dealing with seemingly intractable political differences. Deploying the concept of attractors in dynamical systems, he explains why we are stuck in this rut as well as the unexpected ways that deeply rooted oppositions can and do change. 

In an era defined by polarization, outrage, and political tribalism, one question rises above the noise: What happens when party loyalty becomes stronger than loyalty to the country itself? In Country Before Party, Maria L. Ellis examines one of the most pressing challenges of modern democracy—the growing divide between political factions and the erosion of a shared national purpose. Drawing on historical examples, policy analysis, and real-world leadership lessons, Ellis explores how nations maintain strength not through ideological purity but through institutional integrity, responsible...

Navigate the fierce political rivalries and historical power struggles that forged America's polarized democracy. This thought-provoking American history narrative transforms a daily commute into an enlightening journey through the shifting alliances of a nation. Watch as a republic initially...

Increasingly, political parties have adopted not only different policies, but different sets of facts. As E. J. Fagan argues, partisan think tanks have helped create these alternate realities in their capacity as de facto formal party organizations. Through the analyses generated by aligned think tanks, political elites on both the left and right frequently offer radically different assessments of a policy's consequences.

America's political landscape is changing—and most politicians haven't noticed. While Republicans and Democrats continue their endless battles for power, a different movement has quietly become the largest political force in the nation: independent voters. In The Independent Revolution, award-winning author Bruce H. Joffe explores the dramatic rise of Americans who refuse to be defined by party labels and are increasingly demanding a government that serves people rather than partisan interests. Whether you're conservative, liberal, moderate, or politically homeless, this thought-provoking...

Donald Trump's presidency fundamentally altered American politics, media, and society. This book examines his enduring impact, analyzing how his unique approach to rhetoric, policy, and leadership continues to influence national discourse. Covering economics, cultural divides, media strategies, and foreign relations, The Trump Effect explores how Trump's unconventional leadership simultaneously energized supporters and polarized opponents, reshaping America's social fabric. For anyone seeking to better understand the lasting consequences of the Trump presidency across politics, business, ...

When We Fight, They Win isn’t another partisan book pointing fingers at “the other side.” It’s not about proving one party right and the other wrong. It’s about something far bigger—and far more urgent. For decades, Americans have been told to pick a side, blame a side, and fight that side. Meanwhile, both parties, politicians, donors, and media industries profit from keeping us divided. The truth? Division makes America weaker. Unity—real unity—is the only way we reclaim our power as citizens.

Rarely has America been so bitterly divided. Partisans now view those with differing opinions as the enemy. Cable news programs inflame passions rather than inform viewers. Social media provides the most irrational partisans a venue to spew their hatred and bias. Town hall meetings, once the staple of representative democracy, have degenerated into choreographed shouting matches. Money flows into campaigns at unprecedented rates. Centrists are nearly extinct in Congress, where compromise has become a dirty word.

Uncover the fierce battle for American democracy in this gripping political history of factions and modern polarization. Instead of memorizing names and dates, you will experience the intense collisions over liberty, equality, and authority that forged a superpower. Perfect for your morning...