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10 campaign books everyone should read

10 campaign books everyone should read
Author(s): Geordy Boveroux
Source: Campaigns & Elections (2010). 34.4 (July-August 2013): p10.
Document Type: Book review, Brief article
Copyright : COPYRIGHT 2013 Campaigns & Elections, Inc.
http://www.politicsmagazine.com
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From strategy and tactics to behind-the-scenes intrigue, the titles on this list have a bit of everything. We expect you've read at least a few of these already, but if you haven't you still have plenty of time left in the off-year.

What It Takes

By Richard Ben Cramer Considered by many the book that set the mark all other campaign volumes aspire to, "What It Takes" tells the story of the 1988 presidential race from George H. W. Bush and Michael Dukakis to Joe Biden and Bob Dole.

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The Responsive Chord

By Tony Schwartz

Want to understand why sound is so important in political ads? Hear it from an undisputed master of political communication.

No Place for Amateurs

By Dennis W. Johnson

A must-read from George Washington University Professor Dennis W. Johnson if you want to understand the role political consultants really play in shaping campaigns.

The Victory Lab

By Sasha Issenberg

Wondering where campaigning is headed? Issenberg's book on the emerging science of campaigns is an essential read.

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Get Out the Vote: Volume 2

By Donald Green & Alan Gerber

In a book that plenty of political consultants love to hate, two academics offer a comprehensive examination of what tactics and forms of contact actually move voters.

Game Change

By John Heilemann & Mark Halperin

If by some chance you haven't read this inside history of the 2008 presidential race, it should be near the top of your list.

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The Political Brain

By Drew Westen

While political strategists make a living trying to get inside the heads of the electorate, Psychology Professor Drew Westen gets inside the heads of the strategists the in selves.

Fear and Loathing On The Campaign Trail '72

By Hunter S. Thompson

The definitive political work from Hunter S. Thompson on the 1972 presidential campaign, "Fear and Loathing" offers one of the grittiest views of politics ever published.

A Magnificent Catastrophe

By Edward J. Larson

In order to really understand what shaped modern day presidential politics, you have to look to the past, and the 1800 presidential election that pitted two of the nation's founders against one another is a fascinating place to start.

The Campaign Manager

By Catherine Shaw

Local office is where most candidates launch their careers, and "The Campaign Manager" is one of the books they should read before jumping in.

Boveroux, Geordy