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Gear Up for the 2020 Election

by Adult Services Library Associate Beth

Election Day 2020 is now a mere 43 days away. Somehow this seems like both a lifetime away and, well, tomorrow. Regardless of how you plan to vote this November, Bexley Public Library is here to help! To encourage everyone in the community to exercise one of their most fundamental rights, we are hosting two drive-in voter registration events with The League of Women Voters on Tuesday, (TOMORROW!) September 22 from 3-5PM and Thursday, October 1 from 5-7PM. Both events will be held in the BPL parking lot and will also feature musical guests and food trucks. Join us as we celebrate – maybe not the election itself, but at least our ability to have a say in its outcome! And be sure to visit http://bexleylibrary.org/vote or give us a call at 614-231-2793 to get more information on deadlines, procedures, accessing voting materials, etc.

In the spirit of the election season, I’ve composed a list of some of my favorite “political” (I’m using that term in a fairly broad sense) books. And while this list is attached to a post about preparing for the upcoming election, I’ve chosen books that, I think, are largely non-partisan, and don’t focus much on presidential elections or candidates. Rather, they’re books that have helped me better understand and refine my own political worldview, while also helping me better understand those views I may not agree with. Importantly, several of these books put the struggles and concerns of real people at their centers: in my mind, what politics should always be about. Such stories help us build empathy for, and an understanding of people who aren’t always politically aligned with us already. Happy reading! 

  • The Populist’s Guide to 2020: A New Right and New Left are Rising  by Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti | print
  • Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis | print / digital
  • Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt by Hedges and Sacco | print
  • With Liberty and Justice for Some by Glenn Greenwald | print
  • Strangers in their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild | print / digital
  • Hate Inc. by Matt Taibbi | print / digital
  • We’re Still Here: Pain and Politics in the Heart of America by Jennifer M. Silva | print / digital (e-audiobook only)
  • Palaces for the People by Eric Klinenberg | print / digital