Monica Crowley

Monica Crowley is a foreign affairs and political analyst for the Fox News Channel, the host of a radio show on WABC in New York, and the author of Nixon Off the Record and Nixon in Winter.

Albert Speer: His Battle With Truth by Gitta Sereny (Vintage, $25). The most profound biography I’ve read, Sereny’s volume is an astounding examination of guilt, conscience, and attempts at redemption. It is both intimate and epic. A masterpiece.

Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville (Signet, $8). Written in the mid-19th century, de Tocqueville’s study of the American republic amazes today with its profound and timeless observations and astonishing prescience.

A Midnight Clear by William Wharton (Newmarket, $15). Set in the Ardennes Forest on Christmas Eve 1944, Wharton’s mythic novel follows six young GIs as they begin what they think will be a quiet night. When they encounter the enemy, a breathtaking dance of silent cooperation ensues. A riveting account of rationality in the irrational crucible of war.

The Kid Stays in the Picture by Robert Evans (New Millenium, $18). A naughty, outrageous, and wild ride—and perhaps the best Hollywood memoir ever written.

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli (Bantam, $5). Hard truths about politics, diplomacy, and war that remind us that some things never change.

The Beautiful and Damned