Richard D. Heffner
Richard Heffner is host of The Open Mind, public television’s longest-running interview program. His most recent book is A Conversational History of Modern America.
Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann (Free Press, $14). Though my students at Rutgers University often complain that this book’s references to pre-1922 public figures and events are dated, Lippmann’s profound understanding of the importance of a well-informed public to human survival makes this American classic very much a guide to the present.
The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro (Vintage, $22). Together with Caro’s brilliant first three volumes on the life of Lyndon Johnson, this extraordinary look at New York’s Robert Moses makes up perhaps the most important study of modern American political power ever undertaken.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The American Political Tradition by Richard Hofstadter (Vintage, $14). My former teacher’s vastly critical chapter on Franklin Delano Roosevelt (“Patrician as Opportunist”) stands in provocative contrast to his consistently more understanding—and forgiving—analyses of the men who made our political tradition. Taken together, they constitute the most brilliant statement ever on American political leadership.
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville (Signet, $8). The young Frenchman’s classic critique of democracy and the absolute sovereignty of the people is a perceptive, prophetic description of the impact of majority rule upon the dynamics of American society, upon the way Americans think and feel and act, upon the nature of our freedoms.
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman (Viking, $14). No one took more seriously Marshall McLuhan’s insistence that “the medium is the message” than did the late, great Neil Postman. The subtitle of this learned and delightful book, which I assign each year to my students, tells it all: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business.
And the War Came: The North and the Secession Crisis, 1860–1861
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Nation
-
July 5 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include an extrajudicial detainment camp, 'alligator Alcatraz', and tax cuts for billionaires.
-
5 explosively funny cartoons about the 4th of July
Cartoons Artists take on liberty and justice for all, a terrifying firework, and more
-
Jeff in Venice: a "triumph of tackiness"?
In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
-
Thomas Mallon's 6 favorite books from the 80's and early 90's
Feature The author recommends works by James Merrill, Calvin Trillin, and more
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native characters
Feature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
John Kenney's 6 favorite books that will break your heart softly
Feature The novelist recommends works by John le Carré, John Kennedy Toole, and more
-
Andrea Long Chu's 6 favorite books for people who crave new ideas
Feature The book critic recommends works by Rachel Cusk, Sigmund Freud, and more
-
Bryan Burrough's 6 favorite books about Old West gunfighters
Feature The Texas-raised author recommends works by T.J. Stiles, John Boessenecker, and more
-
Tash Aw's 6 favorite books about forbidden love
Feature The Malaysian novelist recommends works by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and more
-
Richard Bausch's 6 favorite books that are worth rereading
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and more
-
Marya E. Gates' 6 favorite books about women filmmakers
Feature The film writer recommends works by Julie Dash, Sofia Coppola, and more