As a pre-requisite to enroll in AP U.S. Government and Politics you are required to write three book reports. You are to take rough outline notes as you read the books (which are to be attached to your reports). The reports are to be WRITTEN IN CLASS during the first week of school (regardless of whether you are taking the course during the first or second semester).

YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT FOR THE COURSE WITHOUT THE BOOK REPORTS !!!

1. Choose any three books from the list below.

2. Check to see if the books listed below are available in a library before buying them.

3. Refer to the INSTRUCTIONS link for directions.

A fourth assignment, based on the book Hardball - by Christopher Matthews, will be due at the end of the first grading period of the semester in which you are taking the course. Copies of Hardball will be issued in class.

Instructions for the Hardball Project.

Now Let Me Tell You What I Really Think - Chris Matthews

Thank You for the Memories Mr. President - Helen Thomas

Spin This - Bill Press

Why Americans Hate Politics - F.J. Dionne

48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene (how to be "powerful")

The 15 Biggest Lies About Politics - Major Garret

Lies My Teacher Told Me - James Loewen

Power Plays - Dick Morris

Blinded by the Right - David Brock

Eyewitness to Power - David Gergen

Everything You Think You Know About Politics and Why You Are Wrong - Kathleen Jameson

Whatever it Takes: The Real Struggle for Political Power in America - Elizabeth Drew

The Corruption of American Politics: What Went Wrong and Why - Elizabeth Drew

Free Speech for Me, But not for Thee - Nat Hentoff

Hats in the Ring - Brad Chapinsky

The Buying of the Congress - Charles Lewis (how access and influence is "purchased" in Washington)

The Buying of the President 2000 - Charles Lewis

The Paradox of American Democracy - John Judas

The Art of Political War - David Horowitz (So, you want to win an election ? Here's how.) www.politicalwar.com

Presidential Ambition: How the presidents gained power, kept power, and got things done - Richard Shenkman

The O'Reilly Factor - Bill O'Reilly

Front Row at the White House - Helen Thomas

Parliament of Whores - P.J. O'Rourke (a humourous account of how the government works)

Spin Cycle - Howard Kurtz (the art of "spin" revealed)

The Courage of Their Convictions - Peter Irons (key "freedom of expression" cases)

Gideon's Trumpet - Anthony Lewis (the story behind the famous Gideon v. Wainwright case)

To an Unknown God - Garret Epps (the story behind Smith v. Oregon the peyote case)

In Our Defense - ("milestone" civil rights cases)

Closed Chambers - Edward Lazarus ("behind the scenes" one more time, this book reveals how the U.S. Supreme Court really operates)

We the Students - Dr. Jamin Raskin

All too Human - George Stephanopolous (a controversial "tell all" by President Clinton's former top advisor)

Politics in the Clinton Years - Molly Ivins

Dead Center: Clinton-Gore Leadership and the Perils of Moderation - Burns and Sorensen

Hillary Rodham Clinton: A First Lady for our Time - Donnie Radcliffe

Stickin: The Case for Loyalty - James Carville

24 Years of House Work and the Place is Still a Mess (My Life in politics) - Pat Schroeder

Flawed Giant - Robert Dalik (a behind the scenes look at LBJ, "the supreme manipulator", in action)

Means of Ascent - Robert Caro (another look at LBJ, this time dealing with his dubious rise to power)

No Fault Politics: Modern Presidents, The Press, and Reformers - Eugene McCarthy

The Woven Figure: Conservatism and America's Fabric - George F. Will

In Defense of Government: The Fall and Rise of Public Trust - Jacob Weisberg

How Women Legislate - Sue Thomas

The New Prince: Macciavelli in the 21st Century - Dick Morris

To an Unknown God - Garrett Epps

The Presidency of James Earl Carter - B.T. Kaufman

Ronald Reagan - Dinesh D'Souza (a new book about Reagan the man)

Ronald Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime - Joe Cannon

Hail to the Chief - Robert Dalik

Showdown at Gucci Gulch - Jeffrey Birnbaum and Alan Murray

A Call to Revolution - Martin L. Gross (an expose of how our tax dollars are squandered in Washington)

Man of the House - Tip O'Neill (former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill's autobiography)

All Politics is Local - Tip O'Neill (the former Speaker tells us the tricks of the political game)

The Last Hurrah - Edwin O'Connor

Eat the Rich - P.J. O'Rourke

The Power Game - Hedrick Smith (a classic paperback dealing with how American politics works)

We're Right, They're Wrong - James Carville (former President Clinton's top "spin doctor" and campaign manager, Carville, a liberal, is one of the most colorful characters in American politics)

The Way Things Ought to Be - Rush Limbaugh (a similar theme to Carville's book but from a conservative perspective)

Me and Ted Against the World - Reese Schoenfeld

Shadow - Bob Woodward (a book dealing with presidents and the media by one of the two journalists who broke the Watergate story).

Political Ambition - Linda Fowler and Robert McClure (engaging, highly readable study of the recruitment of congressional candidates)

Bowling Alone - Robert Putnam

The Coldest War - James Brady

The Politics of Rich and Poor - Kevin Phillips

The Cousins' Wars; Religion, Politics and the Triumph of Anglo-America - Kevin Phillips

The Natural; the misunderstood presidency of Bill Clinton - Joe Klein

The Running Mate - Joe Klein (a new political novel)

Primary Colors - Anonymous (actually Joe Klein)

The Political Bestiary - Eugene McCarthy (former Senator McCarthy equates politicians with animals)

You may also choose to read any political book published since 2000 or a biography of any recent (since 1960) president or "prominent" American politician.

E-mail me for approval of the title.