Ten Novels Every American Should Read to Understand the Culture Part 1

We all have our favorite books that we think everyone should read, both novels and non-fiction. I could probably name a hundred that I think need to be on your Don't Miss This! list.  Why? Because they help us understand what's going on in the world and how to respond to it. I'll start with only ten of my favorite books in a two-part post. Every one is worth reading more than once and reflected upon. Each has prophetic elements that strike the tocsin, the warning bell. We would do well to pay attention! 

Required Reading for an Informed Citizen! Eliminate the "Ugly American" Bureaucrats

I have a bookshelf in my bedroom that holds a number of books I consider required reading for informed citizens. They include (but are not limited to) George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, James Clavell's The Children's Story, and The Ugly American by William Lederer and Eugene Burdick. Today I want to shine the spotlight on The Ugly American. 

If you want to understand the foreign policy of the Biden Administration and, for that matter, the policy of many previous administrations both Democrat and Republican, The Ugly American is mandatory! It was published in 1958, but the information is as current today as it was then. The New York Times described the best-selling novel saying, "If this were not a free country this book would be banned.... Devastating!"

Study History and Fight the Ugly Americans among Us!

"Rachel" Levine and Sam Brinton, are among the "ugly Americans" destroying our country.

Have you ever read The Ugly American? You should. It details failed U.S. foreign affairs around the world due to greedy, corrupt, ignorant, and incompetent ambassadors and foreign service members. The way elitists are assigned plum roles around the world reminds me of Cromwell and his stooge, Richard Rich, in The Man for All Seasons. Some things never change. Power continues to corrupt and many are willing to sell their souls for both power and money.