Politics-Related Media Recommendations

Following up on my previous post, this week I will be focusing on media recommendations related to politics . These are broken up into the categories of books, magazines, movies, and TV shows. For each item, I've included a short description to help you gauge your interest, but they are in no particular order - hope you enjoy!

An asterix (*) indicates that the item was reviewed in my previous post - check it out at the link above!

Books

• When We Rise by Cleve Jones

An autobiographical view of the gay rights movement from activist Cleve Jones, starting around the 1970s.

• When Gay People Get Married by M.V. Lee Badgett

A study on the societal implications of legalizing same-sex marriage.

• Ghosts in the Schoolyard

A study on public schools in the Chicago area, why they close, and the socioeconomic and racial inequities within this system.

• The Lavender Scare by David K. Johnson

A history of the Lavender Scare, a period occurring alongside the red scare where individuals who were or were suspected to be LGBTQ+ were purged from the federal government.

• The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman, Greg Pierrotti, Andy Paris, and Leigh Fondakowski

The Laramie Project is a play that looks at the aftermath of the death of Matthew Shephard, a gay college student murdered in Laramie, Wyoming.

• The Mayor of Castro Street by Randy Shilts

A biography of Harvey Milk, the first widely known gay individual to be elected to public office.

• The Imitation Game*

• Bill Bryson books*

Magazines

• National Geographic*

TV Shows

• When We Rise

A TV companion to Cleve Jones’ book mentioned above.

• When They See Us

The story of the Central Park Five, five black teenagers who were likely wrongfully convicted of attacking a white woman in Central Park.

• Madame Secretary

A political drama following Tea Leoni as Elizabeth McCord, who unexpectedly becomes Secretary of State.

• Living Undocumented

A docuseries following the lives of various undocumented individuals in the United States.

• College Behind Bars

A docuseries on the lives of inmates in the Bard College prison program.

• One Day at a Time

A reboot of the popular sitcom, following a Cuban immigrant family in California.

• Parks and Recreation

A sitcom following the daily lives of a Parks and Recreation department in Pawnee, Indiana.

• Designated Survivor

A political drama following Kiefer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman, who unexpectedly becomes President of the United States.

• Patriot Act

Hasan Minhaj’s series covering social and political issues from student loan debt to Facebook.

• Pride

A docuseries of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in America.

• Dear White People

Based on the 2014 film, a TV series looking at the lives of Black college students at a predominantly white Ivy League institution.

Movies

• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

Follows the disability rights movement and the stories of those involved.

• 13th

Examines the American prison-industrial complex.

• Disclosure

Follows the transgender rights movement through media.

• A Secret Love

Looks at the secret lifelong romance of a lesbian couple.

• Milk

Looks at the life of Harvey Milk, similar to the book mentioned above.

• American Factory

Looks at the clashes between working-class Americans and Chinese investors in a factory setting.

• Capital in the Twenty-First Century

Examines the reasons behind the growing economic inequality in the United States.

• How to Stage a Coup

Looks at coups throughout history and why they occurred.