50 Books like Heroic Failure

Tory Nation

by Samuel Earle • 2023

One party has ruled Britain for two-thirds of the last two centuries. This is how.

4.18

🏛️ British Politics 🔵 Conservatism 📰 Media Influence

Tory Nation 95%

One party has ruled Britain for two-thirds of the last two centuries. This is how.

by Samuel Earle 2023

4.18

65 ratings

🏛️ British Politics 🔵 Conservatism 📰 Media Influence

Values, Voice and Virtue

by Matthew Goodwin • 2023

Britain's new class war: the university 25% versus the rest. The grads are winning everything.

3.68

338

🏛️ British Politics 👔 Elite Studies 📢 Populism

Values, Voice and Virtue 94%

Britain's new class war: the university 25% versus the rest. The grads are winning everything.

by Matthew Goodwin 2023

3.68

338 ratings

🏛️ British Politics 👔 Elite Studies 📢 Populism

How Britain Ends

by Gavin Esler • 2021

Brexit did not crack the union; it exposed cracks English nationalism had been opening for decades.

4.09

581

🇬🇧 British Politics 🏛️ Uk Devolution 🪪 National Identity

How Britain Ends 94%

Brexit did not crack the union; it exposed cracks English nationalism had been opening for decades.

by Gavin Esler 2021

4.09

581 ratings

🇬🇧 British Politics 🏛️ Uk Devolution 🪪 National Identity

The English

by Jeremy Paxman • 1998

An island people built history's largest empire, then had to reinvent themselves once it crumbled.

3.55

3k+

🏴 National Identity 🎩 Class And Society 🌍 British Empire

The English 93%

An island people built history's largest empire, then had to reinvent themselves once it crumbled.

by Jeremy Paxman 1998

3.55

3k+ ratings

🏴 National Identity 🎩 Class And Society 🌍 British Empire

The Full English

by Stuart Maconie • 2023

England, 90 years on: the mills gone, class divides intact, a startling diversity.

4.04

1k+

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 English Identity 📖 Literary Travel 🏭 Deindustrialization

The Full English 93%

England, 90 years on: the mills gone, class divides intact, a startling diversity.

by Stuart Maconie 2023

4.04

1k+ ratings

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 English Identity 📖 Literary Travel 🏭 Deindustrialization

Politics On the Edge

by Rory Stewart • 2023

Ten prisons, a promise to fix them or resign, and a system that punishes real accountability.

4.30

18k+

🇬🇧 British Politics 😞 Political Disillusion 🏛️ Westminster Insider

Politics On the Edge 93%

Ten prisons, a promise to fix them or resign, and a system that punishes real accountability.

by Rory Stewart 2023

4.30

18k+ ratings

🇬🇧 British Politics 😞 Political Disillusion 🏛️ Westminster Insider

The Rise of the Outsiders

by Steve Richards • 2017

Outsiders took the West with three forces: globalization's losers, immigration fears, media rage.

3.69

150

🗳️ Populism 🏛️ Democratic Decline 🔄 Political Realignment

The Rise of the Outsiders 92%

Outsiders took the West with three forces: globalization's losers, immigration fears, media rage.

by Steve Richards 2017

3.69

150 ratings

🗳️ Populism 🏛️ Democratic Decline 🔄 Political Realignment

The Geopolitics of Emotion

by Dominique Moïsi • 2008

Oil and armies are not what drive nations. The real forces: fear, hope, and humiliation.

3.65

500

🗺️ Geopolitics 🧠 Political Psychology ❤️ Emotion And Politics

The Geopolitics of Emotion 92%

Oil and armies are not what drive nations. The real forces: fear, hope, and humiliation.

by Dominique Moïsi 2008

3.65

500 ratings

🗺️ Geopolitics 🧠 Political Psychology ❤️ Emotion And Politics

Nations and Nationalism since 1780

by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 1990

Nationalism invented nations, not the reverse, and the two-century project is already decaying.

3.91

2k+

🏗️ Nation Building 🩸 Ethnic Conflict 📜 Invented Traditions

Nations and Nationalism since 1780 Summary

Nations and Nationalism since 1780 92%

Nationalism invented nations, not the reverse, and the two-century project is already decaying.

by Eric J. Hobsbawm 1990

3.91

2k+ ratings

🏗️ Nation Building 🩸 Ethnic Conflict 📜 Invented Traditions

Can Ireland Be One?

by Malachi O'Doherty • 2022

Before Ireland can unite, it must agree what being Irish means. It doesn't.

3.84

☘️ Irish Politics 🧱 Northern Ireland 🏴 National Identity

Can Ireland Be One? 92%

Before Ireland can unite, it must agree what being Irish means. It doesn't.

by Malachi O'Doherty 2022

3.84

76 ratings

☘️ Irish Politics 🧱 Northern Ireland 🏴 National Identity

Chavs

by Owen Jones • 2011

The British working class wasn't only abandoned. It was mocked so the abandonment felt deserved.

4.08

11k+

🇬🇧 British Class Politics 🏷️ Class Prejudice 🏭 Deindustrialization

Chavs 92%

The British working class wasn't only abandoned. It was mocked so the abandonment felt deserved.

by Owen Jones 2011

4.08

11k+ ratings

🇬🇧 British Class Politics 🏷️ Class Prejudice 🏭 Deindustrialization

Identity

by Francis Fukuyama • 2018

Economics doesn't explain our political chaos. A deeper human need, the demand for dignity, does.

3.84

7k+

🏛️ Political Philosophy 🤝 Recognition Theory 🏴 National Identity

Identity 92%

Economics doesn't explain our political chaos. A deeper human need, the demand for dignity, does.

by Francis Fukuyama 2018

3.84

7k+ ratings

🏛️ Political Philosophy 🤝 Recognition Theory 🏴 National Identity

The Diversity Illusion

by Ed West • 2012

Three million newcomers, zero economic gain. The real cost: a society that stopped trusting.

4.04

226

🏛️ Immigration Policy 🇬🇧 British Politics 🤝 Social Capital

The Diversity Illusion 92%

Three million newcomers, zero economic gain. The real cost: a society that stopped trusting.

by Ed West 2012

4.04

226 ratings

🏛️ Immigration Policy 🇬🇧 British Politics 🤝 Social Capital

The Return of the Russian Leviathan

by Sergei Medvedev • 2017

Governance traded for spectacle: how resentment and distorted history built Putin's Russia.

4.06

337

🏛️ Post-Soviet Politics 🕯️ Historical Memory 📢 State Propaganda

The Return of the Russian Leviathan Summary

The Return of the Russian Leviathan 92%

Governance traded for spectacle: how resentment and distorted history built Putin's Russia.

by Sergei Medvedev 2017

4.06

337 ratings

🏛️ Post-Soviet Politics 🕯️ Historical Memory 📢 State Propaganda

Age of Anger

by Pankaj Mishra • 2017

Today's global resentments echo the fury that tore through modernizing Europe.

3.64

3k+

🧠 Intellectual History 😤 Ressentiment 🏭 Modernity Critique

Age of Anger 92%

Today's global resentments echo the fury that tore through modernizing Europe.

by Pankaj Mishra 2017

3.64

3k+ ratings

🧠 Intellectual History 😤 Ressentiment 🏭 Modernity Critique

What Is Populism?

by Jan-Werner Müller • 2014

Forget anti-elite anger. Populism's core is the claim that opponents are not the real people.

3.82

3k+

🗳️ Populism Studies 🏛️ Democratic Theory 🚫 Anti-Pluralism

What Is Populism? 92%

Forget anti-elite anger. Populism's core is the claim that opponents are not the real people.

by Jan-Werner Müller 2014

3.82

3k+ ratings

🗳️ Populism Studies 🏛️ Democratic Theory 🚫 Anti-Pluralism

Political Tribes

by Amy Chua • 2018

Vietnam, Iraq, and now America: the tribal instinct that loses wars is consuming us at home.

4.20

4k+

🏴 Ethnic Conflict ⚡ Failed Interventions 👥 Us Vs Them

Political Tribes 91%

Vietnam, Iraq, and now America: the tribal instinct that loses wars is consuming us at home.

by Amy Chua 2018

4.20

4k+ ratings

🏴 Ethnic Conflict ⚡ Failed Interventions 👥 Us Vs Them

The Storm Before the Calm

by George Friedman • 2020

Every eighty years America's government breaks; every fifty, its economy. Now both arrive at once.

4.05

3k+

🏛️ American Political History 🔄 Cyclical History 🌪️ Crisis And Renewal

The Storm Before the Calm 91%

Every eighty years America's government breaks; every fifty, its economy. Now both arrive at once.

by George Friedman 2020

4.05

3k+ ratings

🏛️ American Political History 🔄 Cyclical History 🌪️ Crisis And Renewal

Outclassed

by Joan C. Williams • 2025

The Left lost the working class to economic precarity and condescension. How to win them back.

4.20

248

👷 Class Politics 🇺🇸 American Populism 📢 Political Messaging

Outclassed 91%

The Left lost the working class to economic precarity and condescension. How to win them back.

by Joan C. Williams 2025

4.20

248 ratings

👷 Class Politics 🇺🇸 American Populism 📢 Political Messaging

Shitbürgertum

by Ulf Poschardt • 2025

Moral posturing, language control, contempt for ambition: how a parasitic class captured Germany.

3.21

301

🇩🇪 German Politics 🏛️ Elite Critique 🎭 Cultural Hegemony

Shitbürgertum 91%

Moral posturing, language control, contempt for ambition: how a parasitic class captured Germany.

by Ulf Poschardt 2025

3.21

301 ratings

🇩🇪 German Politics 🏛️ Elite Critique 🎭 Cultural Hegemony

A Pelican Introduction

by Mike Savage • 2015

Three hidden currencies now define British class, and only one appears on a payslip.

4.06

546

🏛️ Class Analysis 🇬🇧 British Society 🎭 Cultural Capital

A Pelican Introduction 91%

Three hidden currencies now define British class, and only one appears on a payslip.

by Mike Savage 2015

4.06

546 ratings

🏛️ Class Analysis 🇬🇧 British Society 🎭 Cultural Capital

National Identity

by Anthony D. Smith • 1991

Nations feel ancient, but they are modern inventions built from ethnic memories and myths.

3.71

243

📚 Nationalism Studies 🧬 Ethnic Identity 🏗️ Nation Building

National Identity 91%

Nations feel ancient, but they are modern inventions built from ethnic memories and myths.

by Anthony D. Smith 1991

3.71

243 ratings

📚 Nationalism Studies 🧬 Ethnic Identity 🏗️ Nation Building

The New Vichy Syndrome

by Theodore Dalrymple • 2010

Europeans were never richer or healthier. The rot is in the soul, not the balance sheet.

3.89

238

🏚️ European Decline ⛪ Secularization 🌐 Cultural Relativism

The New Vichy Syndrome 91%

Europeans were never richer or healthier. The rot is in the soul, not the balance sheet.

by Theodore Dalrymple 2010

3.89

238 ratings

🏚️ European Decline ⛪ Secularization 🌐 Cultural Relativism

Twilight of American Sanity

by Allen Frances • 2016

Trump is just a symptom. The real disorder is a Stone Age mind steering a technological superpower.

3.60

287

🧠 Political Psychology 🔍 Cognitive Biases 🧬 Evolutionary Mismatch

Twilight of American Sanity 91%

Trump is just a symptom. The real disorder is a Stone Age mind steering a technological superpower.

by Allen Frances 2016

3.60

287 ratings

🧠 Political Psychology 🔍 Cognitive Biases 🧬 Evolutionary Mismatch

Doppelganger

by Naomi Klein • 2023

Mistaken for her alt-right double, a leftist author maps the mirror world devouring our politics.

4.19

37k+

🗳️ Political Memoir 🕳️ Conspiracy Theories 🎭 Digital Identity

Doppelganger 91%

Mistaken for her alt-right double, a leftist author maps the mirror world devouring our politics.

by Naomi Klein 2023

4.19

37k+ ratings

🗳️ Political Memoir 🕳️ Conspiracy Theories 🎭 Digital Identity

Anti-Pluralism

by William A. Galston • 2018

When economies stop delivering, democracies start falling. Populism is the symptom, not the disease.

3.76

151

🏛️ Liberal Democracy 📢 Populism Studies 💸 Economic Anxiety

Anti-Pluralism 91%

When economies stop delivering, democracies start falling. Populism is the symptom, not the disease.

by William A. Galston 2018

3.76

151 ratings

🏛️ Liberal Democracy 📢 Populism Studies 💸 Economic Anxiety

The Dark Enlightenment

by Nick Land • 2012

Democracy is not a broken system; it is a self-destructive engine that devours civilization.

3.26

733

🏴 Neo-Reactionary Thought 📉 Democratic Decay 🧬 Human Biodiversity

The Dark Enlightenment 91%

Democracy is not a broken system; it is a self-destructive engine that devours civilization.

by Nick Land 2012

3.26

733 ratings

🏴 Neo-Reactionary Thought 📉 Democratic Decay 🧬 Human Biodiversity

Guns, Germs, and Steel

by Jared Diamond • 2005

Eurasia had wheat and an east-west axis. The Americas didn't. Geography decided who conquered whom.

4.04

467k+

🗺️ Macrohistory 🌍 Geographic Determinism 🧬 Biogeography

Guns, Germs, and Steel 91%

Eurasia had wheat and an east-west axis. The Americas didn't. Geography decided who conquered whom.

by Jared Diamond 2005

4.04

467k+ ratings

🗺️ Macrohistory 🌍 Geographic Determinism 🧬 Biogeography

The Case for Trump

by Victor Davis Hanson • 2019

Trump was the symptom of an establishment that had failed its own voters for decades.

4.21

2k+

🔨 Populist Movements ⚡ Political Polarization 🏛️ Administrative State

The Case for Trump 91%

Trump was the symptom of an establishment that had failed its own voters for decades.

by Victor Davis Hanson 2019

4.21

2k+ ratings

🔨 Populist Movements ⚡ Political Polarization 🏛️ Administrative State

The Strange Death of Europe

by Douglas Murray • 2017

Europe is being remade through mass immigration, paralyzed by a guilt that forbids honest debate.

4.15

13k+

🛂 Immigration Policy 🇪🇺 European Identity 🚢 Mass Migration

The Strange Death of Europe 91%

Europe is being remade through mass immigration, paralyzed by a guilt that forbids honest debate.

by Douglas Murray 2017

4.15

13k+ ratings

🛂 Immigration Policy 🇪🇺 European Identity 🚢 Mass Migration

Politics

by Nick Clegg • 2016

Coalition with the Tories nearly destroyed his party. His case for why it was still right.

3.72

1k+

🏛️ Coalition Government 🇬🇧 British Politics 🤝 Political Compromise

Politics 91%

Coalition with the Tories nearly destroyed his party. His case for why it was still right.

by Nick Clegg 2016

3.72

1k+ ratings

🏛️ Coalition Government 🇬🇧 British Politics 🤝 Political Compromise

Imagined Communities

by Benedict Anderson • 1983

Your nation is not ancient. Print markets, colonial maps, and selective forgetting built it.

4.11

17k+

🏗️ Nation Building 🗳️ Political Identity 📚 Print Culture

Imagined Communities 91%

Your nation is not ancient. Print markets, colonial maps, and selective forgetting built it.

by Benedict Anderson 1983

4.11

17k+ ratings

🏗️ Nation Building 🗳️ Political Identity 📚 Print Culture

The Case for Colonialism

by Bruce Gilley • 2023

Start new colonies from scratch. The controversial solution to a century of post-colonial disaster.

4.32

191

📚 Revisionist History 🏗️ State Building 👑 Imperial History

The Case for Colonialism 91%

Start new colonies from scratch. The controversial solution to a century of post-colonial disaster.

by Bruce Gilley 2023

4.32

191 ratings

📚 Revisionist History 🏗️ State Building 👑 Imperial History

Shattered Nation

by Danny Dorling • 2023

Beneath every British crisis lies a map of inequality decades in the making.

3.97

119

🗺️ Regional Inequality 📉 Austerity Politics 🏚️ Welfare State Erosion

Shattered Nation 90%

Beneath every British crisis lies a map of inequality decades in the making.

by Danny Dorling 2023

3.97

119 ratings

🗺️ Regional Inequality 📉 Austerity Politics 🏚️ Welfare State Erosion

Why Empires Fall

by Peter Heather and John Rapley • 1983

Barbarians didn't kill Rome; economic shifts on its frontiers did. The West is next.

3.60

962

🏛️ Imperial Decline 📜 Comparative History 🌍 Global Power Shift

Why Empires Fall 90%

Barbarians didn't kill Rome; economic shifts on its frontiers did. The West is next.

by Peter Heather and John Rapley 1983

3.60

962 ratings

🏛️ Imperial Decline 📜 Comparative History 🌍 Global Power Shift

Municipal Dreams

by John Boughton • 2018

Britain built some of the world's best public housing, then spent 40 years dismantling it.

3.92

769

🏠 Social Housing 🏙️ Urban History 📋 Housing Policy

Municipal Dreams 90%

Britain built some of the world's best public housing, then spent 40 years dismantling it.

by John Boughton 2018

3.92

769 ratings

🏠 Social Housing 🏙️ Urban History 📋 Housing Policy

Butler

by Salena Zito • 2025

One bullet, one Rust Belt town, and the reckoning America's institutions could no longer postpone.

4.32

1k+

🗳️ Presidential Campaigns 🗣️ American Populism 🔫 Political Violence

Butler 90%

One bullet, one Rust Belt town, and the reckoning America's institutions could no longer postpone.

by Salena Zito 2025

4.32

1k+ ratings

🗳️ Presidential Campaigns 🗣️ American Populism 🔫 Political Violence

Watching the English

by Kate Fox • 2004

The English have a secret code for weather, queues, and pubs. An anthropologist cracks it.

3.91

11k+

🇬🇧 Englishness 🔍 Pop Anthropology 📜 Unwritten Rules

Watching the English 90%

The English have a secret code for weather, queues, and pubs. An anthropologist cracks it.

by Kate Fox 2004

3.91

11k+ ratings

🇬🇧 Englishness 🔍 Pop Anthropology 📜 Unwritten Rules

End Times

by Peter Turchin • 2023

Ten millennia of data point to two conditions for state collapse. America now meets both.

4.06

3k+

📊 Quantitative History 💥 Political Instability 👑 Elite Theory

End Times 90%

Ten millennia of data point to two conditions for state collapse. America now meets both.

by Peter Turchin 2023

4.06

3k+ ratings

📊 Quantitative History 💥 Political Instability 👑 Elite Theory

Fascism

by Madeleine K. Albright • 2018

Democracies are dismantled one law at a time. The 1930s playbook is back.

4.25

21k+

🔴 Authoritarian Movements 📜 Fascism History 📉 Democratic Backsliding

Fascism 90%

Democracies are dismantled one law at a time. The 1930s playbook is back.

by Madeleine K. Albright 2018

4.25

21k+ ratings

🔴 Authoritarian Movements 📜 Fascism History 📉 Democratic Backsliding

Dangerous Games

by Margaret MacMillan • 2008

History is never neutral. Nations and leaders weaponize it daily, and the patterns are predictable.

3.64

2k+

🏛️ Public History 🧠 Collective Memory 📜 Historiography

Dangerous Games 90%

History is never neutral. Nations and leaders weaponize it daily, and the patterns are predictable.

by Margaret MacMillan 2008

3.64

2k+ ratings

🏛️ Public History 🧠 Collective Memory 📜 Historiography

From Fatwa to Jihad

by Kenan Malik • 2009

The Rushdie affair tore the multicultural consensus apart, moving Islam's fault line into Europe.

4.03

285

🗣️ Free Speech Debates 🕌 Political Islam 🌍 Multiculturalism Critique

From Fatwa to Jihad 90%

The Rushdie affair tore the multicultural consensus apart, moving Islam's fault line into Europe.

by Kenan Malik 2009

4.03

285 ratings

🗣️ Free Speech Debates 🕌 Political Islam 🌍 Multiculturalism Critique

Authoritarian Nightmare

by John W. Dean • 2020

Two personality scales, tested for decades, predicted Trump's base and its immunity to facts.

4.15

881

🗳️ Trump Era 👤 Authoritarian Personality 🏛️ Political Psychology

Authoritarian Nightmare 90%

Two personality scales, tested for decades, predicted Trump's base and its immunity to facts.

by John W. Dean 2020

4.15

881 ratings

🗳️ Trump Era 👤 Authoritarian Personality 🏛️ Political Psychology

Taking Back Trump's America

by Peter Navarro • 2022

How Trump's own White House undermined his re-election, and the playbook for winning in 2024.

4.47

163

🔍 Campaign Postmortems 📖 Political Memoirs 🏛️ Insider Accounts

Taking Back Trump's America 90%

How Trump's own White House undermined his re-election, and the playbook for winning in 2024.

by Peter Navarro 2022

4.47

163 ratings

🔍 Campaign Postmortems 📖 Political Memoirs 🏛️ Insider Accounts

The Anglo Files

by Sarah Lyall • 2008

An American marries into England and decodes a nation wired for apology, irony, and booze.

3.45

2k+

🇬🇧 British Culture 🤐 British Reserve 👑 Class In Britain

The Anglo Files 90%

An American marries into England and decodes a nation wired for apology, irony, and booze.

by Sarah Lyall 2008

3.45

2k+ ratings

🇬🇧 British Culture 🤐 British Reserve 👑 Class In Britain

How to Lose a Country

by Ece Temelkuran • 2019

A democracy collapses step by step, and the playbook looks the same from Turkey to the West.

4.04

2k+

🗳️ Democratic Backsliding 🎙️ Populist Movements 📰 Post-Truth Politics

How to Lose a Country 90%

A democracy collapses step by step, and the playbook looks the same from Turkey to the West.

by Ece Temelkuran 2019

4.04

2k+ ratings

🗳️ Democratic Backsliding 🎙️ Populist Movements 📰 Post-Truth Politics

Globalismo

by Agustín Laje • 2024

Social engineering survived the Terror and went global. Your sovereignty is its target.

4.46

145

🌐 Global Governance 🏛️ National Sovereignty 🛠️ Social Engineering

Globalismo 90%

Social engineering survived the Terror and went global. Your sovereignty is its target.

by Agustín Laje 2024

4.46

145 ratings

🌐 Global Governance 🏛️ National Sovereignty 🛠️ Social Engineering

Power, Politics and Culture

by Edward W. Said • 2001

The scholar who revealed how Western learning became a tool of empire, in his own words.

4.26

613

🏛️ Postcolonial Theory 🕌 Middle Eastern Politics 🗺️ Cultural Imperialism

Power, Politics and Culture 90%

The scholar who revealed how Western learning became a tool of empire, in his own words.

by Edward W. Said 2001

4.26

613 ratings

🏛️ Postcolonial Theory 🕌 Middle Eastern Politics 🗺️ Cultural Imperialism

The Dying Citizen

by Victor Davis Hanson • 2021

The four forces dismantling American citizenship are one crisis, each speeding the others.

4.35

2k+

🗽 American Citizenship 🏴 National Identity 📉 Middle Class Decline

The Dying Citizen 90%

The four forces dismantling American citizenship are one crisis, each speeding the others.

by Victor Davis Hanson 2021

4.35

2k+ ratings

🗽 American Citizenship 🏴 National Identity 📉 Middle Class Decline

A Journey

by Tony Blair • 2010

From rewriting Labour's soul to the order for war: the private memoir of a prime minister.

3.57

5k+

📖 Political Memoirs 🇬🇧 Uk Politics 🌹 Social Democracy

A Journey 90%

From rewriting Labour's soul to the order for war: the private memoir of a prime minister.

by Tony Blair 2010

3.57

5k+ ratings

📖 Political Memoirs 🇬🇧 Uk Politics 🌹 Social Democracy

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