Politics has a part to play in our lives, whether we like it or not. Understanding politics is understanding society and facing reality. So, here are the top 5 political books that will make you think and gasp and accept for what it is. As they say, it is what it is. 
POONACHI by Perumal Murugan
Poonachi is the story that revolves around the little black goat which becomes the talk of the town because of the miracle that she is. The complexity of the animal world and human nature is reflected through lullaby-like storytelling. The first line of the preface says, “How long can an untold story rest in deep slumber within the dormant seed?” This is a story which was needed to be told; to tell us what it does that we do. This work is a sharp comment on society and the people in power. This book will bring a new perspective in you towards something which you had been seeing but not seeing through.
THE REPUBLIC by Plato
This masterpiece, birthed by Plato brings social, educational, moral, and philosophical discussions to the surface and deal with them as directly as possible. The entire book is dialogue-based and demands your thorough attention. The narrator in the book is Socrates. In real life, Plato was the student of Socrates. The book is translated from Greek by Desmond. His introduction to the book is in itself is more than forty pages long which speaks volumes about the profundity and the elusivity of the book. There is hardly any subject that is left untouched in this book. There is a reason why this book is considered a masterpiece.
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FUNNY BOY by Shyam Selvadurai
The Premise is Set in Sri Lanka, this book maps the life of a boy named Arjie and his exploration into his sexuality amongst increasing political tensions in the country. There is something about the mood of this novel that gives you a heavy feel; and towards the the realities of life which are often realised in such moods. As the coming of the war and the unprecedented events follow, you come to gather the notions of human frailties and the seemingly rigid flexibility of human conscience. Some incidents in this book are going to stay with you even long after you are long done with them. And that’s where how the author becomes a success. This book will give an idea about what politics and society can do to a boy who is just entering into his adolescent years growing to be an adult.
INDIA AFTER GANDHI by Ramachandra Guha
No book has ever been written about India and its journey of politics from its birth as an independent country to its status quo as exquisitely and profoundly as this magnum opus. The book was hailed as ‘Book Of The Year’ by The Economist, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Time Out, and Outlook. The book won the 2011 Sahitya Akademi Award for English. Surprisingly, talking about the book, Ramachandra Guha confesses- in the preface to the second edition- that the book, unlike the rest, was not his idea. He was contacted by the publisher to write the history of independent India.
More than 750 pages long, this book accounts for almost everything that India has been through. Only Ramachandra Guha could have done it.
NATIONALISM by Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore wrote this book just after coming back from Japan. And in this book, he talks about the learnings we can take from this magnificent country. Taking Japan into context, he writes, “What has impressed me most in this country is the conviction that you have realised nature’s secrets, not by methods of analytical knowledge, but by sympathy.” The book is divided into three chapters, vis a vis, Nationalism in Japan, Nationalism in the West, and Nationalism in India. From what politics means to a human conscience to its implications on nation and humanity at large, this 116 pages book will be a gift to your understanding of the whole narrative in and around the word ‘politics’.
So these are our top 5 recommendations. Do let us know yours in the comments below. Happy Reading!
