As you set your 2025 goals and New Year’s resolutions, The Daily Signal encourages you to make reading books a priority (or listening to them, if that’s your preference).
We asked our own staff, plus others from The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action for America, to offer their book recommendations. They are listed below.
Do you have a book you’d like to recommend to us? Send an email to [email protected] and we’ll consider for a future list.
‘The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness‘
By Jonathan Haidt
Finally, a book with the science and research to back the in-our-face reality that today’s kids and youth are not OK—and the onset of a screen-based childhood is largely to blame!
As a millennial who feels like I (along with my husband) am fighting an uphill battle to preserve the sacred parts of my childhood that are being lost among my Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids, I must say Haidt explains the impacts of the shift from “play-based childhoods” to “screen-based childhoods” and it’s not good!
“The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” is more than just evidence that social media is bad for kids (though it does contain the most up-to-date evidence); it reveals what is lost amid the time kids spend on screens instead of exploring the world and engaging with people around them, and it explains how trends towards overprotection and constant supervision suppress kids’ innate desire for independence and exploration, which are crucial to developing resilience. Hence, we have an alarmingly anxious generation.
While every parent and person who works with kids would benefit greatly from this book, the consequences of screen-based living don’t stop with kids and this book is for everyone. Haidt provides practical steps that parents, caregivers, schools, and lawmakers at the federal, state, and local level can take to help turn the rising tide of anxiety and foster a more resilient society.
— Rachel Greszler, senior research fellow, The Heritage Foundation
‘Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets it Wrong and What it Means for Our Health‘
By Dr. Martin Makary
To get a sense of the new administration’s effort to “Make America Healthy Again,” a good place to start is to read Dr. Martin Makary’s latest book, “Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong and What it Means for Our Health.”
A high-profile specialist at Johns Hopkins University and Trump’s nominee to head the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Makary shows how the medical establishment promoted misinformation on a range of topics, ranging from childhood peanut allergies and hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women to a cavalier attitude toward antibiotics and the damage of excessive antibiotic use to the human microbiome. He details the lack of scientific rigor in support of conventional views that have been hardened into dogmas.
Makary achieved national notoriety during the COVID-19 pandemic, commenting on the mistaken policies of the public health establishment, particularly as a witness during congressional oversight investigations. His book should prove an excellent introduction to what may be a turning point in American public health.
—Robert Emmet Moffit, senior research fellow, The Heritage Foundation
‘Building a Story Brand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen‘
By Donald Miller
Whether you are trying to persuade a lawmaker to adopt your policy proposal, or inspire donors to give to your local conservative club, compelling storytelling is essential to communicating conservative ideas effectively.
“Building a Story Brand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen” is a helpful framework (illustrated excellently with Star War analogies) to think about how to make an idea compelling in a way that grabs your desired audience’s attention and motivates them to action.
—Stephanie Kreuz, director of sentinel engagement, Heritage Action
‘A Cactus in The Desert‘
By The Rev. Teresia Kinyanjui
A book I would like to recommend is “A Cactus In the Desert,” an autobiography of the Rev. Teresia Kinyanjui. Kinyanjui is a granddaughter of a very prominent chief in Kikuyu land who was married to a missionary. After having her second child, she found herself alone with only God. With time, Reinhard Bonnke spiritually fathers her and today she is a prophet to the nations with several churches.
—Ruth Chege, The Heritage Foundation
‘The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World’s Greatest Teams‘
By Sam Walker
When disruption is the rule and the path forward unclear, even overwhelming, someone will step up to lead. Do you have what it takes? Do you possess the right traits? Most important, are you measuring yourself against the right archetype?
Sam Walker’s book, “The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World’s Greatest Teams,” details that leadership isn’t about natural talent or charisma—it’s about grit, humility, and relentless commitment.
The author chronicles Bill Russell in 1957 and the story produces awe, especially knowing the Boston Celtics’ dominance would flow for the next decade plus. Through familiar names, and ones you’ve never known, Walker uncovers the secret traits of the world’s greatest captains, who embraced the often-unglamorous work and lifted their teams to greatness. These leaders turned obstacles into triumphs, proving that true leadership is built on selflessness, resilience, and the willingness to do what others won’t.
Enjoying this book will get you closer to confidently answering this powerful question, “If you knew you were heading into the toughest fight of your life, whom would you choose to lead you?”
—Andy Olivastro, chief advancement officer, The Heritage Foundation
‘Dawn’s Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America’
By Kevin Roberts
Kevin Roberts leads the organization at the center of conservative policymaking, which makes his new book, “Dawn’s Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America,” a must-read for anyone wanting to know where the conservative movement is headed in the future.
Told through the lens of his own personal story—filled with both tragedy and triumph—Roberts articulates a vision for reviving the American dream that seems hopelessly lost for many of our fellow citizens. Having overcome a tough childhood and broken home, Roberts’ story is analogous to that of Vice President-elect JD Vance, whose own book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” propelled him into the national spotlight. It was fitting that Vance wrote the foreword for Roberts’ book.
As my friend Josh Treviño so perfectly articulated in his interview with Roberts, this is not just another policy book. What you’ll find are real-life examples of how to strengthen the family, fix the broken education system, confront foreign threats, and restore self-government. And if you purchase the audiobook, you’ll be able to hear from Roberts directly as the narrator.
—Rob Bluey, president and executive editor, The Daily Signal
‘A Dove of the East: And Other Stories‘
By Mark Helprin
To experience our greatest living writer, start where he did with 20 short stories, published 49 years ago. In “A Dove of the East: And Other Stories,” Helprin paints with beautiful prose while he affirms truths. It’s better than escape because he pulls from the ancients to illuminate the permanent things.
“Mark Helprin belongs to no literary school, movement, tendency, or trend,” asserts his bio. It’s accurate and so good. I like to believe he wrote it himself because it invites the reader to a challenge. Pick this up, crease the binding, turn the page. You’ve never known anything like it.
It has the benefit of being true.
The most affecting story, from which the collection draws its title, appears last and is heartbreaking in its humanity, gentleness, and redemption. The most moving story is the first one, “A Jew of Persia,” which introduces us to Najime, who confronts the devil twice: once as a young man, which we learn about, and again much later, which we experience with him. The story is part folktale, part fable, and likely allegorical as it captures the dramatic conflict between good and evil.
Each story in between is an experience and a journey. These short stories are tales that last.
—Andy Olivastro, chief advancement officer, The Heritage Foundation
‘A Gentleman in Moscow‘
By Amor Towles
Recently adapted into an equally excellent mini-series, “A Gentleman in Moscow” follows Count Alexander Rostov’s life under house arrest in a Moscow hotel in post-Revolutionary Russia. Despite its dark historical backdrop, the book explores themes of legacy, purpose, and love with humor and beauty as Rostov discovers how to live well as the world around him changes. Ultimately, Rostov seeks to give the greatest gift to those he loves: freedom.
—Elizabeth Fender, director, Marketing, The Heritage Foundation
‘Hannah’s Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth’
By Catherine Ruth Pakaluk
What makes a woman decide she can handle five or more kids? In “Hannah’s Children,” Catherine Pakaluk recounts conversations with dozens of women who chose to have large families in this era of American families becoming smaller and smaller. The women in the book candidly describe the hardships of a large family, but they also movingly explain why they have no regrets. Pakaluk, an economist, and her subjects honestly look at the joys and sacrifices involved in large families, in a way that ultimately celebrates the wonderfulness of human beings. If you’re like me, you’ll be pondering the questions this book and its wonderful interviewees raise long after you’ve finished reading.
—Katrina Trinko, editor-in-chief, The Daily Signal
‘Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution‘
By Mike Duncan
“Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution” is the story of Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, and reads like the great adventure of an orphaned nobleman in search of adventure and motivated by the ideals of freedom and democracy in the time of the American Revolution.
Although the book is nonfiction, Duncan’s prose is easy to read with interesting facts and good pacing to move Lafayette’s story along. A big focus is the relationship between Lafayette and George Washington, as well as Lafayette’s mistakes along the way despite his idealistic hopes for the United States and later France. He is a unique character in American and French history, who loved family and country deeply.
—Noelle Carter, Donor Relations, Heritage Foundation
‘The Peter Principle‘
By Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull
I read “The Peter Principle” (William Morrow & Co.), a business management book, decades ago, drawn to it—silly though it may sound—for no reason other than because of the name that the book and its primary author, Laurence J. Peter, and I had in common.
Its part-factual, part-satirical, and thoroughly entertaining premise is that in business, and in other hierarchical endeavors, a person is promoted based on competent, successful performance until he or she is elevated into a position in which he or she reaches his or her “level of incompetence,” because expertise in one job doesn’t necessarily transfer to the next.
I wrote a column for The Daily Signal in December 2022, updated in May 2024, citing Biden White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as the most obvious current example of the Peter Principle, a phenomenon now commonly referred to as “failing upward.”
“The Peter Principle,” first published in 1969 and rereleased in 2014 with a new foreword, could explain why I’ve been content to remain for my entire career as a writer and editor, and not seek to be promoted to a higher position. It may be because I have internalized the concept, but I have no desire to risk being promoted to a position where I might reach my own level of incompetence. As Clint Eastwood’s police inspector character “Dirty” Harry Callahan observed in the 1973 film classic “Magnum Force”: “A man’s got to know his limitations.”
— Peter Parisi, writer and editor for The Daily Signal
‘I, Robot‘
By Isaac Asimov
Asimov’s short stories about the challenges of programming robots just right are extremely interesting in light of today’s AI policy debates. Through escapes (and catastrophes), “I, Robot” explores the challenges of making artificial intelligence operate ethically—and the painful tradeoffs that can arise. While this collection of short stories was written in the 1940s and 1950s, it offers surprisingly timely food for thought.
—Stephanie Kreuz, director of Sentinel engagement, Heritage Action
‘The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War‘
By Michael Shaara
You don’t have to be a Civil War buff to enjoy this novelization of the Battle of Gettysburg, often cited as the turning point of the Civil War. The story is character-driven, following a handful of officers on both sides of the battle.
Former English professor Col. Joshua Chamberlain must hold a lonely hilltop against the Confederate advance. As ammunition runs low, his only remaining option is a risky bayonet charge. The stoic and mournful Confederate Gen. James Longstreet is certain that the final, desperate offensive against the Union line will fail. But the revered Gen. Robert E. Lee will not listen. Confederate Gen. Lewis Armistead must lead a section of that offensive, now known as Pickett’s Charge. But his former brother-in-arms, Union Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock, whom he has sworn to never raise a hand against, is waiting on the other side of the field.
“The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War” is one of only two novels that are required reading at West Point. I can see why. Michael Shaara embraces both the romanticism and realism of his subjects. The near-superhuman virtue and callous stupidity of men are on full display.
This novel makes one realize the silliness of viewing the American Civil War as a simple morality play. On both sides, these soldiers were human beings, like us. Some of their motivations were honorable. Some were not. I do not have to agree with Chamberlain, Longstreet, or Lee in all subjects to recognize that I’d be foolish to discard their memory.
—Mark Guiney, assistant director, Digital Productions, Heritage Foundation
‘King Solomon’s Mines’ and ‘She‘
By H. Rider Haggard
‘Captain Blood,’ ‘The Sea Hawk,’ and ‘Scaramouche‘
By Rafael Sabatini
‘Nero Wolfe‘
By Rex Stout
I have no doubt you will get great recommendations for serious, thoughtful books from my Heritage colleagues, but if you want to escape from the turbulence of our incessant political and cultural wars, I give you my escape-from-politics suggestions. These are authors who will take you out of the heart of darkness, the nation’s capital.
Begin with Rider Haggard, the Victorian who virtually pioneered the adventure novel set in exotic locations, often Africa. Many of his novels were made into movies during the golden age of Hollywood, including two of his best books, “King Solomon’s Mines” and “She.” You have surely heard of his most famous adventurer, Allan Quatermain, from Haggard’s 1887 book. Start your journey with “King Solomon’s Mines” where, as Haggard says, “there is no journey upon this earth that a man may not make if he sets his heart to it.”
Want more adventure? This time with swords, romance, and more? Go to Rafael Sabatini, the Italian-born British writer who authored “Captain Blood,” “The Sea Hawk,” and “Scaramouche.” The first two books were made into movies starring the ultimate Hollywood swashbuckler, Errol Flynn. Stewart Granger, the star of “Scaramouche,” a story about the French Revolution, provides one of the most spectacular sword fights ever filmed by Hollywood. For conservatives, as Captain Blood says, “It’s the world against us and us against the world!”
Finally, for something different, you can’t go wrong in the mystery genre with Rex Stout’s “Nero Wolfe” series. Stout wrote 72 stories from 1934 to 1975 about a rotund detective, a genius who never leaves his brownstone in New York City where he eats gourmet meals and raises orchids. His smart-alecky, all-around-assistant, investigator, and leg man is Archie Goodwin. The A&E network brought the stories to life with 20 episodes in 2001-2002. Starring Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin, they are the most accurate betrayal of the characters ever produced. For trivia buffs, there was actually an unsold pilot for a Nero Wolfe series produced in 1959 starring none other than the future captain of the USS Enterprise, William Shatner, as Archie Goodwin.
—Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow and manager, Election Law Reform Initiative
‘Gilead‘
By Marilynne Robinson
Completely without chapters, this is the perfect book to keep at your bedside table and read to wind down before bed. Written as a rambling mid-century letter from an elderly and dying Midwest pastor to his young son, “Gilead” is a slowly unfolding tale of three generations of men who share a vocation but follow it in wildly different ways.
—Elizabeth Fender, director, Marketing at The Heritage Foundation
‘Marlborough: His Life and Times‘
By Winston Churchill
George Washington once advised his friend James Madison that when the country faces storms, what it chiefly needs are “wisdom and good examples.”
“Marlborough” provides both, and more than that, it provides both twice-over because in retelling the remarkable life of one of the greatest statesmen and generals in Western history, Winston Churchill tells us a great deal about himself. John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, was Winston’s ancestor and the preeminent political and military figure in England under the reign of Queen Anne and during the War of Spanish Succession. He was a brilliant commander, but his true greatness was in his prudent use of power in the service of his country.
Few statesmen have ever served their country so well, and anyone who also wishes to serve his or her country well will learn a lot from his example. Marlborough gives us more than his example, however. It gives us Winston Churchill’s, too, because few things tell us more about a man than whom he praises. Written during the time between the World Wars, when Churchill was out of power and Adolf Hitler rising in Germany, Marlborough shows us how Churchill thought about politics, power, and service.
It shows us the sort of leader he thought was necessary to save Europe from the storm of Naziism—that is, the leader Churchill would soon become. Marlborough is a double source of wisdom and good examples from two of the greatest statesmen in Western history.
—GianCarlo Canaparo, senior legal fellow, The Heritage Foundation
‘Meditations‘
By Marcus Aurelius
The study of great men is an age-old hobby, even profession for some. And yet society knows little about the personal thought lives of many rulers and leaders throughout history. Marcus Aurelius is a wonderful exception. The Roman emperor documents his personal beliefs, convictions, and revelations in what we now call “Meditations.”
Because Marcus Aurelius never intended his writings to be published, readers are allowed into the mind of one of the most successful rulers in recorded history, and will likely find themselves relating to this Roman man’s very human struggles. Filled with beautiful words of wisdom and philosophical thought, “Meditations” is a joy to read and a greater pleasure to discuss among friends.
—Virginia Allen, senior news producer, The Daily Signal
‘Next Gen Marxism: What It Is and How to Combat It‘
By Mike Gonzalez and Katharine Gorka
Today, woke ideology appears to be in retreat. President-elect Donald Trump’s historic reelection victory puts America back in the driver’s seat against the neo-Marxist ideology seeking to rot our country from the inside out.
Yet books like “Next Gen Marxism” are still extremely valuable: because Mike Gonzalez and Katie Gorka expose the lasting threat of Marxism, how it transformed in the past to overcome previous defeats, and how to combat this hydra today. They unearth the historical and ideological roots of the woke movement, showing just how Marxist it truly is. They also expose the ugliest threat of all—the sexualization of children—and they explain the horrifying motives behind it.
Most importantly, Gonzalez and Gorka provide key advice in how to combat woke policy going forward, winning the generational battle against the forces of civilizational darkness yet again.
—Tyler O’Neil, managing editor at The Daily Signal
‘Nuclear Revolution: Powering the Next Generation‘
By Jack Spencer
The good life means clean air and affordable, reliable resilient energy, and Jack Spencer’s book, “Nuclear Revolution: Powering the Next Generation,” describes how to get there through nuclear power.
Some mistakenly think that nuclear energy is unsafe. But France, the top global destination for tourism, generates 70% of its electricity from nuclear power, and these tourists don’t complain about nuclear power. If America copies France in nuclear power, will the croissants follow?
—Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Center for Energy, Climate and Environment, The Heritage Foundation
‘The Pursuit of God‘
By A.W. Tozer
“You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.” —Jeremiah 29:13
“The Pursuit of God” by A.W. Tozer hinges on this promise and draws the reader into the riches that lie therein. It is a treasure map leading to a person and love itself wrapped in the deep riches of a generous relationship. Though concise and straightforward, it is not lacking in depth or heartfelt passion, igniting longings and quenching questions hidden away in the depths of a person’s soul. Journey in and find that a treasure, a pearl of great price, awaits. It is a quick read and a beloved theological classic.
—Sheri Valera, development researcher and assistant to the president, Donor Relations
‘Saint Francis of Assisi‘
By G.K. Chesterton
St. Francis—Pope Francis’ namesake—was British journalist and author G.K. Chesterton’s favorite saint. Strange, right? This short biography, “Saint Francis of Assisi,” is a masterpiece that will help you grow in faith of God’s plan, grow in hope for modernity, and grow in love for your neighbor.
—Noelle Carter, Donor Relations, The Heritage Foundation
‘The Scarlet Pimpernel‘
By Baroness Orczy
If you are looking to reengage with classic fiction, but want something not too long or daunting, “The Scarlet Pimpernel” is a delightfully fun adventure. Set during the French Revolution, it introduces readers to a mysterious hero in disguise who rescues families from the daily executions by guillotine. There is mystery, intrigue, daring escapes and just a little romance—all as Marguerite St. Just tries to uncover the hero’s identity.
– Stephanie Kreuz, director of Sentinel engagement, Heritage Action
‘Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts‘
By Annie Duke
Written by a cognitive psychology graduate student turned one of the most successful female poker players of all time, “Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts” examines the process of human decision-making and highlights tools and considerations we can utilize to optimize this process to achieve better results in all facets of everyday life. It’s an easily digestible take on decision science and how to be comfortable with choosing under uncertainty, identifying cognitive biases, and being able to recognize and overcome them, culminating in making great decisions that lead to great outcomes on a consistent basis.
—Jimmy Connor, manager of digital fundraising, Heritage Action
‘Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion‘
By Allie Beth Stuckey
As churches increasingly adopt far-left ideology in the name of Christian compassion, “Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion” encourages believers to inform their political views with biblical truth, rather than transient trends.
Allie Beth Stuckey explores how progressives use catch phrases like “love is love,” “abortion is health care,” and “no human is illegal” to emotionally blackmail Christians into accepting left-wing policy positions like open borders and abortion on demand.
“Toxic Empathy” is a guide for Christians seeking to understand how their conservative culture war positions are shaped by their faith, rather than being in conflict with it.
—Elizabeth Mitchell, reporter at The Daily Signal
‘Detrans: True Stories of Escaping the Gender Ideology Cult’
By Mary Margaret Olohan
What happens when a young person “changes” her gender—and then realizes she made a mistake? In “Detrans,” our former colleague grippingly tells the stories the legacy media has largely ignored, about the minors and young adults who underwent experimental medical procedures to change their bodies. She also, in unflinching language, describes what exactly happens in these experimental medical procedures—and the effects they can have. And even though I’ve read it more than once, the last chapter still brings me to tears. Forgot all the politics; this is about a genuine tragedy occurring to too many young people and their families, told by a superb journalist.
—Katrina Trinko, editor-in-chief, The Daily Signal
‘Two Years Before the Mast‘
By Richard Henry Dana Jr.
Before the American imagination was captured by stories of the cowboy valiantly exploring and settling the West, our young nation’s heart lay firmly with the sea. A fascination inherited from the British, the maritime lifestyle not only played a vital role in shaping national identity, but also in growing the economy of our infant nation.
In 1834, Richard Henry Dana Jr. dropped out of Harvard to sail on a small trading brig bound for California in the hopes that a strenuous life outdoors would cure his physical ailments (a decision later imitated by President Teddy Roosevelt).
Dana’s book, “Two Years Before the Mast,” recounts his time at sea and includes themes of courage in the face of danger, the consequences of poor leadership, and the thrill of diving headfirst into a new way of life. It is also written with a distinctly American character. While most British seafaring stories of that time focused on the officers of the ship, Dana’s focus is on the experience of the members of crew.
This “common man” perspective was particularly popular during the Jacksonian age in which Dana sailed. Its influence on American literature was profound, inspiring other authors like Herman Melville to write their own seagoing stories that remain classics to this day. This book will give you a glimpse into early America, a taste of adventure, and a true story that you won’t be able to put down.
—Dominic Girard, digital marketing manager, Heritage Action
‘The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government‘
By Tyler O’Neil
In 2022, the U.S. Congress passed 247 laws, while the more than 400 agencies and departments of the federal bureaucracy promulgated 3,168 rules, which were included in some 80,756 pages explaining the rules. Moreover, many if not most of the 247 laws were empty Christmas trees, and the regulations and rules are the lights, the ornaments and even the tinsel.
On top of that, a vast network of far-left nongovernment organizations funded by far-left dark money actually helps write these regulations, and helps staff the agencies, during administrations of both parties. Have I gotten your attention yet?
This state of affairs is revealed in fulsome detail in Tyler O’Neil’s brand new “The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government,” a very readable and accessible read despite the fact that it deals with an enormous number of facts. There is no fourth branch of government, despite how many times The Washington Post tells you there is. The over 2 million bureaucrats and countless others in the cabal of nonprofits and dark money funders are not accountable. It is high time we bring them to heel, and O’Neil’s book is a good start.
—Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow, The Heritage Foundation
This article was originally published at www.dailysignal.com
