The former BBC Washington correspondent selects five of his favorites. His latest book, “The Forever War: America’s Unending Conflict with Itself,” is out now.
Glued to the box
Clive James, 1983
The first adult book I can remember buying with my pocket money was this compilation of Clive James’s television reviews, which includes a display of verbal pyrotechnics not at all as conspicuous as Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks. In the land of Waugh and Greene, I joined a group of aspiring journalists who wanted to emulate “the boy from Kogarah”. Not even James’s pal Christopher Hitchens could have come up with a witty line comparing Arnold Schwarzenegger to “a brown condom full of walnuts”, or comparing the mascara and geisha-white skin of Barbara Cartland to the corpses of two crows that had crashed against a chalk cliff.
Subscribe to something The week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news and analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for the free weekly newsletter
From our morning news roundup to our weekly Good News newsletter, get the best of the week delivered straight to your inbox.
From our morning news roundup to our weekly Good News newsletter, get the best of the week delivered straight to your inbox.
Wifehood
Anna Funder, 2023
Animal Farm shaped me as a young child, just as George Orwell shaped me as a young journalist. But the book I would recommend is Funder’s, which focuses on the invisible life of Orwell’s wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy.
The Purgatory of Vanities
Tom Wolfe, 1987
Even more than a great American novel, I have always loved a great New York novel. Two stand out in particular. Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities captures the energy of the Big Apple perfectly.
Let the big world turn
Colum McCann, 2009
This book is another masterpiece. For me it remains the best 9/11 novel, even though it is set in 1974.
President Reagan: The role of his life
Lou Cannon, 1991
Because of my fixation on American history, there is a special section on my bookshelf for Robert Caro’s portraits of Lyndon Johnson, but even Caro fans should read this classic. Ronald Reagan’s performative presidency helps better understand Donald Trump, a tycoon who in many ways embodied the excesses of the Reagan era.
To continue reading this article…
Create a free account
Continue reading this article and get limited website access every month.
Already have an account? register
Subscribe to The Week
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters and more.
You can cancel or pause at any time.
Are you already a subscriber to The Week?
Digital and Print + Digital subscriptions include unlimited website access.
Create an account with the same email address registered for your subscription to unlock access.
