I started reading Jim Hightower's book Thieves in High Places: They've Stolen Our Country and It's Time to Take It Back expecting this one of those typical humorous-but-informative "Ain't the Bush Administration Awful" books. But it turned out to be a lot more than I expected.
The book is not just about dissing the Republicans, but the Democrats as well, who have been locked up in their glass cages in Washington, D.C. and are so completely out of touch with what it's like to be living in any of these fifty United States. It's amazingly refreshing. He digs into the "wobblycrats" -- spineless Democrat congress-people who rolled over for Bush's agenda against our country, either by voting with the Republicans or just not showing up for the votes (Aside: not unlike like John Kerry). No wonder so many people don't bother voting with choices like this! (And no wonder Dean's message is resonating with so many people — Republican or Democrat — across the country.)
But then the book surprised me even more by turning out to be amazingly uplifting, telling small stories about local victories at the city, state, or regional level, where ordinary citizens have stood up against being steamrolled by them — like stopping a Wal-Mart from coming into town and destroying the local businesses, or the imminent shut-down of local libraries. It's truly inspiring.
I highly recommend this book! Get it from the traditional Amazon link here, or, better yet, at your local bookstore if you are lucky enough to have one (I don't!), or from your local library, if you are lucky enough to have one.