Best Radical Middle Political Books of the 2000s

"In American politics, we've had the silent majority, the far left, the far right, the neo-cons, the ultra-liberals, and now the radical middle. . . . Mark Satin aims to educate the American public about this new movement. . . ."
-- Tony Cox, Friday host, The Tavis Smiley Show, National Public Radio, July 9, 2004

50 Best "Radical Middle" Political Books of the 2000s (So Far)

Criteria: (a) coherence of vision, (b) quality of argument, (c) focus on reality rather than dreamy New Left / New Age "if onlys" (e.g., "if only everybody had my values," "if only everybody wanted to go back to simpler times"), and (d) orientation to general reader (not just specialists).

** = general introductions to radical middle politics

All links are to reviews, discussions, or mentions in this newsletter.

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Walter Truett Anderson, All Connected Now: Life in the First Global Civilization (2001), discussed HERE

Walter Truett Anderson, The Next Enlightenment: Integrating East and West in a New Vision of Human Evolution (2003), discussed HERE

Kofi Annan, In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights for All (2005), discussed HERE

Tom Atlee, The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World that Works for All (2003), mentioned HERE

** John Avlon, Independent Nation: How the Vital Center Is Changing American Politics (2004), discussed HERE

Peter Barnes, Capitalism 3.0: A Guide to Reclaiming the Commons (2006), reviewed HERE

Thomas Bender, A Nation Among Nations: America’s Place in World History (2006), discussed HERE

Jerry Bentley & Herbert Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past (rev. 2003), discussed HERE

Paul Berman, Power and the Idealists; or, the Passion of Joschka Fischer and Its Aftermath (2005), reviewed HERE

Christopher Clausen, Faded Mosaic: The Emergence of Post-Cultural America (2000), reviewed HERE

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Edward Cornish, Futuring: The Exploration of the Future (2004), reviewed HERE

Gregg Easterbrook, The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse (2003), reviewed HERE

Amitai Etzioni, From Empire to Community: A New Approach to International Relations (2004), discussed HERE

Amitai Etzioni, Next: The Road to the Good Society (2001), discussed HERE

Noah Feldman, Divided by God: America’s Church-State Problem - and What We Should Do About It (2005), reviewed HERE

Morris Fiorina, Culture War?: The Myth of a Polarized America (2nd ed. 2006), reviewed HERE

Richard Florida, The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life (2002), discussed in Chapter Two of Mark Satin's book (below)

Thomas Friedman, The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century (2005), reviewed HERE

Robert Fuller, Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank (2003), reviewed HERE

Mark Gerzon, Leading through Conflict: How Successful Leaders Transform Differences Into Opportunities (2006), reviewed HERE

** Anthony Giddens, The Third Way and Its Critics (2000), mentioned HERE

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Mary Ann Glendon, A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (2001), discussed HERE

** Ted Halstead & Michael Lind, The Radical Center: The Future of American Politics (2001), reviewed HERE

** Ted Halstead, ed., The Real State of the Union: From the Best Minds in America, Bold Solutions to the Problems Politicians Dare Not Address (2004), discussed HERE

Lawrence Harrison & Samuel Huntington, eds., Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress (2000), discussed HERE

Jason Hill, Becoming a Cosmopolitan: What It Means To Be a Human Being in the New Millennium (2000), discussed HERE

Steven Hill, 10 Steps to Repair American Democracy (2006), reviewed HERE

David Hollinger, Postethnic America: Beyond Multiculturalism (rev. 2000), discussed HERE

Walter Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003), mentioned in Chapter Three of Mark Satin's book (below)

Zachary Karabell, A Visionary Nation: Four Centuries of American Dreams and What Lies Ahead (2001), discussed HERE

Robert Karen, The Forgiving Self: The Road from Resentment to Connection (2001), discussed HERE

Allan Kennedy, The End of Shareholder Value: Corporations at the Crossroads (2000), discussed HERE

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Stephen Kinzer, Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq (2006), reviewed HERE

Joe Klein, Politics Lost: How American Democracy Was Trivialized by People Who Think You’re Stupid (2006), reviewed HERE

Anatol Lieven & John Hulsman, Ethical Realism: A Vision for America’s Role in the World (2006), reviewed HERE

Michael Lind, The American Way of Strategy (2006), reviewed HERE

Barbara McClintock, Molly and the Magic Wishbone (2001), celebrated HERE

John McWhorter, Winning the Race: Beyond the Crisis in Black America (2005), reviewed HERE

** Matthew Miller, The Two Percent Solution: Fixing America's Problems in Ways Liberals and Conservatives Can Love (2003), discussed HERE

Charles Murray, In Our Hands: A Plan to Replace the Welfare State (2006), reviewed HERE

Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope (2006), reviewed HERE

Ronn Owens, Voice of Reason: Why the Left and Right Are Wrong (2004), discussed HERE

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George Packer, The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq (2005), reviewed HERE

Samantha Power, "A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide (2002), mentioned HERE

Paul Ray & Sherry Anderson, The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World (2000), reviewed HERE

Terrence Real, How Can I Get Through to You?: Closing the Intimacy Gap Between Men and Women (2002), discussed HERE

** Mark Satin, Radical Middle: The Politics We Need Now (2004), featured HERE

Carmen Sirianni & Lewis Friedland, Civic Innovation in America: Community Empowerment, Public Policy, and the Movement for Civic Renewal (2001), discussed HERE

Zadie Smith, On Beauty (2005), reviewed HERE

Ted Steinberg, Down to Earth: Nature’s Role in American History (2002), discussed HERE

Christine Todd Whitman, It’s My Party Too: The Battle for the Heart of the GOP and the Future of America (2005), reviewed HERE

Robert Wright, Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny (2000), reviewed HERE

THE RADICAL MIDDLE CONCEPT:

Why "Radical Middle"?

Over 40 Good People (Try to) Describe the Radical Middle

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Over 20 Arguably Radical Middle National POLITICIANS

GREAT RADICAL MIDDLE GROUPS AND BLOGS:

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Over 250 Great Radical Centrist Groups and Organizations - all linked to their home pages AND to our articles!