This is shaping up to be one of the most significant elections in US history
Reading lists

Books to learn more about US politics

As Joe Biden is inaugurated, these books are for anyone interested in the issues he faces, from criminal justice reform to the climate crisis to the legacy of Donald Trump.

It was one of the most closely fought and bitterly contested US elections in history, one shaped not only by the most significant health crisis for a century but also what could become the nation's biggest economic crisis in living memory. But after attempts by Donald Trump and Republican Party members to overturn the results (and an insurrection at the Capitol Building), Joe Biden is the 46th president of the United States of America.

Biden and Harris face huge issues in office. Police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement has driven the debate over racial discrimination in America over into deep civil unrest, while the climate emergency grows all the time. And he'll be facing an electorate that, while it gave him a mandate, also voted in large numbers for Trump and his politics.

So for those trying to get to grips with all the political, economic and social shifts that are driving this moment, here is a selection of books to help you make sense of it all.

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