In light of the shooting at the Trump rally on July 13th, I want to focus this month’s column on political violence in the United States. After the shooting we heard many calls for unity and an end to political violence, because “that’s not who we are as a nation”. However, in my reading and understanding of American history, political violence is very much integral to the identity of America and has been from the start. And so, I made this list of books about political violence to better understand this current moment.
In order to make the list I had to get clear on what I meant when I said “political violence” and which versions I was going to address. Broadly speaking, there are four categories of political violence:
- state violence against another state: war.
- violence from state actors and civilians: genocide, police brutality, slavery, torture.
- violence from civilians toward the state: assassinations, terrorism, counter insurgency, civil war.
- violence from groups of civilians toward one another: domestic terrorism, violence against protestors.
For the purposes of this piece I will not include war, since that is a whole other category in and of itself. Instead I will recommend books that focus on events of political violence involving civilians and the state, along with some that examine the concept of political violence from a critical and theoretical lens.
As with all my lists, this is a jumping-off point, to better acquaint you with the issues that are in the headlines as we lead up to the 2024 election.
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Political violence has been crucial in the foundation and preservation of the United States, especially acts of violence from the state toward civilians. This is perhaps most clearly seen through the colonization and genocide against the Indigenous tribes who originally lived on what is now the United States. In this expansive history of Indigenous people, we get to see the founding of America alongside the centuries of continued political violence from the perspective of Native Americans. It’s a crucial text in any conversation around political violence.
Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II by Richard Reeves
This book details the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans in the United States during World War II.Through fantastic research and detailed storytelling, we get to see the many lives that were upended at the hands of US policy that was inhumane and unjust. We also see the men we have been told are heroes – Franklin Roosevelt, Earl Warren – as villains in this shameful moment in American history.
On a Move: Philadelphia’s Notorious Bombing and a Native Son’s Lifelong Battle for Justice by Mike Africa Jr.
In 1985, the police dropped two bombs on a residential block in Philadelphia to target the Black liberation organization MOVE. After the bombing, the police allowed the fires to burn and destroy two city blocks, displacing 250 citizens. The bombs killed 11 people, six adults and five children. This book details these events, and the history of MOVE and the people involved, as told by Mike Africa Jr., who was one of the children raised in MOVE.
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
Between 1915 and 1970, close to six million Black Americans fled the South to go north and west looking for a better life: free of persecution by Jim Crow, a set of laws that relegated Black folks to second class citizenry. This book looks at the decades-long reverberations of political violence, both from the State and civilians, toward an entire racial group.
The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
While this book is not about the United States, it is about the legacies of violence in relationship to colonization and decolonization. In the first chapter, titled “On Violence,” Fanon examines the usefulness of violence to break free from colonization and oppression. Fanon is canonical for any folks involved in the struggle for liberation.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley
For many Americans, when we think of political violence we think of Malcolm X, not because he was violent, but because he was open to forms of resistance that were not exclusively pacifist. While his willingness to engage around the idea of violence made him a boogeyman to many, much of the hand-wringing around Malcolm X is unwarranted, to read him grapple with his own thoughts and feelings around political violence is illuminating and instructive.
The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking by Brendan I. Koerner
If you’re looking to learn a bit about the history of hijackings in the USA, look no further than this book that tells the story of Western Airlines Flight 701, which was hijacked in 1972. The book also examines the practice of hijacking which was extremely common in the 1970s and 80s as a means to protest war, false imprisonment, and general displeasure with governments and policies.
Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance by Nick Estes
A look at the long tradition of Indigenous resistance in the USA, with a focus on the Dakota Access Pipeline protests in 2016. This book shows that pushing back against the powers that be can be extremely effective and galvanizing even in the face of powerful governments and capitalist institutions.
Four Days in November: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy/Parkland (Movie Tie-In) by Vincent Bugliosi
It is nearly impossible to talk about political violence in the US without at least mentioning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. The event is a touchstone for many of a certain generation and set the stage for much of the political turmoil that has come since. In Four Days in November, Bugliosi details the four days from lead up to the assassination through to the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald. He explores motivations, logistics, political maneuverings, and so much more.
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
In 1881, President James Garfield was shot in the back by Charles Guiteau. Garfield survived, but the attempt on his life led to contentious debates around politics, access, and even Garfield’s medical care.
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