The Washington Post recommends some reading while you are waiting at the polls.
If you’re in the mood for fiction, try Robert Penn Warren’s classic “All the King’s Men,” the 1947 political thriller about Southern populist politician Willie Stark, modeled after Louisiana Gov. Huey Long. (Both Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are reportedly fond of the book).
For more recent tales, there are Larry Beinhart’s “American Hero,” the 1995 political satire about a staged Hollywood-style war (the film “Wag the Dog” was based on the book) and Joe Klein’s “Primary Colors,” the fictional novel based on the goings-on behind the 1992 presidential campaign of former President Bill Clinton.
And in memory of the late Tony Hillerman, the New Mexico author who died earlier this month at 83, there’s the 1971 political novel “The Fly On The Wall,” which follows reporter John Cotton as he becomes embroiled in a political scandal involving a senatorial candidate.
Out of those, I really enjoyed Primary Colors. I read that book 12 years ago and loved it.
