10 great book suggestions for your coronavirus self-quarantine

March 18, 2020

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With much of the nation spending a lot more time at home for the foreseeable future due to Covid-19, you and your family may have a little more reading time on your hands in the coming weeks. If you love little-known stories from U.S. history, you can't go wrong with Glenn's book Miracles and Massacres, and its follow-up Dreamers and Deceivers.

Since Glenn's audience is full of history buffs and nonfiction nerds like myself, I thought I'd share a list of ten of my favorite nonfiction books in case you're looking for a good read during this coronavirus hiatus.

For this list, I limited selections to subjects involving U.S. history and culture. I'm partial to U.S. presidential history, so my entire list could easily be dominated by presidents, but I tried to include somewhat of a historical mix in hopes you might find something that piques your interest. Feel free to tweet us (@glennbeck) your favorite nonfiction books too, using the hashtag #GBnonfiction.

Here are ten of my nonfiction favorites…

10. Wilson by A. Scott Berg

Amazon

If you've been listening to Glenn for almost any length of time, you're familiar with his marked loathing for America's 28th president. I'm no fan of Wilson either, but this well-researched book is worth your time as a primer on the roots of progressivism. It will help you understand Glenn's animosity toward Wilson in glorious detail.

9. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler

Amazon

There are many biographies of the man behind the world's largest entertainment empire, but this one may be the most in-depth. Walt Disney liked to say, "it was all started by a mouse," but there was a ton of hard work and heartbreak before Mickey. Gabler leaves no stone unturned in his quest to paint a complete portrait of Walt – a complicated creative genius and visionary.

8. The Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham in the White House by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy

Amazon

One thing that every U.S. president from Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush had in common was friendship with evangelist Billy Graham. This book deftly explores the positives and the perils of Graham's half-century of proximity to such power. The presidents who were closest to Graham may surprise you.

7. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Amazon

There are also a lot of books about Steve Jobs, but Isaacson had the best access to Jobs at the end of Jobs' life. Jobs hand-picked Isaacson to write his biography. It was almost like Jobs was trying to assert the same control-freakiness over his own life story that he applied to Apple's iconic products, although he had no editorial control over the book and apparently never read any of it. Ultimately, despite the special access and potential temptation to go easy on his subject, Isaacson delivers the Steve Jobs story warts and all (and there are a lot of warts).

6. The Franchise: A History of Sports Illustrated Magazine by Michael MacCambridge

Amazon

This is kind of an outlier on this list because it involves a plethora of things – sports, journalism, advertising, ambition, ego and much more – told through the lens of the history of Sports Illustrated magazine. MacCambridge takes you on a journey through a bygone era of smoke-filled rooms and chattering typewriters when magazines were a big deal. Expertly told and relentlessly entertaining.

5. The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Amazon

This one surprised me because its subtitle – Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism – made me skeptical that it was too much of a scattered premise. I was wrong. It totally works. It's an engrossing story about the close friendship between Roosevelt and Taft (who was so much more than the unfair stuck-in-a-bathtub-fat-president label he's been dealt) which politics nearly destroyed. Intertwined with the Roosevelt/Taft narrative are the stories of America's first celebrity journalists, including Ida Tarbell and Lincoln Steffens. Another apt subtitle could've been The Birth of Left-wing Media.

4. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Amazon

This is a bone-chilling true story about a serial killer during the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. But it's also a riveting story about the men who designed and built the fairground (a sort of late-1800s EPCOT), which included amazing architectural feats that would still be wowing visitors today if fire hadn't destroyed them. Larson's intertwined narratives weave a compelling tale about a crucial turning point in U.S. history that marked the end of America's innocence.

3. Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington

This is the only autobiography on the list (autobiographies probably deserve their own list sometime), but it merits inclusion because Washington's life story is one of the most phenomenal success stories in American history. It's criminal that this isn't required reading in every U.S. school, but the unfortunate reality is that Booker T. Washington's words and worldview clash hard with the modern Leftist agenda. In case you have a healthy skepticism of autobiographies as history, a good companion book is the Washington biography Up From History by Robert J. Norrell.

2. Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James Swanson

You know you're reading a great book when you already know the ending, but it's a thrilling ride anyway. That's Manhunt. Swanson puts you in the saddle with the Union cavalry and detectives in their desperate, white-knuckle search through the Virginia countryside for fugitive John Wilkes Booth in the days after he murdered President Lincoln. If you think you already know the story of Lincoln's assassination, trust me, there's a whole lot more. Manhunt is awesome reading.

1. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Amazon

If you were expecting something a bit more obscure for the number one slot, sorry. I know Unbroken was a gargantuan bestseller a few years ago. But it was a gargantuan bestseller for a reason: it's that good. Much of Unbroken reads like a novel – in the best sense. It's the harrowing, adventurous true story of Olympic runner Louis Zamperini and his brutal experience as an American POW at the hands of the Japanese during World War II. It's the kind of book that is so exquisitely written, it makes aspiring writers want to throw in the towel. It is heart-pounding, gut-wrenching, and meticulously researched. Don't even think about watching the movie instead – the movie barely even scratches the surface of this truly remarkable story of courage, perseverance, and redemption.

Happy self-quarantine reading! And don't forget, the only place to catch all of Glenn's Covid-19-related episodes anytime on demand is by subscribing at BlazeTV.com.

Nathan Nipper is a writer for Mercury Radio Arts. As a politically conservative soccer enthusiast, he is a member of one of the most oppressed minority groups in the United States. He lives in North Texas with his wife, daughter, and two sons.

CEO Brian Thompson's killer reveals COWARDICE of the far-left death cult

Jeff Swensen / Stringer | Getty Images

Early on the chilly morning of Wednesday, December 4th, Brian Thompson, CEO of health insurance giant, UnitedHealthcare, was walking through Midtown Manhattan on his way to a company conference. Suddenly, a masked and hooded figure silently allegedly stepped onto the sidewalk behind Thompson, drew a 3-D printed, silenced pistol, and without warning fired multiple shots into Thompson's back before fleeing the scene on an electric bicycle. After a multiple-day manhunt, a 26-year-old lead suspect was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania after being recognized by an employee.

This was not "vigilante justice." This was cold-blooded murder.

As horrific as the murder of a husband and father in broad daylight in the center of New York City is, the story only gets worse. Even before the murder suspect was arrested, left-wing extremists were already taking to X to call him a "hero" and a "vigilante" who "took matters into his own hands." Even the mainstream media joined in on the glorification, as Glenn pointed out on air recently, going out of the way to show how physically attractive the murder suspect was. This wave of revolting and nihilistic fanfare came in response to the findings of online investigators who surmised the murder suspect's motives to retaliate against healthcare companies for corruption and denied coverage. The murder suspect supposedly underwent a major back surgery that left him with back pain, and some of his internet fans apparently viewed his murder of Thompson as retribution for the mistreatment that he and many other Americans have suffered from healthcare companies.

me liking tweets celebrating the assassination of the united healthcare ceo pic.twitter.com/N41w51ZuZR
— 🔻 (@pegasustits) December 5, 2024

The murder suspect and his lackeys don't seem to understand that, other than depriving two children of their father right before Christmas, he accomplished nothing.

The murder suspect failed to achieve his goal because he was too cowardly to try.

If the murder suspect's goals were truly to "right the wrongs" of the U.S. healthcare system, he had every tool available to him to do so in a constructive and meaningful manner. He came from a wealthy and prominent family in the Baltimore area, became the valedictorian at a prestigious all-boys prep school, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a master's in engineering. Clearly, the murder suspect was intelligent and capable, and if he had put his talent into creating solutions for the healthcare industry, who knows what he could have accomplished?

This is the kind of behavior the far-left idolizes, like communists on college campuses who wear shirts that celebrate the brutal Cuban warlord, Che Guevara. Merchandise celebrating the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect is already available, including shirts, hoodies, mugs, and even Christmas ornaments. Will they be sporting his face on their T-shirts too?

A liberal TikToker is selling a t-shirt that glorifies the recent assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in NYC.
“deny , defend, depose” was reported to have been on the shell casings. pic.twitter.com/IWpHYkx2lF
— SteveSant66 🇺🇸 (@SSant66) December 8, 2024

This macabre behavior does not breed creation, achievement, success, or life. It only brings death and risks more Americans falling into this dangerous paradigm. But we still have a chance to choose life. We just have to wake up and take it.

Is Trump repealing the 14th Amendment? Here's the truth.

NBC / Contributor | Getty Images

Did Trump really promise to put an end to the 14th Amendment, or is this just another mainstream spin?

This past weekend, President-elect Donald Trump sat down on NBC's "Meet the Press" for his first interview since the election. As one might expect, it was a particularly hostile interview, but Trump handled it with grace. The biggest takeaway from the interview was when the interviewer, Kristen Welker, pressed Trump on his immigration plans, specifically his plans to end birthright citizenship.

Despite Walker's claim that the 14th Amendment protected birthright citizenship, Trump defended his stance with the backing of legal scholars, who argue that birthright citizenship has to be granted within the proper "jurisdictional scope." As Glenn reiterated on his show this week, the 14th Amendment was enacted in the context of slavery "not illegal immigration. The 14th Amendment doesn't say, "Come over here, get into a hospital, have a baby, and congratulations, everybody is a citizen."

The media still pushed the narrative that Trump is trying to overstep the 14th Amendment.

But what is the truth? What is birthright citizenship, and what does the 14th Amendment actually say about it? Here is everything you need to know about the "birthright citizenship debacle" below:

The media outrage

NBC / Contributor | Getty Images

If you have glanced through any mainstream media articles, they would convince you that Trump will repeal the 14th Amendment altogether and catapult the country back 200 years before slavery was abolished when Congress passed the Constitutional Amendment. But how do these accusations stack up to reality?

What the 14th amendment actually says

NBC / Contributor | Getty Images

To get to the bottom of this, we have to understand what the 14th Amendment actually says and the context in which it was created.

During Trump's NBC interview, Welker "quoted" the 14th Amendment as "all persons born in the United States are citizens," but anyone who took a government class in high school can tell you that is wrong. The actual14th Amendment says:

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

Notice that Welker conveniently left out "subject to the jurisdiction thereof." This was no simple oversight.

First, let's define what birthright citizenship actually is and how it relates to the 14th Amendment. Birthright citizenship is an interpretation of the previously quoted section of the 14th Amendment: that by simply being born on U.S. soil, you are automatically granted U.S. citizenship. This has been the historic interpretation of the amendment. However, the border crisis has been incentivized by an abuse of birthright citizenship, which is colloquially called "anchor babies." This refers to when a pregnant woman crosses the border, gives birth, and is granted residency since her child is automatically given U.S. citizenship.

However, Trump says the clause "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" could enable the federal government to crack down on this abuse of birthright citizenship. If a person is here illegally, then they are not under the jurisdiction of the U.S., and therefore, their child would not be given automatic citizenship. This would not apply to legal immigrants who have secured citizenship, despite any claims to the contrary.

What Trump actually said

NBC / Contributor | Getty Images

When questioned about the constitutionality of ending birthright citizenship and the possibility of using executive orders to get around the 14th Amendment, Trump's first suggestion was to pose a potential amendment to the 14th Amendment as a national vote. When Welker pushed back, Trump stressed the importance of ending birthright citizenship and conceded that, if necessary, he would use an executive order.

As usual, the mainstream media has spun a mountain out of a molehill and blown the entire issue out of proportion. They have spun Trump's reasonable and legal proposition into a dictatorial decree that would send the country back 200 years.

Glenn's ULTIMATE Trump cabinet tracker

Anna Moneymaker / Staff | Getty Images

The Trump transition team is working overtime preparing to hit the ground running in January.

The President-elect has been busy hand-picking the members that will make up his cabinet, as these are the people who will be his closest advisors and most powerful bureaucrats during the next four years. Glenn recently got a panel together to discuss Trump's picks, and one thing was clear: Trump has some serious star power on his side. But unfortunately, becoming a member of the presidential cabinet is not as simple as being picked by the POTUS. The Senate still needs to sign off on every pick.

To keep track of this chaotic confirmation process, we have created the ULTIMATE confirmation tracker for the 15 positions in Trump's cabinet. So make sure to check back regularly to keep updated on the latest developments in Trump's inner circle:

Secretary of Agriculture

Tom Williams / Contributor | Getty Images

Trump's pick for Secretary of Agriculture is Brooke Rollins, a former White House aide and Texas A&M graduate. If confirmed, Rollins would lead the Department of Agriculture, which is tasked with serving the needs of America's farmers and ranchers, promoting agricultural trade, and protecting forests and other natural resources.

Rollins served as Trump's director of the Domestic Policy Council during his first term and has received much praise from the president-elect. Rollins says she can tackle the many issues plaguing the agricultural sector, touting her small-town, Texas agriculture roots.

Secretary of Commerce

ANGELA WEISS / Contributor | Getty Images

Trump tapped Howard Lutnick, the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald as his pick for Secretary of Commerce, which would head the Department of Commerce responsible for aiding the creation of economic growth and opportunity conditions. Lutnick narrowly beat Linda McMahon and Robert Lighthizer, the other likely candidates for the job. Lutnick, who has served as the co-chair of Trump’s presidential transition team since August, will be responsible for spearheading Trump's tariff agenda, which has drummed up much hype and speculation over the last several weeks.

Secretary of Defense

John Lamparski / Contributor | Getty Images

Pete Hegseth's nomination to head the Department of Defense Army has caused a flurry among Pentagon officials and Congressmembers alike. A former National Guard major and Fox News host, Hegseth has drawn praise from some on the right over his plans to "de-wokeify" the military. Others question if he has the command experience to take charge of the world's most powerful military. These concerns, along with allegations relating to his personal life, leave many questioning whether Hegsteh has enough support to be confirmed.

Secretary of Education

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

Trump named Linda McMahon, the co-chair of his transition team and former World Wrestling Entertainment executive, as his Secretary of Education. McMahon served as Trump's Small Business Administration administrator during his first term and is currently the board chair of the America First Policy Institute, which has been described as a "White House in Waiting." McMahon would be tasked with overseeing Trump's campaign promise to significantly downsize the Department of Education and return many of its powers to the states.

Secretary of Energy

Andy Cross / Contributor | Getty Images

Trump picked Chris Wright, an oil and gas CEO, as his Secretary of Energy. Wright is an advocate for fossil fuels, having founded Liberty Energy, an oilfield service firm in Denver, Colorado. Wright is opposed to the global warming alarmists and views fossil fuels as a means of providing cheap, reliable energy that can raise people from poverty.

Secretary of Health and Human Services

Michael M. Santiago / Staff | Getty Images

The Department of Health and Human Services is in charge of protecting the health of Americans, a task that spans from food safety to disease outbreaks. Organizations that fall under the HHS's umbrella include the NIH, FDA, and CDC.

Trump has tapped RKF Jr. to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy Jr. has infused Trump's entire campaign with a raised awareness of the failing health of many Americans and the systemic incompetency of the federal agencies tasked with protecting them. RFK Jr. has made it his mission to "Make America Healthy Again," a task that requires a fundamental shake-up of American food and medicine. This sort of approach has left many skeptics concerned that Kennedy Jr. will go too far too fast, leaving many to question if he has the support to be confirmed by the Senate.

Secretary of Homeland Security

JIM WATSON / Contributor | Getty Images

Trump tapped South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to be his Secretary of Homeland Security. Noem has been a strong advocate for a secure border, which seems to be her primary area of concern. Along with Trump's new "Border Czar," Tom Homan, Noem is expected to come down hard on the southern border. The Department of Homeland Security has a broad assignment that includes protecting Americans and critical American infrastructure from foreign and domestic threats, protecting our borders, responding to natural disasters, and more.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

Trump picked former NFL player turned politician Scott Turner as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, an office responsible for policies and programs that address housing needs, promote community development, and enforce housing laws. Turner worked under Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter before being elected to the Texas House in 2013, and he also ran Trump's White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during his first term.

Secretary of the Interior

Steven Ferdman / Contributor | Getty Images

Trump's pick for the Secretary of the Interior is North Dakota Governor, Doug Burgum. The Department of the Interior is America's primary conservation agency, protecting America's natural resources and managing the National Parks. Gov. Burgum has tremendous experience managing North Dakota's oil-rich reserves and Native American populations, both key aspects of The Department of the Interior. Burgam is also known for his harsh criticism of federal oversight and is expected to aid Trump in slashing regulations.

Attorney General

Andrew Harnik / Staff | Getty Images

Trump tapped Pam Bondi to lead his Department of Justice as the Attorney General of the United States. This comes after his first pick, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name after facing an upstream confirmation battle due to a flurry of allegations. Bondi has a long track record as a prosecutor and a former attorney general in Florida and worked with Trump's team of defense lawyers fighting back against the impeachment charges levied against him. As Attorney General, if confirmed, Boni will play a key role in Trump's campaign promise to crack down on systemic corruption in the federal bureaucracy.

Secretary of Labor

Bill Clark / Contributor | Getty Images

Trump named Republican Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer as his Secretary of Labor. Despite being a Republican, Chaves-DeRemer's pro-union stance has many conservatives on high alert. If confirmed, Chavez-DeRemer will oversee federal programs aimed at protecting and bolstering the American workforce.

Secretary of State

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

Trump picked Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State. Rubio, who famously ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican primaries, has been a longtime spokesperson about the threats posed by foreign adversaries, predominantly China.

Secretary of Transportation

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Trump named former Wisconsin representative Sean Duffy as his next Secretary of Transportation. Both Rep. Duffy and his wife Rachel Campos-Duffy are hosts on Fox. A staunch pro-Trump advocate, Duffy will take over the Department of Transportation in the aftermath of Pete Buttiegeg's biggest failures during his term, such as his response—or lack thereof—to the East Palestine train derailment, in-flight incidents on Boeing aircraft, and much more. Moreover, traffic deaths and accidents are high, and the introduction of new technologies like self-driving cars and the increase of electric vehicles poses never-before-seen challenges Duffy will have to tackle.

Secretary of the Treasury

DOMINIC GWINN / Contributor | Getty Images

Trump tapped billionaire Scott Bessent to be his Secretary of the Treasury. Scott will face tremendous challenges coming into office, as he will oversee the massive tax cuts promised by Trump and his team. He will also advise the president on how to implement the tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China that Trump has promised in recent weeks.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

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Former congressman Doug Collins was tapped to lead Trump's Department of Veterans Affairs, which is responsible for taking care of our veterans and their families. This includes offering benefits such as pensions, education, disability compensation, loans, and much more. Collins is a veteran himself who served in Iraq and is still an Air Force Reserve chaplain, which gives him valuable insight into the needs of veterans.

Trump's TOP FIVE accomplishments BEFORE taking office

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Donald Trump hasn't even begun his second term, and he is already making major moves that eclipse the Biden administration. Here are Trump's top FIVE most impressive feats that he has achieved before taking office:

Stock market surge

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Immediately after the election, all major indexes skyrocketed. Trump's election bolstered confidence in the long-term stability of the U.S. economy. Just a few days after November 5th, Glenn had financial expert Carol Roth on his show to discuss what this actually means for America, and long story short, the forecast was very optimistic. America has another chance at a golden era, especially for small businesses.

Bitcoin boom

Bitcoin experienced its own surge in the immediate aftermath of Trump's re-election, breaching the $100,000 valuation for the first time in the digital currency's history and doubling in value from the beginning of the year. The rise is attributed to Trump's favorable stance towards cryptocurrencies and strong opposition to the idea of a "Fed Coin," a cryptocurrency made by the Federal Reserve. This ensures people can purchase Bitcoin and other cryptos without the government swooping in and shutting it down.

Media comes to heel

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In a shocking twist of events, even some of the mainstream media pivoted, agreeing to meet with President Trump and making future plans for cooperation with the President.

Just a few weeks after Trump's historic victory, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” made a trip to Mar-a-Lago to make peace with the president-elect. This comes after years of the duo bashing Trump as a dictator and a fascist.

Naturally, the dramatic shift was met with whiplash from "Morning Joe's" viewer base, and the couple lost half of their audience within a week. Either Scarborough and Brzezinski were lying about Trump, or they decided to bend the knee to "literally Hitler." Either way, their credibility pretty much went out the window.

Dealings with Trudeau

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Last week, Trump announced that he would impose a massive 25 percent tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico unless they agree to crack down on their contribution to the migrant and fentanyl crisis plaguing the U.S. This grabbed the attention of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, as 75 percent of Canadian exports go to the U.S. Trudeau made an unplanned visit to Mar-a-Lago to discuss this proposed tariff. Later Trudeau commented that he had "an excellent conversation" with Trump.

Defeated phony charges

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After his re-election, all of the federal criminal charges remaining against Trump were dropped, concluding the years of assault from the Biden Department of Justice. This is due to the Department of Justice's longstanding precedent of not prosecuting a sitting president.