The books members of Congress are reading

Since opening up an independent bookstore on Long Island, I have often been asked by my former colleagues in Congress for book recommendations. At the start of every new year, I survey members for their own preferences.

Here are the latest responses — their best books from 2024 or titles they have on their shelves to read in 2025.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.): "I started listening to George Will’s 'The Conservative Sensibility' in late December and as I head into 2025 I’m about halfway through. Of course, it is extremely well written and thought-provoking. I find it interesting and surprising how he strongly disagrees with conservatives such as Robert Bork and Anthony Scalia. He increases my respect for Abraham Lincoln, which as much as I respected Lincoln, I could not think was possible. Many of the thoughts I’ve read in his columns, but others are much better developed here without the space constraint of a column. It is a very good listen."

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.): "I’m belatedly reading my now former colleague Sherrod Brown’s book — 'Desk 88' — about eight senators who previously occupied his desk in the Senate chamber. Sherrod and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) and I all sat in the same row for years. Figure it is a good time to read the book out of respect for them, but also to gear up for the important role the Senate will play in the coming years."

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.): "Just finished listening to 'And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle' written and read by Jon Meacham. I have always found Lincoln among the most interesting figures in our history — dirt poor, self-taught, empathetic, poetic, melancholic, merciful, strong and good. This deeply personal biography reveals him as less the historic figure that he was, and more a flesh and blood human being. His willingness to compromise and his political shrewdness notwithstanding, he was ever guided by a powerful moral conviction and love of country. An avid consumer of the theater and reader of Shakespeare, he expressed himself in such beautiful language. I found his story uniquely inspiring and uplifting in these challenging times."

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.): “'The Last Gunfight' by Jeff Guinn. It’s the real story about the characters behind the infamous shooting at the OK Corral. It goes into the politics and the circumstances that led up to the shoot-out."

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.): "After meeting Luke Russert earlier this year, I was interested in reading his memoir, 'Look for Me There.' Having lost my dad when I was 26, I could relate to his experience of losing his dad and the journey life took him on in the aftermath. Most importantly, I appreciated the profound sense of love and admiration he had for his dad and the imprint his dad left on him. In 2025, I’m looking forward to reading 'Greenlights' by Matthew McConaughey."

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.): “'Fourth Wing' and 'Iron Flame' by Rebecca Yarros are two of the best fantasy books I’ve ever read, particularly if you like dragons with attitude. The third book in the series, 'Onyx Storm,' comes out the day after the presidential inauguration on Jan. 21, 2025, at which point we may all have difficulty differentiating between reality and fantasy."

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.): "As hard as it is to focus on one or new two books, a few will be a necessary read in 2025. For nonfiction, Atossa Abrahamian’s book, 'The Hidden Globe,' promises a view of the global economy that provides another data point that shows the rules of economics do favor the wealthy. For fiction, I just finished Tana French’s 'The Hunter,' the sequel to 'The Searcher.' But to look ahead, I am excited to read Francis Spufford’s 'Cahokia Jazz,' a noir novel of sorts set in the past but somewhere in a different world." 

Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.): "'A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks' is a fun and enjoyable narrative of human history by archaeologist David Gibbins."

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.): "Candice Millard’s 'Destiny of the Republic' is a beautiful recounting of the tragedy of President Garfield’s assassination that resonates today as battles rage for control of the political bureaucracy in Washington. With good and evil forces fighting now as then American politics, the story is a reminder of lessons learned and reforms made that we should not let new evil extremists forget and undo."

Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.): “'The Romance of Reality' by Bobby Azarian is a sincerely-driven case in favor of progress and against moral relativism."

Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.): "After visiting Dublin and Belfast this past summer, I knew I had to read Patrick Radden Keefe’s 'Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland.' I made the right choice. The book is a tour de force weaving together Irish history, a murder mystery, the anguish of children losing their mother and the painful process of making peace. It’s nonfiction at its best. While the violence of the Troubles in Northern Ireland may have ended with 1998’s Good Friday Agreement, the ghosts of this terrible time remain. Keefe’s outstanding prose draws the reader in to all of it — and won’t let you go until the final page. Many parallels to conflicts across our globe today."

Rep. Richard Torres (D-N.Y.): "I am reading 'Agamemnon' by Aeschylus, who is the father of Greek tragedy. The ancient Greek insight into the human condition resonates as powerfully in the 21st century as it did 2,500 years ago."

And my vote for most heartfelt submission:

Rep. Patrick Ryan (D-N.Y.): "I started 2024 with an ambitious reading list, but to be honest the only books I finished were with my three- and five-year-old boys. Our go-to favorites included 'The Lorax,' 'Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!,' 'Goodnight Moon' and 'This Little President.'"

Steve Israel represented New York in the House of Representatives for eight terms and was chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 2011 to 2015.