Any of Zinn's books will reveal his prejudices and muddy thinking. The "People's History" is as good a selection as any. They seem to be all of a piece anyway.

This book is a detailed account of Jim and Sarah Brady's political lives, before and after his having been shot. Perhaps without meaning to do so, Brady manages to reveal that the couple have always been extreme liberals, leaving the reader to wonder how they managed to dupe Reagan into appointing as press secretary.

An honest portrayal of the cult and its leader. He does not shrink from discussing Koresh’s sexual proclivities, but interweaves them with his theological theories, which were not so far from the mainstream of Pentecostalism. Most tellingly, he tells how one particular government agent gained Koresh's trust, visiting him repeatedly, and coming very close to negotiating his peaceful surrender.

Smith has managed for years to weave libertarian political thought into interesting science fiction. He has written copiously, and I would recommend either 'Tom Paine Maru' or 'The Probability Broach' (NOT the graphic novel version) as a place to jump in to his writing. This is not the sort of SF you will be able to read on your coffee break. Smith forces you to think about what he has written.

Essential reading for anyone who is contemplating the purchase of his or her first firearm. Ayoob, an experienced law officer, discusses not so much 'tactics' here as the probable consequences of your use of a gun to protect yourself. To make a long story short, it's not nearly as simple as what's portrayed on TV.

This is Jeff Cooper's shortest book. You will be able to read it in less than an hour. But in that span of time, you will learn that self-defense has as much to do with your state of mind than with any implements you acquire or tactics that you learn.

This offering from Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership reveals that almost nowhere in the USA are police responsible for protecting citizens. the prevailing doctrine is that while the police have a general duty to protect 'the public,' no police department, and no individual sworn officer can be held legally accountable for even the willful failure to protect a 'civilian' from harm.

Even ignoring the value of this book as a reference, it's worth reading to learn about the exponential growth of gun-control laws in the USA. Especially if that growth is compared against the growth of urban violence and the record number of US citizens who are incarcerated. (The percentage of Americans behind bars exceeds that of Russia, China and several other totalitarian regimes.)

Important context for the Second Amendment, and especially important reading in the year when the Supreme Court will decide the Heller case.