Politics, and the winner is ... The authors use historic patterns to explain how the old solutions - to simply promise to cut taxes, or to simply promise to spend more - are failing us.

Journalism, and the winner is ... This book explains in painstaking detail how and why to manage a newspaper for both quality AND profit, not just profit. I sure wish we'd had this book in the 90s.

Writing, and the winner is ... This book isn't glamorous. But the guidelines are as fundamental to good writing as food is to life. Seriously.

History, and the winner is ... well, what the heck did you expect me to say?

Biography, and the runner up is: Through careful use of primary sources and details - one of the weapons of good writing - readers experience the dreams and nightmares of a remarkable man.

In the broad category of PR and politics AND journalism, the winner is ... This books explains, sorta, how to share your ideas to the world in ways that keep people awake.

Journalism and history, and the winner is .For years, I thought the Gannett chain wrote the book on exploiting journalists and sucking profit from papers. In fact, they read from the book of Scripps.

Journalism and history, first runner up ... Politicians and PR people and people we work with need to know that a free press inevitably involves irresponsibility - it's only human.

Politics, and another runner up is ...  I've learned anytime you say anything constructive and clear, it can be ridiculed. You need to listen for the fundamental truths. They're here.

In the category for fiction ...Read this, and be disturbed about the future of freedom. Stand in the presence of a writer who knows how to polish prose. I dare you to read the first sentence and stop.