Best summer books of 2023: Politics

Johnson at 10: The Inside Story by Anthony Seldon and Raymond Newell (Atlantic)

A detailed and damning account of Boris Johnson’s rise to power and period as prime minister. Johnson’s colleagues and confidants have clearly spoken at length to the authors. It records that his response to winning the Brexit referendum was to say — “Oh my God, what have we done?”

Values, Voice and Virtue: The New British Politics by Matthew Goodwin (Penguin)

A description and defence of the forces that drove Brexit and continue to shape British politics. The author argues that Britain’s “new elite” has become detached from the values and economic interests of large parts of the country. The book uses polling evidence adeptly and has sold well — partly because of the author’s eagerness to denounce the new elite he describes.

The Conservative Party After Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation by Tim Bale (Polity)

The modern Conservative Party is torn between its centre-right traditions and a new populist radicalism. Bale, a professor of politics, gives appropriate weight to ambition, chance and misjudgment in this analytical narrative of the internal turmoil of the modern Tory party.

An Uneasy Inheritance: My Family and Other Radicals by Polly Toynbee (Atlantic)

Toynbee, one of Britain’s most respected newspaper columnists, comes from a famous family with a reformist tradition. In an amusing and thoughtful memoir, she explores the paradoxes of being a posh radical — as well as the enduring impact of class on Britain.

The Russo-Ukrainian War by Serhii Plokhy (Allen Lane)

The foremost historian of Ukraine turns his attention to contemporary events. He argues that Russia’s invasion is an act of old-fashioned imperialism. Plokhy uses his historical perspective to provide an original erudite and very readable account of the roots of the war and its course so far.

Summer Books 2023

All this week, FT writers and critics share their favourites. Some highlights are:

Monday: Environment by Pilita Clark
Tuesday: Economics by Martin Wolf
Wednesday: Fiction by Laura Battle
Thursday: Crime fiction by Barry Forshaw
Friday: Critics’ picks
Saturday: History by Tony Barber

Homelands: A Personal History of Europe by Timothy Garton Ash (Bodley Head/Yale)

A panoramic contemporary history of the Europe, in which sharp political analysis is enlivened with personal memoir — drawn from decades of distinguished work as a journalist and academic.

Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990 by Katja Hoyer (Allen Lane)

More than 30 years after the reunification of Germany, the former East Germany still has a distinct cultural and political identity. This nuanced and highly readable history of East Germany argues that the country had real strengths, alongside its well-known flaws — and provides an indirect explanation for some of the tensions in contemporary Germany.

Inside the Deal: How the EU Got Brexit Done by Stefaan De Rynck (Agenda)

An insider account of how the EU dealt with Brexit by one of the close aides of Michel Barnier, the EU’s former chief negotiator. Without descending into triumphalism, the book shows how the EU achieved all its main strategic objectives — while the British side played a weak hand badly.

The Dean of Shandong: Confessions of a Minor Bureaucrat at a Chinese University by Daniel Bell (Princeton)

The author is well known as a political philosopher and defender of China’s political system. His new book is a perceptive and often funny account of operating inside that system as dean of a public administration school at Shandong university.

Deadly Quiet City: True Stories from Wuhan by Murong Xuecun (Hardie Grant)

Defences of modern China should be set against this novelistic account of how the pandemic unfolded in Wuhan. A courageous book that paints a portrait of a callous and dysfunctional state — with each chapter telling the story of an individual, from a motorcycle taxi driver to a hospital doctor.

The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa’s Racial Reckoning by Eve Fairbanks (Simon and Schuster)

South Africa is in trouble, with even government insiders talking about the possibility that the country will become a failed state. This account of the country’s evolution — told through the lives of three characters — paints a lyrical portrait of how difficult it has been for the country to shed the burdens and structures of apartheid.

A Stranger in Your Own City: Travels in the Middle East’s Long War by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad (Hutchinson Heinemann)

An award-winning journalist tells the story of Iraq’s descent into chaos after the invasion of 2003. He places much of the blame on misbegotten ideas, formed in Washington think-tanks, which encouraged a descent into sectarianism. The FT review described the book as “excellent and haunting”.

The Return of the Taliban: Afghanistan after the Americans Left by Hassan Abbas (Yale)

After a 20-year war, the Taliban are back in control of Afghanistan. The book describes the impact on the country of the return of the Islamist movement. It paints a portrait of the evolution of the Taliban and the challenges facing a movement divided between hardliners and relative moderates.

Cold Peace: Avoiding the New Cold War by Michael Doyle (Liveright)

One of America’s leading international relations scholars outlines a series of possible policy compromises to manage rising tensions between the US — and Russia and China. This is a thought-provoking contribution at a moment when compromise is unfashionable and tensions are rising dangerously.

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