Along those lines, anything by Ayn Rand. She came from Russia and knew the evils of Communism first hand. She also predicted America's slippery slope into the situation we are in today ("Atlas Shrugged" and "Fountainhead").
Also, Adam Smith's "Wealth Of Nations". It can be a dry read but once you get through it, you totally understand why Capitalism is the best economic system every devised - so far.
I agree.
Yes! Now, that didn’t make me feel “smarter”, but I validated to the roots of my soul what I thought about the Soviet Union.
DOOOD! It’s three EASY TO READ books!
Atlas Shrugged is a masterpiece. But it is 1,000+ pages of 4pt font. It took me 1 hour to read 30 pages, and I needed a thesaurus at times. It made me smarter, but it wasn’t easy!
In terms of Rand, easy AND illuminating, you can’t beat “Anthem.” My 10th grade English teacher ASSIGNED that book to us, which coincided personally with my getting into Rush. It was perfect. Parenthetically, my English teacher would be burned at the stake nowadays.
“Free To Choose” by Milton Friedman was revolutionary.
Rounding out my list isn’t a book, but the best contemporary piece about liberty, safety, responsibility, all under the guise of the 2nd Amendment: Jeffrey Snyder’s “A Nation of Cowards” - https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3440463/posts