Eleventh Stack began publishing content in 2008. That’s eight years of awesome content! We’re highlighting some of our old favorites for Throwback Thursday. The post “Election Season Reading Challenge” originally appeared on September 22, 2015.

When it comes to politics, there is one thing that most people agree on: making an informed decision about your vote matters. Of course there are myriad ways to stay informed and educated, and it’s great to consult multiple sources of information. So, gearing up for the grind of election season, I decided to give myself a small reading challenge. There are only three prompts, so feel free to join me!

1. Read a Book About an Election Issue You Care About – Hot topics in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election include immigration, gun control, healthcare and more, but I urge you to define what matters most to you and go from there. In terms of “issues” books, I recently read Not Funny Ha-Ha, a graphic novel that straightforwardly describes two different women who choose to have abortions, and The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap, which I can’t stop talking about. I have plenty more on my “to read” list, including Burning Down the House: the End of Juvenile Prison and Between the World and Me.

2. Read a Book About Media or Politics – To me, the political process is sometimes as interesting and relevant as the outcomes. Insight about behind-the-scene antics help us understand how arguments and messages are being constructed, and interpreted (or misinterpreted).  Right now, I’m in the midst of Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class and The Influencing Machine, and loving them both.

3. Read a book about or by a candidate*  – There are so many choices, I’m not even sure where to start. Choose your own adventure:

• Jeb Bush
• Ben Carson
• Chris Christie
• Hillary Clinton
• Ted Cruz
• Carly Fiorina
• Mike Huckabee
• Bobby Jindal
• John Kasich
• Rand Paul
• Marco Rubio
• Bernie Sanders
• Donald Trump
• Scott Walker

*Most of these people are no longer running, but you might enjoy reading about them anyway!

How will you be keeping up-to-date this election season?

-Ginny