Essential Nonfiction Books To Read After The Election Is Over

The presidential race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is still neck and neck, which is certainly disappointing for voters who thought that Trump would have a difficult time winning his re-election campaign. No matter who is inaugurated in January 2021, a laundry list of issues will remain to face the United States, and all voters should take the time to educate themselves on what matters. These essential nonfiction books to read after the election will bring you up to speed on abortion, police brutality, voting rights, and more.

The whole of 2020 has been a wild ride, and not just because of the election. The coronavirus pandemic shut down various parts of the United States from March 2020 onward, and the country has had 9.4 million confirmed cases, as well as nearly 233,000 confirmed deaths. The United States also faced wildfires in the West, the third impeachment trial in U.S. history, and widespread protests against police brutality this year.

Those issues, and more, can be found among the essential nonfiction books you need to read after the election:

We only include products that have been independently selected by Bustle's editorial team. However, we may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams

After she narrowly lost her Georgia gubernatorial bid to Brian Kemp, Stacey Abrams — already a bestselling author — published Our Time Is Now: a work of nonfiction that focuses on how voter protections have been eroded in the United States and why we must all work together to ensure that every ballot counts. — K.W. Colyard

Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge's View by Stephen G. Breyer

When you go out an vote this November, you'll be picking not only the future president, but also a future Supreme Court Justice, who's vacant spot will likely be filled by a candidate of the future president's choosing. Prepare yourself by brushing up on knowledge of the justice system by reading Making Our Democracy Work, Justice Stephen Breyer's historical and philosophical examination of the Supreme Court and the role it plays in America's government. Insightful and informative, Breyer's book is like a handbook to understanding everything there is to know about the highest court in the United States, from the extent and limitation of its power to the role it plays in protecting the Constitution to its most important recent rulings. A smart and readable text perfect for law professionals and laymen alike, Making Our Democracy Work will help you understand just how important that open seat on the bench really is. — Sadie Trombetta

Border Wars: Inside Trump's Assault on Immigration by Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael D. Shear

Much has been written about the treatment of immigrants under the Trump administration, which has enacted travel bans, attempted to build a border wall, and separated children from their parents at the U.S. border. New York Times Washington correspondents Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael D. Shear shed some light on how and why the Trump administration has used immigration to its political advantage in Border Wars. — K.W. Colyard

Rights at Risk: The Limits of Liberty in Modern America by David K. Shipler

Candidates may profess their love and respect for the Constitution, they may vow to protect it down to every last amendment, but what does this nearly 230-year-old document really mean for modern America? According to author and journalist David K. Shipler's Rights at Risk, the Constitution is standing on dangerous ground. A thorough examination of the Constitution, Rights at Risk shines a light on the place where constitutional principles meets every day American life, and the unexpected and terrifying ways it's affecting us all. — Sadie Trombetta

Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality by Sarah McBride

In 2020, Sarah McBride became the first openly trans state senator in the United States, winning against Republican nominee Steve Washington in her bid to replace retiring Democrat Harris McDowell III in Delaware's first state senate district. Her 2018 memoir, Tomorrow Will Be Different, traces McBride's life before and after coming out, including the painful loss of her partner to cancer in 2014. — K.W. Colyard

Hands Up, Don’t Shoot: Why the Protests in Ferguson and Baltimore Matter, and How They Changed America by Jennifer E. Cobbina

The 2020 deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery sparked months of civil unrest in the United States, and protests quickly drew comparisons to similar demonstrations against police brutality in 2014. Jennifer E. Cobbina argues that the Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland protests had a lasting impact on the country in Hands Up, Don't Shoot. — K.W. Colyard

This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein

One of the biggest partisan issues of nearly every presidential election for the last two decades, climate change is still a major topic of debate for the 2016 political season. To better understand government's role in the protection (and destruction) of the environment, reach for Naomi Klein's provocative and eye-opening This Changes Everything. Hard-hitting and unapologetic, Klein's book exposes the truth behind those often recited climate change myths, challenges modern practices of our modern governments, and illuminates the influence capitalism has had on the planet's rapid and alarming deterioration. — Sadie Trombetta

Obstacle Course: The Everyday Struggle to Get an Abortion in America by David S. Cohen and Carole Joffe

Nearly 50 years after Roe v. Wade made it safe and legal to terminate a pregnancy, abortion continues to be a hot-button topic in the United States. David S. Cohen and Carole Joffe expose how difficult it is for most Americans to access abortion care in Obstacle Course. — K.W. Colyard

Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America by Ari Berman

In his highly acclaimed bestseller Give Us the Ballot, investigative journalist and political correspondent Ari Berman dives head-first into the murky waters of modern voting rights and all the ways in which, despite the success of the civil rights movement, they are still at risk all over the country. An accurate and engaging narrative about voting rights from 1965 to today, Berman's book draws on in-depth research, personal interviews, and his own expert reporting to paint a picture of one of the most important and issues facing American citizens today: the right to participate in their country's democracy. A must-read before hitting the polls. — Sadie Trombetta

An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back by Elisabeth Rosenthal

If you've ever wondered how the U.S. health care system moved so far away from that of other wealthy nations, you need to put Elisabeth Rosenthal's An American Sickness on your nightstand, pronto. Tracing the history of health care in the United States, Rosenthal identifies how the current system works and how we can make it better. — K.W. Colyard

Undocumented: How Immigration Became Illegal by Aviva Chomsky

Smart, provocative, and well-reported, Undocumented is a testament to the idea that "Immigrant rights are human rights." A fully-fleshed out narrative of what it is like to be living as an undocumented person in the United States, this investigation puts immigration in terms of legality, society, economy, and history to show how our modern policies were created, and how they damage our nation and the undocumented people living in it. No matter how you feel about immigration, Undocumented will open your eyes to what it's truly like to try and make it in America. — Sadie Trombetta

Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo

Dec. 1

From the author of So You Want to Talk About Race comes this new book tracing 150 years of white men's inflated egos in the United States. Although the #MeToo movement and Black Lives Matter protests have brought attention to just how dangerous white male supremacy is in this country, Mediocre also examines how toxic white masculinity has damaged white men, as well. — K.W. Colyard