As rep. Tom cole, republican from oklahoma. We have asked you this question before. Always had a large reading list. What is on your current reading list. Tom i have just finished the splendid in the bio b is a wonderful recollection of his family during the war during 1940. Its really been day of the german and some of the countries in france. And then basically, what it was like to standalone against nothing germany. Until the june of 41, then the russians were in the war and then obviously, by december of 41, the United States were in the war. Its a wonderful read about a god that i consider literally the greatest person of the century. In the supreme ordeal of his long career. Also been reading. I just picked up the great historian by the name of jean edward smith. Great biographer. I read his biographies, tran10 eisenhower. And eisenhower was by far the best biography ever written about him and there have been good ones. It he died in 2000 in 19. So right now, i just got into what may have been his best book which was on fdr. American historians choose the best book of the year. Back in 2007. So its been around a while. Its been one of those books then been sitting on my bookshelf i just had not gotten to it. This six or 700 pages. But we lost some things last year in september actually. And i happened to think about that and i pulled out the book. And i order his last book which i have not read yet on the liberation of paris which was published in 2019. Ive been doing that. Earlier this summer, i got on by accident, biographies of ambassadors. And arsenal throat a great biography by guy named william dodd, the american investor in germany. I was in the 1930s. And his family which was quite a eccentric group. In their experience of being in germany as hendler was consolidating power in the first evidence of what was going to be truly a dark period World History was becoming evident. And then i read it the book called in the cauldron wishes the american tail of the American Ambassador in tokyo, guy named joseph for about ten years. I think from 1931 21941 brightest of all of his ultimately fruitless efforts to head off war between the United States and japan and that of course what it was like being in japan during the prep them this military regime. And really guided that country directed ruins. I guess one last thing, one of my favorites political scientists of all times. I usually read historians with this guys a different kind of political scientists might give. Richard who just died this year. But he was very famous for writing histories on congress or studies of congress from the district level up rather than from the washington level. He was welltraveled and into the district of various congressmen and senators in the states of senators obviously. I read a couple of his books but it just to happen to read is a bit and i thought i had it run enough of this guy. And i think his last book published like in 2013. And then another book called congressional again is just a granular view of congress. I know a lot of the members that he writes about. Dennis just fascinating. A reminder of how often was somebody doesnt washington is really a reflection of who they represent and what their interests are and their understanding of the world is. We cant of blues that dimension sometimes when we study politicians. We forget they have another part of them which is not in washington dc which actually shapes what they do in washington dc. So a lot of reading this summer. There seems to be the theme among the history books that youre reading and that was world war ii. Tom will that just happened to be there. No deliberate desire. Always fascinated by it. There been other books too. A book, the indian world of George Washington native american. That fascinated me as well. It felt question that world war ii is at the central conflict and shaper of the 20th century. And really, the postworld war ii era. Obviously you have to understand the worldly being and to it. What came out of it to understand the time in which we live. And really the rise of the United States. The great power before the second world war. It was became the superpower after that. So understanding the cauldron that the country went through and how it changed the way art how we think and react globally. Think it is really kind of indispensable grounding that you have to have if you want to be effective in the current time. Start larson part of those writers that if he writes a book he read it. Tom yes. Hes an absolutely superb writer. Then they departed is sometimes is almost like reading a novel. The descriptions and and is all footnoted. He has a real talent for and again, seasoning on something to look at it more closely. We have had a lot of really find biographies of winston churchill. Robert andress most recently was probably the best. But this idea, the stick out a year, this is another book that i have in my bookshelf. I cant remember the authors name now what is the same thing. Its actually a churchill in the 1920s. The single pivotal year. When he was working as the colonial secretary and helped reshape the middle east in ways that enter the boundaries of the countries. I like what he does and how he does things. Like copyrights. His always worth reading whenever the topic. The New York Times correspondence came out with a book a year to back about congress. Do you almost automatically pick a book up about congress. Tom i do. I happen to know carl very well. I thank you so one of the smartest reporters out there. The confirmation bias which is the Supreme Court wars that weve seen in recent years. It is a brilliant book. If you want to understand the struggles that shaped capitol hill, not any better guy than carl. Also finished Jonathan Carls books, not congress per se because hes a white house correspondent. For abc news the front row in the trunk show. That is an interesting read. I know carl and have been interviewed by him. Ive done a podcast with him once or twice prayed with 70 like that risible, i think its really knowledgeable and professional. You want to hear what they have to say. Because again theyre talking to a lot of people. And on any occasions, you cant talk to them. Are you would not have the occasion to talk to them. They bring a lot of insight into the political field and into congress. , sharing a book ideas do you do in congress. Tom quite a bit. I do a sort of Favorite Book of the month. We publish regularly on our website. They have a lot of inquiries about that. And i throw party for republicans are your at christmas, a really nice affair. But they always get a christmas present. Its almost always a book. I quite often, in a conversation with somebody i know they have a particular interest but have you, i was in the book. I remember years ago adam from illinois, when brightest guys in congress. No was the young veteran, elected into the class of 2010. In his here back then it was very short. Almost like a crewcut. He was still the rare service and still flew. And he reminded me of a picture i had seen of don rumsfeld in about the same age. The square jaw, goodlooking guy. So i just bought the autobiography before and i sent it over to him. Youre from illinois, hes from illinois. Youve got a guy, hes gotta crewcut free device you get to know one another. So occasionally i will just send a book to somebody because it struck me something that might interest him. Particularly, again adam is 104 early thoughtful thinkers in congress on both sides of the aisle. A National Security issues in military matters. He was deployed to the combat zone brightest of the guide knows what he is talking about i thought he would be very interested in a guy a rumsfeld who had also served. And then both the youngest and the oldest secretary of defense and american history. I dont know if you saw this but mr. Rumsfeld wrote in the most recent book. Tom i just actually finished chris whipples book, the gatekeeper on the chiefs of staff. In the white house and of course he figured very prominently. And so would be interested in having more thorough view on that. Actually have a picture before that i keep around. Republican of oklahoma, thanks. Thanks for having me. You can watch this and all our interviews at booktv. Org. Using the search bar at the top of the page