Here are some of my picks for 2014's thought-provoking books from a political, financial, economic and environmental standpoint. They are available at Indiebound, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. I'm sure you all have great additions of your own. Enjoy and happy reading!

1) The Death of Money: The Coming Collapse of the International Monetary System by James Rickards, Portfolio Hardcover; 1st edition (April, 2014)

In clear, accessible prose, Jim Rickards dissects the precarious state of money at the hands of the world's governments, multinational institutions, and central banks.  He reveals the extent of damage prevailing polices have already done to the global economy, what will happen if we continue on this path, and what ordinary citizens and small investors can do to protect themselves from the economic onslaught.

2) Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State by Ralph Nader Nation Books; First Edition (April, 2014)

Unstoppable is even-handed, erudite, practical and necessary. Ralph Nader harnesses his lifelong crusade on behalf of the public interest over the corporatist agenda into a treatise that is optimistic and patriotic. He shows that effective Left-Right political alliances aren't pipe dreams, but historic realities in need of strategic cultivation, for the sake of all of our futures.

3) The Fight for the Four Freedoms: What Made FDR and the Greatest Generation Truly Great by Harvey J. Kaye (Simon & Schuster; First Edition (April, 2014))

In The Fight for the Four Freedoms, professor, historian and patriot, Harvey J. Kaye pens an inspiring account of a critical time in American history, inspired by the FDR's premise that: “Freedom from want and from fear; Freedom of speech and religion” were crucial principals for all Americans. Comparing the strides that FDR made for the country with the anti-visionary maneuvers of more recent presidents Kaye shows that the way out and upward for the population lays in our past.