If I could only choose one author to recommend to people who want to expand their political horizons, it would be P. J. O'Rourke. His wit makes even the most wonkish of subjects entertaining, and his O'Rourke describes himself as a libertarian, but he is far more likely to ridicule liberal ideas than conservative ones. That being said, you can take nothing for granted in his writing; anyone who acts stupidly is fair game -- which covers just about anyone in politics. He is even ready to take jabs at fellow libertarians on occasion, when they make it easy for him.
In All the Trouble in the World O'Rourke takes a look at the sort of issues we typically expect government to address and shows how government involvement rarely makes things better and often makes them worse. Overpopulation, famine, disease, ethnic strife, poverty and ecological issues are all addressed in the book, and O'Rourke provides direct evidence for the adage, "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions." In many cases he shows how government has used eminent domain and taxation to expand that road into a superhighway for ease of travel.
I enjoy everything O'Rourke writes, and I expect that many more of his books will make my recommended reading list, but All the Trouble in the World is such a perfect exposé on how government doesn't work that I wanted to get to it early. I expect that as libertarian ideas get inserted into political discourse more frequently, these are the very issues that people will be forced to talk about. Looking at what does not work and why is a good way to start looking for common ground.
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