23 Books to Read in 2026 |
As you set your 2026 goals, reading lists, and New Year’s resolutions, The Daily Signal is proud to offer you some of our favorite reads from 2025.
We asked our own staff, plus others from The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action, for their thoughts and to offer some of their recommendations. They are listed below.
Western civilization is in a moment of peril, beset by wokeism and radical Islamism—ideologies that seek to dismantle the Judeo-Christian foundations upon which the West was built.
In “Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West,” Hammer contends that these movements, despite their different origins and methods, share a common hostility to the biblical heritage that gave rise to Western and particularly American concepts of inherent individual dignity, covenant, sexual morality, the rule of law, and ordered liberty. The West’s survival depends on renewing its commitment to the very traditions that made it great.
Israel stands on the front line in this civilizational struggle, serving as both the proverbial “canary in the coal mine”—offering early warning of threats that will eventually reach Western shores—and as a bulwark defending shared values against forces that would destroy them.
What makes Israel particularly instructive, Hammer argues, is its unapologetic nationalism stemming from its deep connection to its own biblical roots. This rootedness manifests in thriving families, remarkably high fertility rates, and a dynamic, innovative economy that flourishes even under constant existential threat. Israel’s vitality stands in stark contrast to the demographic and cultural malaise afflicting much of the secularized West.
Hammer’s ultimate prescription is a robust Jewish-Christian alliance dedicated to defending and reviving the biblical heritage that both communities share. This is not merely a defensive posture but a positive vision for civilizational renewal. By recognizing their common inheritance and the unique threats facing it, Jews and Christians can work together to ensure that the values and traditions that built the West are not lost to history but reinvigorated for future generations.
—Jason Bedrick, research fellow, Center for Education Policy, The Heritage Foundation
In “Hostage,” Eli Sharabi delivers a devastating and deeply personal account of surviving 491 days in Hamas captivity after being abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel.
Sharabi recounts the physical deprivation, psychological torture, and constant uncertainty of life in captivity in Hamas’ terror tunnels, while also bearing witness to the murder of his wife and daughters.
Despite unimaginable suffering and daily torture, Sharabi’s resolve never falters. His commitment to survival, dignity and bonds forged with his fellow hostages is incredibly inspiring. He refused to let despair and the unknown of his fate consume him, instead, he chose time and again to live.
This memoir is not only a testament to Sharabi’s extraordinary grit but also a historical document of our moment; deeply personal yet resonant far beyond its pages. At its core, “Hostage” is an important piece of historical work; just as we bear witness to the accounts of Holocaust survivors, we must bear witness here as well.
—Kelly Adams, vice president, people operations, The Heritage Foundation
After a long and curious absence, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute returns to publishing under the ISI Books imprint under Encounter Books with a biography as unlikely—and as absorbing—as its subject.
“The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer” recounts the life of Frank S. Meyer, a figure most readers know only by nickname and shorthand, if they know him at all. Called, too neatly, the “father of fusionism,” Meyer has long been filed away as a theory rather than understood as a man.
This book corrects that mistake.
Meyer emerges here as restless, brilliant, contentious, and perpetually in motion: a thinker whose ideas were forged not in abstraction but in conflict, contradiction, and lived experience. His life, tumultuous and often surprising, mirrors the evolution of a conservatism still arguing with itself.
At a time when the movement’s meaning is again uncertain, this portrait reminds us that it was never simple to begin with. Anyone who wants to understand American conservatism—not as a slogan, but as a drama—will find this book indispensable.
—Allen Mendenhall, senior advisor, Capital Markets Initiative, The Heritage Foundation
How well do you really understand the different peoples of America?
As a fan of epic fantasy, such as “The Lord of the Rings” and “Game of Thrones,” I love immersive stories with political intrigue and rich backstories.
Thomas Sowell’s “Ethnic America: A History” may not be character driven, but it has the same epic fantasy feel, with the bonus of world-building involving our country and its rich heritage.
Did you know that, even though the U.S. rounded up the Japanese in internment camps in World War II, Japanese units fought bravely in both theaters of the war, proving their loyalty? Did you know the Irish dominated the American Catholic hierarchy, even when large numbers of southern Italians came to the U.S.? Did you know U.S. Jewish newspapers praised Germany so much during World War I that the government censored them?
“Ethnic America” is dated, but it provides a great window into America’s cultural diversity and how different groups assimilated. It has enriched my understanding of our country, and it would be a great book for 2026.
—Tyler O’Neil, senior editor, The Daily Signal
Written over 20 years ago, “The Death of the West: How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil Our Country and Civilization” feels prophetic.
The problems Buchanan outlines in the book—namely a dramatically declining birthrate in Western countries and decades of completely unfettered mass migration—have only worsened since its publication in 2002.
Buchanan’s keen assessment of the perils facing Western civilization serve as an important reminder for those of us in the business of restoring our nation for the next generation. “The Death of the West” gets to the heart of why American culture seems weakened and on the verge of collapse. The book was also a favorite of our friend, Charlie Kirk.
—Emma Lagarde, associate writer, donor relations, The Heritage Foundation
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