1984 by George Orwell (Signet, $16). This is the "duh" choice. It's everyone's favorite book. But for me it is even more special. What I have seen in Egypt and how the media manipulated people on a daily basis might be a chapter out of Orwell's book — a chapter that is not even well written. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (Harper Perennial, $20). It always fascinates me how some people choose to stand for truth in the face of organized, deeply rooted propaganda.