At last night’s live Reason Roundtable podcast, my colleague (and The Fifth Column cohost) asked me, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Peter Suderman to suggest a work of art or history to consume during this election period. I recommended Pär Lagerkvist's Barabbas (1950). It's a beautiful, haunting book that has stayed with me since I first read it as a teenager. Watch the 90-second clip for my whole spiel, but here’s the gist:

'This is a great book to be reading right now because politics are terrible, but politics are always terrible and we have an immense amount of freedom and the ability to determine what matters in our life. We need to be like Barabbas, not tomorrow or on Wednesday, but starting today. Find your purpose and live your purpose.'