Candidates don\u2019t often have a lot of downtime in the midst of an election.<\/p>\n
But when they do, what are they picking up to read?<\/p>\n
SCNG\u2019s 2026 Voter Guide<\/p>\n
The Southern California News Group asked the candidates vying to represent you several questions in order to help you get to know them better. This story is based on their responses. You can find the full questionnaires from these and other candidates on your ballot \u2014 as well as helpful tips on how to vote, explainers on the multitude of propositions and more \u2014 on our Voter Guide here<\/a>.<\/p>\n We asked the 16 candidates vying for the eight congressional districts that include Orange County communities to tell us about the best book they\u2019ve read this year, and why it is compelling.<\/p>\n From the Bible to historical fiction, from Dolly Parton\u2019s memoir to a popular LGBTQ+ sports romance, here\u2019s what the candidates had to say.<\/p>\n California\u2019s 38th Congressional District<\/p>\n Pedro Antonio Casas<\/a>: The Bible. Why? John 3:16<\/p>\n Hilda L. Solis<\/a>: \u201cDolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics.\u201d Though more of a coffee-table book, Dolly shares very personal stories about the struggles she and her family faced, and how they are reflected in her lyrics. Hers is a true American story about overcoming challenges, whether they are personal, economic, or cultural. This line from \u201cCoat of Many Colors\u201d reminds me of my own upbringing, the third oldest of many children in an immigrant family: \u201cAlthough we had no money, I was rich as I could be in my coat of many colors my mama made for me.\u201d<\/p>\n California\u2019s 40th Congressional District<\/p>\n Ken Calvert<\/a>: The best book I\u2019ve read this year is \u201cMark Twain\u201d by Ron Chernow. I was struck by Twain\u2019s journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most influential voices in American literature and culture. His story a great reminder of what\u2019s possible through the American Dream. I couldn\u2019t put it down.<\/p>\n Young Kim<\/a>: The \u201cOne Minute Manager\u201d by Ken Blanchard is my go-to. It\u2019s quick, practical and packed with advice you can actually use. With my schedule in Congress, I appreciate a book that gets straight to the point!<\/p>\n California\u2019s 41st Congressional District<\/p>\n Mitch Clemmons<\/a>: The best book I have read this year is Gad Saad\u2019s work on suicidal empathy. It is compelling because it names a habit I see in politics every day: treating every feeling as a moral command, even when the policy that follows hurts the people you claim to help. Saad\u2019s point is not \u201chave no heart.\u201d It is that compassion without judgment becomes a weapon. Open-ended empathy at the border, in spending, and in crime policy can destroy the very communities that are trying to be decent. That matched what I already believed as a small-business owner: You can care about a person in front of you, and still say a rule has to hold, or the whole shop fails. It also sharpened how I talk about kids brought here as children. Real compassion looks at the actual person and the actual consequence. Performative compassion looks at a slogan. I want the first kind. The book is useful because it is blunt, readable, and hard to wriggle out of. In a year of political noise, that is rare.<\/p>\n Linda T. S\u00e1nchez<\/a>: \u201cThe Sisters\u201d by Jonas Hassen Khemiri. It covers four decades of a family\u2019s history, including their immigrant roots, sibling rivalry, the thirst to understand one\u2019s heritage while still fitting into another culture, and the random events that can forever change one\u2019s trajectory. It\u2019s a rich, sprawling family saga that spoke to me on many levels.<\/p>\n California\u2019s 42nd Congressional District<\/p>\n Brian Burley<\/a>: As a Trojan, the best book I have read this year is \u201cAmerican Trojan: Leadership, Resilience, and the Renewal of Higher Education\u201d by former USC President C. L. Max Nikias. I found his lessons about resilience, principled leadership and strengthening higher education especially compelling as both a USC alumnus and an elected school board trustee.<\/p>\n Robert Garcia<\/a>: \u201cHeated Rivalry.\u201d<\/p>\n California\u2019s 45th Congressional District<\/p>\n Derek Tran<\/a>: \u201cThe Best We Could Do\u201d by Thi Bui. This book reminded me of my family\u2019s story on a deeper level. Bui weaves her experience of motherhood with her escape from Vietnam and with the country\u2019s history itself to reframe immigration as intimate, not political. By focusing on her parents\u2019 choices and losses as she starts her own family, abstract historical forces like war and displacement feel viscerally human, and much, much closer to home.<\/p>\n Chuong Vo<\/a>: \u201cThe Dash\u201d by Linda Ellis. This book reminded me not to forget life is important. What values we have and what we pass on to the next generation are important.<\/p>\n California\u2019s 46th Congressional District<\/p>\n Lou Correa<\/a>: My job relies on good information and determining how such information affects my voting decisions and my constituents. Sorting through this data \u2014 and determining which data to use \u2014 is the task my staff and I undertake on a daily basis. I don\u2019t read many books, but I read many reports and many, many newspapers, from the Orange County Register to the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n David Pan<\/a>: Yasheng Huang\u2019s \u201cThe Rise and Fall of the EAST: How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success, and Why They Might Lead to Its Decline\u201d provides an excellent account of how the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s policies are an extreme form of the top-down form of government that has dominated China since the 7th century. Back then, they set up an examination system that was used to choose government officials. The exam emphasized rote learning, and anyone who could pass the exam would receive a government job. The system drew all intellectual activity into government service, and the system has always had the effect of suppressing economic and social activity that is separate from the state. Today, no organization in China can exist without the direct supervision of the Chinese Communist Party, and this totalitarian system not only suppresses freedom within China but threatens freedom all over the world.<\/p>\n California\u2019s 47th Congressional District<\/p>\n Dave Min<\/a>: \u201cStrongmen\u201d by Ruth Ben-Ghiat. \u201cStrongmen\u201d lays out in great detail the ways in which various strongmen, ranging from Mussolini to Gaddafi to Putin, have been able to rise to power, and how they rule. As we strive to protect our democratic institutions and our most cherished American values, I think it is so important that we understand the history that undergirds the moment we are in. Dr. Ben-Ghiat\u2019s book is well written, easy to read, but so full of important lessons for us.<\/p>\n Jenny Rae Le Roux<\/a>: My family and I love the library systems that are available to us here in Orange County. This summer, I read classics out loud to my young kids every day. One book we read together was \u201cThe Black Stallion.\u201d It describes ingenuity, creativity, and how to advocate for those you love against all odds, even on a deserted island. Our family fell in love with the book and expects to finish the series in the upcoming months. I also love reading about history, politics, culture, travel, adventure, and fiction. I was recently given the book \u201cSuicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind,\u201d which I am excited to read this fall.<\/p>\n California\u2019s 49th Congressional District<\/p>\n