Great thread idea.
I'm a poltical dork, so I guess I'll start there. At the moment, I think every American could benefit from reading Steve Coll's Pulitzer Prize winning book
Ghost Wars concerning the history of America's involvement in Afghanistan and the roots of Islamic fundamentalism in the region that has predicated our involvement in the war on terror.
Also, if people read
From Beirut to Jerusalem, we would have a more a serious national conversation about the Middle East.
To have a better understanding of shifting American demographies that have influenced the last two decades of domestic politics,
The Right Nation by the two American editors of The Economist is a serious examination.
All the News That's Fit to Sell is a excellent primer for the way in which markets influence what appears in the media.
This clearly doesn't fall under, "required reading to save the world," but every baseball fan should read
Moneyball to appreciate Billy Beane's genius and realize how statistical analysis can inform sports decisions.