And we have a candidate! Well, more or less: this week saw Mitt Romney finally pull into the lead as the GOP presidential nominee, marking the unofficial beginning of General Election 2012. Congratulations on making it through the long, long primary season! Now that you’ve got your candidate options narrowed down to two, it’s time to focus on the issues. Fortunately, the publishing week of April 16 has you covered, with a range of titles covering everything from health care reform, the legacy of Alger Hiss, and the Compromise of 1850 to the Occupy movement, income inequality—and more!

Leading the pack is The Presidents Club: Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity by Time magazine editors Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy, out from Simon & Schuster on April 17 ($32.50, ISBN 978-1-4391-2770-4). Covering a huge range of presidents in and out of office, The Presidents Club includes such tantalizing tidbits as Kennedy’s nickname for Eisenhower: “That Old Asshole.” In our review, PW called this title “a canny, vivid, and informative [work] on an important and little-explored subject,” while noting that it “could have used some pruning.”

To satisfy your particular political appetite, here’s a categorical breakdown of the rest, with a few relevant notes:

The Obama Administration

Fast and Furious: Barack Obama's Bloodiest Scandal and the Shameless Cover-Up by Katie Pavlich (Regnery, $27.95; ISBN 978-1596983212). An in-depth investigation into the controversial Fast and Furious operation conducted by Eric Holder’s justice department and the ATF, which put firearms in the hands of Mexican drug cartels and has led to the death of at least one border patrol agent. April 16

The Battle Over Health Care: What Obama's Reform Means for America's Future by Rosemary Gibson and Janardan Prasad Singh (Rowman & Littlefield, $24.95; ISBN 978-1-4422-1449-1). A nonpartisan analysis of the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act by a health care expert and a World Bank economist. April 16

City of Scoundrels: The 12 Days of Disaster That Gave Birth to Modern Chicago by Gary Krist (Crown, $26; ISBN 978-0-307-45429-4). A 12-day episode in 1919 that shaped Chicago gets an intense retelling, showing how the breeding ground for President Obama and his administration insiders was affected by a series of tragedies beginning with the Goodyear Blimp crashing into the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank, ending with a paralyzing transit strike, and encompassing a kidnapping-murder, the suicide of a highly regarded court judge, and a South Side race riot. April 17

What Would Michelle Do?: A Modern-Day Guide to Living with Substance and Style by Allison Samuels (Gotham, $24; ISBN 978-1592407088). An all-purpose advice guide for anyone hoping to emulate the “style, class, and intelligence” of the popular first lady. April 19

The Haves and Have-Nots

The Occupy Handbook, edited by Janet Byrne (Back Bay, $15.99; ISBN 978-0316220217). A collection of works on the Occupy movement from commentators like Paul Krugman, Michael Lewis, Scott Turow, Amy Goodman, and Barbara Ehrenreich. April 17

The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West (Smiley Books, $12; ISBN 978-1401940638). The broadcaster and publisher (in association with Hay House) teams up with Cornel West for a look at the current face of poverty in America: “record unemployment and rampant corporate avarice,” “empty houses” and “homeless families,” “dwindling opportunities,” and “a paralyzed nation.” April 17

The Left-Right Divide

Hopelessly Divided: The New Crisis in American Politics and What It Means for 2012 and Beyond by Douglas E. Schoen (Rowman & Littlefield, $27; ISBN 978-1-4422-1523-8). Political pundit Shoen examines the growing, seemingly insurmountable divide between the political overclass and the general American populace. April 16

Alger Hiss: Why He Chose Treason by Christina Shelton (S&S/Threshold, $26; ISBN 978-1-4516-5542-1). A retired U.S. intelligence analyst looks back at the influential U.S. State Department official who turned out to be spying for the U.S.S.R., examining how his legacy continues to drive the American left despite his downfall. April 17

The Economy, Stupid

Land of Promise: An Economic History of the United States by Michael Lind (Harper, $27.99; ISBN 978-0-06-183480-6). Bestseller Lind looks at America from the 1700s to today, examining the evolving shape of the U.S. economy as it proceeds through technological and political upheaval, war and peace, and other “shattering tides of change.” April 17

The Debt Bomb: A Bold Plan to Stop Washington from Bankrupting America by Tom A. Coburn (Thomas Nelson, $24.99; ISBN 978-1595554673). A look at the “real problems” engendered by America’s runaway debt that attempts to go beyond typical right-left talking points, from U.S. senator, business owner, and physician Coburn. April 17

The Energy Sink

Harvest the Wind: America's Journey to Jobs, Energy Independence, and Climate Stability by Philip Warburg (Beacon, $27.95; ISBN 978-0-8070-0107-3). A look at the positive potential of green energy, highlighting the growth of new technologies and businesses in the U.S. and abroad that are putting renewable energy sources to work. April 17

Eco-Tyranny: How the Left's Green Agenda Will Dismantle America by Brian Sussman (WND, $25.95; ISBN 978-1936488506). A look at the destructive potential of the green movement, as investigated by science reporter-meteorologist Sussman, author of Climategate: A Veteran Meteorologist Exposes the Global Warming Scam. April 17

Crime and Punishment

In This Timeless Time: Living and Dying on Death Row in America by Bruce Jackson and Diane Christian (Univ. of North Carolina, $35; ISBN 978-0-8078-3539-5). A grim, moving photographic tour of death rows in Texas and other U.S. states, where the justice system continues to trap inmates in a “convoluted and arbitrary” justice system. April 16

The Cornbread Mafia: A Homegrown Syndicate's Code of Silence and the Biggest Marijuana Bust in American History by James Higdon (Lyons, $24.95; ISBN 978-0762778232). A Southern-fried look at the Kentucky marijuana syndicate that became the biggest in U.S. history, the fugitive behind “one of the greatest outdoor marijuana crops in modern times,” and the government operation to bring them down. April 20

The Classics

The United States Constitution: A Round Table Comic Graphic Adaptation adapted by Nadia Baer, illus. by Nathan Lueth (Writers of the Round Table Press, $12.95; ISBN 978-1510550259). In its first educational offering, Round Table Press presents a breezy but informative comic-book retelling of the Constitution and its writing, designed to get children interested not just in the substance of the Constitution but in the story of its creation. April 16

A Whig Manifesto: A Short History of the Whig Movement with Modern Whig Party Perspectives on Current Political and Social Controversies by Chuck Morse (Trine Day, $9.95; ISBN 978-1936296934). A look back at the party of Alexander Hamilton, Henry Clay, and Abraham Lincoln and a look forward to the emergence of a modern Whig Party as an alternative to the lumbering Republican and Democrat machines. April 16

Notes on Democracy: A New Edition by H.L. Mencken (Dissident, $14.95; ISBN 978-0977378838). A surprisingly relevant reprint of the legendary journalist’s political treatise—first released more than 80 years ago!—with a new introduction and commentary from Mencken biographer Marion Elizabeth Rodgers, and an afterword by Anthony Lewis. April 17

America's Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen A. Douglas, and the Compromise That Preserved the Union by Fergus M. Bordewich (Simon & Schuster, $30; ISBN 978-1-4391-2460-4). A look back at the Compromise of 1850, which preserved the balance of slave-holding and abolitionist states following the annex of California and other territories following the Mexican War—a huge moment for the debate over states’ rights that continues today. April 17