Democracy in One Book or Less
How It Works, Why It Doesn't, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think
Read Chapter 11 from DEMOCRACY IN ONE BOOK OR LESS now by clicking above.
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Bill Bryson meets Thomas Frank in this deeply insightful, unexpectedly hilarious story of how politicians hijacked American democracy and how we can take it back.
The democracy you live in today is different—completely different—from the democracy you were born into. You probably don't realize just how radically your republic has been altered during your lifetime. Yet more than any policy issue, political trend, or even Donald Trump himself, our redesigned system of government is responsible for the peril America faces today.
What explains the gap between what We, the People want and what our elected leaders do? How can we fix our politics before it's too late? And how can we truly understand the state of our democracy without wanting to crawl under a rock? That's what former Obama speechwriter David Litt set out to answer.
Poking into forgotten corners of history, translating political science into plain English, and traveling the country to meet experts and activists, Litt explains how the world’s greatest experiment in democracy went awry.
(He also tries to crash a party at Mitch McConnell’s former frat house. It goes poorly.)
The result of Litt's journey is something you might not have thought possible: a page-turner about the political process. You'll meet the Supreme Court justice charged with murder, learn how James Madison's college roommate broke the Senate, encounter a citrus thief who embodies what's wrong with our elections, and join Belle the bill as she tries to become a law (a quest far more harrowing than the one in Schoolhouse Rock!).
Yet despite his clear-eyed assessment of the dangers we face, Litt remains audaciously optimistic. He offers a to-do list of bold yet achievable changes—a blueprint for restoring the balance of power in America before it's too late.
All pre-order royalties are being donated to Run for Something.
Praise
“Litt’s book laces his signature humor into his exploration of American democracy and how it has transformed over the years.”
— Time
“Though Litt's fun and funny treatise on what makes this nation, what's wrong with it, and how we can fix it,was written before we became a country of people ordering curbside pickup from murder hornets, it's remarkably prescient and applicable. It's rare to feel good about the way things are going, but Litt's book will get you there.”
— Elle Magazine
“Casts a welcome, cleansing beam of light on a subject that has become increasingly murky and frustratingly confusing . . . Litt has a breezy, often conversational tone, but that in no way diminishes the force of his argument. Politics has changed, and not in a good way. But there are ways American democracy can be fixed, and it is to Litt’s credit that he offers practical albeit challenging solutions to the problems confronting our system of governance.”
— Booklist (starred review)
“[A] snappy and well-informed dissection of the current state of American democracy. . . Both optimistic and clear-eyed, this quip-filled call to action will resonate strongly with young progressives.”
— Publishers Weekly
“A pleasure to read, even in its darkest moments, and refreshingly optimistic about the future of the republic.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“Hilarious and incisive. If you want to understand what happened to America and how to change it, Democracy in One Book or Less will make you laugh and think, all at the same time.”
— David Axelrod, former senior advisor to Barack Obama and author of Believer: My Forty Years in Politics
“You think you know about politics and the motivations and machinations of Washington—and then you read this book. A wildly entertaining and informative journey that peels back the curtain on how the Beltway functions, David Litt’s latest is a must-read for anyone who can’t look away from the ‘what’ of the news and wants to understand the ‘why.’”
— Amie Parnes, co-author of Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign
“I always look forward to David Litt’s fiercely intelligent and funny take on the current state of things. If ever there was a time we needed a hilarious and thought-provoking look at how our democracy got to this point—and how we can save it—it’s now!”
— Billy Eichner
“Democracy in One Book or Less is by turns funny and illuminating. Litt combines his trademark humor and witty writing with an urgent call to fix American democracy. It’s a tragicomedy that makes you a better citizen while you laugh and shake your head in disbelief at our broken system.”
— Brian Klaas, assistant professor of global politics at University College London and columnist for the Washington Post
“Strikingly timely...He [Litt] offers ways to fix governmental ills that stymie all Americans and does so with a breezy and accessible wit.”
— The Guardian
“...Wry, quickly readable, yet informed and edgy...whimsy and pop culture, enlisted toward the end of knowledge.”
— The Atlantic