Democracy in One Book or Less, David Litt
Democracy in One Book or Less, David Litt
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Democracy in One Book or Less
How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think

Author: David Litt

Narrator: David Litt

Unabridged: 11 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 06/16/2020


Synopsis

Bill Bryson meets Thomas Frank in this deeply insightful, unexpectedly hilarious story of how politicians hijacked American democracy and how we can take it backThe 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.

About David Litt

David Litt is the New York Times best-selling author of Thanks, Obama: My Hopey Changey White House Years. From 2011-2016, David wrote speeches for President Obama, and was described as ""the comic muse for the president"" for his work on the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Since leaving the White House, he served as the head writer and producer for Funny Or Die's office in Washington, with a focus on improving youth turnout in the 2018 election, and developed a sitcom based on his life in D.C.  He frequently appears on CNN and MSNBC to discuss current events. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by Omkar on May 18, 2021

It was an informative book that spoke on the American government, how people think it works, how it actually works and why, and how it can be more responsive to the people it is supposed to represent. However, I think it takes a somewhat conservative approach to the issue and does not connect it to......more

Goodreads review by Colleen on May 27, 2020

For a political book, this book was very easy to read. David Litt explains how democracy should work and why our system is messed up. He talks about everything that interferes with our system working of the people, by the people and for the people. He even says which party did what to get us that wa......more

Goodreads review by Katherine on August 15, 2020

A super interesting history of how we got to where we are today......more

Goodreads review by Eddie on June 23, 2020

Motivational, although, in parts, a little dryer than I was expecting. The exposé of voter suppression is pretty terrifying. I was slightly concerned that I had no at-hand way of fact-checking some of the claims. But overall this is a book with the potential to make our troubled country better.......more

Goodreads review by Syl on April 23, 2025

Definitely an interesting read - lots of facts and theories about what's been happening to our government, with some interesting ideas about how to fix things. Alert - from a Democratic point of view; if you're a Trump supporter, you'll hate this book.......more