Who knew a book about democracy could be interesting, informative, scary and also funny?! My high school civics/government class was a long time ago so it was interesting to be reminded of some basics about how our ggoverment is supposed to work as opposed it how it does. It's relevant, entertaining and definitely worth a read.

Democracy in One Book or Less was a humorous account of government, how it is supposed to work and how it does in practical life. The sarcastic explanation of complex topics and governmental affairs is an entertaining distraction to some of the more depressing views of government. While this can be a partisan read, it is informational and entertaining nonetheless.

I read a lot of books about democracy - and more often than not, I end them frustrated and lacking hope. Democracy in One Book or Less was accessible and made me laugh. David wrote the book in much the same way one would have a conversation about the ills facing our democracy, rather than an onerous tome delving into all the nuances of democracy.

For a light-hearted take on how an individual can take action for democracy, this is the right book. If you're looking for deep analysis on one specific-facet of democracy, this isn't your book. But if you want to laugh and be inspired in an approachable way, I highly recommend.

A great book challenges you and makes you want to learn more. David Litt has not only written a great book, which should be required reading for anyone wanting to know how our democracy works, but also a guidebook as to how we should think about our government. I learned something new on every page including how to be more active in promoting positive changes to keep our represenative form of goverment strong. This is by far the best book I have read this year!

What is wrong with this book:

Introduction: Brother Mitch:
This whole intro is so biased as to make Mr. Litt's pronouncements questionable. What did he expect to get out of stalking around the frat house of Psi Tau? And his conclusions about what the few students he did see were thinking were really only his ideas being foisted onto others. The fact that, as an avowed democrat and speech writer for Obama, he describes government under Republicans as "disastrous", but government under Democrats as only "dysfunctional" – that being, of course, because of Mitch McConnell. His Schoolhouse Rock "I am a Bill" idea of how government was meant to work would have had much more impact, if he could have come down off his liberal high horse to discuss the issues without the party biases. I am and always have been an independent. Demagogues on both sides are pretty scary. I feel that this whole Intro could have been left out.

Who Gets to Vote?
I agree with Mr. Litt that voter complacency – to the point of non-participation – is a large part of the problem today. I have always believed if you don't vote, you have no right to complain. But statements like "…along nearly every dimension, the average voter looks more like Donald Trump than the average American does." Stop right there, Mr. Litt! Your bias is showing again. In fact this statement is also true of Bernie Sanders, and more importantly, Joe Biden! I am a Baby Boomer and I vote, not because I own golf shoes as you say, but because my parents lived through the depression and World War II, and inculcated in their children that voting is a privilege and a patriotic duty. I did not vote for either party's candidate in the last presidential election and won't do so in 2020 – but I did and will vote! Your so-called unelectorate needs to be educated as to their civic duty to their republic. Per JFK, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what YOU can do for your country."

While the country as a whole, is in a mess right now, and very divided, I don't believe that a book like this provides any answers for fixing the problems. We don't need any more proselytizing from the left or the right..
I would not recommend this book to anyone genuinely seeking solutions to America's problems.

After reading this book, I don’t know if I should be energized, or depressed. The history of the political process is eye opening and aggravating at the same time. Mr Litt does an excellent job shedding light on the history of the branches of government, and the election process that results in the way our republic functions.
This is a informative and easy to follow read for anyone that really wants to learn about how and where we are in the journey of our democracy.

I learned so much in this book and will recommend it to everyone. Easy to read and understand, this is an important book!!

A real 'user friendly/reader friendly' look/review of our democracy.....how it's designed to work, what's happened to impede how it should work, & ideas to help move it forward past these impediments. It goes thru the history of the set up of our government & touches on how a bill becomes a law/legislation, about elections, electoral college, campaign financing/super PACs/wealthy donors/lobbyists/big business influence, & talks about the judicial branch............it goes over a lot, but Litt does it with a 'patient explanation'! It was pretty easily read, considering the.....maybe, 'dry' subject matter? A lot is offered in an interesting, easy to follow along, manner. It's a great book to read in an election year! I'd recommend it to all.
I received this e-ARC from publisher HarperCollins/Ecco, via NetGalley, offering to read it & post my own fair & honest review

The author is 33 and I am 64. Maybe it is just that my first election I voted in Nixon won. The War was still going strong and Watergate was, for the most, just a hotel. We have had some good years but ever time we get a “Jedi Window” as the author describes it (Democrats in the House, Senate and the White House) we try to be fair, compromise and build consensus and we get nothing back from the other side. Plus we are so busy trying to build bridges that we do not have enough time to get more than one or two issues addressed and even those get watered down because we are trying to be fair. But when the Darth Vader window opens they get very busy and get as much done as possible and they could careless about building bridges or making compromises.
If you are looking for a great history of how each element of our Federal Government works, it’s flaws and short comings this is the book for you. If you are looking for hope or an easy fix this book may not leave you inspired.
I generally do not read books on politics any more but I received an advanced copy so I gave it a try. I am glad I read it, I hope in 30 years when the author is my age he is more hopeful than I am.
I think next time we get a Jedi Window we just do what needs to be done and hope their window does not happen too soon.
The writing style was great and the little jokes he throws in there help to lighten the depressing material.

Mr. Litt takes a step-by-step, piecemeal approach to breaking down how US government functions. He starts with the majority: us voters – who can vote, and how voting rights have been an issue since the Constitution was drawn up. From there he steps up to whose votes matter in electing the Representatives in the House, the senators in the Senate, and the President, with an important section on the Electoral College. With the voters and legislators in place, he proceeds to detail a bill’s pathway to becoming law, and all the hurdles it must overcome through the House, the Senate, the Presidency and yes, even the judiciary branch – hurdles which have changed since our country was founded, and which have an alarming tendency to move around considerably.
Throughout this whole process, he keeps a largely neutral view. More importantly, he has endeavored, and I would say succeeded, in writing a book valuable for both sides of the aisle and anyone in between or around it about the democracy of our republic. He took care to show the evolution of different actions and ways of thought and their influence on how our system of government has grown from what it was when the Founding Fathers wrote it to how we use and interpret it today. He uses many examples from history to illustrate his points, and is not afraid to show both the good and the bad – that which casts both positive and negative lights on the parties involved as appropriate – which has influenced the US over the centuries. By doing so, he offers a balance to his book, one where above all, the facts of history are meant to stand sturdy, if not always tall and proud.
His writing is quite accessible, especially considering how complicated politics seems to be. He lays everything out quite plainly, and provides a good amount of additional reading/reference resources at the back. There is a little bit of him inserted in it, but more for the effect of framing and providing some context to events and explanations – nothing that truly gets in the way of learning what he has to relate to us.
All in all, it is an engaging, fact- and history-filled read, and should be read by anyone and everyone, regardless of political leanings, who wants to know not only how, as the subtitle says, our democracy works, and why it doesn’t, but also how we can go about fixing it.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When was the last time that you laughed out loud while learning about campaign finance reform? For me, it was in chapter 7 of this book, which is hilarious, informative, infuriating, and inspiring, all at the same time. I really enjoyed this author's first book, a memoir of his time working in the Obama White House, so I had high hopes for this book and I was not disappointed! I like to think that I know a decent amount about our country's government, but I learned so much from this book, and all of the information was presented in an engaging, easy-to-understand way. I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand why our government lets us down so often and how we can fix it.

Review posted on Goodreads on June 10, 2020.

This is an important book. In addition to providing a basic course in government, it provides some fascinating historical context to major events that took place in our country. Every citizen who wants to know more about the US and wYs to become more engaged in its government should read this book.

Most of us realize that our government doesn't work the way we were taught it does. David Litt does an excellent job of explaining not only how it does operate today, but also how it has changed over time. Yes, history. It's important to know how we have gotten to where we are. My guess is that you will find that where we are isn't quite what you thought
Litt writes with both humor and clarity. He covers voting (who gets to, where, how), what votes count more than others and why (including the importance of money), and the workings of the House of Representatives, Senate, Lobbyists and the Judicial branch. It isn't pretty. He says fixing it is easier than you think. For the most part that doesn't look to be true, but as Condoleezza Rice has pointed out, democracy is hard. It's hard to obtain and hard to maintain. If you want government that is responsive to the voters you'll have to make some effort. Reading this book is a good beginning.
And here's one thing I learned from this book that should be shared widely: If you have to use a provisional ballot find out what is need to 'cure' the ballot so that your vote will count.

A good read on what our democracy might be about or where it has gone. Funny yet truthfully scary on how we have left our core and rewritten our values.

I loved this very important and interesting book, and recommend it to every American. We need to know how and why our votes are being suppressed, or flat-out destroyed, and what we can do about it. Almost everything in this book was new to me and absolutely vital to all of us. Get it read before November, and PLEASE VOTE.

While this book is interesting to me -- a liberal -- the book is not balanced enough for our collection. The town I work for is moderate to conservative and I know this is a book that would just sit on the shelf. It is difficult these days to NOT purchase all the books on politics, but since I avoid all of the conservative talk show books, I feel I also need to avoid the more one-sided books on the left. I haven't finished it, but I may go back to it after reading some other books on my list.

Democracy in One Book or Less by David Litt is an excellent book discusses the fundamental concepts of Democracy as they originated, and were intended, and how deviations from those concepts that our government has taken since to end up where we are today. Litt gives examples of some of the ways things have changed (and not for the better) and how with a few alterations, improvements to our current frustrations could help move our country back in the right direction.

As in his excellent memoir, Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years, we are able to laugh and chuckle at his wit and sarcasm while reading common sense and reason. I really enjoyed his previous book, and I enjoyed this new book as well. Litt gives valid examples, arguments, and suggestions for improvement. It was eye awakening. (We also get to read about his run-in with Mitch McConnell lol.)

A great read for anyone that is interested in the current political battlefield, current events, and/or just wants to learn more about our country’s origins and how we all hope things can be in the future.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Ecco/HarperCollins Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.