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Book Life - Review
In this stirring call to action, Neff (Restore Trust), who has a doctorate in political science, explores the historical and legal attributes of American democracy and the current crisis of democratic spirit in the United States. Neff defines the heart of democracy as a system of compromise that allows diverse people to live together and determine effective solutions for their lives. Neff offers a series of practical solutions, most importantly for voters to consider themselves Americans first and members of political parties second. He recommends a recommitment to nonpartisan electoral reforms and extensive compromise, with passionate and repetitive reminders to vote.
As an expatriate originally from Switzerland, Neff has the benefit of an outsider’s perspective, and his story highlights the drift that has occurred from the early ideals of the nation to widespread voter suppression and gerrymandering. Though Neff is overly sanguine about the founding of the United States on democratic principles, neglecting the genocide of Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans, his retelling of democratic ideals is stirring. He convincingly argues that a failure of commitment to democratic ideals, like compromise, will inevitably lead to a failure of democratic structures like voting.
Though mostly uplifting, Neff’s examination of massive and intractable problems in the U.S. democratic system may cause readers to doubt the impact of their individual participation. This timely and inspiring study is an exhortation for readers to return to democratic ideals.
Takeaway: American citizens concerned about the direction of their democracy will find this thorough explanation of democratic principles to be a rallying cry.
Great for fans of: Democracy in One Book or Less by David Litt, How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: C
Readers’ Favorite
Reviewed By: Francis Mont
Star Rating: ***** 5 out of 5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review!
“Restore Our Democracy: The Case for Equality and Justice by Werner Neff is an extremely important book. In five major parts, it covers everything a US citizen needs to know about American democracy, its crisis, and the way to repair it. Part 1 deals with basic concepts such as freedom, the republic, and democracy. Part 2 covers the constitution of the United States of America. Part 3 enumerates the democratic principles of true democracy, such as voting rights and ethical elections, and some of the unethical practices such as gerrymandering and voter suppression. Part 4 goes into current political issues such as obstruction of justice, mass shootings, drugs, healthcare, and tax avoidance. Part 5 deals with the question of how to strengthen democracy.
Restore Our Democracy is concise, thorough, and comprehensive in dealing with all the essential elements of democracy without burdening the reader with details of secondary importance. If the reader has an honest desire to understand what is wrong with their country and find out what needs to be done to turn things around, this is the book they should start with. Werner Neff's language is easy to follow, straight to the point, counting on the reader’s own experience with recent events as they were reported daily in the news. It challenges us to face reality, not as it is muddied by inaccurate and confusing reporting by the mainstream media, or, even worse, the hysteria of social media-based conspiracy theories, but solid facts and their logical analysis. I highly recommend Restore Our Democracy to anyone who wishes to understand the actual reality they live in and wants to do the right thing as a responsible citizen.”20210628