Reviews
What Would The Founding Fathers Tell UsToday?
Political Dialogs Between 1789 And 2040
What Would The Founding Fathers Tell Us Today? Reviews
Anthony Avina - Review
Reviewer: Anthony Avina
The Review
“This was a genuinely creative and engaging use of history and creative storytelling. The author’s ability to trace readers back to the founding fathers and the creation of America’s foundation was remarkable to read. The use of dialogue amongst the founding fathers helped illustrate the dreams and goals of the America of old, and the way past cultures like Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire influenced the founding fathers in their creation of our democracy was inspiring to learn about.
Yet the creative way the founding fathers were brought into our present and the future made this book stand out. It was genuinely engaging to experience what these iconic figures would feel and how they would react to the political discourse and social unrest that our nation is living in right now. The author’s research and historical knowledge played into this dialogue among the historical figures really well, allowing readers to see through their eyes how far we’ve departed from their vision and what we can do to come together in the future.”
The Verdict
“Insightful, memorable, and thought-provoking author Werner Neff’s “What Would the Founding Fathers Tell Us Today? Political Dialogs Between 1789-2040” is a must-read nonfiction and historical book with a creative bend. The insight and knowledge readers will gain and the fascinating perspectives that these figures of the past hold for us and our present-day problems will keep the discussion flowing amongst readers long after the book ends. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!”
Rating: 10/10
Maincrest Media - Review
Star Rating **** 4 out of 5 Stars
PLOT: The story is original, engaging, and well-paced. The book follows a clear, logical narrative arc. The writing is concise and includes just enough information to make a reader want to continue reading and stretch their imagination.
CHARACTER: The author’s portrayal of the characters is memorable and believable. The characters have a strong reason for existence and their goals and motivations have been well established. The characters strengths, weaknesses, backstory, and conflicts evoke a strong emotional response in the reader.
THEME: The book has a strong, unifying theme. The book presents new, original ideas or topics. The book appeals to the reader in an emotional or logical manner. The theme is relevant to the author’s genre of writing.
STYLE: The author’s word choice, sentence fluency, voice and tone have been well established. The author uses descriptive imagery where appropriate. The author’s use of language enhances the overall reading experience.
APPEAL TO TARGET AUDIENCE: The target audience of the book is clear, and the contents of the book is in line with other highly regarded books in its genre. The book has a professional interior layout, typeface and/or illustrations. The book includes relevant front and back matter to explain key elements of the plot, characters and setting to enhance a reader’s overall experience. The book is free from grammatical, spelling, and/or punctuation errors.
BOOK SUBMISSION SCORE
BOOK TITLE: PLOT: 4 / 5
What Would the Founding Fathers Tell Us Today? CHARACTER: 5 / 5
AUTHOR NAME: THEME: 5 / 5
Werner Neff STYLE: 4 / 5
APPEAL TO TARGET 4 / 5 AUDIENCE:
Feedback
“This book discusses the pivotal role of the Founding Fathers in the creation of the America and explores what they would say about the America we have today. Neff uses a series of theoretical conversations, scaffolded by a fictionalized account of the creation of the Constitution, to analyze the current state of America. The book takes an in depth look at how far the principles woven into the constitution have been deviated from and explores what could be done differently. However, this is by no means a negative experience, but a celebration of American spirit; the determination, innovation, and fearless commitment to change that underpins the political landscape we have today. By revisiting events in recent history, we are reminded of the tremendous strides that America has made in a relatively short time since it claimed independence from British colonial rule. Modern-leaning language makes it both accessible and entertaining to the modern reader and brings the Founding Fathers to life. Perhaps most importantly though, is the message throughout the book, which impresses that whether perceived as Republic or Democratic, American political structure is driven and energized by its people, and people have the power to change the course of politics.”
Booklife Review for Publisher’s Weekly
“Neff (Vision for America) offers an imaginative reconstruction of conversations between the Founding Fathers of America (seven men specifically), from early conversations in 1789 on the basis of our Constitution, to a set of conversations in 2020 on the Trump era’s crisis of democracy, to a flash forward to 2040, when much of the current crises have been resolved. These dialogs are contextualized by explanatory notes and at times summarized by key bullet points. The conversations cover the constitutional basics of the United States of America, both written and unwritten, from the Bill of Rights to the electoral college (“The 2016 thing is kind of weird,” Alexander Hamilton acknowledges), the role that political parties play, the distinction—or lack thereof—between a republic and a democracy, and myriad other topics. Neff’s playful, informative thought experiment doesn’t restrict the Founder’s conversations to constitutional matters but also reflects on how different the modern world would be to their experience, occasionally layering in jokes to lighten the mood, though some readers might balk at John Adams encouraging someone to “slow [his] roll.” Interestingly, as the conversation turns to voting towards 21st century voting controversies in the last third of the book, Neff makes a wise choice to introduce new characters and broaden the perspective. William Lee, George Washington’s Black manservant, and his two children represent differing perspectives and explore issues of race more fully. The 2040 section finds the founders speaking to a future president, John Miller, about how the United States made it through its early 21st century crises, giving Neff the opportunity to lay out a set of prescriptions, such as term limits for Supreme Court Justices and members of Congress to the creation of two more major parties rather than just two. Regardless of what a reader may feel about specific proposals, Neff’s dialogs do an excellent job laying out the informal constitutional conventions which American democracy requires to thrive, and which are currently under threat.”
Takeaway: The founders face the past, present, and future of Constitutional democracy in lively dialogues.
Great for fans of: K. M. Kostyal’s Founding Fathers: The Fight for Freedom and the Birth of American Liberty, Lawrence Rowe’s The Founding Fathers Return.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A”
Readers’ Favorite - Review
Reviewer: Jon Michael Miller
Date: August 1, 2022
“In What Would The Founding Fathers Tell Us Today?: Political Dialogs Between 1789 and 2040, Werner Neff addresses the political issues raging in America. He uses the bold technique of imagining some of the Founding Fathers—Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, Madison, and Franklin—returning to today’s world. He begins in 1789 by reviewing the discussions that occurred as they all met in Philadelphia to create an independent country, particularly the writing of the Articles of Confederation and later the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Mr. Neff creates informal, often humorous settings where the men’s personalities interplay. But we see these men seriously creating the first modern democratic state. Then in 2020, they return to see how things are going. For the reader, Mr. Neff predicts “an intriguing read.”
And his prediction is spot on—but “intriguing” is an understatement because what a mess they discover! Before politics, however, they marvel at modernism in vehicles, buildings, smells, clothing, and food, and at their thirteen colonies having turned into 50 states. When their shock and awe settle, they see how reliance upon good faith, ethical behavior, and virtue has disintegrated into partisan rancor, particularly in the election process itself. They blame themselves for having created two flawed systems: the Electoral College and Gerrymandering. Then they go on to present what they believe will correct the current problems with present-day elections. Democracy depends, they say, on reliable elections. Throughout, Werner Neff imagines lively discussions on these issues among the returning Founders. The Founding Fathers Visiting the United States: Relevance and Meaning in America by Werner Neff illuminates our problems and offers possible solutions in an insightful and "intriguing" manner. This book might just help bring about the useful changes he proposes.”