Social Issues explored ...

On the second anniversary of The Women’s March, it is particularly appropriate to craft some reviews about these recent purchases: 

HOW DEMOCRACIES DIE by Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt explores the threats to democracy in several countries including Turkey, Peru, and Hungary. They comment on the Trump presidency and draw several parallels, noting that “America is no longer a democratic model. A country whose president attacks the press, threatens to lock up his rival, and declares that he might not accept election results cannot credibly defend democracy.”  They also describe the “warrior mentality” and partisan polarization which has been increasing for years. Providing extensive endnotes, Levitsky and Ziblatt cite numerous warning signs (e.g., Republican Senate’s refusal to consider Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee; gerrymandering or voter “reform”) and forecast increased institutional warfare, creating “democracy without solid guardrails.” They even connect with other books listed here (bemoaning how Republican politicians are increasingly adopting a white nationalist appeal and how they speak about Black Lives Matter). According to them, a central lesson of HOW DEMOCRACIES DIE is “When American democracy has worked, it has relied upon two norms that we often take for granted – mutual tolerance and institutional forbearance. Treating rivals as legitimate contenders for power and underutilizing one’s institutional prerogatives in the spirit of fair play ....”  Are you interested in learning more? Read an excerpt or view Q&A with the authors on the publisher’s page. ADDED Jan. 24 from The New York Times: Is there Something Wrong With Democracy? (video)

Perhaps you are looking at democracy from another perspective, focusing on the growing resistance movement, and would be interested in the memoir WHEN THEY CALL YOU A TERRORIST by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele.  In rather angry terms, this tells the story of a Black Lives Matter co-founder and describes how she grew up, gaining strength from charter schools and art classes despite prevailing hostility from society. She and others used social media and civil activism to protest the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, eventually forming Black Lives Matter. She writes about now being a “terrifying time,” with concerns about healthcare availability, deportation, and so much else, while also celebrating that “we have centered and amplified the voices of those not only made most vulnerable, but most unheard .... Even still, there is so much work to do.” With an emphasis on women of color and non-gender conforming individuals, Khan-Cullors shared a great deal in this book, both personal and unique observations as well as some surprising facts. More commentary on this movement is provided in the October 2017 American Prospect‘s “What Will It Take for Black Lives to Matter?” by activist and academic Todd Gitlin.  WHEN THEY CALL YOU A TERRORIST received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly.

Our Junior Theme student researchers who are looking at racial profiling, the justice system and police activity will also be interested in UNEASY PEACE by Patrick Sharkey (Chair of the Sociology Department at NYU) since that deals with “the great crime decline, the renewal of city life, and the next war on violence.” Citing numerous statistics, Sharkey tends to write in a more hopeful tone; for example, saying “the drop in homicides since the early 1990s led to an improvement in the life expectancy of black men that rivals any public health breakthrough of the last several decades.” Sharkey stresses the benefits of less violence for poorer inhabitants and for children, while also highlighting the need for continued efforts (in areas like affordable housing, policing, and education) funded by public and private sources. UNEASY PEACE is divided into three sections: the new American city; the benefits of the crime decline; and the challenge of violence and urban inequity; plus roughly a fourth of the book contains endnotes and further reading possibilities, all of which will help our researchers.  

UNEASY PEACE received starred reviews from both Booklist and Kirkus.  Curious about other forthcoming books? The Kansas City Star recently provided this overview of new titles dealing with resistance.