How America Works ... and Why It Doesnt: A Brief Guide to the US Political System (Paperback)
William Cooper (author)Published: 30/05/2024
Twenty-first-century America isn't working the way it's supposed to.
This book explains why.
Americans in the twenty-first century are becoming increasingly untethered from both reality and the essential principles and traditions that have shaped the nation's historic success. A big part of why America isn't working is because far too many Americans neither know nor care how it's supposed to work.
"William Cooper presents an insightful, sensitive, and accessible account of the trials that face American democracy in the twenty-first century. This fair- and broad-minded volume makes compelling reading for those who are looking to build a better democracy."
Alexander Yen, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford
"Partisanship fuels personal convictions more than ever in our society, and convictions fuel mysided thinking and other cognitive biases. At no time have we needed this discussion of bias and partisan thinking more than now."
Keith E. Stanovich, author of The Bias That Divides Us
"William Cooper logically and authoritatively takes you step by step through all the reasons a President Trump couldn't imprison his enemies, pardon his friends, overrule judges, weaponize the Department of Justice, prosecute Joe Biden, or order the military to enforce his unconstitutional actions"
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Publisher: Gemini Books Group Ltd
ISBN: 9781802472066
Number of pages: 224
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
"Contrarian" - The Jacobin
"Prodigious" - The Tennessean
"Thoughtful" - Ben Burgis, columnist, The Daily Beast
"William Cooper is one of the most insightful writers covering politics in America today. It has been a privilege to have him as a guest on my podcast and I am grateful someone like William is chronicling these volatile times" - Erik R. Fleming, host of the award-winning podcast A Moment with Erik Fleming
"William Cooper has seen the future, and it is - or can be - a lot better than our recent past. Reading his book and inhaling its wisdom is taking a resolute step toward a better democracy for us all" - Michael McKinley, bestselling author of Yardley's Ace: Making and Breaking American Military Intelligence
"A compelling rallying cry for democratic institutions under threat in America [and] perfect for readers eager for a non-partisan analysis of the threat to American democracy" - Publishers Weekly
"William Cooper has seen the future, and it is - or can be - a lot better than our recent past. Reading How America Works . . . And Why It Doesn't and inhaling his wisdom is taking a resolute step toward a better democracy for us all" - Michael McKinley, bestselling author of Yardley's Ace: Making and Breaking American Military Intelligence
Praise for William Cooper: "A compelling and sensible overview of America's emerging democratic crisis" - Kirkus Reviews
Praise for William Cooper: "William Cooper is an insightful and thought-provoking writer about US politics. He deserves to be widely read" - Thomas Plate, Editorial Page Editor (former) LA Times
Praise for William Cooper: "William Cooper's writing about American politics is such a great tool for classrooms or for any place where people would like to have a civil conversation about things" - Robin Colucci, host of Authors' Corner
"William Cooper presents an insightful, sensitive, and accessible account of the trials that face American democracy in the twenty-first century. This fair- and broad-minded volume makes compelling reading for those who are looking to build a better democracy" - Alexander Yen, University of Oxford
"Partisanship fuels personal convictions more than ever in our society, and convictions fuel mysided thinking and other cognitive biases. At no time have we needed this discussion of bias and partisan thinking more than now" - Keith E. Stanovich, author of The Bias That Divides Us
"William Cooper logically and authoritatively takes you step by step through all the reasons a President Trump couldn't imprison his enemies, pardon his friends, overrule judges, weaponize the Department of Justice, prosecute Joe Biden, or order the military to enforce his unconstitutional actions" - Cleveland Plain Dealer
“William Cooper brilliantly identifies and organizes important touchstones in the great American experiment . . . a must-read” - Michael Leonard, award-winning columnist,, Bloomington Herald Times
“William Cooper has done an excellent job in demolishing the straw man that President Trump would actually become a dictator if re-elected. Sometimes an analysis that goes beyond a few convenient soundbites is needed.” - Randel Keith Johnson, Cornell Law School
‘A pleasure to read . . . highly recommended’ - Don Futterman, co-host of The Promised Podcast and author of Adam Unrehearsed
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