A sound, if eclectic, take on America’s sociopolitical woes.
A solutions-oriented book offers a critique of the 21st-century’s political status quo.
It’s not difficult to “find imperfections in all walks of American life,” Zecola notes in the first line of his work, “from its rules, to its leaders, to its economic policies and so forth.” Divided into six parts that examine the disconcertingly imperfect state of America’s rules, leadership, policies, markets, industry, and future, the volume paints a bleak picture. Though the six elements analyzed are different, they are all interconnected in the author’s convincing account because their problems stem from an anti-democratic “unbalance” in American politics. The constitutional allotment of influence, for instance, gives small, mostly White and rural states “the power to block the will of the majority of the people.” Similarly, the book contends that Evangelicals, a demographic minority, have “orchestrated a jury-rigged Supreme Court that has eliminated 50 years of women’s rights, restricted gun control, and restricted measures to curb pollution.” And while offering well-reasoned solutions to a myriad of issues, including providing career advice to the unemployed and those entering the workforce, the work presents an ultimate solution that boils down to the need for a renewed democratic ethos whereby “voters become engaged” and retake control of the mechanisms of government. Although the volume’s idealistic final answer may come off as Pollyannaish, its critiques are grounded in a dishearteningly realistic approach. Many of its sharpest barbs are reserved for the religious right (whose “anti-abortion viewpoint is based upon nothing more than a misunderstanding of the reproduction process”) and Donald Trump (who “turned lying into an art form”). But this is not simply a partisan polemic. Democrats, for instance, are criticized for their “out-of-control” spending as well as their general apathy toward protecting democratic norms from conservative incursions. At 153 pages, the book offers a concise critique of the existing state of America with a well-informed, accessible writing style reflecting Zecola’s background as a successful entrepreneur, corporate executive, and government official. But the volume’s lack of citations may disappoint readers looking for a more scholarly approach.
A sound, if eclectic, take on America’s sociopolitical woes.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 153
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.
Words that made a nation.
Isaacson is known for expansive biographies of great thinkers (and Elon Musk), but here he pens a succinct, stimulating commentary on the Founding Fathers’ ode to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” His close reading of the Declaration of Independence’s second sentence, published to mark the 250th anniversary of the document’s adoption, doesn’t downplay its “moral contradiction.” Thomas Jefferson enslaved hundreds of people yet called slavery “a cruel war against human nature” in his first draft of the Declaration. All but 15 of the document’s 56 signers owned enslaved people. While the sentence in question asserted “all men are created equal” and possess “unalienable rights,” the Founders “consciously and intentionally” excluded women, Native Americans, and enslaved people. And yet the sentence is powerful, Isaacson writes, because it names a young nation’s “aspirations.” He mounts a solid defense of what ought to be shared goals, among them economic fairness, “moral compassion,” and a willingness to compromise. “Democracy depends on this,” he writes. Isaacson is excellent when explaining how Enlightenment intellectuals abroad influenced the founders. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Declaration’s “five-person drafting committee,” stayed in David Hume’s home for a month in the early 1770s, “discussing ideas of natural rights” with the Scottish philosopher. Also strong is Isaacson’s discussion of the “edits and tweaks” made to Jefferson’s draft. As recommended by Franklin and others, the changes were substantial, leaving Jefferson “distraught.” Franklin, who emerges as the book’s hero, helped establish municipal services, founded a library, and encouraged religious diversity—the kind of civic-mindedness that we could use more of today, Isaacson reminds us.
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781982181314
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A familiar format, but a timely reminder that cities are made up of individuals, each with their own stories.
Portraits in a post-pandemic world.
After the Covid-19 lockdowns left New York City’s streets empty, many claimed that the city was “gone forever.” It was those words that inspired Stanton, whose previous collections include Humans of New York (2013), Humans of New York: Stories (2015), and Humans (2020), to return to the well once more for a new love letter to the city’s humanity and diversity. Beautifully laid out in hardcover with crisp, bright images, each portrait of a New Yorker is accompanied by sparse but potent quotes from Stanton’s interviews with his subjects. Early in the book, the author sequences three portraits—a couple laughing, then looking serious, then the woman with tears in her eyes—as they recount the arc of their relationship, transforming each emotional beat of their story into an affecting visual narrative. In another, an unhoused man sits on the street, his husky eating out of his hand. The caption: “I’m a late bloomer.” Though the pandemic isn’t mentioned often, Stanton focuses much of the book on optimistic stories of the post-pandemic era. Among the most notable profiles is Myles Smutney, founder of the Free Store Project, whose story of reclaiming boarded‑up buildings during the lockdowns speaks to the city’s resilience. In reusing the same formula from his previous books, the author confirms his thesis: New York isn’t going anywhere. As he writes in his lyrical prologue, “Just as one might dive among coral reefs to marvel at nature, one can come to New York City to marvel at humanity.” The book’s optimism paints New York as a city where diverse lives converge in moments of beauty, joy, and collective hope.
A familiar format, but a timely reminder that cities are made up of individuals, each with their own stories.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781250277589
Page Count: 480
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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