Overview

A brief guide to US politics which provides a non-partisan assessment of the ongoing challenges faced by American democracy, not least from Trump and his supporters. Cooper explains key aspects of recent US political history to give the background to recent, dangerous developments, including how political groups have reshaped since the 1964 Civil Rights Act; the rise of Newt Gingrich and the Tea Party; the profound impact of the internet and social media; and the threats posed to the electoral system by the growth of extreme polarization and growing irrationality. He shows how these recent developments have their roots in the deeper past, with the establishment of the political system in the first place and all the knocks and tweaks to it along the way. He also reveals how, as a result of increasing politicisation, the US Supreme Court is now exacerbating polarization instead of acting as an effective check on executive power. AUTHOR: William Cooper is an attorney and columnist. His writings have appeared in hundreds of publications globally including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, San Francisco Chronicle, Baltimore Sun, Dallas Morning News, USA Today, Chicago Sun-Times, Jerusalem Post, and Huffington Post. He is the author of Stress Test: How Donald Trump Threatens American Democracy.

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9781802472066

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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 ‘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 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 * Praise for the author’s Stress Test: ""A compelling and sensible overview of America’s emerging democratic crisis . . . the book’s reasoned tone and bipartisan critiques are a welcome perspective in an increasingly polarized and heated political landscape""   * Kirkus Reviews * Praise for the author’s Stress Test: ‘A compelling and sensible overview of America’s emerging democratic crisis . . . the book’s reasoned tone and bipartisan critiques are a welcome perspective in an increasingly polarised and heated political landscape.’  Kirkus Reviews ‘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 ‘An excellent short historical and predictive account of where America stands today and how recent history will inform its future.’ Manhattan Book Review  ‘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 Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL’s First Black Player ‘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 ‘Essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of our democracy.’ Readers’ Favorite (five-star review) ‘Riveting and insightful.’ City Book Review “William Cooper is an insightful and thought-provoking writer about US politics. He deserves to be widely read” -- Thomas Plate, Editorial Page Editor (former), Los Angeles Times “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: 'A 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'   -- Publisher's Weekly 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"

Praise for the author’s Stress Test: ‘A compelling and sensible overview of America’s emerging democratic crisis . . . the book’s reasoned tone and bipartisan critiques are a welcome perspective in an increasingly polarised and heated political landscape.’  Kirkus Reviews ‘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 ‘An excellent short historical and predictive account of where America stands today and how recent history will inform its future.’ Manhattan Book Review  ‘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 Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL’s First Black Player ‘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 ‘Essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of our democracy.’ Readers’ Favorite (five-star review) ‘Riveting and insightful.’ City Book Review

Praise for the author’s Stress Test: ‘A compelling and sensible overview of America’s emerging democratic crisis . . . the book’s reasoned tone and bipartisan critiques are a welcome perspective in an increasingly polarised and heated political landscape.’  Kirkus Reviews ‘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 ‘An excellent short historical and predictive account of where America stands today and how recent history will inform its future.’ Manhattan Book Review  ‘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 Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL’s First Black Player ‘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 ‘Essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of our democracy.’ Readers’ Favorite (five-star review) ‘Riveting and insightful.’ City Book Review “William Cooper is an insightful and thought-provoking writer about US politics. He deserves to be widely read” -- Thomas Plate, Editorial Page Editor (former), Los Angeles Times “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: 'A 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'   -- Publisher's Weekly 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

Praise for the author’s Stress Test: ‘A compelling and sensible overview of America’s emerging democratic crisis . . . the book’s reasoned tone and bipartisan critiques are a welcome perspective in an increasingly polarised and heated political landscape.’  Kirkus Reviews ‘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 ‘An excellent short historical and predictive account of where America stands today and how recent history will inform its future.’ Manhattan Book Review  ‘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 Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL’s First Black Player ‘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 ‘Essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of our democracy.’ Readers’ Favorite (five-star review) ‘Riveting and insightful.’ City Book Review “William Cooper is an insightful and thought-provoking writer about US politics. He deserves to be widely read” -- Thomas Plate, Editorial Page Editor (former), Los Angeles Times “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

Author Information

William Cooper is an attorney, national columnist, and award-winning author. His commentary has appeared in hundreds of publications around the world including the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Sun-Times, Dallas Morning News, Huffington Post, Toronto Star, and Jerusalem Post. Publishers Weekly calls his writings about American politics “a compelling rallying cry for democratic institutions under threat in America.”

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