Jessamyn Conrad

Excellent nonpartisan overview of many hot issues in American politics, but I'm not sure what the point of the 2020 edition was. Comparing the 1st, 3rd, and 4th editions, there's really not much new in this newest one. Nothing past 2012, NAFTA is still written about in the present tense (didn't take effect until July but signed before the end of 2019), 2000 and 2004 are listed as contentious elections but nothing about 2016, and no mention of executive overreach (increased use of executive show more orders, consolidating power in the executive branch) post-G. W. Bush. Needs updating. But then, everything written before March 2020 needs updating. show less

This is the 3rd edition of Conrad's outstanding review of current issues. Previous editions came out in 2008 & 2012 so we may have to wait until 2020 for the next one. What with the rapid pace of events, I'd like to see one every year or two. And because of her highly readable, informative, organized approach, I believe I'll read anything else she writes.

This is the 3rd edition of Conrad's outstanding review of current issues. Previous editions came out in 2008 & 2012 so we may have to wait until 2020 for the next one. What with the rapid pace of events, I'd like to see one every year or two. And because of her highly readable, informative, organized approach, I believe I'll read anything else she writes.

Let me say first, that there was not a lot of new information in this book and I found the title only slightly less offensive than the "for dummies" series of books, which I refuse to consult on principle. I've read over a couple of them, meh. It went downhill from there.



The book starts off talking about elections and explains about voting districts and political parties and the electoral college. Then it gets into voter suppression and fraud, gerrymandering campaign finance and the trouble show more with electronic voting machines. The following chapters take on a long list of hot button issues: recession. stagflation, the mortgage crisis, isolationism, health care, homeland security, no child left behind, all the while maintaining a neutral non partisan tone, the News Hour with Jim Lerher, on Prozac. "Some believe that torture is inherently morally repugnant and is never justifiable. Others think there may be some very restricted circumstances in which torture is morally acceptable, while still others contend that those conditions are broader."

Some people bend over backwards to not have an opinion, too, and Jessamyn Conrad is one of them. Some people think torture is sometimes OK? Let's put it out there, Jessamyn. The Bush Administration denies that it ever tortured anyone and if it did, then they must have deserved it. And besides, if the President does it, it's legal.

I became weary of the neutrality. None of the burning issues of the day have any relevance weight, meaning or value in this book, just on the one hand and on the other.
The publisher got blurbs from Barack Obama and Bob Dole for the front cover. I guess John McCain was too busy to answer the email.

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