We Are Indivisible by Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin

WE ARE INDIVISIBLE is written by former Congressional staffers Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.  They are the co-founders and co-executive directors of Indivisible whose guide (“a short civic textbook with a snarky edge”) you have no doubt heard about, perhaps read or even acted upon.  According to the authors, this new book is “part movement memoir, part civics how-to guide, and part blueprint for doing away with Trump and building a real representative democracy after he’s gone.” Even if you do not agree with all of their views, you will likely still find WE ARE INDIVISIBLE to be a fascinating read.  It is basically split into three sections:

• the first discusses structural flaws (e.g., gerrymandering) and the growth of “dog whistle politics” as well as the need for building and harnessing constituent power;
• the second focuses on winning and includes nineteen Indivisible lessons (e.g., people have opinions, groups have power or mobilizing versus organizing); and
• the third section is called “A Blueprint for Democracy,” offering suggestions for a Day One Democracy Agenda. 

Greenberg and Levin include many, many details and real life examples of Indivisible activists around the country.  They also refer to historical figures and events. For example, did you know that more than 40 years ago, President Carter proposed political reforms to allow universal same-day voter registration, public financing of elections, election security provisions and a Constitutional Amendment to eliminate the Electoral College? And I loved the repeated references to Shirley Chisolm’s comment: “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” As the authors admit, “our focus is on federal-level reforms” and even though many policies could be adopted at a state or local level, there is not as much specific guidance for doing so.  They do include over twenty pages of notes and sprinkle numerous “conversational” footnotes throughout the book. There is much to think about here and perhaps perspective or facts which are new for you. Another example is that “in 2040, half the population will live in just eight states. That means half the population will have sixteen senators and the other half will have eighty-four senators.” Here’s another look and some graphics on those statistics from The Washington Post.  WE ARE INDIVISIBLE is an inspiring take on civic engagement.