Winning the Earthquake by Lorissa Rinehart

WINNING THE EARTHQUAKE by Lorissa Rinehart is about “How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress.” Rinehart, described as a women’s historian, author, speaker and regular Substack contributor, is clearly enthusiastic about Rankin and her accomplishments. The text presents Rankin in a very favorable light while providing details about her 1880’s childhood in rural Montana and her subsequent work with the poor in New York and San Francisco. Rinehart makes a convincing argument that Rankin’s “formative years in Montana taught her that society functioned best when men and women participated equally. Her work in San Francisco proved that women led the way when it came to grassroots enactment of Progressive reform. [And] Her education … underscored the necessity of government regulation in bringing about holistic change on a large scale.” I already knew that Rankin was a pacifist and had served in Congress, but I did not realize that she was first elected to Congress in 1916, four years before the right to vote was granted to women nationwide. I also did not realize that she had voted against US involvement in both World Wars (believing that “you can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake”) and that she was active (while in her nineties) in protesting the Vietnam War. This is a very accessible text brimming with details; with roughly a fourth of the book devoted to Notes. WINNING THE EARTHQUAKE received a starred review from Library Journal which said, “This superb biography of the first woman elected to Congress deserves a place on every public and academic library bookshelf.”

The Originalism Trap by Madiba K. Dennie

THE ORIGINALISM TRAP by Madiba K. Dennie offers a well-organized and research-supported explanation of “How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take it Back.” Dennie argues that applying “originalism gives the judiciary extraordinary power to put historically marginalized people ‘back in their place’ and buttress the country's longstanding stratification of power and wealth.” She convincingly points to numerous examples (e.g., Dobbs, upcoming decision in Rahimi on gun rights, court cases concerning trans youth in schools) where this has or could occur. It is scary to think about the ways that other previously guaranteed rights (e.g., same sex marriage, use of contraceptives, inter-racial marriage) could also be endangered or rescinded if the same logic were applied. Dennie devotes chapters to topics including the Due Process Clause, voting rights, and demographics (e.g., cases like Korematsu and other questions related to the Census). A final section focuses on a call for “Inclusive Constitutionalism” (emphasizing the transformative goals of the Reconstruction Amendments). Dennie assumes some basic knowledge of American institutions and processes, but this is a fascinating text for legal students and those interested in American history. Scholars like Erwin Chemerinsky (Dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law) and former Senator Russell Feingold have praised THE ORIGINALISM TRAP. Roughly thirty percent of the text is devoted to notes and bibliographic references.

I Alone Can Fix it by Leonnig and Rucker

I ALONE CAN FIX IT by Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker is the sequel to their bestseller A Very Stable Genius and in this case documents “Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year.”  It felt at times as though this book should come with trigger warnings, especially as we are currently dealing with the consequences of his (in)actions, hearing about the continued vaccine hesitancy, and watching COVID numbers rise. Leonnig and Rucker are Pulitzer-prize winning reporters for The Washington Post and use their many professional contacts to describe events, meetings, and conversations about the start of the pandemic, the lead-up to the 2020 election, and its aftermath. Much to consider and reconsider here with the role of the Wuhan Lab being just one example. Others are the role of advisors (including the military and General Milley in particular); separation between governing and political optics (e.g., the Lafayette Square photo op), race relations and divisiveness in America. This book (described elsewhere as “essential reading,” “meticulous history,” and “bombshell reporting”) will be invaluable to future students trying to understand our time. I ALONE CAN FIX IT received a starred review from Kirkus.  

Kill Switch by Adam Jentleson

With all of news lately about the procedures related to filibuster and reconciliation, interested readers may wish to turn to KILL SWITCH by Adam Jentleson. This recent work of non-fiction is subtitled “The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy.” Jentleson, former deputy chief of staff to Senator Harry Reid and a political commentator on MSNBC, notes that “the modern Senate guarantees a minority of predominately white conservatives the ability to impose their will.” His view is most assuredly biased, but he acknowledges that Republicans and Democrats are to blame for the “grind of relentless gridlock” as the “Senate’s minority protections have been inflated into tools of minority domination.” In this well-researched and documented text, Jentleson offers suggestions for reform while providing important historical context and background information on the history of the Senate, with quotes ranging from James Madison to James Baldwin. KILL SWITCH received starred reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.

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.