Public policy expert Elizabeth Rusch offers compelling, bipartisan insights in her new book, “You Call This Democracy?” An insightful interview.
The book along with the accompanying “50 State Democracy Report Card” both illuminate in simple terms our democracy’s missteps and how we can work together at the state and federal levels to create “a more perfect union.”
Elizabeth Rusch hits the nail on the head
“The hard truth is that the political power of citizens varies widely by state, and the system overall is failing ordinary Americans,” says Elizabeth Rusch. “My mission is to highlight ways for us to work together to shape a more effective democracy, one that reflects the will of the people. I’m convinced that small state-level improvements in our elections could lead to huge leaps forward for our country.”
Whether you’re a student, parent, educator or engaged citizen seeking the truth, Rusch paves the way for every citizen to not only understand the flaws in our current democracy but to also fix them.
With states making many last-minute adjustments to election rules, “You Call This Democracy?” gives an honest view of how our democracy truly functions, who really has the power and why (and how that power impacts politicians and policies), and how we can work together to make our democracy more responsive to the will of the people.
Who is Elizabeth Rusch?
Elizabeth Rusch is the award-winning author of more than 20 books, which have received multiple starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Horn Book, Booklist, School Library Journal, and the BCCB, among others.
Her work has won the Golden Kite Award, the Subaru Prize, the Cook Prize, the Green Earth Award, and the Oregon Book Award, and has landed on many notable and best of the year lists produced by ALA, NCTE, NSTA, Bank Street College of Education, Kirkus, SLJ, NBC News and the New York and Chicago Public Libraries.
Rusch is also the author of more than a hundred articles in publications such as The New York Times, Smithsonian, Harper’s, Backpacker, American Craft, Mother Jones, and Portland Monthly, among many others.
She has a bachelor’s in economics from Duke University, a master’s in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley, and has served as a Jacob K. Javits Fellow in the U.S. Senate. She visits schools across the country and speaks widely on the topics of writing, teen activism, science heroes, and the state of our democracy.