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wooknight's review against another edition
5.0
Should be a must read for every educated person. His assessment of the slave situation and the various attitudes is amazingly prescient . Definitely one of those books that need a read every few years . Still don't see How he arrives at the various conclusions of aristocracy vs democracy with comparing just America and France
anna_catherman's review against another edition
4.0
I borrowed Democracy in America on a whim back in May...yeah, I know, not the kind of book one usually borrows "just because". But I loved the bits and pieces of Tocqueville's writing I read in high school, and once I got it in my hands and began reading, I became determined to read this tome. And I did. And it was excellent.
Democracy in America is an old book. Some of the ideas are dated, yes - but a surprising amount of Tocqueville's writing still feels fresh and relevant. It's got elegant prose, deep ideas, and some rather striking points. I can't say I'd recommend unequivocally because there's a lot of readers out there who just would never pick up a 900+ page, 150+ year old political volume...but if you're reading this review debating whether or not to read, you probably should. It's well-worth the time. If you can't bring yourself to read such a long book, try an abridgment, as Tocqueville is quite repetitive. I'm glad I've read the entire thing, but I can definitely say that next time I read, I'll be picking up an abridgment and seeing how it compares with the original.
Democracy in America is an old book. Some of the ideas are dated, yes - but a surprising amount of Tocqueville's writing still feels fresh and relevant. It's got elegant prose, deep ideas, and some rather striking points. I can't say I'd recommend unequivocally because there's a lot of readers out there who just would never pick up a 900+ page, 150+ year old political volume...but if you're reading this review debating whether or not to read, you probably should. It's well-worth the time. If you can't bring yourself to read such a long book, try an abridgment, as Tocqueville is quite repetitive. I'm glad I've read the entire thing, but I can definitely say that next time I read, I'll be picking up an abridgment and seeing how it compares with the original.
kayoreads's review against another edition
4.0
The title alone to this book is daunting; I mean, how could someone approach such a topic? More immediately, why would I even want to read it? But Democracy in America is a masterpiece. I was consistently amazed and sometimes even amused by de Tocqueville's coverage of seemingly every little aspect of American government and life. Reading this book is equivalent to stepping back into the fledgling United States, but even more interesting because it's through the eyes of a foreigner looking for an example to use in his own country.
Democracy in America is obviously a very in-depth work, and is certainly hard to get through at points. The vast study of the United States can seem a little irrelevant or unnecessary. But de Tocqueville makes several simple points throughout his work that enlightened me to the origins and workings of my own country, then and now. His intellect is preeminent; he puts forth predictions that more often than not ended up occurring.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in government and history, or government in history. The historical context of the book is one of the most interesting that I can think of, and even the personal context of de Tocqueville's journey and study of America is intriguing. Look it up.
Democracy in America is obviously a very in-depth work, and is certainly hard to get through at points. The vast study of the United States can seem a little irrelevant or unnecessary. But de Tocqueville makes several simple points throughout his work that enlightened me to the origins and workings of my own country, then and now. His intellect is preeminent; he puts forth predictions that more often than not ended up occurring.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in government and history, or government in history. The historical context of the book is one of the most interesting that I can think of, and even the personal context of de Tocqueville's journey and study of America is intriguing. Look it up.
skitch41's review against another edition
4.0
Be warned: the title of this book is a little misleading. De Tocqueville did not just write about democracy in America, but about democracy in general and its effects on people's habits, "mores," and beliefs. In fact, it is more of a survey on democracy rather than on America, but since America was one of the few examples of a fully formed democracy in the world at the time he wrote and he had toured extensively beforehand, many of de Tocqueville's observations are colored by his views on America. Regardless, most of his observations, predictions, and fears about democracy and America are spot on, even nearly 200 years later. Especially enlightening are two points: that democracy will ultimately lead to equality of conditions and that religion is a one of the strongest glues that hold democratic societies together. The first point is evident in society today, but the second is much more debatable and has led me to ponder the relationship between democracy and religion a lot more than any of de Tocqueville's other points. However, like many classic texts, be it fiction or non-fiction, this book does have its dull moments that must take some trudging along to finish. Still, for anyone interested in American government and in democracy in general, there is no better text than this.
bibliophage's review against another edition
This is a great read. Some chapters I found much more interesting than others, but de Tocqueville's overall goal and claim is fascinating. Oddly, I remember really enjoying some of his descriptions. In a simple way, I just liked reading what he had to say about American people (and the land) but this is not the main content of the book--it's de Tocqueville discussing democracy and the shifting that had occurred and would continue to happen in the early years of the USA. De Tocqueville is observant and what he has to say about representative democracy working here in American is strong and exciting and he makes some frightening predictions that are perhaps, prophecies (which is frightening!).
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