A review by living_stone
American Politics: A Graphic History by Laura Locker

2.0

Good, if shallow, overview of U.S. institutions, but the authors ignored some essential topics. There was almost complete lack of attention to corporate political funding and power and how it distorts the political system and process (other than a small bit about the Citizens United case). No coverage of corporate ownership of politicians or organizations like the DNC, and the huge impact that has on elections and policy. Addresses the issue of "fake news" and the problems with 24-hour news, but does not mention the problem of corporate ownership of the media. Almost no coverage of foreign affairs or the vast amount of resources devoted to war/terrorism. Explores the civil rights movements of women, African Americans and LGBTQ people and the U.S. government's treatment of Native Americans, but limits Latino issues/history to immigration, and does not address other groups (such as Asian Americans, disabled populations, Muslims) at all. Overall, the book seriously underplays how incredibly broken our political system is and ends on a hopeful message that we can all just work together, ignoring the huge non-voting mass of the population that is completely disengaged.