Nwanevu wields journalism as a cutting tool that’s well oiled with contempt ... Nwanevu subdues his own journalistic reflexes long enough to construct a sweeping argument out of history and political theory ... In the slower, more demanding form of a well-researched, carefully reasoned book, especially in its first half, Nwanevu takes democracy’s opponents and its own vulnerabilities seriously ... Despite the ringing title and subtitle, little in Nwanevu’s ‘new American founding’ is new ... None of it is very original ... The illiberal atmosphere of the past decade… doesn’t seem to trouble Nwanevu, as if it has nothing to do with democracy ... Arguing that more democracy will change America for the better isn’t convincing.
Combining a journalist’s eye for the gritty details of real-world politics with the boundless imagination of an idealist, Nwanevu constructs an impressive edifice from which to look beyond America’s current morass. It amounts to a mind-altering view of the country’s potential.
A resounding, persuasive call for a truly inclusive government of the people ... [Nwanevu's] writing is vibrant, even optimistic, animated by a clear belief that self-governance is the best kind of governance, and damn the torpedoes.
