Democracy Awakening

Notes on the State of America

By: Heather Cox Richardson

Narrated by: Heather Cox Richardson

Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

A New York Times Bestseller

A vital and urgent call to action about the precarious state of American democracy, charting its historical challenges and current threats, from one of our era’s most important and insightful historians.

“Magisterial.”–The Washington Post

“An excellent primer for anyone who needs the important facts of the last 150 years of American history–and how they got us to the sorry place we inhabit today.”–Guardian

At a time when the very foundations of democracy seem under threat, the lessons of the past offer a roadmap for navigating a moment of political crisis. In Democracy Awakening, acclaimed historian Heather Cox Richardson delves into the tumultuous journey of American democracy, revealing how the roots of Donald Trump’s “authoritarian experiment” can be traced back through the earliest days of the republic. She examines the historical forces that have led to the current political climate, showing how modern conservatism has preyed upon a disaffected population, weaponizing language and promoting false history to consolidate power.

With remarkable clarity and the same accessible voice that brings millions of readers to her newsletter, Letters from an American, Richardson wrangles a chaotic news feed into a coherent story that singles out what we should pay attention to and what possible paths lie ahead. Her command of history and trademark plainspoken prose allow her to pivot effortlessly from the Founders to the abolitionists to Reconstruction to Nixon to the January 6 insurrection, highlighting the political legacies of the New Deal, the lingering fears of socialism, the death of the liberal consensus, and the birth of “movement conservatism.”

An essential listen for anyone concerned about the state of America, Democracy Awakening is more than a history book; it’s a call to action. Richardson reminds us that democracy is not a static institution but a living, evolving process that requires constant vigilance and participation from all of us. This powerful testament to the resilience of democratic ideals shows how we, as a nation, can take the lessons of the past to address today’s challenges and secure a more just and equitable future.

©2023 Heather Cox Richardson (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

The Washington Post's "50 Best NonFiction Books of 2023"

Kirkus Review's "2023 Best NonFiction Books of the Year"

“[Democracy Awakening] is the most lucid just-so story for Trump’s rise I’ve ever heard. It’s magisterial.”–Virginia Heffernan, Washington Post

“Necessary U.S. history ... an excellent primer for anyone who needs the important facts of the last 150 years of American history–and how they got us to the sorry place we inhabit today.”–Guardian US

“Heather Cox Richardson’s Democracy Awakening is an important addition to the burgeoning literature and scholarship on what I have characterized as America’s Third Reconstruction…she is at her best simply telling us the story of how we came to be living on the brink of ending our nearly 250-year democratic experiment.”–Peniel Joseph, Democracy

Should be required reading/listening!

Dr. Richardson explains how we got here in a clear, concise way. This should be in every library and on every bookshelf.

Stupendous

Thank you Ms. Cox-Richardson. This important work of history is vitally important. I hope it is read far and wide.

Chilling history

I’ve read over 400 books since 2010. This is the best. Well researched and compact.

Truth and facts.

This historian doesn’t mince words as to why we are where we are as a nation and exactly what we need to do to fix the mess we’re in,

Awesome perspective on our history and how we got here

this would be a great read for our children and grandchildren. The author puts our current situation into perspective Highly recommend it!

Amazing -- Should Be Required Reading

I always learn so much when I listen to HCR. This is an incredible book. I didn't want to stop listening. It's one I'll read again.

Essential Reading

Heather Cox Richardson inspires us all to do anything and everything we can to save our democracy. It ultimately comes down to all of us speaking up and letting our voices be heard.

Inspiring

I love Heather and this is an amazing book that leaves me feeling hopeful. I appreciate her work so much!

We must restore the liberal consensus

The lesson from the long view of history is to never give up in the present. The observations of historian Heather Cox Richardson—who’s been a bulwark of stability throughout and beyond the authoritarianism of the Trump presidency—are cause to take a deep breath and care for our neighbors, even while others insist on abandoning them. The author makes it clear from the historical arc that to allow autocrats to set themselves up as superior beings eventually leads to everyone else becoming their slaves—remaining silent and complacent is not the easy way out; instead it’s a type of enabling behavior autocrats actively seek, in which they in turn betray even their most loyal supporters. The only viable option is to resist autocratic tendencies at every level available.

Richardson gets specific about who the bad actors are. The historical record in this book reveals a common thread from the slave holders during the early European settlement of America, through the industrialists of the 19th Century, through the Jim Crow South, through fellow travelers with Nazis of the 3rd Reich, through the financialization that took off in the 1980s and created the obscene wealth disparity that exists today—we may accurately and objectively call them fascists. Their target for almost a century is the liberal consensus of the New Deal and its centrist political culture. Most people would like to assume that others are reasonable and desiring of mutually beneficial outcomes—by their nature, fascists don’t view the world this way, and Richardson enumerates their methodologies.

The author describes how fascists take advantage of any wiggle room allowed to them, as they don’t campaign in good faith—instead they use or create any opportunity possible to disrupt normal democratic societal functions, which allows them to capture the process for their own authoritarian ends. These encroachments against the public will must be consciously countered by the whole public, which includes appropriate engagement by those who would rather just keep their heads down and just not get into politics. More face to face social engagement in the form of small in-person gatherings would help greatly in reducing individual isolation, and anything that facilitates that would provide an essential boost to countering authoritarian bullies.

The alternative to an engaged public is autocratic dystopia, toward which we have been hurling at unconscionable speed. We must restore the liberal consensus to its practical effectiveness—that requires that everyone be proactively productive, including both politically and socially.

Connecting the dots

Professor HCR puts together the pieces of a puzzle that is American political history in a dynamic story!