---
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title: "What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don't: A Nonpartisan Guide to the Issues That Matter"
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# What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don't: A Nonpartisan Guide to the Issues That Matter

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What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don't: A Nonpartisan Guide to the Issues That Matter [Conrad, Jessamyn, Wolf, Naomi] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don't: A Nonpartisan Guide to the Issues That Matter

Review: Should Be Titled: American Election User Guide - Excellent book. I purchased this book with the intention of becoming better acquainted with the pertinent issues of the 2016 election. This desire came about after realizing the extreme degree to which news media force feeds the public the ideas that should concern them. It's as though people have become unable to think for themselves, resulting in deep divides among citizens who otherwise have nearly everything in common over issues of little consequence to their daily lives. I felt myself slipping into this pattern, and so I decided to try and educate myself somewhat on how government really works. To put it simply, I could not put this book down once I began reading. There is a lot of information here and normally that would make it all a bit difficult to absorb and retain. However, I found that this was not the case here, in that much of the information relates to matters that are either popular topics or have received considerable media coverage, and the reading serves to provide the background to these stories that is so often missing in popular understanding of political topics. A perfect example of this is the explanation of events leading up to the Iraq War. I was in junior high school at the time and I remember the mood of the country during that period. I thought I understood how and why popular opinion of the conflict had shifted, but after reading a more comprehensive overview of these events, many of the questions or confusion I had about what went on in that period became obvious. It was like reliving those days with new eyes. This was the case with many of the issues discussed in this book; it was like one continuous stream of "a-ha" moments, which is why although dense, the info was not at all hard to retain. My only critique is the occurrence of two typos, several chapters apart, that make the meanings of a couple of sentences unclear. Both are so obvious however, that it is immediately recognized that a mistake was made. Lastly, I have to commend the author for maintaining a neutral, very academic perspective throughout the book. There is no political slant whatsoever. The author manages to present each issue from all points of view equally and without criticism. Where popular criticism of a piece of legislation or a political position is discussed, it is discussed from the perspective of each party with the respective positions of that party outlined without bias. Everyone should be required to read this book (or listen to it read) before they are allowed to vote. I think many people have no idea what their chosen political parties' ideologies and beliefs actually are. When you read the totality of its official platform and see the evidence of those beliefs presented in the form of somewhat obscure but nonetheless significant legislation supported by the elected officials of the organization, it can be something of a wake-up call as to the importance of being an informed voter. I was surprised that some of my own beliefs don't match those of my party and actually found some of my ideas being challenged numerous times as I read. The nuances of these belief systems are critical to the effects that policy decisions will have on voters' lives. I was unaware of the degree to which this is true before this book. I walked away wondering whether it is actually possible to be well informed and still identify wholely with a single political party as most people do.
Review: A Good Review of the Political Situation in the United States - Most of the content is from the around 2010, but even though the players may have changed and some of the details are different this is a great review of politics in the United States. The author does a good job keeping their review balanced but the preferences do come through based on the framing of what are good or bad options. But over all, this is an excellent review of the different political challenges and options for many of societies requirements in the US. I found this book an excellent information dense review of the Political options in the US from a decade ago. The players may have changed but many of the basic political problems remain the same today. I found the book did an excellent job of giving the details around many of the Political decisions and situations. I found it amazing how many of the situations, I had forgotten. What I found most interesting thing how the different political parties have switched the issues they are focused on and the strategies they use to address them. It seemed to be that some of the Political parties have actually switched the how and what they are focused on, due to the level of detail and information in this book you get a real feel that politics is a dance where partners switch roles from time to time. This book is so information dense, it would really be worth reading the entire book or some sections several times.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #758,836 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #40 in Civics & Citizenship (Books) #383 in Political Conservatism & Liberalism #434 in Elections |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,292) |
| Dimensions  | 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches |
| Edition  | Third |
| ISBN-10  | 1628726725 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1628726725 |
| Item Weight  | 1.06 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 408 pages |
| Publication date  | May 17, 2016 |
| Publisher  | Arcade |

## Images

![What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don't: A Nonpartisan Guide to the Issues That Matter - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71Vu8zlzT9L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Should Be Titled: American Election User Guide
*by J***S on December 10, 2016*

Excellent book. I purchased this book with the intention of becoming better acquainted with the pertinent issues of the 2016 election. This desire came about after realizing the extreme degree to which news media force feeds the public the ideas that should concern them. It's as though people have become unable to think for themselves, resulting in deep divides among citizens who otherwise have nearly everything in common over issues of little consequence to their daily lives. I felt myself slipping into this pattern, and so I decided to try and educate myself somewhat on how government really works. To put it simply, I could not put this book down once I began reading. There is a lot of information here and normally that would make it all a bit difficult to absorb and retain. However, I found that this was not the case here, in that much of the information relates to matters that are either popular topics or have received considerable media coverage, and the reading serves to provide the background to these stories that is so often missing in popular understanding of political topics. A perfect example of this is the explanation of events leading up to the Iraq War. I was in junior high school at the time and I remember the mood of the country during that period. I thought I understood how and why popular opinion of the conflict had shifted, but after reading a more comprehensive overview of these events, many of the questions or confusion I had about what went on in that period became obvious. It was like reliving those days with new eyes. This was the case with many of the issues discussed in this book; it was like one continuous stream of "a-ha" moments, which is why although dense, the info was not at all hard to retain. My only critique is the occurrence of two typos, several chapters apart, that make the meanings of a couple of sentences unclear. Both are so obvious however, that it is immediately recognized that a mistake was made. Lastly, I have to commend the author for maintaining a neutral, very academic perspective throughout the book. There is no political slant whatsoever. The author manages to present each issue from all points of view equally and without criticism. Where popular criticism of a piece of legislation or a political position is discussed, it is discussed from the perspective of each party with the respective positions of that party outlined without bias. Everyone should be required to read this book (or listen to it read) before they are allowed to vote. I think many people have no idea what their chosen political parties' ideologies and beliefs actually are. When you read the totality of its official platform and see the evidence of those beliefs presented in the form of somewhat obscure but nonetheless significant legislation supported by the elected officials of the organization, it can be something of a wake-up call as to the importance of being an informed voter. I was surprised that some of my own beliefs don't match those of my party and actually found some of my ideas being challenged numerous times as I read. The nuances of these belief systems are critical to the effects that policy decisions will have on voters' lives. I was unaware of the degree to which this is true before this book. I walked away wondering whether it is actually possible to be well informed and still identify wholely with a single political party as most people do.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Good Review of the Political Situation in the United States
*by C***O on October 22, 2022*

Most of the content is from the around 2010, but even though the players may have changed and some of the details are different this is a great review of politics in the United States. The author does a good job keeping their review balanced but the preferences do come through based on the framing of what are good or bad options. But over all, this is an excellent review of the different political challenges and options for many of societies requirements in the US. I found this book an excellent information dense review of the Political options in the US from a decade ago. The players may have changed but many of the basic political problems remain the same today. I found the book did an excellent job of giving the details around many of the Political decisions and situations. I found it amazing how many of the situations, I had forgotten. What I found most interesting thing how the different political parties have switched the issues they are focused on and the strategies they use to address them. It seemed to be that some of the Political parties have actually switched the how and what they are focused on, due to the level of detail and information in this book you get a real feel that politics is a dance where partners switch roles from time to time. This book is so information dense, it would really be worth reading the entire book or some sections several times.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book helped me understand the news better!
*by 1***D on June 24, 2018*

Jessamyn Conrad does a very nice job identifying and describing some of the most important political and cultural topics of this decade. For each topic, Conrad provides background information about the issue at hand and the players that surround it, sometimes going back several decades. This background was essential in helping me weave a narrative (in my mind) and be better equipped to formulate a position. The book touches on 13 topics in a little less than 400 pages. With approximately 30 pages per topic, the book is not at risk of being boring, especially because the topics are independent of each other. As for the subtitle, Conrad limits her narrative to providing the main viewpoints around each topic, and the arguments presented by opposing parties. She doesn’t adjudicate the upper hand (ethical or logical) to any particular position. So, in my opinion, it checks the nonpartisan box. The one thing missing perhaps is a complete update of the 13 topics, and perhaps the addition of new ones… things changed on January 20, 2017! This is the third edition, published in 2016, when Obama was still president. In sum, if you’re looking to build or strengthen your blueprint of current American politics, read this book… and buy the fourth edition when it comes out.

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*Last updated: 2026-03-17*