Off Ramp - by Spencer Cox (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Utah Governor Spencer Cox's practical guide to depolarization teaches us how to disagree better at the dinner table, on social media, and in American politics

In September 2025, following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Governor Spencer Cox stood at a podium and addressed a fractured and grieving nation.

He urged Americans to find a way to stop hating one another, or--at the very least, he said--to stop shooting each other. His words were balm to a nation desperate for an off ramp from rising political violence.

But a single speech cannot transform a country. It takes all of us working together. It takes a blueprint for healing, depolarization, and peacemaking.

Off Ramp is that blueprint.

In this practical and patriotic guide, Governor Cox pulls from his experience at the highest levels of civic leadership and cutting-edge depolarization research to encourage Americans to disagree better and restore the respect that we once had even for our political rivals. As America approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it's time to remember what makes America strong, and leave behind the behaviors and rhetoric that threaten to destroy us.

Review Quotes

"Our nation is politically polarized, it's true. But a huge majority of Americans love our country and want a healthier, happier civic life. Governor Spencer Cox's Off Ramp is the guide we need to get us there. Read this book today to learn how you can be part of a better future." --Arthur C. Brooks, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Meaning of Your Life

"Spencer Cox offers a levelheaded recipe for getting away from the death spiral of partisanship that threatens to extinguish the supremely American virtues of compromise, resilience, problem-solving, and empathy. Some from both sides of the aisle, who profit from division, will be shamed by and scared of this book. The rest of us have a road map for restoration and repair." --Ken Burns, two-time Academy Award nominee and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer and director of The Civil War and The American Revolution

"Governor Spencer Cox of Utah has written one of the most important books of the year. In Off Ramp, he offers a thoughtful, heartfelt, funny, and clear-eyed assessment of how our nation has reached this current state of alienation and division--and how we might begin to find our way out. If politics today too often seems like a pugilistic, gladiatorial, and soulless parade of vanity and ambition awash in anger, alienation, and frustration, Governor Cox clearly describes the antidote--empathy, optimism, mutual respect, and hope. As he notes, our country is looking for 'architects, not arsonists.' Governor Cox also understands that America is not a finished work, nor is it a failed project. America is an ongoing experiment for which all of us bear responsibility. And he also knows that despite our polarization, our mistakes, and our shortcomings, the United States is still the most creative, compassionate, innovative, productive, and forward-looking country in the world. If you think you can't be inspired by a book about politics and the state of our democracy, think again. I felt more hopeful after reading Governor Cox's book than I have in some time." --General Jim Mattis, U.S. Marine Corps (retired), former secretary of defense

"Off Ramp is a refreshingly honest, deeply personal call to reject contempt and rediscover hope in American civic life. Governor Cox's wisdom, humility, and practical advice make this book a great read for anyone who believes our nation's best days are still ahead." --Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive officer of JPMorganChase

"Spencer Cox is one of the most thoughtful public servants of his generation. While others inflame division, Governor Cox has chosen a better path. In the wake of the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk, he helped steady a shaken nation with calm resolve and moral clarity, reminding Americans to reject hatred and strive for a higher calling. Off Ramp is a timely and important call to live our values more faithfully, disagree without contempt, and lead with character. I commend this book to all who believe our nation's strength lies not merely in our great achievements but in returning our public life to the habits of civility and kindness that reflect the true character of the American people." --Mike Pence, 48th vice president of the United States

"Governor Spencer Cox's Off Ramp reminds us that a healthy democracy depends on civil discourse and a genuine willingness to engage those we disagree with. By strengthening our sense of community and approaching one another with respect and openness, we reinforce the habits of civility that sustain our institutions and the way we live together." --Secretary Condoleezza Rice, 66th secretary of state and director of the Hoover Institution

"Charlie Kirk's assassination was devastating, heartbreaking. I knew Charlie from the White House. He was a kind and decent young man. America required an unequivocal condemnation of this wicked act as well as an urgent call for national unity. Governor Spencer Cox stepped forward on behalf of our traumatized state of Utah and in a quiet, humble voice rose to the occasion. This book contains Cox's gripping, behind-the-scenes account of that moment." --Ambassador Robert C. O'Brien (retired), 27th U.S. national security adviser

"Governor Cox's thoughtful and engaging new book captures his work as a social capitalist and a unifier. It offers a clear pathway away from today's polarized politics and toward the tolerant, civil future we deserve." --Robert Putnam, professor of Public Policy, Emeritus, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, winner of the National Humanities Medal, and bestselling author of Bowling Alone

"Spencer Cox weaves his personal narrative into a compelling diagnosis of what ails America, and offers us hope for a future in which we can truly learn to disagree better." --Jared Polis, 43rd governor of Colorado

"Spencer Cox has been a model leader in a time desperately short of such models, and this book shows how he has done it. It is a guide to healing our divisions with hope, humility, and mutual respect, and so to disagreeing more constructively. Truly a must read." --Yuval Levin, director of social, cultural, and constitutional studies at the American Enterprise Institute and author of American Covenant

"Spencer Cox has written the rarest kind of political book: one that is humble, funny, and quietly brave. Off Ramp is not a plea for kumbaya--it is, as Cox himself puts it, an attempt 'to get people to stop shooting each other, ' grounded in hard-won stories that run from the statehouse to the aftermath of an assassination. It offers the one thing our politics most lacks--a practical path from contempt to character--and deserves to be read and then passed to the person you've been arguing with." --Brad Wilcox, professor of Sociology, University of Virginia

"Spencer Cox isn't just an affable Republican Governor of Utah; he's also a great American leader telling us the truth about our exhaustion and about the lies and distortions that threaten our families, our communities, and our country. Everyone doesn't have to agree with him on policy issues, but everyone should read his book to awaken to the dignity and leadership that we urgently need to change the course of the future." --Tim Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics

"In Off Ramp, my friend Spencer Cox meets this age of contempt with the wisdom and deep conviction required to help our society thrive once again. He masterfully explains that it is not disagreement itself that divides us but the loss of embracing healthy conflict as an 'iron sharpening iron' process--a principle that has fueled the greatness of the American experiment for 250 years. Spencer's leadership has challenged me to lead with the strength of my own convictions while maintaining a profound respect for the life experiences of others. This book is the essential practical guide for anyone looking to lead others, whether it's their own family, community, or government, with both the curiosity to listen and the courage to be a peacemaker." --Kevin Stitt, 28th governor of Oklahoma

"The opposite of just about every political memoir published this century, Off Ramp is a playbook for how to resist vengeance, strive for grace, and still (!) win elections." --Amanda Ripley, author of High Conflict and cofounder of Good Conflict

"Off Ramp is more than a book--it's an invitation to spend time with one of the bravest leaders in American public life. Spencer Cox is the real deal. He chooses curiosity over contempt--even when it costs him--and is charting a path that others, left and right, are already starting to follow. We need this voice and this example. Now." --Mónica Guzmán, founder and CEO of Reclaim Curiosity

"In a time when our nation feels fractured and contempt too often defines our public life, Spencer Cox offers a compelling alternative in Off Ramp. Challenging the idea that peacemaking is weak, Cox calls us to something far more courageous: to stop assuming the worst about those we disagree with, to choose love over fear, and to engage conflict not less but better. This is a hopeful and practical invitation to move beyond division and begin building again--together." --Chad Ford, associate professor of Religious Studies, Heravi Peace Institute, Utah State University

"Through Off Ramp, Governor Spencer Cox offers us some of the experiences and research that have shaped one of the nation's leading voices for de-escalation. Someone who is trying to be an architect and not an arsonist in our country right now. He also offers us practical ways we can improve our relationships and restore our civic spaces. Our country is worth the repair." --Marianne Viray, executive director of Disagree Better

About the Author

Spencer Cox is a husband, father, farmer, business leader, recovering attorney, and Utah's 18th governor. His career in public service -- from city council member and mayor to county commissioner, state legislator, lieutenant governor, and now governor -- has been shaped by a dedication to depolarization and a commitment to peacemaking. As chair of the National Governors Association from 2023 to 2024, he launched the bipartisan "Disagree Better" initiative, a national effort to model healthier civic engagement.