The Constitution Today - by Akhil Reed Amar (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this "desperately needed" (Time.com) book, a leading legal scholar addresses the most important constitutional controversies of the twenty-first century and illuminates the Constitution's ongoing relevance

In The Constitution Today, Akhil Reed Amar, America's preeminent constitutional scholar, considers the biggest and most bitterly contested debates of the twenty-first century--from gun control to gay marriage, affirmative action to criminal procedure, presidential dynasties to congressional dysfunction, Bill Clinton's impeachment to Obamacare. He shows how the Constitution's text, history, and structure are a crucial repository of collective wisdom, providing specific rules and grand themes relevant to every organ of the American body politic.

With accessible prose and expert insights, Amar leads readers through the most important constitutional questions while explaining the direction constitutional law must go, offering an essential guide for anyone seeking to understand America's Constitution and its relevance today.

Review Quotes

"Amar's expert framework of our nation's most fundamental document feels desperately needed."--Time.com (Top 10 Nonfiction Books of the Year)

"The Constitution Today hits hard; what is more, it dares the reader to hit back... It showcases scholarship fulfilling its greatest potential: engaging meaningfully and unflinchingly with the world beyond the university in terms intelligible to the layperson."--Weekly Standard

"Amar is among the very, very few who can write about the Constitution with not just deep knowledge but with insight, verve, an understanding of both history and politics, and passion, and in a way that can be appreciated by legal scholars and lay readers alike. The Constitution Today shows Amar at his best."--Norman Ornstein, author of It's Even Worse Than It Looks

"Amar is at his best when providing historical insights to modern-day constitutional issues... What his new book exemplifies is a consistent commitment over two decades to speak to issues beyond the academic, to engage with audiences beyond a New Haven classroom, and to use the perch and resources of his academic appointment to help the rest of us learn more about the history and principles that guide us today."--Los Angeles Review of Books

"Few constitutional law scholars can write as effectively on deadline about the legally complex and politically charged issues that come before the court, and few journalists writing about the constitution can match [Amar's] command of law and history."--RealClearPolitics

"Akhil Amar's compelling and readable new book is so cram-filled with provocative and ground-breaking ideas that no one will agree with them all... But every reader will acknowledge the cogency of his arguments. He makes you think, reconsider your ideas, and admire his sheer brilliance."--Alan Dershowitz, author of Get Trump

"America's most brilliant originalist constitutionalist is also perhaps her best constitutional journalist."--Lawrence Lessig, author of Republic, Lost

"Bringing an unusually informed and cool head to the tumult accompanying unfolding events, Amar performs a valuable service for his fellow citizens."--Kirkus (starred review)

"I don't think there is anyone in the academy these days capable of more patient and attentive reading of the constitutional text than Akhil Amar."--Jeremy Waldron, New York Review of Books

"If I were stranded in a remote area and could have only one book to read, that book would be written by Akhil Reed Amar--any Amar book. Each one is filled with thoughtful examinations of the United States Constitution."--Roanoke Times

"Impressively, Amar presents a panoramic view of recent history through the lens of Constitutional interpretation. Moreover, he accomplishes this in layman's language, so that his insights are accessible to general readers. Indeed, Amar's professed intent is to educate journalists on Constitutional issues, and he succeeds unequivocally."--Library Journal (starred review)

About the Author

Akhil Reed Amar is the Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University and the author of several books on constitutional law and history, including America's Constitution: A Biography and The Words That Made Us. He lives in Woodbridge, Connecticut.