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The Handy American Government Answer Book - (Handy Answer Books) by Gina Misiroglu (Paperback)
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Highlights
- A practical, accessible, engaging, and comprehensive guide to how American democracy works (and how it sometimes doesn't work).
- About the Author: Gina Misiroglu has authored or edited more than three dozen books in the popular culture, biography, American history, folklore, and women studies genres.
- 400 Pages
- Political Science, American Government
- Series Name: Handy Answer Books
Description
About the Book
The stakes have never been higher: national security, civil liberties, the economy, the future of the republic. Yet few outside Washington and its interlocking world veiled in power brokering, bureaucracy, and big money actually understand how our government and political system should work or operates.Understanding how modern America is governed and answering basic questions about how our very complex government operates and what it promises, The Handy American Government Answer Book: How Washington, Politics, and Elections Work takes a comprehensive look at the history, systems, people, and policies that comprise American democracy through well-researched answers to nearly 800 questions, including Why is America's democratic system considered so precious? What does 'checks and balances' mean? Where do the party symbols of the donkey and the elephant come from? What is electoral realignment? What does it mean to lobby? Who pays for the campaigns of candidates?
Book Synopsis
A practical, accessible, engaging, and comprehensive guide to how American democracy works (and how it sometimes doesn't work).The stakes have never been higher: national security, civil liberties, the economy, the future of the republic. Yet few outside Washington actually understand how our government and political system should work, much less how it actually operates. On one level, it's a complex, interlocking world veiled in power brokering, bureaucracy, and big money. On another, it's the biggest, richest, most influential organization in the world, for better or worse.
Understanding how modern America is managed and governed is more vital than ever, but television, radio, newspapers, and social media frequently aim to spin, seduce, and sell product rather than serve anything resembling the truth. Filling the breach and answering basic questions about how our very complex government operates and what it promises, The Handy American Government Answer Book: How Washington, Politics, and Elections Work takes a comprehensive look at the systems, people, and policies that comprise American democracy, providing much-needed clarity to the current political drama.
This informative book traces the historic development of the government, the functions of each branch of government, and how they work together. It provides clear and concise definitions of who does what and why. Written in an entertaining, reader-friendly, question-and-answer format, The Handy American Government Answer Book deciphers the news behind the headlines through well-researched answers to nearly 800 common questions. You will also read about such fascinating tidbits as
This handy primer also includes numerous illustrations, graphs, tables, a helpful bibliography, and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness. In the midst of the overheated rhetoric of the moment and the fast-changing, crisis-dominated world, a well-informed citizenry armed with The Handy American Government Answer Book is the best defense against political and corporate chicanery!
Review Quotes
"... provides clear definitions and explanations for nearly 800 areas of governance ... a solid resource for high-school students and any general readers with questions about how government works." -- Booklist "If there was ever a book you need to wrap up for your political giftee, it's "The Handy American Government Answer Book" by Gina Misiroglu. Imagine pages and pages that make politics easy to understand and that explain how things work." - Bookworm Sez "... answers about 1,000 questions related to the function of the US government, covering basics and contemporary issues ... the origins of American government; the Constitution; federalism; the executive, legislative, and judicial branches and related concepts ..." -- Protoview Book News Praise for the previous edition ...
". . . this easy-to-navigate book removes complexity from a serious subject: government." -- Tampa Tribune "This reference is a meaningful addition to the educational tools [for] students as well as general political observers and voters who want to better understand the issues of the day." -- American Reference Books
About the Author
Gina Misiroglu has authored or edited more than three dozen books in the popular culture, biography, American history, folklore, and women studies genres. She holds two degrees from UCLA and has worked in various editorial capacities for publishers such as Price Stern Sloan, New World Library, Visible Ink Press, Facts On File, and Routledge. She has contributed to or authored several 'Handy Answer Book' titles, including The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents) and The Handy Politics Answer Book. Additional notable works include the three-volume American Countercultures: An Encyclopedia of Nonconformists, Alternative Lifestyles, and Radical Ideas in U.S. History, winner of the 2010 RUSA Award for Outstanding Reference Source; The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-Book Icons and Hollywood Heroes; and the trade anthology Girls Like Us: 40 Extraordinary Women Celebrate Girlhood in Story, Poetry, and Song, winner of the New York Public Library's 'Best Book for Teens' Award. Misiroglu lives in Los Angeles and is proud to say she votes in every national and local election.Shipping details
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