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Werner Neff
Author
Restore Our Democracy
Werner Neff, author

Adult; Political & Social Sciences; (Market)

The gifts we inherited from our Founding Fathers are The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights: guidelines for peacefully living together. They designed the democratic principles, inspired by the experiences of ancient Athens and Rome, based on values and needs, to guide our leaders in good times and bad. These gifts are the foundation of our country. Today our Democracy is eroding, and we are slowly drifting away from the values and principles which are at its heart. of our democracy. We must reevaluate leadership and revisit our commitments to the American people. We have also inherited unhealthy ideals and habits from our ancestors who hold us hostage in the past, stuck in entitlement, racism, dominance, and inequality. Their weaknesses, and the deep hurt some of them caused are still impacting us today. Many of these ideals no longer serve us. The time has come to heal old wounds. RESTORE Our DEMOCRACY is a reflection on history, political philosophy, and the current reality. Neff takes a raw look at how our unconscious loyalty to the past continues to impact our society still, today. The book revisits the original values and principles of Democracy and offers readers a call to action.
Reviews
In this stirring call to action, Neff (Restore Trust), who has a doctorate in political science, explores the historical and legal attributes of American democracy and the current crisis of democratic spirit in the United States. Neff defines the heart of democracy as a system of compromise that allows diverse people to live together and determine effective solutions for their lives. Neff offers a series of practical solutions, most importantly for voters to consider themselves Americans first and members of political parties second. He recommends a recommitment to nonpartisan electoral reforms and extensive compromise, with passionate and repetitive reminders to vote.

As an expatriate originally from Switzerland, Neff has the benefit of an outsider’s perspective, and his story highlights the drift that has occurred from the early ideals of the nation to widespread voter suppression and gerrymandering. Though Neff is overly sanguine about the founding of the United States on democratic principles, neglecting the genocide of Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans, his retelling of democratic ideals is stirring. He convincingly argues that a failure of commitment to democratic ideals, like compromise, will inevitably lead to a failure of democratic structures like voting.

Though mostly uplifting, Neff’s examination of massive and intractable problems in the U.S. democratic system may cause readers to doubt the impact of their individual participation. This timely and inspiring study is an exhortation for readers to return to democratic ideals.

Takeaway: American citizens concerned about the direction of their democracy will find this thorough explanation of democratic principles to be a rallying cry.

Great for fans of: Democracy in One Book or Less by David Litt, How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: C

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