An engaging and entertaining civics lesson from the creators of Pod Save America, Democracy or Else offers a crash course in engaging in our politics more than once every four years or so.

While the book's essence is evergreen, fewer of-the-moment jokes would have allowed it to be a bit more timeless than a podcast episode. The guys are witty as ever, but some of the references were outdated between submission and publication — others have aged in the few months since.

Each guy's voice shines through, even when they haven’t explicitly indicated who’s who, and the Friends of the Pod included throughout each bring their own expertise and tone to the table. It makes for a varied, easy read for fans of the Crooked Media empire. I can't imagine too many others picking it up?

Maybe buy a few copies for a local high-school class — the youth are our only hope.

I love Pod Save America and am happy the hosts put together a practical guide for saving democracy. While most listeners of the podcast will be familiar with these ten steps, I think it is a practical civics lesson for anyone to understand how to be more involved in politics.

Democracy or Else by the "bros" from Pod Save America is an accessible guide one can use to find out how to get involved in politics at the town/city, county, state and national level. At times humorous, this book was a pleasure to read and mirrors what one can hear from the Crooked Media company and from Pod Save America. I hope to see future installments of this book.

This is from the guys at Pod Save America (which I know about, but haven’t listened too…I only listen to a few podcasts) and it’s intended to be “practical advice” for getting involved with politics and saving our democracy.

Nobody is playing hide the ball here. They note, “we started PSA and Crooked Media because, like slightly more than half the electorate we were alarmed by what Donald Trump and his coterie of goons would do to democracy, which - let’s be honest - had a few issues before they arrived on the scene.” So may it sell millions of copies.

Note that is the most recent Democracy Index, out of 167 democracies around the world, the U.S. ranks 30th. That seems….a little high, given our current Supreme Court and Trump’s refusal to accept the outcome of the 2020 election.

This is an irreverent, basic primer, perfect as a gift for a high school or college student. Or young adult. Buy em all copies. Cause this mess ain’t gonna right itself.

Democracy Or Else by Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor

OK, first off, anyone who knows me knows I LOVE these guys. All three worked in the White House during the Obama administration (Favs and Lovett were speechwriters, and Tommy worked in National Security). They started the wildly successful media company Crooked Media, and now are maybe best known for their podcast empire (Pod Save America, Lovett or Leave It, and Pod Save the World are the big 3). They are completely up front about their political leanings, and have done an amazing job of educating while entertaining, and for some of us have saved our sanity, particularly during the years 2017-21.

Lots of voters and potential voters struggle to make sense of the current challenge: how can you get involved in the process and maybe make a difference along the way without being overwhelmed and/or giving in to a sense of hopelessness? (and possibly losing your sanity)

There are a few things I have appreciated about them: for example, in recent elections, they have identified specific contests where voters can make a big difference. Some that I loved were funds being donated to the candidate in the “big” election, so funds weren’t all spent on grueling primaries. Donating so your $$ goes where you want, like “for Susan Collins’s final opponent in the general election” (better luck next time)

There is lots of practical advice, and these guys really know their stuff, but gear their comments to political novices as well as the nerdy political junkies who are glued to every show, podcast, or live eent (they do a great live show, BTW).

A friend said she didn’t like them because Favs and Lovett wrote the speech Obama gave at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner when Trump attended, was totally made fun of, and decided to run in 2016 – so It’s their fault (mostly Lovett’s) that we ended up with djt.

Personally, I love people who make me think AND laugh, so Democracy Or Else is just perfect for me. Thanks to Zando/Crooked Media Reads and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for this honest review. Five stars. Highly recommended.