Thank you, Authors Equality, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I just finished We Hold These “Truths”: How To Spot The Myths That Are Holding America Back, by Casey Burgat.

This book will be released on February 4, 2025.

It didn’t take long for the author to lose his credibility. Just in the first chapter, when writing about the Constitution, he claims that nobody knows what “high crimes and misdemeanors” is supposed to mean. He must be oblivious to the fact that the term long predated the Constitution, with English precedents showing what the words meant and the founders had no reason to go further than that. Then, he makes the claim that the Constitution doesn’t mention the cabinet, conveniently overlooking Article II, Section 2, clause 1, which clearly mentions the cabinet members: “… he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices …”

The chapter trying to claim that “the Supreme Court is too political” is a myth was a great way for any book to destroy whatever credibility it had left. And the discussion of the court didn’t even discuss the overt corruption of several of the sitting Justices. Instead, the author just made the claim that changing the members of the court isn’t a solution.

There are so many problems that this book has no interest in even addressing, such as, but certainly not limited to, corporate influence, how one party denies reality and facts, how one party will only peacefully certify an election if they won, gerrymandering, the sillyness of equal representation in the Senate and so much more. Those are the real problems that are holding the country back and this book just omits.

I give this book an F.

Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an F equates to 1 star. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

I finished reading this on January 10, 2025.

While I don't normally gravitate toward political nonfiction books, this one caught my eye, and I'm very happy that I decided to dive in.

This book "dumbs down" some of the most confusing aspects of politics and explains why each political act is impactful. It's a great read for those who don't believe that politics affects their lives in any way.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I think that this book was not only enjoyable and informative, but an essential read for all American. The information in this book should be known by all. I am someone who is fascinated by American history and I have ready many books on the subject, but I cannot believe how much this book taught me. It caused me to examine what I thought I knew and look at American history in a completely different lens. I loved how this book was written. It was interesting, but now boring. It was informative, but not elitist. It flowed well and was concise and to the point. I think the authors did a great job with the subject matter. I truly think that this should be required reading in schools. I would definitely recommend this book.