What You Should Know about Politics... But Don't: A Nonpartisan Guide to the Issues

Very disappointed in the condition this book was in . Described as very good condition in description but it was dog eared and the front cover was folded over with a crease diagonly across the book!Unfortunately some of the books I have received lately are very dirty and not as nice as books I have received in the past.

This book is a first-rate primer for the majority of Americans who know little about politics and policy making, or tend to get their information from less than reputable sources. Far too many people take dangerous, rash, and uneducated stands on important issues, or they make rash judgments (based on hearsay or blogs) about political candidates. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've encountered a person who says s/he won't vote for Obama "because he's a Muslim", for instance, or that Sarah Pallin is a neo-Nazi who believes Alaska should be an independent nation. I often ask these people where they get their "misinformation" -- and to explain exactly what they've been reading and studying to arrive at their conclusions on important political issues or procedures. They blush, stammer, and cannot answer the question. This book is for them -- and anyone else who slept through American Government 101. Yes, it IS a primer. But I have yet to meet many average Americans who are even ready for the advanced course in politics.

I picked up this book by chance while browsing through a bookstore. After reading the preface, and being struck by the clarity, wit, and thoughtfulness with which the author expressed her ideas, I decided to buy it. I read the book out of order, starting with the issues that interested me most, and was surprised to discover that I'd read all of it in one sitting. The author is true to her word, and gives an unbiased, non-partisan overview of the issues. It is what it promises to be --a guide-- easy to follow, and one that can finally empower voters to make decisions without blindly following the preaching of any political party. This book would make an excellent addition to an American politics/government class syllabus, and I commend Jessamyn Conrad for a job incredibly well done!

If you are interested in politics, this is the book for you. In fact, it got me `hooked off' the internet, scimming through pundits' views back and forth, and instead presented me with a real basis on which to form my political opinion. Jessamyn Conrad gives a concise and balanced overview to a vast array of topics in nowadays politics: elections, economy, foreign policy, military, health care, energy, environment, civil liberties, culture wars, socioeconomics, homeland security, education and trade. These are basically all fields of great importance and consequence for society, and certainly areas where decisions now will have a tremendous impact on the future. I have to disagree with the previous commenter; everyone is entitled to his own opinion, and in my view, this is fine even for authors of nonpartisan books. Overall, this book provides an easy-going introduction into important questions of society and subjects of political discussion and leaves the reader with a well-balanced base of knowledge. It is written in a witty and humourous style and leaves you enjoying it from front to back. Very informative, yet easy to read. Anyone who is interested in politics and wants to inform himself well before the election - or about the political debates in general - will enjoy this book. Strongly recommended!

I picked this book up on impulse, from a table of political books at B. Dalton, and read it from cover to cover, couldn't put it down. After all the shrill, partisan sound-bites that fill the air and make you sick of politics, at last there is a book that tells you what you need to know to make an informed decision.