Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy

by Daniel G. Newman, George O'Connor (Illustrator)

Overview

An intriguing and accessible nonfiction graphic novel about the role wealth and influence play in American democracy.

Despite our immense political divisions, Americans are nearly united in our belief that something is wrong with our government: It works for the wealthy and powerful, but not for anyone else. Unrig exposes the twisted roots of our broken democracy and highlights the heroic efforts of those unrigging the system to return power to We the People.

This stirring nonfiction graphic novel by democracy reform leader Daniel G. Newman and artist George O’Connor takes readers behind the scenes—from the sweaty cubicles where senators dial corporate CEOs for dollars, to lavish retreats where billionaires boost their favored candidates, to the map rooms where lawmakers scheme to handpick their voters. Unrig also highlights surprising solutions that limit the influence of big money and redraw the lines of political power.

If you're overwhelmed by negative news and despairing for the direction of our country, Unrig is a tonic that will restore your faith and reveal the path forward to fix our broken democracy.


This book is part of the World Citizen Comics series, a bold line of civics-focused graphic novels that equip readers to be engaged citizens and informed voters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250295309
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	07/07/2020
Series:	World Citizen Comics
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	1,141,789
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Daniel G. Newman is a national expert on government accountability and money in politics. He is president and co-founder of MapLight, a nonpartisan nonprofit that promotes transparency and political reform. Newman has appeared in hundreds of media outlets, including CNN, CBS, MSNBC, FOX Business News, and NPR. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

George O'Connor is a New York Times–bestselling author and illustrator of the Olympians series as well as such graphic novels as Journey into Mohawk Country and Ball Peen Hammer. In addition to his graphic novel career, O'Connor has published several children's picture books. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Unrigging the Rules 9

Chapter 2 Congress and Lobbying 59

Chapter 3 Political Money 91

Chapter 4 The Wealth Hoarders 113

Chapter 5 Who Votes 169

Chapter 6 Drawing the Districts 195

Chapter 7 Picking the Winners 207

Chapter 8 Electing a President 221

Chapter 9 The Next Steps for You 235

Notes 253

Index 276

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2020

Political activist Newman presents an enlightening and alarming—but ultimately hopeful—take on the causes of what he sees as America’s ailing democracy and offers strategies to repair the damage. He breaks down the ways in which corporations and “dark money” influence political candidates and electoral outcomes: “The rules let politicians choose their voters, instead of the other way around.” Newman lays out his theory that the agenda of billionaires such as the Koch brothers and Betsy DeVos is to render government virtually irrelevant by sowing partisan gridlock, hollowing out safety nets like social security, and packing courts with operatives (such as Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts) who will actively rule in favor of voter suppression and gerrymandering. In opposition to these far-right schemes, Newman highlights progressive political initiatives designed to boost citizen participation, including the “Democracy Vouchers” program implemented in Seattle in 2015, which provides vouchers to voters so they can donate to candidates of their choice, and ranked-choice voting, currently implemented in Maine and several U.S. cities. The energetic drawings by O’Connor (the Olympians series) effectively bolster Newman’s occasionally packed-in text throughout, ending with an effective call to arms. This cogent plea for democracy is fueled with an urgency that should initiate debate and inspire action. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Dramatic and inspiring tales of champions of democracy fighting for and implementing practical solutions. It’s a great read—with important lessons for any citizen who gives a damn."
—David Corn, Washington bureau chief, Mother Jones

"By clearly illustrating the toughest problems that threaten our system of government, Unrig has the potential to be this generation’s most influential book on American democracy. It is a must read."
—Spencer Overton, author of Stealing Democracy: The New Politics of Voter Suppression

"Everyone knows that our democracy is broken, but what’s less clear is how we got into this mess and what we should do about it. Newman’s Unrig explains both in an accessible and entertaining way, leaving the reader equipped and inspired to get involved in unrigging our democracy and putting it to work for people and the planet."
—Annie Leonard, Executive Director, Greenpeace USA

"Unrig is, simply, the unmissable book... This should be required reading (and luckily, it’s engaging, powerful reading) for every student and every citizen."
—Naomi Wolf, bestselling author of The Beauty Myth and The End of America

"The point of the book is not to bog you down with details; it's to inspire you to action by teaching you about ranked choice voting, clean elections, and more. And if those are things you're interested in—or interested in sharing with others—I highly recommend it." —Boing Boing

"A no-holds-barred look at the various ways wealthy interests influence and control multiple aspects of American governmental policies and institutions, Unrig is both timely and devastating to read when the country is facing a global pandemic as well as nationwide demonstrations for racial justice."—Booklist

"Unrig makes a compelling case for why our participation matters, and who controls the levers of power when we don’t engage." —San Francisco Chronicle

"This cogent plea for democracy is fueled with an urgency that should initiate debate and inspire action." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

06/26/2020

Can America's societal salvation be accomplished through political means? Newman (president, cofounder, MapLight) shouts an emphatic yes, and with this work programmatically lays out a multipoint plan for transparency and reforms in campaign finances, electoral processes, and congressional business, emphasizing the importance of increasing citizen engagement in every aspect of the political machine. It's a tricky prospect to illustrate this level of wonkiness, and Newman's monologs sometimes overflow, reading uncannily like a nonprofit's informational brochure (appropriate, since Newman is the founder of a political reform nonprofit ). But the explications of the forces fomenting political corruption—dark campaign money crushing candidates who don't deal with lobbyists, wealth hoarders stealthily steering the Republican agenda to gut social services irrevocably, and the long nationwide legacy of gerrymandering that leads to a government that's anything but representative—are intense, engaging, and a real call to action. O'Connor's (Journey into Mohawk Country) illustrations bring the big bads to life, but can't quite make the featured democracy success stories feel like a victory against those foes. VERDICT An informative and surprisingly optimistic primer on American democracy's challenges and how to combat them, communicated with a dry, deliberate seriousness that may not spark the interest of every reader. [Previewed in Douglas Rednour's "Picture This," LJ 6/20.]—Emilia Packard, Tokyo, Japan

Library Journal