Democracy's Edge: Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life

by Frances Moore Lappé

Book Overview

Three out of five Americans, both Republicans and Democrats, feel our country is headed in the wrong direction. America is at the edge, a critical place at which we can either renew and revitalize or give in and lose that most precious American ideal-democracy-and along with it the freedom, fairness, and opportunities it assures. Democracy's Edge is a rousing battle cry that we can-and must-act now.? From Jefferson to Eisenhower, presidents from both...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0787943118
• ISBN13: 9780787943110
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 471 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.1" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

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Frances Moore Lappé has done it again. After publishing Diet for a Small Planet (1971) I thought Lappé's search for the root causes of hunger were complete. In that watershed publication, she illuminated the true social and economic costs of corporate farming, carefully outlining how advertising and lobbying in Congress can work together to create a system that does not promote human or ecosystem health and well being for people here or abroad. Now, in Democracy's Edge, Lappé shares another deeply insightful analysis of how we are in danger of losing our democratic way of life by the steady erosion of individual rights, biased media information, and attenuation of our voices in government. While she sees us at a critical juncture at which we might lose our democratic way of life, Lappé has done her homework again and personally interviewed people and organizations that are engaged in "living democracy" - a process, a verb, not a noun. She debunks the idea that we are a divided nation and shares information poles that show most Americans, whether Republican or Democrat, are concerned about the same things: the economy, the environment, healthcare, and the right to balanced and complete information. Lappé gives us a new lexicon of definitions for words like democracy, conservative, and liberal - and a fresh perspective about power. Throughout the book, Frances Moore Lappé illustrates how corporations have grown into the very fabric of our lives, and how they have defined for us who we are, what we like or don't like, and then why we can't change it. Advertising and corporate-government alliances work against democratic process, yet we continue to support them through our 401K's, our shopping habits, and political choices! Lappé is convinced we can deepen democratic process to one of a living democracy by paying attention, listening, and acting whenever we see anti-democratic forces shaping our lives and economy. If we wish to have a truly democratic country, then we have to participate. She interviews people and groups who have shed their victim stance and realized that power is about relationships. Their understanding allows them to shift the power relationship with employers or political forces to gain leverage and a voice. Seven states in the U.S. for example have a Working Families Party. Their states have voted in new democratic procedures that allow them to cross-endorse a candidate on more than one party ballot line (fusion voting - common in America before the nineteenth century). This allows their interests to be visible and begins to influence candidates to consider their votes as important to successful election. Another innovation common in European democracies and many U.S. city elections is instant run-off voting that eliminates "throwing away" a vote by allowing voters to list their top three candidates in order of preference. If no one wins a majority, the bottom candidate is dropped and second preferences

Lappe uses head, heart, and hard facts to inspire action

Lappe uses head, heart, and hard facts to inspire action In Frances Moore Lappe's Democracy's Edge, she challenges every one of us to move beyond inertia and complaints about the way things are. Armed with indisputable facts, she exposes corporate, legal, economic and social injustices while providing us with example after example of ordinary citizens whose voices and actions have changed the status quo and improved the condition of their communities.

Inspiring and Informative

Frances Moore Lappe beautifully transcends partisan politics in this third book of a trilogy about making a difference in one's life and the lives of others (Hope's Edge, You Have the Power: Choosing Courage in a Culture of Fear being the first two; I highly recommend reading them in that order). It was exciting for me to read about people who have successfully moved beyond apathy and into action to better the world. Bravo!

RX for feeling like giving up on your hopes for our country and the world

This is an astonishing assembly of evidence that the news of democracy's demise has been greatly exaggerated. If you want to get excited about what your fellow citizens are doing out of the limelight of the mainstream "news" media, this book will hit the spot. Although Lappe has herself been a significant figure in grassroots progressive work for decades, and her experience clearly informs the conceptual framework she uses, this book is really about the work of an amazing array of others, and what can happen when we work together. It made me feel like cheering out loud.

Stepping up to the plate

Democracy's Edge is about real people, and about making democracy real. From America's rural heartland to our largest cities, Frances Moore Lappe chronicles the actions of ordinary people whom she has met and interviewed, who are taking action to improve things in their communities. Democracy's Edge is a combination of practical information on issues, telling the story of various communities, and a hopeful yet pragmatic visioning. It reminds me of another great American writer and commentator, Studs Terkel. It is an important work for anyone interested in building a democracy -- a society in which people hold the power to govern.