Book description
An acclaimed examination of how the American political system favors the wealthy-now fully revised and expanded
The first edition of Unequal Democracy was an instant classic, shattering illusions about American democracy and spurring scholarly and popular interest in the political causes and consequences of escalating economic inequality. This revised, updated,…
Why read it?
1 author picked Unequal Democracy as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I found this book useful in understanding the anachronistic nature of the U.S. constitution and how the institutions of democracy came under pressure by the powerful forces of inequality caused by technological change, globalization, and bailout capitalism until the political system morphed into a plutocracy.
Plutocracy means that the general will of the population was not mirrored in the laws of the land because the super-rich influenced the legislators. It is not true that most Americans want to have easy access to military-style machine guns. It is not true that most Americans want the federal minimum wage to be at…
From John's list on The best books to understand the decline of democracy in the USA.
If you love Unequal Democracy...
December on 5C4
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
Want books like Unequal Democracy?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 59 books like Unequal Democracy.
Share your top 3 reads of 2026!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
181
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Unequal Democracy, you might also like...
Sexy Selfie Nation
The problem is not with the actions young women take but with the toxic, sexist conditions they are responding to.
Tanenbaum found, based on six years of interviews with young people ages 14-30, that young women are navigating a culture littered with gendered dress codes, revenge porn, and sexually explicit…
In This Together
In This Together explores how we can harness our social networks to make a real impact fighting the climate crisis. Against notions of the lone environmental crusader, Marianne E. Krasny shows us the power of "network climate action"—the idea that our own ordinary acts can influence and inspire those close…
