Why read We the People?

Book cover of We the People

Book description

The U.S. Constitution is among the oldest constitutions in the world-and one of the most difficult to amend. At what cost? In this landmark, lavishly illustrated book, Harvard professor of history and law Jill Lepore argues that the philosophy of amendment is foundational to American constitutionalism. Challenging both originalism and…

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Why read it?

1 author picked We the People as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik

Author

Jill Lepore, a professor of both history and law at Harvard, a regular contributor to the New Yorker and the author of fifteen books, is both prolific and proficient. She pulls off the difficult task of writing in-depth sweeping histories that are both impressively researched while also eminently lively and approachable.

Her latest publication traces the history of the U.S. constitution. Its real focus, though, is on how the document was designed to be amended, the myriad ways it has been amended and the many failed efforts along the way to amend it even more. The end result is a…

From Harry and Walter's 3 favorite reads in 2025.