Unrig

June 1, 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.

June 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

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2020
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. With a laser-like focus on economic interests, Newman does not touch much on other inequities in our democracy but he does point out the ways in which unrigging the rules around wealth and government could improve the lives of many marginalized people. In style, O'Connor's art brings to mind Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics but whether that is because of the straightforward presentation, frequently changed and entertaining scenery, or the existence of a dark-haired male narrator in a plaid shirt is hard to say. Lively images of the narrator driving a car back to 1888 and personal stories like those of the badass grandmas keep the academic topic from becoming too dry, and the conversational tone explains complex topics in an easy-to-understand fashion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)