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Book Summary

How Democracies Die

Steven Levitsky (a professor of government at Harvard University who focuses on comparative government) and Daniel Ziblatt (an American political scientist who specializes in the study of historical economies) remark that democracies have stopped going out with a bang, but rather a whimper. In this article, Akshita Krishnan explores these “whimpers” noted in the book, How Democracies Die.

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Book Summary Topic Analyses

Constraining Dictatorship: From Personalized Rule to Institutionalized Regimes

Constraining Dictatorship is a masterfully executed book that weaves in empirical analysis made to explain how executive constraints on autocratic leaders emerge, and the effects of institutionalization on a regime.

How Civil Wars Start: Barbara F. Walter

Over the last couple of years, the most prominent minds in American political scientists have sought to make sense of record tensions through works like Lilliana Mason’s “Uncivil Agreement” and “Why We Are Polarized” by Ezra Klein(you can read our review of that HERE(https://extempers.org/2021/04/20/book-summaries-part-4/
)). But in 2018, Barbara F. Walter intensified the conversation by evaluating an even more extreme scenario — what if the United States was heading toward civil war? Looking granularly at case studies from more than 30 years, Walter evaluates her question while giving both domestic and international extempers a framework to understand the recipe for sectional conflict.

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The Authority Gap: Why Women Are Still Taken Less Seriously Than Men, and What We Can Do about It

In her 2021 book The Authority Gap, former editor at The Times and political correspondent at The Economist Mary Ann Seighart provides insight into the authority gap, explaining why as a society we often undermine women while uplifting men.

Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World

As the fundamental vision of the United Nations, outlined in 1945, remains as essential to global order as ever, Matthew explores pressing challenges and opportunities articulated in Ban Ki-Moon’s 2021 book- Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World.

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Book Summary Topic Analyses

Human Rights for Pragmatists: Social Power in Modern Times

Jack Snyder, an American political scientist and the Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Relations at Columbia University, offers a bold perspective on systems based on human rights and demonstrates the stability of human rights depends on central power.

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Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

In his 2014 memoir Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson documents his career dealing with the criminal justice system and its history of unjustly targeting and incarcerating Black Americans.

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Book Summary Extemp Content and Strategy

Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China’s Push for Global Power

Published in 2017, Howard W. French provides excellent historical context to understand some of the motivations behind China’s modern-day behavior.

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Book Summary Extemp Content and Strategy

Book Summaries Part 5

Citing a book is one of the most impressive things you can do in an extemp speech. Beyond presenting an opportunity to cite distinguished scholars, books typically hold complex political, social, and economic theories that add sophistication to your speeches. Below is a list of a few books you may want to cite in your next speech.

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Book Summary

Book Summaries: Part 3

Citing a book is one of the most impressive things you can do in an extemp speech. Beyond presenting an opportunity to cite distinguished scholars, books typically hold complex political, social, and economic theories that add sophistication to your speeches. Below is a list of a few books you may want to cite in your […]

Categories
Book Summary

Book Summaries: Part 2

Citing a book (or books!) is one of the most impressive things you can do in an extemp speech. Beyond presenting an opportunity to cite distinguished scholars, books typically hold complex political, social, and economic theories that add sophistication to your speeches. Below is a list of a few books (with their summaries) you may […]

Categories
Book Summary

Book Summaries: Part 1

Citing a book (or books!) is one of the most impressive things you can do in an extemp speech. Beyond presenting an opportunity to cite distinguished scholars, books typically hold complex political, social, and economic theories that add sophistication to your speeches. Below is a list of a few books (with their summaries) you may […]