Citizen Democracy: Political Activists in a Cynical Age (People, Passions, and Power: Social Movements, Interest Organizations, and the P) [Paperback]

Stephen E. Frantzich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0847691519 | ISBN-13: 978-0847691517

Apathy and antipathy toward politics are epidemic. Citizen Democracy provides the antidote. Through a series of nineteen carefully chosen vignettes, Stephen Frantzich portrays citizens from every walk of life--rich and poor, old and young, black and white, male and female, left and right, famous and obscure--as they choose to become involved in politics at a level to which readers can relate. Some of the stories contain unexpected twists. Candy Lightner, the founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, now works as a liquor industry lobbyist and argues that MADD has gone too far. College freshman Gregory Watson reacted to receiving a OCO on a political science paper by quitting school and becoming the driving force behind passage of a constitutional amendment that had been the subject of his paper. Two young women independently wrote letters of application to the U.S. Naval Academy and in the process moved military education in the direction of gender neutrality. Citizen Democracy shows ordinary people engaged in extraordinary civic activity. Their causes run the gamut from civil rights to flag burning, from the Internet to the international fronts of landmines and the UN - but their common cause is the fact that they creatively entered the arena of national public policy making and made a difference.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In this thoughtful book, Stephen Frantzich provides concrete evidence that ordinary citizens can make a difference in public policy outcomes through a commitment to political organizing. What a timely book, one that nicely challenges the assumption of citizen apathy often imposed on our times. (Craig Rimmerman )

Offers a direct assault on fashionable distaste for politics by profiling nearly two dozen Americans who chose an issue and fought for it, achieving notable success. . . . In all his lively narratives, Frantzich recaps successful strategies readers can use to support their own causes. (Booklist )

A trove of fascinating cases can be found in this work. The book is well and cleverly written. The work is interesting and enlightening. (H-Net Reviews )

Citizen Democracy is informative in several ways. There are fascinating biographies of controvercial figures. (The Bloomsbury Review )

This volume presents a series of interesting vignettes about individuals who have made a difference in politics. It is an excellent collection of useful examples 'of relatively typical individuals who overcome cynicism to affect public well-being.' (Choice )

By telling the stories of activists of both the left and the right, Frantzich celebrates the act of political engagement and participation as a virtue in itself. Readers will learn from this book how citizen involvement, even on the part of people they may not like or with whom they disagree, nourishes democratic deliberation. This book will inspire future citizen activists while also serving as a useful 'how-to' manual. (Bill Hudson )

About the Author

Stephen E. Frantzich is professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (August 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847691519
• ISBN-13: 978-0847691517
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,083,199 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must reading this election year -- now go vote!, January 26, 2000

By 

Evelyn Morgen (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Citizen Democracy: Political Activists in a Cynical Age (People, Passions, and Power: Social Movements, Interest Organizations, and the P) (Paperback)

This is a refreshing and inspiring collection of essays about people who refuse to believe "you can't fight city hall." Subtitled "Political activists in a cynical age" it traces the stories of people who used the political system to affect public well-being. Examples include MADD (mothers against drunk driving); Dr. Kristen Zarfos, the breast cancer surgeon whose grass roots efforts stopped "Drive Through Mastectomies;" and Rosa Parks bus segregation protest. I'm famiiliar with Dr. Zarfos story, and this book tells it beautifully. Read this book yourself and give it to anyone who complains about how irrelevant politics has become!

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book!, August 12, 2009

By 

Linda Mallory "MBAPA" (New York) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Citizen Democracy: Political Activism in a Cynical Age (People, Passions, and Power: Social Movements, Interest Organizations, and the P) (Paperback)

This is a great read, either as a textbook in a government and politics class or as a book to inspire and amaze. Dr. Frantzich has meticulously researched the famous and obscure that have taken some bold steps to make a difference and affect real change. After I finished reading it and using it for a college-leve public administration class I am teaching, my husband read it and will use the vingettes to illustrate the government process to his AP government class. I highly recommend it and will use it again in my college classes.