Adventures in Democracy

'Sparkling . . . a page-turner full of wit, original insight and unassuming erudition' Guardian

'Enjoyable vitality' The Times

'Highly stimulating . . . wonderfully readable . . . her analysis of democracy's key strengths and weaknesses is forensic' Literary Review

Democracy is a living, breathing thing and Erica Benner has spent a lifetime thinking about the role ordinary citizens play in keeping it alive: from her childhood in post-war Japan, where democracy was imposed on a defeated country, to working in post-communist Poland, with its sudden gaps of wealth and security. This book draws on her experiences and the deep history of self-ruling peoples – going back to ancient Greece, the French revolution and Renaissance Florence – to rethink some of the toughest questions that we face today.

What do democratic ideals of equality mean in a world obsessed with competition, wealth, and greatness? How can we hold the powerful to account? Can we find enough common ground to keep sharing democratic power in the future? Challenging well-worn myths of heroic triumph over tyranny, Benner reveals the inescapable vulnerabilities of people power, inviting us to consider why democracy is worth fighting for and the role each of us must play.

Reviews

Political philosopher Erica Benner offers an original, highly humanistic analysis focusing on how individuals have interacted organically with democracy…Benner forensically dissects the strengths and failings of democracy... She offers — in a beautifully written account — instructive lessons about the compromises and contradictions that democratic systems have had to grapple with and the questions that informed citizens must ask themselves when considering their political futures