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John Gastil

Goodreads Author

Born

San Diego, The United States

Genre

Nonfiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Influences

Jane J. Mansbridge
Margaret Atwood
Austin Grossman
Benjamin R. Barber ...more

Member Since

November 2019

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John Gastil is a professor in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at Penn State University, where he also serves as Senior Scholar at the McCourtney Institute for Democracy. The National Science Foundation has supported numerous large-scale research programs for which he has served as a principal investigator.

Gastil has worked on campaigns for federal, state, and local office in California and New Mexico. He has also written two novels, which will be published in 2020 by Cosmic Egg Books (UK). He resides in State College, PA.

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John Gastil’s books

Average rating: 3.71 · 130 ratings · 44 reviews · 15 distinct works • Similar authors

	Dungeon Party: A Novel 3.43 avg rating — 37 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gray Matters: A Novel 3.40 avg rating — 20 ratings — published 2020 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hope for Democracy: How Citizens Can Bring Reason Back into Politics by John Gastil (Goodreads Author), Katherine Knobloch 4.40 avg rating — 15 ratings — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Democracy in Small Groups: Participation, Decision-making and Communication by John Gastil (Goodreads Author), Barbara Hirshkowitz 3.77 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 1993 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Legislature by Lot: Transformative Designs for Deliberative Governance by John Gastil (Goodreads Author), Erik Olin Wright 4.18 avg rating — 11 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Democracy in Motion: Evaluating the Practice and Impact of Deliberative Civic Engagement 4.83 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Political Communication and Deliberation 3.25 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2007 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	By Popular Demand: Revitalizing Representative Democracy Through Deliberative Elections really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2000 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Jury and Democracy: How Jury Deliberation Promotes Civic Engagement and Politicahow Jury Deliberation Promotes Civic Engage by John Gastil (Goodreads Author), E. Pierre Deess, Philip J. Weiser (Goodreads Author) liked it 3.00 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2010 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Group in Society 3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2009 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Too Like the Lightning (Terra Ignota, #1)

by Ada Palmer (Goodreads Author)

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May 07, 2023 10:00AM

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Wild Philly: Explore the Amazing Nature in and Around Philadelphia (Wild Series)

by Mike Weilbacher

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Mar 13, 2023 10:51AM

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Campus Misinformation: The Real Threat to Free Speech in American Higher Education

by Bradford Vivian

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Dec 06, 2022 05:17PM

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John Gastil liked Amanda's review of Gray Matters: A Novel: "What a whirlwind! I went in expecting a sci-fi novel looking at the implications of using AI to improve the lives of those suffering from mental degradation. What I got was a socio-political commentary on the current economic climate in the US. It’s " Read more of this review »
Sep 26, 2025 07:44AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Gray Matters by John Gastil. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Gray Matters by John Gastil <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Gastil liked Nathan Beeler's review of Gray Matters: A Novel: "Despite being friends with the author, or more likely because of that, it took me a while to get into the groove of the story. But after a few chapters the characters were no longer extensions of him; they took on their own lives and voices for me, a" Read more of this review »
Sep 26, 2025 07:43AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Gray Matters by John Gastil. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Gray Matters by John Gastil <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Gastil liked Maria Pilar Cambra Brown's review of Dungeon Party: A Novel: "This was a good, solid read. It is about a group of role playing friends and what happens to them when life intervenes and one of them feels utterly betrayed by the final death of his character. The fantasy role play narrative meshes really well with" Read more of this review »
Sep 26, 2025 07:42AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dungeon Party by John Gastil. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dungeon Party by John Gastil <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Gastil liked Mary Workman's review of Dungeon Party: A Novel: "Interesting story especially if you are a gamer."
Sep 26, 2025 07:42AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dungeon Party by John Gastil. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dungeon Party by John Gastil <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Gastil rated a book really liked it Circadian Web by Alistair Conwell (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
To quote one of its characters, this sci-fi adventure is a "walking bundle of surprises." Conwell offers a deeper meditation on mysteries beyond the time and space in which we (think we) live. ...more
Sep 26, 2025 07:41AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Circadian Web by Alistair Conwell. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Circadian Web by Alistair Conwell <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Gastil rated a book really liked it Circadian Web by Alistair Conwell (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
To quote one of its characters, this sci-fi adventure is a "walking bundle of surprises." Conwell offers a deeper meditation on mysteries beyond the time and space in which we (think we) live. ...more
Sep 26, 2025 07:41AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Circadian Web by Alistair Conwell. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Circadian Web by Alistair Conwell <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">