AM GOV 2012

by Joseph Losco, Ralph Baker

Published annually at the start of each year, "Am Gov" provides unmatched currency and is the first student-centered American Government text. It provides instructors who normally choose a big, brief, or essentials text with scholarly, succinct, and conventionally organized core content. A magazine format engages students and motivates active participation in our democracy (all this, and at a price that students prefer). Painstaking student and instructor reviews, surveys, and focus groups; as well as ethnographic research into student study behaviors, preferences, and needs, make "Am Gov" the product of serious scholarship. "Am Gov" brings serious fun to American Government through its quality, currency, features, and format.

Genres: Textbooks, Nonfiction

512 pages, Paperback

First published June 20, 2013

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A decent textbook.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've taught Introduction to American Politics a lot over time, and I've tried many textbooks. Some have bombed, some have resonated with students, and many get just a so-so reception. But here is one that is genuinely intriguing. How will students--and others interested in studying American politics--respond? I don't know, but I think that this has a chance of generating more interest among readers than most texts would.

It's printed almost in a magazine format, making it less forbidding than the standard hard cover, hundreds upon hundreds of pages textbook. That may provide more of a sense of accessibility and break down some initial barriers. The authors explicitly set out to create a different kind of text. As they say on the inside cover: "You convinced us that there had to be a better way to get across the fundamental concepts of American democracy and what it means to be an American citizen."

The content is pretty standard--chapters on citizenship, the Constitution, federalism, civil rights and liberties, public opinion, and so on. Chapter by chapter coverage hits the normal subjects. However, chapters feature some extras that might well make this book more attractive to students (and any others who want to learn more about American politics): there are little vignettes about real people and how politics interacts with them, to personalize the subject; hints on how to get involved in politics; comparisons with other countries; hot pepper questions to get readers to think about issues; lots of colorful photos; graphs and tables presenting information in a compelling manner.

So, this is a different kind of textbook in American politics. But it is fascinating. I'm going to be interested in seeing how well this "sells." I suspect that many students will find this a refreshing change of pace.

[Chunyang Ding · Rating 5 out of 5]

HECK YEAH I LOVED THIS BOOK.

lololol we got this book for free after doing this API thing, and honestly it wasn't that bad for a primer into American Government, which I'll be taking the AP version of starting in a few days. It works well integrating modern topics into regular factors of government, and honestly wasn't bad at all. Although quite thin on actual knowledge, with the judicial system seeming particularly skimpy and other parts just flat out missing, it's a decent and interesting book.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't care for the magazine feel textbook. The information is presented in a concise format but when teaching I had to add to the text so that students understood the concepts. Great price while is alright with content.

[Lynn]

Yuck.