Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility, and Democracy

by Eric Liu

What does it mean to be an engaged American in today’s divided political landscape, and how do we restore hope in our country? In a collection of “civic sermons” delivered at gatherings around the nation, popular advocate for active citizenship Eric Liu takes on these thorny questions and provides inspiration and solace in a time of anger, fear, and dismay over the state of the Union.

Here are 19 stirring explorations of current and timeless topics about democracy, liberty, equal justice, and powerful citizenship. This book will energize you to get involved, in ways both large and small, to help rebuild a country that you’re proud to call home. Become America will challenge you to rehumanize our politics and rekindle a spirit of love in civic life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Essays, Social Justice, American, History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 7, 2019

Reviews

[Ted Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is based on a series of talks ("sermons") given by the author at the beginning of the Trump years (they actually began right after his election in 2016). They convey alarm at the trends that had led to the nation electing Trump to the presidency, but more importantly, they present a series of lessons/recommendations for moving the nation past the divisions and animosity that has defined us for at least a decade. The sermons are thoughtful, heartfelt, and wide-ranging, and include references to historical figures, individuals the author had just met, and everyone else in between. I found myself spending a lot of my time nodding my head in agreement with his analysis, and I even turned one quote in the book into a little poster that I put up in my classroom. I did wonder, however, if the author was simply preaching to the converted, and thus how much impact could a book of this nature have. What type of people came to his Civic Saturdays? Who has bought this book since it was published? I would guess that both groups contain very few of the people that Liu would like to connect with. But if there were a "Getting the U.S. Out of This Mess for Dummies" book, this would be it. The two reasons that I did not give the book a rating of Five Stars are: 1. It's a little dated. If Liu thought things were bad in early 2017, what would he say about January 6, 2021? 2. He could not avoid the temptation, speaking before what were clearly friendly audiences, of occasionally taking a shot at Trump and his die-hard supporters, violating his own precept about accepting the legitimacy of those with whom one disagrees. But these things are essentially quibbles about a very inspirational book.

[Josh Mirabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a collection of “sermons” from the Author’s organization, Citizen University, a civic organization that mimics religious institutions in structure to achieve a sense of unity and purpose. An interesting idea, but that’s unrelated.

The sermons (speeches) are all individually thought provoking and passionate, but juxtaposed next to one another in a single book, they got a little repetitive as far as themes and content. An overall solid read, but you can get the value of the whole book in the first third of it, it felt like.

[Brian Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Become America while looking for books on civics education, and wrote about its implications for civics education here. But the book is relevant for anyone who is a citizen - in a broad sense - of America today.

Two years ago, Eric Liu started a thing called "Civic Saturdays." He called them the civic analog to church, and they were weekly gatherings of people to think and talk about what it means to be a citizen in America. Like any good church service, these Civic Saturdays included a sermon, and those sermons are the basis of the book. It's a collection of 19 different sermons, loosely connected but not organized into any coherent logical sequence.

One thing I loved about the book was the use of quotes to frame each chapter. It would start with two to three quotes, and these would be woven into the text of the essay. Some were well-known documents, like Lincoln's speeches, while others were more obscure. But in each case, they made a great frame for the argument Liu made, and at times he offered a new way to look at something you'd already read.

The book makes you think - about what it means to be a citizen, about what our role is in society, about what our relationship is with our neighbors. It's also an interesting trip back through time, from the beginning of the Trump presidency to early 2019. So much happened in those two years, that I wouldn't blame you if you forgot some of the episodes. But when Liu references the most recent happenings in his sermons, you're transported back to a singular moment in time.

I loved the book, and it was quick, easy reading. The book broke down neatly into small episodes, making it easy to read one or two when you have little chunks of free time. I plan on reading it a second time later on, and I think there's a lot of gems in here worth reflecting on and thinking about.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shortly after the 2016 election, the former Clinton advisor developed Citizen Sermons, a sectarian communal service on being a civil civil society. These are some of his sermons through mid-2018. What it means to be an American, especially in these times, and how we can make our country better. He now has developed Citizens University to expalnd on this approach. Inspiring, challenging.

[Charles Collyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of "civic sermons" on how to enact traditional values and moral precepts in a progressive way. Very well written and argued.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

An upbeat and encouraging book. Eric Liu is not optimistic, but is hopeful about the future of American politics. Optimism is for spectators, he says. Hope is for those who get involved and try to make things better. Liu, a son of Chinese immigrants who went on to serve as a speechwriter in the Clinton Administration, is one of those who have gotten involved, and he wants to recruit you to join him.

Liu was so down after Trump's victory in November 2016 that he got together with some friends not to campaign harder for Democrats but to campaign for a more vibrant culture of citizenship among ordinary Americans. The result was Citizen University and Civic Saturdays, a church-style celebration of America's "civic religion" that celebrates our country's founding values of freedom and equality with "sermons" on political topics based on "scripture" from Lincoln, MLK, and other icons of progress. Since its founding, the Civic Saturdays program has spread across the country, encouraging not an apolitical truce between right and left but instead "smarter arguments" about important issues on which the two sides disagree.

Along the way, Liu meets Glenn Beck and others on the right whom Liu considers his friends, even though they disagree on public policy. A model for Americans to consider in this polarized age to rejuvenate our democracy and protect us from demagogues. After all, an oppressive government doesn't mind if it lacks your support. It just doesn't want you to team up with your neighbors to talk about it. By fighting the atomization of partisanship and social media, Liu's program encourages Americans to form bonds with each other to make democracy work from the bottom up.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very drawn to the title of this book. Living abroad for an extended period of time and talking to foreigners about my country has made me seriously reflect on what it means to be an American and I was hoping that this book could speak to some of the thoughts and questions that I was having. Liu, a domestic policy expert in the Clinton administration and a son of Chinese immigrants, is certainly someone who can speak to those ideas. He is also the founder of Citizens University, an NGO focused on building powerful and responsible US citizens. This book consists of "sermons" he gave around the country in support of his work, covering topics from organizing social movements to working with political opponents towards common goals.
While Liu touches on many of the topics I was hoping to learn about, I still found this book frustrating. Partially, because of its form. It is essentially just the transcript of 19 speeches that he gave over several years and many locations. After about five of them, the borderline corny inspirational tone starts to fall flat especially since he uses the same anecdotes and historical figures in many of them. For this reason, I'd recommend reading just couple at a time to avoid the feeling of hearing the same speech over and over again. I was also a bit surprised by how much he mentions Trump throughout, like an ever-present boogeyman. I understand that much of the reason behind launching Citizens University was a remedy to the societal ills represented by Trump, but he still played a more prominent role in the book than I would have liked.
Despite some shortcomings, I would recommend this book if our current political climate has you questioning what it really means to be an American citizen.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a member of the Washington State Civic Learning Council, and I taught a separate civics class to my 8th grade students for 10+ years; I have been an ardent advocate for civics education for many years. As Liu observes, most American citizens cannot even name the three branches of the federal government, let alone pass the citizenship test that is given to foreign-born persons seeking citizenship (I required my students to get at least 70% of the 100 questions correct in order to pass my class).
Liu's work, a compilation of lectures he gave as part of the Civic Saturday program he started in November 2016 right after Trump was elected, is a very worthwhile reflection on the state of America, and the critical role of civics education for both adults and students. Although he is strongly and vocally anti-Trump, he is also very focused on what history and creative thinking can tell us about how to get past this current critical, dangerous time for our democracy. I loved his opening quotes in each lecture, taken from some of the great writers, speakers, politicians, and citizens of the past, and used as a framework for the lectures that followed. Thoughtful, compelling, and stating the cause for further activism on behalf of our country's future by persons of every political persuasion that truly care about our country.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great collection of civic sermons, where Eric Liu shares his perspective on democracy and what it means to be American.

Liu proposes an oath for American-born Americans and talks about what it takes to be committed to democracy. He shares anecdotes and his philosophy and a vision for the future that exists because of engagement in democracy.

This is an awesome read for anyone who feels overwhelmed and wants to know what's next.

[Larry M Bergelt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very excited to read this book after reading the intro on it. However, after 100 pages I had to give up. While the author talks a lot about American civics which was what interested me he turns out to be a closet leftist. He has many good ideas and reading in the civics classes he shows, but they are just a cover. He is a Trump-hating liberal and generously sprinkles that and other liberal ideas throughout the book. He believes in the debunked Trump-Russian conspiracy theory and shows his hate for Trump throughout the book.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good collection of "civic sermons" that are a reminder that America is held together by ideas and ideals, and that these should form the basis of politics and involvement, not petty reactions to the opposing party.

[Marleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why is it important to become civically engaged? The most powerful thing we can do in a democracy is vote. Eric Liu began weekly get togethers that explored how we can become a more involved citizen.

[Herzog · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well meaning book from an anti-Trumper, but seems wholly unproportional to the threat that those who support him poses. While the opposition writes, Trump acts.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Each civic sermon was engaging, however, later sermons were repetitive of earlier ones.

[Stephanie Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main struggle was the repetition. The sermons were originally told to different audiences, but there were a few stories that were repeated in multiple “sermons”.

[Airic Easm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. Straight to the heart of the American experience.

[Bob Washut]

Excellent. A ray of hope, however narrow. The ball’s in our court.