This was a good book to read given the current conventions, upcoming debates, and the election in just a few months. It hit the main topics and explained in greater depth some areas I am personally interested in like the electoral college, a two party political system, and fundraising regulations. Some of the material felt outdated despite there being an obvious attempt at including recent elections. Also, and maybe this is just because I researched the author beforehand, I felt there was a preference to one political party in the way the parties were portrayed and the examples of officials provided. Not so far as to be annoying though, because I do think the author did their best to remain balanced. There was just an obvious and somewhat slight skew to the perspective on some issues. As a whole some chapters were more informative and organized than others, but this is a good starting off place for many if they're looking for basics and don't want to be swayed too much with actual political opinions.