Accountable: Making America as Good as Its Promise

by Tavis Smiley, Stephanie Robinson (Contributor)

Accountable provides real-life examples of how crucial issues -- including health care, education, the economy, unequal justice, and the environment -- manifest themselves in our communities. The book demonstrates the urgent need to hold politicians and ourselves responsible, because the stakes have never been higher. Accountable examines present-day conditions and the consequences for America. At its core, this book is a tool with which the community can evaluate the successes or failures of its political leaders and of itself. This insightful book acknowledges the mistakes of the past while offering hope and inspiration for a better future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

303 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Tavis Smiley is an American talk show host and author. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and grew up in Bunker Hill, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of Los Angeles.
Smiley became a radio commentator in 1991 and, starting in 1996, he hosted the talk show BET Talk (later renamed BET Tonight with Tavis Smiley) on Black Entertainment Television (BET). After Smiley sold an exclusive interview of Sara Jane Olson to ABC News in 2001, BET declined to renew his contract that year. Smiley then began hosting The Tavis Smiley Show on National Public Radio (NPR) (2002–04) and hosted Tavis Smiley on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on weekdays and The Tavis Smiley Show on Public Radio International (PRI) from 2004 until 2017.
Smiley had an employment dispute with PBS in December 2017 which resulted in his suing PBS for wrongful termination. Smiley is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SmileyAudioMedia, Inc. headquartered in Los Angeles. Since June 2021 he has served as Chief Visionary Officer for his radio station, KBLA Talk 1580.

Reviews

[Nandi Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the amount I have read, I am pretty impressed with Mr Smiley's findings. I have to say that our current President has a lot of change and make right which is truly unfair since it didn't take one President to make it worse. One person talked on how he had Obama on the cover but he(Smiley) didn't support him for the Presidency. Well, he put him on the cover because now he IS accountable for what happens in this country now and also in the book are checklists as to what the President has done, what elected officials have done, what local officals have done, and finally, what am I or will be doing? quite impressed. So while yes, the President is to be accountable, he also makes us ALL down to the reader ACCOUNTABLE as well.

[Marjanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book basically picks a handful of issues that are prevalent in our country today, discusses why they are important, what the author thinks should be done about it, and succinctly outlines what Obama promised to do about the issue (pulled from a variety of speeches and comments given during the presidential race). For someone like me, the downside of this book is that it is very focused on the African-American population, but I did feel like I could relate in spite of it and that the author made good arguments. This book is also set up as an excellent resource for anyone interested in tracking the president’s promises with what he actually accomplishes.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book identified the issues plaguing America and solutions that we could all utilize to truly Make this country great. It will take all of us.

[Anna Ligtenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

ISBN 1439100020 – In all fairness, I have to admit upfront that I dislike Tavis Smiley with a passion. That isn’t nice and maybe isn’t fair, but it’s reality and I don’t mention it to bash the man, but to inform anyone who reads this review, just in case my feelings have inadvertently impacted my review.

Personal stories are centered around major issues of our time, from health care to the environment and everything in between. At the end of each chapter, there is a checklist of questions.

The content is timely, certainly. The personal stories are often close to home. The problems I have with the books are twofold. The first is that the style and what the book (inadvertently, perhaps) suggests is that you’re an idiot. It would make an excellent tool for an eighth or ninth grade civics class, but it doesn’t bring much to the table for a reasonably aware, and reasonably educated, adult. Interestingly, the book had the potential for a long, healthy shelf-life, but that was killed by the almost too-timeliness of it; in a very short period of time, the contents will be so dated as to be utterly useless other than as a historical record (a purpose already well-filled by the internet).

My second issue is with the author, though not on a personal level. I find that it strikes me as questionable that Smiley, whose first two books in this “series” were aimed strictly at a black readership, suddenly has an interest in communicating with a broader audience. While I can’t prove that it means anything, Smiley has been involved in at least two instances in the past few years that might have turned a portion of the black population against him. Perhaps this is a factor in the abrupt attempt to broaden his audience. Whatever the reason, I can’t help thinking that there’s more to this than the apparent “we’re all in this together” idea that Smiley puts forth and that I’m just not buying from a guy whose career, to this point, has been all about speaking to a single race.

- AnnaLovesBooks

[Diane Kistner · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a person with training in systems thinking and social work, I have been more politically active than the average bear. I am also fairly liberal politically, but that does not mean I'm willing to sit back and buy everything I am told by my president hook, line, and sinker--bereft of analysis and thought. WE, the people, hire our political leaders, and WE should therefore approach the task of evaluating and managing them as any shrewd employer would. That's where "Accountable: Making America as Good as Its Promise" comes in.

What I like the most about this book is that it takes a systems approach, which will be required if any lasting positive change is to be had. Instead of giving us a partisan blame-game "analysis," which tends to fan the flames of our base emotions while kicking our brains out of gear, this book shows us how each and every one of us are partners in the forging of our future. The days of division and froth-mouthed do-nothing partisanship HAVE to be over if we are to survive as a great nation; the people have to lead our leaders to higher ground and dump by the wayside any who refuse to mature along with us.

Reading through this book, it struck me how many of his promises President Obama has already kept--especially given the fact that he must depend on highly functioning Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches to do so. Obama inherited the most God-awful mess I have ever seen in my lifetime (I'm pushing 60), and just helping restore checks and balances to government even as massive action must be taken to stabilize our free-falling nation is a daunting task...cubed. So, yes, we must hold him accountable. But we have to start thinking more systemically instead of in black-and-white terms, and we must hold ourselves as accountable as we do our leaders. In language and a format that is clear and easy to follow, this book helps us begin to do just that.

[Adrienna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the cover of this book. I see research and past stories on healthcare, school/education, and so forth in our economy today. However, I am not sure if this is to bash healthcare, education, and other factors or just point out some of the social, economical, and political issues that some of these people are facing.

I live in Milwaukee, WI and never heard of a school called Regan College Preparatory High School, and hearing about a principal being attacked by 15 year old female student. I do know that our schools, and students, can become vicious, and also reading below their educational versus age level.

Overall, the scope of this book is to make politicians accountable for their promises and as American citizens, we hold them accountable, and see if they follow-thru.

[Ice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Accountable provides real-life examples of how crucial issues -- including health care, education, the economy, unequal justice, and the environment -- manifest themselves in our communities. The book demonstrates the urgent need to hold politicians and ourselves responsible, because the stakes have never been higher.

Accountable examines present-day conditions and the consequences for America. At its core, this book is a tool with which the community can evaluate the successes or failures of its political leaders and of itself. This insightful book acknowledges the mistakes of the past while offering hope and inspiration for a better future.

[Alex]

I have started this book yesterday and must say it has great in site into America. It is a great continuation to "The Covenant". Another great thing for me is that I have already been able to check stuff off in the list of what my president and congresswoman has done.