*Democracy in darkness*, Katlyn Carter

5 Absolute Must Read Books About Democracy from 2023

This list is different than most. What sets it apart is not simply that it focuses on books about democracy, but that it looks for ones that will challenge our assumptions and expectations. For those of us who have read extensively about democracy for years, this becomes very difficult. But quite a few scholars do find ways to approach different aspects of democracy in novel ways. They examine concepts in different settings that raise difficult questions that don't have easy answers.

Over the past few years I have found most of the best books on democracy have flown under the radar. This does not mean books about democracy are not popular or do not sell. Liz Cheney's Oath and Honor, Rachel Maddow's Prequel, Heather Cox Richardson's Democracy Awakening and Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt's Tyranny of the Minority were all New York Times Best Sellers this past year. Those are all amazing reads that I highly recommend. However, they did not make my top five (although Prequel came very close).

Like always my list is eclectic. I have included books focused on Central America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Two of the books are historical. Three of the books are from first-time authors. But they all touch on questions about democracy in unconventional ways. For those wondering, the list is not ranked. But you'll find they appeal to different people for different reasons. Still, each one is remarkable in its own way.

Katlyn Carter's book covers the late 18th and early 19th century when modern notions about democracy were in their infancy. She recounts how America and France formed their constitutions and then how they continued to evolve during those early years. Central to those debates were questions about secrecy, transparency, and publicity. Politicians debated over not just what information to share with the public, but also how to share it.

Now what makes this book remarkable is how she ties those debates to the very idea of representation itself. Carter makes us realize questions about secrecy and transparency did not exist at the periphery of public deliberations. They were at the heart of public debates in the United States and France. Moreover, those early debates shaped how we think about democracy today.

Carter has authored a book that weaves ideas about democratic theory together with two parallel historical episodes. In so doing it changes how we look at political debates today. After reading her book, I was amazed at how many debates about democracy revolve around questions of secrecy and transparency. It's a remarkable feat to write about the past in a way that has so much to say about the present.