US politics today by Edward Ashbee & Nigel Ashford. Manchester University Press, 1999.

ISBN hardback 0 71905463X, paperback 0719054648. pp 240. List price: Hardback: £35, paperback £8.99

Reviewed by Ian Ralston, American Studies Resources Centre.

Ashbee and Ashford have succeeded in producing a work in area that has proved a minefield for far too many writers in the past. A question often asked by teachers has been how is that a subject as intrinsically interesting as US government and politics has produced more than its fair share of turgid and down right dull texts, that have only succeeded in turning students off the subject? US Politics Today avoids all of those (oft heard) criticisms and succeeds in producing a work that will be invaluable for both A level/Access and undergraduate studies. The reasons for the success of this text lie not only in the style of writing and the organisation of topic areas, but also in the manner the authors have widened the study to take in representations of US politics in popular culture, as well as providing a broad range of internet links that would lead students to a wealth of primary and secondary materials on all aspects of the study of US politics. The keys issues addrressed by the work, although not original, (eg Is the Constitution out of date?) reflect the overall approach. The authors, therefore, do not just consider the constitutional powers in a vacuum, but relate them to important factors faced in contemporary America. Overall, this an important text that is highly recommended; particulalry for those teachers concerned in finding a work that will stimulate the interest of students and that will reflect on not just the theoretical powers but also the real life essence of US government today.

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