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If you’ve been to a book store or the library lately, then you’ve probably seen at least a few books on democracy on the shelves. The 2016 presidential election spurred a lot of conversation about the current state of our democracy and where things go from here. The hosts of the Democracy Works podcast read about a dozen of them and review them on this week’s podcast episode.

These books are not what most people would call beach reading, but they are important to understanding what’s happening in the U.S. and around the world right now. Books discussed include:

• How Democracies Die (Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt)
• The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom is in Danger and How to Save It (Yascha Mounk)
• The Retreat of Western Liberalism (Edward Luce)
• Devil’s Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency (Joshua Green)
• The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics (Salena Zito and Bradd Todd)
• Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic (David Frum)
• One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet Deported (E.J. Dionne Jr., Norman Ornstein, Thomas Mann)
•  Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump (Michael Isikoff and David Corn)
•  The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels (Jon Meacham)
• The Monarchy of Fear: A Philosopher Looks at Our Political Crisis (Martha C. Nussbaum)

Democracy Works is produced by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State and WPSU Penn State. New episodes are released every week. Subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app.