Age Group:
AdultsProgram Description
Event Details
This event is cosponsored by York Public Library and the Camden Conference - partners for this Special Event!
Dr. Alan R. Gitelson will be facilitating a discussion of "Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America" by Heather Cox Richardson. Participants will gather by the fireplace in the Upper Level of the library. This event is limited to 15 participants. When you register please let us know if you want to request a copy of the book through the Maine library system. Please request your copy as soon as possible to insure you have enough time to read it before the event.
About the Book Discussion Leader - Alan R. Gitelson Ph.D.
Ph.D., Political Science, The Maxwell School, Syracuse University
Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Political Science, Loyola University Chicago
Professor Gitelson teaches and conducts research in the areas of political parties and elections, interest groups, civic education/civic engagement, and political psychology and socialization. He has authored numerous professional articles and conference papers on political parties, campaigns and elections, political socialization. Specifically, he has published in the Journal of Politics, Publius, Polity, Policy Studies Review, Political Methodology, and The Western Political Quarterly. He is the author of several books including American Government: Myth & Reality (Oxford University Press), Political Parties: Stability & Change (Houghton Mifflin Publications), American Elections: The Rules Matter (Pearson Publishers). Lectures in England, Scotland, Tunisia and El Salvador.
About the Book
At a time when the very foundations of American democracy seem under threat, the lessons of the past offer a road map for navigating a moment of political crisis. In Democracy Awakening, acclaimed historian Heather Cox Richardson delves into the tumultuous journey of American democracy, tracing the roots of Donald Trump’s “authoritarian experiment” to the earliest days of the republic. She examines the historical forces that have led to the current political climate, showing how modern conservatism has preyed upon a disaffected population, weaponizing language and promoting false history to consolidate power.
With remarkable clarity and the same accessible voice that brings millions to her newsletter, Letters from an American, Richardson wrangles a chaotic news feed into a story that pivots effortlessly from the Founders to the abolitionists to Nixon to the January 6 insurrection. An essential read for anyone concerned about the state of America, Democracy Awakening is more than a history book; it’s a call to action. Richardson reminds us that democracy requires constant vigilance and participation from all of us, showing how we, as a nation, can take the lessons of the past to secure a more just and equitable future.
About the Author
Heather Cox Richardson is Professor of History at Boston College. She has written about the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, and the American West in award-winning books whose subjects stretch from the European settlement of the North American continent to the history of the Republican Party through the Trump administration. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and The Guardian, among other outlets. She is the cohost of the Vox podcast, Now & Then.
About the Camden Conference
Camden Conference, a nonprofit, non-partisan educational organization whose mission is to foster informed discourse on world issues, hosts a 2-day symposium on an important and relevant subject each year, while sponsoring community events on related topics throughout the year. This event is presented in anticipation of the 38th Annual Camden Conference, “Democracy Under Threat: A Global Perspective,” presented February 21-23, 2025, live on the stage of the Camden Opera House, and live streamed to Lunt Auditorium in Falmouth and the Strand Theatre in Rockland. Ticket sales begin November 1 for Camden Conference members and December 1 for the general public. For more information or to become a Camden Conference member, please visit camdenconference.org.