America the Unusual

by John W. Kingdon

Kingdon explores how the American polity is different from that of other countries - particularly other Western democracies - examining just how this uniqueness came about. It invites both introductory and advanced students to appreciate the roots and limits of American exceptionalism, and to recognize the profound importance of current debates over the government's role in our everyday lives.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Political Science, Textbooks, Public Policy

111 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

John Wells Kingdon (born 1940) is Professor Emeritus and was Acting Chair of Political Science (1989-1990 when the Chair, Jack L. Walker, was on leave) at the University of Michigan. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was a Guggenheim fellow. He resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Reviews

[Debbie is on Storygraph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for one of my classes and it was a quick read. I enjoyed it because Kingdon talks a lot about the unique historical ideology of the United States, which I had studied for my senior thesis in undergrad. It was a very nice review of something that took up a significant portion of a year of my life. It was also interesting to see how Kingdon connected this ideology to America's "unusual" political system and structure.

[Dani · Rating 1 out of 5]

America the Unusual is without a doubt one of the most boring books I’ve ever read. Now, granted, I did read this for one of my college courses, so it is a “school book.”

Unfortunately, this book tries to be so many things that it is not. It attempts to compare the US government with foreign governments around the globe. Now, if the book had done this successfully, it might have been more interesting. Nonetheless, this book is too repetitive, dry, and dull for me to recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about American government. Most of the information found in this book can be found in any high school government class, but of course, the class would be more entertaining.

Furthermore, this book really needed a better copy editor. This book is about politics, and the word ‘political’ was spelled incorrectly. I am baffled by the amount of errors and inconsistencies in this book. Frankly, it could have been much shorter.

[Chris Weigl · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I were going to recommend one book to explain American democracy it would probably be this book.

[evelyn taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey, your story honestly blew me away. It had such strong imagery that I could picture every scene as if it were playing out in front of me. The dialogue, pacing, and character expressions were all so vivid, it already feels halfway to being a comic.

I’m a commission artist who works with authors to adapt their stories into Webtoons, comics, and manga, and yours instantly stood out to me as something that could look absolutely stunning in that format.

If you’re down or want to see my work, you can find me on Discord (eve_verse).

Regards,
Evelyn

[Michalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book alot and my review is probably closer to 3.5 stars than 3. As someone not native to the US I had quite a few "lightbulb" moments and for that reason I found it valuable. That said, it's not perfect and though Kingdon's focus is on "America the Unusual" there's alot of the same theme of "America the Exceptional" and I couldn't help thinking that America is exceptional/unusual but so is every other country.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is incredibly repetitive. It's the old "tell 'em what you're going to say, say it, tell 'em what you said" academic ideal taken to an extreme. But I learned a lot, and thought it was worth reading.

[Dorothy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rehash of all the reasons why American government is so distinctive. Snoozefest. If you've ever taken a Comparative Government class, there won't be much in this book that you'll find new or interesting. At 100 pages, it's still too long.

[Alex Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book deals with one of my favorite concepts - path dependence. Kingdon uses history and sociology to explain how America operates politically. Will definitely change your perspective on things like taxation and personal rights.

[Garyt2013 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished "America the Unusual" by John Kingdon. I really enjoyed this 100 page book in which Kingdon describes how America is fundamentally different from other industrialized countries, works through various theories about why, and discusses various pros and cons. -- great food for thought

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little book that simply explains how unusual Americans and our society is when compared with other western industralized countries.

[Nelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting ideas but very repetitive.

[Jordynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

yea, didn't finish it. it was horrible

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone interested in why America is the way it is.

[Natalie Eberts]

Immigrant/self-selecting pool argument

[Eduardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best explanation why the US is the way it is.