Book Review

Many years ago Patrick Henry spoke his infamous words “Give me liberty or give me death”. Naomi Wolf recently wrote a book based on his principle called Give me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries. It discusses the history of democracy in this country, how our government was created, and ways Americans can fight for their rights.

Wolf argues that Americans have become complacent with regard to the state of today’s democracy. She explains that some forms of free speech now requires a special permit process. Strict ordinances discourage free speech with high insurance fees and noise restrictions. And, the use of tasers make speaking out physically dangerous.

Her recommendations include putting more of an emphasis on civics education in school, making voting mandatory and creating a guide to running for local, state and national office. Government should be more accessible to all people. It should be more transparent and comprehensible to all citizens.

This is a handbook for Americans that want to learn how to help those in need, to protest or hold a boycott, to run a town meeting, to get their message heard by those in power, and how to run for office.

But it’s much more than that. It explains how the government became what it is today. It explains who the framers were and what they intended by writing the constitution. And, how the events that followed resulted in commercial imperialism. In just over one hundred years we’ve been responsible for overthrowing fourteen governments for various ideological, political, and economic reasons, such as Nicaragua, Honduras, Cuba, Iran, Guatemala, the Philippines, etc.

This handbook also cites several current key activists working to make a difference. They’ve started non-profits, political web sites, and campaigned for presidential candidates. Her portraits show how ordinary Americans have been motivated to make a difference. The last section of the book clearly explains the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and amendments.

Wolf challenges us to be more conscious of our government, to continue our commitment to freedom, and to be better Americans.