Democracy, If We Can Keep It

The ACLU's 100-Year Fight for Rights in America

By: Ellis Cose

Narrated by: Danny Campbell

Published to coincide with the ACLU's centennial, a major book by the nationally celebrated journalist and bestselling author

For a century, the American Civil Liberties Union has fought to keep Americans in touch with the founding values of the Constitution. As its centennial approached, the organization invited Ellis Cose to become its first ever writer-in residence, serving as an "embedded journalist" with complete editorial independence.

The result is Cose's groundbreaking Democracy, If We Can Keep It: The ACLU and Its 100-Year Battle for Our Rights, the most authoritative account ever of America's premier defender of civil liberties. A vivid work of history and journalism, Democracy, If We Can Keep It is not just the definitive story of the ACLU but also an essential account of America's rediscovery of rights it had granted but long denied. Cose’s narrative begins with World War I and brings us to today, chronicling the ACLU’s role through the horrors of 9/11, the saga of Edward Snowden, and the phenomenon of Donald Trump.

A chronicle of America's most difficult ethical quandaries from the Red Scare, the Scottsboro Boys' trials, Japanese American internment, McCarthyism, and Vietnam, Democracy, If We Can Keep It weaves these accounts into a deeper story of American freedom - one that is profoundly relevant to our present moment.

©2020 Ellis Cose (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Narrator Danny Campbell's deep, somewhat raspy voice is a plus. His informal style makes the audiobook more accessible, and his voice projects well, which adds emphasis to his performance."
—AudioFile Magazine

"Comprehensive and even-handed . . . this judicious account reveals just how integral the ACLU has been to the past century of American history."
—Publishers Weekly

"Cose’s book is an excellent choice for anyone seeking to understand the ACLU as an organization and for those wanting to explore how the fight for civil liberties has evolved and helped to shape the society we have today."
—Library Journal