Nonfiction Books
For thirty years, starting in the early 1980s, I was a full-time staff member at Public Agenda, a nonprofit organization focusing on public opinion and public policy. During my time there, I learned something new every day—about major political and policy issues and about the values, hopes, and fears of the American people. I worked with a group of gifted researchers, writers, and organizers, all committed to enhancing democracy and the public’s role in shaping America’s future.
Between 2005 and 2012, I co-authored three books with my witty and brilliant Public Agenda colleague, Scott Bittle. Each offered the typical voter a “guided tour” to a complex, controversial issue—the federal debt, energy, and jobs and joblessness. Most statistics and some facts in these books are out-of-date, but sadly, the gist of each remains the same. The U.S. still hasn’t addressed its potentially crushing debt, its over-reliance on fossil fuels, and the precarious economic existence of many workers. Most of the tough decisions outlined in this series from HarperCollins still lie before us.
You Can’t Do It Alone, published in 2012, is my plea to public education leaders to involve teachers, parents, students, and communities in reshaping the nation’s schools. Again, while many specifics have changed since the book’s publication, the questions it raises are still unanswered. In far too many instances, teachers and parents are shunted to the sidelines while “experts” and politicians determine what happens in classrooms. The book includes an introduction by my mentor and boss, Daniel Yankelovich. Along with Lou Harris and George Gallup, Dan was a founder of opinion research in the U.S. and one of the most fascinating human beings I have ever known.