HOW DEMOCRACY ENDS

As David Runciman narrates his work on the status of democracy, his voice is affable and calming, even when his words inspire the opposite response. Runciman considers our current political climate to be one in which we are still functioning as a working democracy that is withstanding the rise of autocratic rule. However, he argues, we would do well to acknowledge history. Listeners are given examples of political uprisings, including various forms of a coups d'état. Listeners are encouraged to consider the ability of technology to infiltrate the masses and what it means when democracy "works." Runciman is a professor of politics and a podcast host; his skill in both these vocations is on full display in this absorbing, if disconcerting, audiobook. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2018]