Accessible, entertaining, anecdotal. A good introduction to issues in contemporary civics as well as a measured and thoughtful response to major themes and figures in cultural studies. Civility in politics is a subject throughout, and analyses of both Obama's rhetoric and the use of lowest-common-denominator insults in public debate will be well-timed going into the 2012 election campaign Not just formal essays: some are dialogues, some personal meditations, some direct addresses to famous figures. Variety helps keep the collection entertaining.