Read my book review of "Slow Democracy: Rediscovering Community, Bringing Decision Making Back Home" by Susan Clark and Woden Teachout

Book Review published in ForeWord Reviews

"Slow Democracy is a book apart. Its courage permits it to be honest. Its honesty compels us to think of community and democracy as one—inseparable in concept as well as practice. Its vision commands us to make good on our professed faith in each other by practicing collective action face-to-face. Its hope is that we can learn to accept that properly understood, democracy needs no adjectives, that the title of the book, while perfect for the authors' generation, becomes a redundancy for the future."

                     - Frank M. Bryan                                   

About the Authors:

Susan Clark is a writer and facilitator focusing on community sustainability and citizen participation. She is an award-winning radio commentator and former talk show co-host. Her democratic activism has earned her broad recognition, including the 2010 Vermont Secretary of State’s Enduring Democracy Award.

Clark is the coauthor of All Those In Favor: Rediscovering the Secrets of Town Meeting and Community (RavenMark, 2005). Her work strengthening communities has included directing a community activists’ network and facilitating town visioning forums. She served as communication and education director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council and Coordinator of the University of Vermont’s Environmental Programs In Communities (EPIC) project.

Clark lives in Middlesex, Vermont, where she is chairs a committee that encourages citizen involvement, and serves as town-meeting moderator. 

Woden Teachout is an historian and cultural critic interested in the development of American patriotic culture. She has taught at a number of colleges and universities, including Harvard, as well as, Middlebury College and Goddard College. Her most recent book, Capture the Flag: A Political History of American Patriotism (Basic Books, 2009), was widely reviewed.

Teachout holds a PhD in the history of American civilization from Harvard University. She lives in Middlesex, Vermont, and is a professor of graduate studies at Union Institute and University.