Prompt Response: Nonfiction Reader's Advisory Matrix

Book: Un-Trumping America: A Plan to Make America a Democracy Again by Dan Pfieffer.  Released February 18, 2020.  Read March 2020.

1. Where is the book on narrative continuum? I would say it falls in the middle of the narrative continuum.  Each chapter tells a story and the themes of each chapter follow a somewhat linear path, but the book reads more like a collection of related essays than a continuous story.
2. What is the subject of the book?  Dan Pfeiffer, who is a former White House staffer under President Obama and cohost of the political left-wing podcast Pod Save America, shares his ideas for how the Democrats can win the 2020 election and outlines some of the issues Democrats face in trying to win an election in today’s highly divisive partisan environment.  He also outlines steps the Democrats need to take once they have political power to protect democracy in America in the future.
3. What type of book is it?  The book is mainly political opinion/current events but there are elements of memoir, telling stories of his political experiences, as well.
4.   Articulate appeal.
• What is the pacing of the book?  I found the pacing of this book to be a little uneven.  Picking up the book and reading its title, you know where the book is going to take you.  Pfeiffer sets a good structure for the overall book by dividing the book into three sections: how we got here, how we fix it in the short term, and how we fix the long-term problems that let this happen in the first place.  Within each section, each chapter reads almost like an individual essay that was then compiled with other essays to make a book.  This led the book to not read as cohesively at times as the narrative hook pulling you through (the battle to save democracy) pulled you through at different paces depending on the chapter.  At the start of each chapter, Pfeiffer sets the scene and provides background information to the issue at hand, which as a regular listener of the Pod Save America podcast, I did not really need but others may.  This led me to quickly read the background and then slow down to read his solutions. 
• Describe the characters of the book. Pfeiffer quickly and clearly paints Republicans as the villains and Democrats as the heroes of the story.  While President Trump is the primary villain, he includes secondary villains like Fox News and Mitch McConnell among a host of other characters.  Not a lot of time is spent introducing the characters since the topic and characters are current and it can be assumed that most people reading the book would have a basic knowledge of those involved. 
•  How does the story feel? Seeing this book was released in February of 2020 about the 2020 Presidential election, there is an underlying sense of urgency.  Pfeiffer writes with passion about how he believes the results of this election could have dire consequences for the future of our democracy.  There is a cautious optimism at points, but overall, the tone is serious and at times foreboding. 
• What is the intent of the author? The book is educational and persuasive in nature.  Pfeiffer makes several arguments for why the Democrats need to oust President Trump in the 2020 election and take bold steps to protect our democracy.  He shares what he feels are the best strategies for doing so and includes a series of action steps for the reader at the end of many chapters.
• What is the focus of the story? The book is told in three main parts: why Democrats are at a disadvantage heading into the 2020 election, what they need to do in order to win the 2020 Presidential election, and what steps Democrats need to take once they regain political power to safeguard our democratic ideals in the future.
• Does the language matter? The language matters here.  Pfeiffer takes a topic that some people find intimidating (politics) and makes it easily digestible for most people.  He uses a lot of persuasive language to try to convince readers that his ideas are important.  He sometimes uses dry humor and sarcastic undertones.  However, I would argue that this language choice is important for his intended audience.  I suspect a large percentage of readers would be younger Democrats who are already somewhat plugged into politics and a high percentage of readers are probably familiar with, or regular listeners of, the Crooked Media podcasts.  Fans of the podcast would expect the same tone and language and the book follows that.
• Is the setting important and well described? Pfeiffer does a good job of painting a picture of the current political landscape in the country.  The people and ideas are more important than a specific location since the work of our government impacts the entire nation.
• Are there details and, if so, of what?  There is a lot of detail about our federal government and the election process as well as some historical information about politics in our country.  Additional detail is provided about the role of journalism in politics and government. 
• Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear?  Very few graphics are included.  Many chapters end with a chart of “What you can do to help” that stresses key takeaways and action items for the chapter’s theme.
• Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience?  Primarily learning and understanding.  However, Pfeiffer includes some stories of his political experiences that offer readers an inside view of working on a presidential campaign and in the White House.
5. Why would a reader enjoy this book (rank appeal)?
• Learning/experiencing
• Language
• Detail