The wonderful Democracy in America By Alexis de Tocqueville is still relevant over 170 years later.
He published the book in 2 volumes (1835, 1840).
I own the Library of America Edition.
The first Volume is the more scholarly of the 2 what with its discussion of history, politics, and more, being butressed with statistics, and quotes galore.
The second volume is the the more philosophical of the 2 as the author delves into all sorts of issues, and subjects related to the society, culture, religion, politics, and more, of America, and is far from shy about expressing not only his philosophy, but his thoughts on the philosophies of the people of the United States.
That brings me to just one aspect of this book that is relevant today:
In the last 30 years religious belief has played a significant role in the shaping of American politics, and the so-called Culture Wars.
I'm not the most religious person around, despite the variety of beliefs practiced by various relatives I've lived around all my life, but that does not mean that I don't find the subject interesting, and learn much from reading books, articles, and Blogs of a religious nature.
In light of recent debates in the media, from the battle over religion on school, and college, campuses, Creationism vs. Evolution in our schools, to the ACLU's war against All Things Christmas, I found a chapter in Volume 2 of particular interest, along with a startling paragraph comparing Islam and Christianity that is very relevant to the America of today, and the last 30 years.
Powerful, thought provoking, writing of a sort rarely surpassed since, and reason enough for thoughtful people, interested in the future of our nation to consider reading this still relevant book.
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