Become America

July 22, 2019
Former Clinton White House speechwriter Liu (You’re More Powerful than You Think) collects a selection of the “civic sermons” he gave at the Civic Saturday programs put on by Citizen University, an organization he cofounded, from November 2016 to August 2018. Topics follow the initial shock of the 2016 election, insurgence in public protests, and ongoing perseverance against the Trump administration. Liu asks readers to talk with others who may also feel alienated but are on the opposing political side, and also to consider their own hypocrisy (for example, left-leaning voters’ ignorance of Obama’s executive orders that resembled Trump’s on issues such as immigration). Liu shares stories of engaging in calm discourse to find common ground, notably in an account of him having had a passionate but respectful discussions off-camera with Glenn Beck. Each sermon opens with selections from writers, leaders, and artists, including Thomas Paine and W.E.B. DuBois; poet Claudia Castro Luna’s contemporary “Summer Sparks,” about the Statue of Liberty, is especially remarkable. Liu’s style is conversational (“So the other night my wife and I watched an episode of Queer Eye”) and gently exhortatory (“Do you live to exclude or include? Be honest”). This inspirational guide will speak to readers looking for encouragement and a path to meaningful civic engagement.